Walmart Class Action Says Green Dot Prepaid Cards Are Compromised

A recent class action lawsuit claims that Walmart negligently allows scammers to steal Green Dot prepaid Visa card information.

Walmart offers several prepaid Visa cards, including products through Green Dot Bank. According to a recent Walmart, Green Dot class action, these cards may be susceptible to fraud.

Plaintiff Guillermo Espinoza says he purchased two $500 prepaid Green Dot Visa cards in February 2019, which he intended to use to pay his rent in March.

The day after he purchased the Green Dot cards, Espinoza reportedly attempted to make a payment on his rent only to be denied several times due to “insufficient funds.”

Espinoza allegedly went back to his local Walmart and asked an associate for guidance. The employee reportedly told him to try again later in the day or the next day, “stating that she believed it may just take a few days for the cards to activate.”

In the same day, Espinoza reportedly called the toll free number on the back of the cards and was told by the automated system that his cards had an available balance of $499 and $500, respectively.

On March 1, Espinoza reportedly repeated the process and learned that one of his cards had a posted transaction for $498.74 at a Walmart in Hemet, Calif. His other card reportedly had a “nearly identical” transaction for a $497.74 charge at the same Walmart.

“Upon seeing the charges to the Plaintiff’s Greendot cards, Plaintiff was furious, confused, and anxious as he needed the funds to pay his rent,” the Walmart, Green Dot class action claims.

Espinoza reportedly attempted to dispute the fraudulent charges with Green Dot but the bank allegedly directed him towards Walmart. He says he called the Hemet Walmart where a floor manager told him that similar “scams” had recently occurred. Information from the prepaid cards was reportedly “compromised.” According to the Walmart Green Dot class action, the manager allegedly told Espinoza “…as soon as they get activated a hacker can liquidate the gift cards.”

Following this conversation, Espinoza was allegedly directed to corporate Walmart’s fraud hotline. He reportedly opened up an investigation with the hotline and filed a police report. After sending his information to the hotline on March 2, Espinoza was reportedly forced to wait while the company investigated. He allegedly called every three to four days to request updates but was given no information.

On March 15, Espinoza reportedly checked again on the investigation and was told that Walmart could not do anything to help him because they were “not liable for those Visa gift cards.” He was then directed back to Green Dot Bank despite having already talked to the company. Green Dot allegedly said they too were not liable for the cards and suggested that this sort of scam was common.

According to the Walmart, Green Dot class action, Espinoza was told that scammers obtain the Green Dot card information prior to genuine purchases. After customers purchase the cards, scammers reportedly attempt $1 purchases to see if the cards are activated. After the products are activated, scammers are allegedly free to spend the rest of the available balance.

Espinoza argues that Walmart and Green Dot Bank do not sufficiently protect the information on the pre-paid cards, making them susceptible to scams and fraud.

“Walmart chooses to sell its Greendot funded Visa Debit Cards in unsecure packaging, wherein the identifying information is exposed to any third parties who come in contact with the Visa Debit Card prior to selling the cards to unsuspecting consumers,” the Walmart class action claims.

Espinoza seeks to represent a Class of California consumers who purchased Green Dot Visa prepaid cards from Walmart with balances of more than $50.

Did you purchase Walmart Green Dot Visa cards only to have the funds fraudulently stolen from you? Share your experiences in the comment section below!

Espinoza and the proposed Class are represented by Ahren A. Tiller of BLC Law Center APC and Abbas Kazerounian of Kazerouni Law Group APC.

The Walmart, Green Dot Prepaid Cards Class Action Lawsuit is Espinoza v. Walmart Inc., et al., Case No. 3:19-cv-01972-MMA-RBB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

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