POLICE have warned of a Walmart financial scam targeting shoppers.
Citizens are urged to hang up if they receive a call from a man posing as a police officer telling them to buy a Walmart cash card.
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On August 12, 2024, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office in Greenville, Ohio revealed that citizens were receiving calls from a scammer.
The department took to Facebook to alert citizens about a man who called posing as a Sheriff’s Office employee.
The criminal told the citizens that they had a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty and that he would arrest them if they did not purchase a cash card at Walmart.
“The caller identified themselves as David Tanner and Jason Wheatly. This is a scam!” the department continued in publish.
“The Sheriff’s Office will never call you and ask you to obtain cash cards or gift cards to pay fines.
“Please be aware of the situation and do not provide personal information or money to these scammers.”
Facebook users took to the post’s comments to share their thoughts, with many condemning the victims rather than the scammer.
“Even if I got a call I would know it was a scam,” one user wrote.
“Wow. Do people fall for this crap?” another asked.
“How dumb are people? Shouldn’t it be obvious that the police aren’t going to call you and say ‘Hey, you have a warrant, so if you could get this information to run and hide, that would be awesome,'” commented one third.
“Some people are so stupidly gullible… They should already know this,” wrote a fourth.
Walmart also has one Fraud alerts section on their website that provides shoppers with information about different types of scams, including gift card fraud.
It provides consumers with many tips on how to avoid this type of fraud, such as avoiding buying, selling, or checking your balance on online marketplaces outside of Walmart.com.
The retail giant also advises customers not to purchase gift cards if it appears that the packaging has been “altered or manipulated.”
Bank tips to avoid scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important that you know how to identify them:
- Be skeptical of online businesses that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers often use tactics to make you panic so that you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are asked to take immediate action and check who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you’ve only spoken to online or on the phone, as this is likely a romantic scam.
- Unless you know 100% who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at ATMs and always be careful when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click on links that indicate you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
It also says not to click or respond to online ads or websites that offer free gift cards.
WALMART SCAM
Walmart customers have faced other scams.
In May 2024, buyers were urged to check their accounts after a thief was caught installing a device to steal information.
Several locations in upstate New York have reported skimmers.
In June 2023, the retail chain received backlash after being accused of allegedly allowing fraudsters to access its money transfer services to scam shoppers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
According to an amended complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Walmart allegedly knew that scammers were misusing cash transfers for fishing schemes.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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