Walmart food box email scam: how to spot the fake offer
Quick answer
No official alert names a Walmart food box email. Walmart and the FTC do warn about fake emails and texts that use Walmart's name to get your card details. Don't click, don't pay a 'shipping' fee, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
- Pretends to be
- Walmart
- Last updated
How it works
Scammers copy Walmart's logo and layout to send emails that look real. Walmart says the goal of this kind of phishing is to collect card numbers, PINs, account passwords and even Social Security numbers.
The FTC describes a common version of the 'free item' hook: a message promises a free gift if you click a link, then asks for payment details to cover 'shipping'. If you enter them, you get unauthorized charges and no gift.
Walmart's fraud page doesn't list a food box offer, so the details below follow the tricks Walmart and the FTC document, not one confirmed script.
Sources checked: corporate.walmart.com, consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
Red flags
- An email or text you didn't expect that offers free food, a gift card or a prize
- A link, then a request for card details to cover 'shipping' or a small fee
- A sender address that looks off, or an embedded second address behind the display name
- Old or wrong branding, such as 'Wal-Mart' spelled with a hyphen
- Pressure to claim the offer right now
- A prize for a contest you never entered: Walmart says it doesn't notify contest winners by text
Example message
Congratulations! You've been selected to receive a free Walmart food box. Confirm your details and pay a small shipping fee here: [link]. Offer ends today.
What to do
- 1
Don't click or reply
Delete the message. Don't open attachments or call any number in it. If you think it might be real, go to walmart.com yourself or use the number on your receipt or card.
- 2
If you entered card details
Call the number on the back of your card, say it was fraud and ask for a new card. Check your statement for charges you don't recognize.
- 3
If you entered a password
Change it on that account and anywhere you reuse it, then turn on two-step verification.
- 4
If you gave your Social Security number
Go to IdentityTheft.gov for the FTC's recovery plan and consider a credit freeze.
- 5
Report it
Tell the FTC, and read Walmart's fraud page for how it wants suspicious emails reported. Forwarding texts to 7726 (SPAM) helps your carrier block similar ones.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
Scammers pick targets from lists of names, phone numbers and email addresses that come from data breaches and people-search sites. Walmart is one of the biggest retailers in the US, so a message using its name reaches a lot of people who really do shop there. Serus finds the data brokers and people-search sites that list your phone number and email and removes you from them, and alerts you when your details show up in a breach, so fewer scammers have your contact details to begin with. See our guide to data brokers and what to do after a data breach.
More Walmart scams
Frequently asked
Is there a real Walmart food box offer?
No official Walmart or FTC page describes one. Walmart says it doesn't notify contest winners by text, and tells customers not to respond to emails or texts offering free gift cards.
Is Walmart behind this?
No. Walmart is the company being impersonated. Its fraud page lists phishing and smishing as scams that use its name.
I paid a 'shipping fee'. What now?
Call your card issuer using the number on the card and dispute the charge. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How do I report a fake Walmart email?
Use the reporting steps on Walmart's fraud alerts page, and report it to the FTC.
Sources
- Fraud Alerts · corporate.walmart.com
- Have you been getting scammy text messages? · consumer.ftc.gov
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