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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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366 thoughts onWalmart Class Action Says Green Dot Prepaid Cards Are Compromised
I bought a visa walmart moneycard and put $500 on it. When I opened the packaged card, I noticed that there was only 8 of the 16 digits on the front and there wasn’t a 3 digit security code on the back. I took it back. Walmart told me there was nothing that they could do for me, call the number on the back. Visa can’t help because there’s no number for them to access. Green Dot didn’t even let me explained. They just said “we are responsible” and disconnected. I’m a 52 yr old homeless woman recovering from a major surgery in a shelter. I have no income . I put all my money on that card because I feared cash could get stolen. They are multi-million dollar corporations. Why am I the one who has to take the loss??
I have repeatedly had $300 stolen from my account more recently $480 and I account for every transaction. Green Dot will not refund the money and will not show where the money is going
Same thing I purchased a Walmart money card on 12/04/2021 and loaded 100 dollars on it. Then when I went to use it it had a balance of 2.05 on it. I called Walmart money card customer service and they said they would send me a check in the mail and I’m still waiting for that check. Called again today and they said they would send out a new check in the mail.
Yes the same with me. On 12/4 I had 7 bogus charges on my card all from Illinoise and South Caralina. I called the number on the charge from my staement and i was some woman who says she recieved many calls on the same issue. She says somehow the purp has her number. I first recieved a text from Walmart security who told me my card was compromised, So I canceled the card.
Now I am trying to get the charges off and my money back. The thing is it will take weeks or months, like it was my fault. It was a secuity issue with their card that caused my loss and they know it was a wide spread issue because they alerted me! I’m alamed at the way they spoke to me and the way it’s being handle. Like what would I be doing at a grocery store in Illinoise whn I live in Southern Cal.
ON 06/16/2021 , I PURCHASED A MONEY CARD FOR THE AMOUNT OF $ 501.00 i used the last cash i had . i had no way to pay rent or buy any food, i did not make it out the doors from walmart …my money was gone . i was told not to worry that walmart would make it right .it took me one year of calling greendot to get to get any responce . i left numerous messages at least once a day i would call and get transferred to a person from a foreign country that created a major language barrier that i could not understand .the background noise was horrible on a couple occasions the roster would be so louad made it impossible to to understand. two years later after i have been assured that my check was in the mail .that was a croc of shit .going on 3 years NOT ONE CALL BACK FROM ANYONE.. THEY KEEP SAYING THERES NOTHING THEY CAN DO .iI have my receipts from that day walmart made me homeless !!!!!
No resolve since March 2022…unable to use card due to pandemic and my card expired…but was informed I could get replacement card…Called Walmartgift.com at least weekly to obtain replacement card. I cannot update address to have card sent…site gives me an internal error..sorry for your inconvenience message…when I try to update. I have over 10 case numbers to reference as IT was to intervene so I can get replacement. No success. I am given the run around…put on hold…hung up on…told lies..etc. it’s not the amount…but principles here. I thoroughly disgusted with green dot Corp and Walmart. I believe that this is happening because this is a scam. Shame.
The same exact thing just happened to me. I purchased the card on Sept 21, 2022. Activated it that evening. Tried 3 times to do it online. Kept getting errors that told me to call the number on the back of the card. Called it the first time. Was asked basically for the number, put on hold 4 times. Waited far to Ling only to be disconnected. So I called back. This person was more helpful. Was not put on hold at all. He walked me through the steps to so it online. Finally got the cars activated. Then went online to use the card to pay for my XM radio. Which is the only reason for purchasing the card. Well, on the 23rd. I got an email from xm saying they could not collect payment. Now mind you I put quite a bit more on the card so I would be able to have xm take my next 2 yrs worth on payments using that card. So I called the number on the back of the card immediately. The person was uncaring. I needed to fill out paperwork to file this came. They need that physical paper withing 20 oc can not help me. I am on the East coast this address is on the west coast. No way to email these people. The next day I get an email saying the company that the card was used for is going to issue me a refund. And not even for the full amount. And it is going to be put back on the same compromised card. Are these people insane???? I have to call them back and see what can be done. Probably nothing. Why would you not cancel that card and issue a new one? And I did not make the purchase so why am I not getting a complete refund. NEVER USE THESE CARDS!!!!
