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Walmart now faces a gift card scam class action alleging that the massive retail company refuses to compensate consumers after criminals use and return gift cards.
Plaintiff Debbie McCoy recently filed a class action lawsuit against Walmart Inc., and other related entities, claiming that the company participates in a widespread gift card scam by refusing to compensate their customers after criminals steal gift card information and use the funds.
This practice reportedly leaves consumers like McCoy with unusable gift cards.
On Dec. 15, 2017, McCoy says she purchased two $25 gift cards for her niece and nephew for Christmas. However, when she gave her niece the gift cards for Christmas, she discovered that the balance had been used on Dec. 17 by a third party.
Her nephew attempted to check the balance after this discovery to find that Walmart had deactivated his card. McCoy claims that the balances were used by criminals who stole the gift card information off of the gift cards while they were hanging on the rack, causing her to sustain financial losses of $50 in addition to emotional distress and embarrassment from giving unusable gift cards as gifts.
The Walmart gift card class action lawsuit argues that criminals can remove the security tape off the back of a gift card, copy the information, and replace the security tape with another product. Security tape is allegedly readily available for purchase at many online retailers including Amazon. Additionally, gift cards on the rack are easy to manipulate, steal, and replace for unsuspecting consumers such as McCoy to purchase.
Despite the ease with which third parties can steal vital gift card information, Walmart allegedly does not compensate consumers when they fall victim to fraudulent behaviors. The Walmart class action claims the company also refuses to take steps to prevent fraud and gift card scams by securing their gift cards and checking for signs of manipulation at the time of purchase.
“Defendant owed a duty to Plaintiff and the putative Class to ensure that the gift cards sold were original, without signs of manipulations, and otherwise were able to be used by those who received them,” the Walmart gift card scam class action claims. “Defendant breached that duty failing to exercise reasonable care and failing to act in a way that revealed the defects, signs of manipulation, and otherwise failing to reasonably inspect the gift cards at time of check out.”
According to plaintiff counsel, Visa and other gift card companies have started selling their products in bundles to avoid fraudulent criminal behavior and gift card scam. “It’s a shame Walmart hasn’t done the same thing,” plaintiff’s counsel told USA Today.
McCoy seeks to represent a Class of consumers who purchased a gift card from Walmart and had the funds stolen by a third party. The Walmart gift card scam class action lawsuit seeks actual damages exceeding $1,000, restitution, punitive damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.
The plaintiff is represented by Craig R. Heidemann of Douglas Haun & Heidemann PC.
The Walmart Gift Card Scam Class Action Lawsuit is McCoy v. Wal-Mart Stores East LP, et al., Case No. 6:18-cv-03256, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
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178 thoughts onWalmart Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Gift Card Scam
I purchased four $500.00 gift cards for $2000.00 at Sam’s Club last December. Sams Club or Walmart put a freeze on two of the cards. I’ve gone through the hoops to try to get the money back with them basically saying “get lost, we have your money, goodby.” This is theft and we have no recourse.
I got a 500 gift card for walmart last year from a carity and only got to spend 115 before the other 385 was stolen when i tried to get the money back for christmas they not only deline me but say that the card never exist in the first place even with me having the card in my hand and photos of the thiefs purshares from another 2 states away and them being made 1 hour and 15 after mine.
Add me $60 and have receipt.
Purchased a $25.00 Wal-Mart gift card ( Palm Harbor, FL)in for my sister’s birthday on June 13, 2021. Put it in a birthday card and mailed it to Coventry, RI. She received it in the mail on June 18, 2021. She went to the Wal-Mart near her home on June 19, 2021 and was told there was a zero balance on the card when she went to use it for her purchase. The clerk was nice enough to provide a print out of when and where the card was used while in a birthday card being mailed. The card was used on the June 17, 2021 on at a Wal-Mart on the east coast of Florida. Wal-Mart will not return my money even with a receipt.
Well it happened to me today May 12, 2021 I got my mom a gift card on Saturday. She used it today there was no money in the card Walmart found out that I did activated on May 8 at around 10:20 AM and then around 2:30 PM someone try to redeem it but it didn’t work at another Walmart. Then at 4:30 PM they went to another Walmart and was able to redeem it there. So my poor mom didn’t get her Mother’s Day gift the scammers got their money and Walmart doesn’t give a damn about us. They said to call Walmart corporate office or to call the police.
I received a Walmart gift card from my brother as a Christmas present. I registered the card on my Walmart.com account. I made several purchases with the card and I could look on Walmart.com and see the history of my card usage.
I gave the card to my wife to buy gas, on a trip alone, at Murphy Oil stations that are located at some Walmart stores. She could not use the card. I contacted Walmart customer service and was told the card was canceled because the balance was checked too frequently. I was told to send a picture of the card and the receipt. The card was a gift I have no Receipt. I have proof that it is mine from registering the card many months earlier, but they don’t care. They have stolen $114.26 from me and there is nothing I can do. I have done nothing wrong and they have no right to take my money. They can prove this is my card by looking at the history of purchases but no receipt no money. This smells real bad. Someone at Walmart or Walmart is making a lot of money by scamming just like the scammers.
The frequent balance checking occurred because Murphy oil had changed the procedure at the pump from a quick in and out of the card to a push the card in and wait until the screen says to remove the card. My wife, unaware of of the change, kept pushing the card in and out quickly as she was accustomed to doing. Each time she did this the balance was checked. This must be happening to many other people.
I
Walmart Corona, California McKinley store purchased a $25 Walmart gift card and it never left my wallet went to use it three months later and found out it had been used twice once at a Walmart I never go to. It only had 1.29 left in it
Contacted corporate and the store they told me they can do nothing about it I even have the original receipt.
Same thing happened to me and was told the same thing, was used a hundred miles from me
I bought a $100 iTunes gift card for a birthday gift and it had been tampered with. Target said it wasn’t their fault so I was out of luck.
What about they sent me invalid gift cards and refuse to fix it after countlesscalls and refrence numbers they know they did and admit it but still want fix it
I bought two $500.00 gift cards.. The cards never left my possession. I went to redeem them and they didn’t work. I called the 888 number on the back and the automated email stated the cards were never activated. I went back to the store two times and finally spoke to a Supervisor who got someone on the phone with me and had to open a claim. My claim came back today saying they funds were not able to be found and there is no replacements or refunds. That is unacceptable. This is a lot of money and Walmart is refusing to admit they made a mistake.
I have a parallel situation today. I had $190 fraudulently taken off my debit card by Walmarts corporate location. The kicker? It wasn’t hackers online. My only purchased with them are in store so it’s happening at the registers. They’re deliberately STESLING our information!!!
There has to be something that can be done! I bought a gift card for my best friend and her husband for Christmas and someone else that was hundreds of miles away from them used the money from my card. I opened a claim with walmart but haven’t heard anything yet and it’s been weeks now. I’m beyond furious that they get away with stealing peoples hard earned money. I wish everyone would boycott walmart and make them go out of business.
After buying a gift card at a Target Store in California, Target let someone transfer the funds from the card I purchased to another card. Target would not give me any more information other than implying it was my fault. Moral of the story, don’t purchase gift cards.
Let me know if you want to go after target.
If you know of a Target class action lawsuit happening, you can count me in.