Fraud Prevention
Terms and Condition
Gift Card Fraud Prevention
Tips to Help Avoid Gift Card Fraud
- Walmart Gift Cards can only be used at Walmart stores or Sam's Clubs in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, or on-line at Vudu, Inc., Walmart.com or Samsclub.com. No legitimate government entity, including the IRS, Treasury Department, FBI or local police department, will accept any form of gift cards as payment.
- Other businesses do not accept payments in the form of Walmart Gift Cards. For example, you will never be asked to pay your utility bills, bail money, debt collection and hospital bills with Walmart Gift Cards.
- Do not purchase, sell, or check your balance on online marketplaces outside of Walmart.com.
- If you get a call from a stranger who says that a loved one is in trouble and they ask you to provide gift card numbers to help them, hang up and contact your loved one directly.
- Don't always trust your caller ID. Scammers can manipulate a caller ID to look like a legitimate company or government agency.
- Don't purchase a gift card if it appears that the packaging has been altered or manipulated. If you have questions about a gift card, ask someone who works at that store.
- Don't click on or respond to online ads or websites offering free gift cards. These are often scams.
- If you think you've been the victim of a gift card scam, report it to the Federal Trade Commission atftccomplaintassistant.gov.
Common Gift Card Scams
The Grandparent Scam
In this scam, the scammer will call a victim and indicate that a loved one is in some sort of trouble (i.e. kidnapped, arrested, etc.). Sometimes, the scammer pretends to be a lawyer or the loved one themselves and asks directly for money. The scammer then instructs the victim to purchase gift cards and give the gift card numbers to the scammer over the phone.
The Tech Support Scam
Perpetrators of tech support scams try to trick victims into believing their computers are infected and they need help. Some scammers pretend to be connected with Microsoft, Apple or a familiar security software company such as Norton or McAfee, and claim to have detected malware that poses an imminent threat to the person's computer. Other scams feature planted website ads or pop-ups that display warning messages, some even featuring a clock ticking down the minutes before the victim's hard drive will be destroyed by a virus — unless he or she calls a toll-free number for assistance in deactivating the menace. Such scammers will often ask for remote access to your computer to run phony diagnostic tests and pretend to discover defects in need of fixing. They'll pressure you to pay for unnecessary repairs or new software, and ask for payment via gift cards.
Additional Resources
Avoid Being the Victim of a Scam
Internal Revenue Service (IRS):
https://www.irs.gov/uac/tax-scams-consumer-alerts
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
10 Things You Can Do to Avoid Fraud:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0060-10-things-you-can-do-avoid-fraud
The National Council on Aging
Top 10 Financial Scams Targeting Seniors:
https://www.ncoa.org/economic-security/money-management/scams-security/top-10-scams-targeting-seniors/
Reporting Suspicious Behavior
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Report IRS impersonation scams to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration:https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtmlor call 800-366-4484.
- If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Contact the FTC, which handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visithttps://ftccomplaintassistant.gov/, call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to: Federal Trade Commission, CRC-240, Washington, D.C. 20580.
- For updates on other types of potential scams, check out the FTC's “scam alert” website athttps://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts.
Sam's Club Gift Card Terms and Conditions
These Sam's Club Gift Card Terms and Conditions ("Gift Card Terms and Conditions") are applicable in addition to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy applicable to the SamsClub.com website.
Nonreturnable; not for resale.Notwithstanding anything contained in these Gift Card Terms and Conditions, Sam's Club plastic Gift Cards and eGift Cards ("Sam's Club Gift Cards") are not returnable or refundable for cash except in states where required by law. Resale of Sam's Club Gift Cards is strictly prohibited.
Liability.The balance on any Sam's Club Gift Card is solely the liability of Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC.
Gift of Membership Cards.Sam's Club Gift of Membership Cards are restricted gift cards and may be used only towards Sam's Club membership fees at Sam's Club's physical locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The membership fees are limited to fees for purchasing, renewing, adding on, and upgrading Sam's Club memberships.