I received a $100 Walmart Visa Gift Card in its original packaging at the end of January 2022 it remained in my dresser drawer until I wanted to use it on August 12 2022. I opened the package and registered the card thinking that was needed to activate it. It showed a $0 balance. I spent 3.5 hours on the phone getting the run around before finally getting a dispute case number. I sent in by email and mail all information they wanted only to get denied because they showed a transaction was done to Geico auto for $100 on March 7 2022. Problem is I didn’t authorize it as I have never done any business with Geico. The card was in my possession at the time in it’s original packaging. Reading the card agreement it states that the card needs to be registered in order to make transaction by phone, mail or internet. Which it was not at the time. I have filed two disputes getting denied both times and started a third after talking to a manager in the dispute department. I also learned from customer service that my account I registered on August 12 had been closed. I asked for arbitration as there is an arbitration clause in the card agreement document. I have so far spent a total of 6 hours on the phone trying to get resolution and even though my time is worth way more than the $100, it’s the principal that they are getting away with this scam that bothers me.
I went to use a Visa Debit Card branded by Walmart this weekend. I opened it out of it’s package. Card should have had $100 on it but only had a 58 cent balance on the card. Green Dot overseas customer service not helpful.
My money was also stolen just days after activating the card in Walmart. I have contacted Green Dot and was told that to get my money back, I needed to open another Green Dot card so they could put the money on yet another card. That money was also stolen.
Same thing happened to me in 2020
I m still waiting for my money back they are so rude they said they will send me a check and nothing happened .they just gave me a case number to see what happens and they lied to me about my information when I called again they said my information is good
Yep I still haven’t had my issue resolved either!!!
I brought a green dot visa and added 100.00 dollars and activate my card and there was no balance at all and I
i got the walmart green dot card put the money and could not use it anywhere i had actived i went to walmart they said not thier problem they just them put you put the money on it at walmart so for days i stayed on the phone after the 3rd day i got a human she said they’ed mail a refund i did get a refund check could not cash it anywhere and the first place i went to cash it at was walmart would not go through rejected so i’ve lost 800.00 i wondered if i stand out infront of walmart to warn people if i’d go to jail because i’m not the only one
Green Dot has closed my account with no warning or notice. I have emailed their required documents several times to them to get this issue resolved to no avail. They have not released any of my money to date!! Communication with them is nonexistent and frankly a joke!!
I’m having the same exact problems. Our company purchased 2 Walmartgift.com cards for $250 as an employee incentive. I activated each with email address, password. I was able to spend $130 on one before they restricted/blocked the card and the other one was never used and was restricted/blocked. I have been calling, sending in my state ID, copy of the gift cards by email for the past 3 months. But to no avail, I am told it is with the fraud unit and there’s nothing they can do. No reason was given as to the reason for the fraud unit. Now when I call, after I put in the card #, automated system sends me to a 300min wait line. Calling can be a joke. Getting the call dropped, transferred into space for long periods of time, lying about next action. Ridiculous! Walmart states they are not responsible for the gift cards and are unable to assist in this situation. Greendot got a free $370.
I had bought a reloadable prepaid green dot card from food lion. When I first got it I had it registered thinking that I was going to get my personalized card in the mail. I continue to use the temporary card, and was getting my direct deposits on it. It wasn’t untill a few days ago when I misplaced my card that I found out I wasn’t approved for a personalized card because I had another address on file. I ended up purchasing another card and I got approved for the personalized card. I was hoping to transfer the money to my other card, but now they saying since I wasn’t approved for the first card that they would have to send me out a check. But now they holding my money untill I can show them a lease agreement where I stay at, to change my address on my file. I showed them my state identification card, which has my address on it, and I showed them my birth certificate,and cricket phone bill. This is the worst prepaid card I ever had and I want recommend it to nobody. All I want is my money back. The customer service people are rude, they try to speak over you, and on a couple of occasions would even hang up. I hate this company, and with the $7.99 monthly fees I pay, plus the $1.50 per transaction I pay, you would think they would be more understanding, and could find an alternative then having to send a check in the mail, in which is the most unconventional way of receiving money in this day in time. I have never had this kind of hassle from any other type of prepaid card company.
Seems to me if Walmart name is on the the card that makes them responsible . I’ve had them actually withdraw money from my bank account when my bank was to send a wire transfer. I guess bank gave them account number. They said,” we don’t know what’s going on between you,”
Im a service connected disabled veteran who has had my VA benefits direct deposited to my walmart moneycard/greendot bank. After noticing fraudulent activity greendot blocked my card freezing $2600 and they refuse to return my $. I have spent 3vweeks countless hours in phone attempts and provided every document they requested, now they just leave me on holdbor for hours or hang up. Ive called the federal reserve bank and the va and the BBB gor help. As of today still no help
Me too