A large-scale robocall scam is targeting millions of Walmart shoppers in the U.S. by impersonating the retailer’s customer service and inventing fake high-value purchases to steal personal and financial data.
How the Walmart robocall scam works
Scammers use AI-generated voices that claim to be calling “from Walmart” about a supposed preauthorized order, often a PlayStation 5 purchase of about 900 dollars that the victim never made. The call urges people to “press 1” or call back to cancel the order, then routes them to a fake “agent” who demands card numbers, banking details, or even Social Security numbers under the pretext of verifying identity or reversing the charge.
Scale of the attack
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says nearly 8 million such robocalls have been placed, traced largely to a single voice provider, SK Teleco, which has been ordered to immediately cease carrying this traffic or risk being cut off from U.S. networks. Regulators and traceback groups have confirmed that the calls are part of a coordinated scam campaign that exploits holiday-season shopping and fear of unauthorized charges.
How to protect yourself
- Do not share card data, bank information, or Social Security numbers with anyone who calls you unexpectedly, even if they claim to be from Walmart.
- Hang up and check your Walmart account or bank/credit card statement directly through official apps or websites instead of using numbers or links from the call or text.
- Treat any unsolicited “order problem” texts or calls as suspect; these are classic smishing and phishing red flags.
If you receive one of these calls, report it to the FCC or FTC and your phone carrier, and consider enabling robocall and spam-text blocking tools on your device.