Not for promotional use.Sam's Club Gift Cards may be used as personal or business gifts, but may not be used in connection with any marketing, advertising or other promotional activities (including without limitation via websites, Internet advertisem*nts, email, telemarketing, direct mail, newspaper and magazine advertisem*nts, and radio and television broadcasts).If you are ordering more than 750 cards,please emailgiftcards@walmart.comand an associate will contact you by the next business day, or call us at 1-800-411-7942, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (CT).
No affiliation with Sam's Club.Use of Sam's Club's name, logo, trade dress (including any image/likeness of the cards) or trademarks (or those of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates) in connection with the purchase or use of Sam's Club Gift Cards is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, the use of Sam's Club Gift Cards in any manner that states or implies that any person, website, business, product or service is endorsed or sponsored by, or otherwise affiliated with, Sam's Club or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates is prohibited.
Compliance with laws.By purchasing Sam's Club Gift Cards, you are certifying and representing to Sam's Club that the activities in connection with which the Sam's Club Gift Cards will be used will comply with these Gift Card Terms and Conditions and all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and that the Sam's Club Gift Cards will not be used in any manner that is misleading, deceptive, unfair or otherwise harmful to consumers or Sam's Club. In addition, you agree to defend and indemnify Sam's West, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates from and against any claims, expenses or liabilities made against or incurred by any of them in connection with your use of the Sam's Club Gift Cards or violation of any of these Gift Card Terms and Conditions.
Lost or Stolen Gift Card.Lost or stolen cards will not be replaced. Sam's West, Inc., Sam's East, Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC shall have no liability to you for (i) lost or stolen Sam's Club Gift Cards or (ii) use of any Sam's Club Gift Cards by third parties through your SamsClub.com account. You are solely responsible for keeping the password for your SamsClub.com account safe and for any activity conducted under your account.
Saving Sam's Club Gift Card Information and Viewing Balance Terms and ConditionsSaving Sam's Club Gift Card Information.Only five Sam's Club Gift Cards (plastic and/or eGift Cards) can be saved to your account at any given time. Sam's Club Gift Cards you have NOT saved may be used, but you will be required to enter the Sam's Club Gift Card number and PIN at the time of purchase.
No Consolidation for New Sam's Club Gift Card.You may not consolidate or combine multiple Sam's Club Gift Cards to purchase a new Sam's Club Gift Card. SamsClub.com does notconsolidate or combine multiple gift cards into one gift card per customer requests.
Saving Sam's Club Gift Card Information Does Not Redeem Card.Saving Sam's Club Gift Card information to your account does not redeem the value of the Sam's Club Gift Card. Saving the information makes the Sam's Club Gift Card available for selection without entering the Sam's Club Gift Card number and PIN at the time of a purchase. It also allows you to more quickly check the available balance on the Sam's Club Gift Card.
Saving Sam's Club Gift Card Information Does Not Limit Card to Use.Online.Saving a Sam's Club plastic Gift Card to your SamsClub.com online account does not limit you to using the Sam's Club Gift Card online. You can use Sam's Club plastic Gift Cards and eGift cards at any retail or online format of Walmart Inc. in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, including Sam's Club.
Sam's Club Gift Card Balance is an Estimate.The balance you see when viewing Sam's Club Gift Card balances online or receive by calling 1-888-537-5503 is an estimate only. In most cases, the balance is adjusted immediately when you make a purchase online or in stores, but there may be occasions when the updated balance is delayed for a period of time. You can also view the Sam's Club Gift Card's transaction history to see if all the transactions for the Sam's Club Gift Card are listed.
Sam's Club Gift Cards Do Not Expire.Sam's Club Gift Cards never expire.
Governing Law.When you purchase, receive, or redeem a Sam's Club Gift Card, you agree that the laws of the State of Arkansas shall govern these Gift Card Terms and Conditions, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
Updates to Gift Card Terms and Conditions
These Sam's Club Gift Card Terms and Conditions were last updated on May 14, 2018. Sam's Club may update these Gift Card Terms and Conditions at any time. We recommend that you check these Gift Card Terms and Conditions periodically for changes.
