Public Notice: Walmart Scam
I could have been scammed! Rather lengthy story.
Today I got a phone call from a +011 number. I’ve been getting calls from them all week and usually I just ignore them, but today I decided to pick up.
Some woman told me that I been selected for a $400 Walmart Giftcard and that I was free to use that card to buy groceries, appliances, food, etc. I was pretty skeptical but hey, I’m broke; $400 could do wonders. The catch was I had to verify my name and address and agree to a $1.95 shipping and handling fee.
I decided to listen some more and just kind of said okay to everything. I think she was getting frustrated because I wasn’t responding much and I was also speaking quietly because roommate was still sleeping. She then asked me to verify my name and mailing address, which she recited to me. She asked if I was Tammy and recited my Berkeley Address and my cell phone number. It seemed somewhat believable (not really) until she asked me to tell her my credit card number so they could process the shipment of the gift card. Red Flag! She also said I won’t be charged today, but it’s just to make sure I’m the right Walmart Customer.
I still said I wasn’t comfortable giving my credit card number over the phone. So she asked if she could transfer me to her supervisor.
Okay, I had nothing better to do that early in the morning. So I said sure. Man picks up the phone and asks if I ever shopped at Walmart and used a plastic card. I’m sure I have so I said yes. He said that Walmart wants to appreciate their customers so cards are collected in their database and 500 people all over the US are selected to win this gift card. He also claimed that he was calling from the Walmart Head Office in [don't remember city name], Arkansas. That’s nice of them. But still not giving credit card info over the phone. I said I’d rather not accept the card then.
He then asked if I would like him to pull up the location of the Walmart that I charged my credit card at within the past year. I was curious, so again I agreed. I really wanted to hang up, but I’ve been hanging up a lot of people this week so I listened. He then pulled up the address and location of the Richmond Walmart that was 8 miles from my home and told me this was the store that submitted my information. Red Siren.
I never shopped at that Walmart.
I was expecting his answer to be the Walmart near the District Office in Socal when I go to meetings, so he failed that test. I told him I never shopped there and he again repeated that this was the store that submitted my name and address to this contest. I was trying really hard to remember if I shopped there or not, but nothing seemed familiar.
He then asked if I was now willing to give my credit card number. That’s when it occurred to me that they never asked for my legal name. Only Tammy. So I asked what was the name on the credit card. And he said “Tammy T, at [Berkeley Address]. Bitches failed hard.
“Sorry sir, but that is NOT the name on my credit card. And that is NOT the address on my credit card. I don’t have any plastic card with that information”
“Oh, it seems we got the wrong person then. Sorry for bothering you. Bye”
Bitches. Trying to steal my money. AW HELLL NAW
Not that I have money to steal. =____=
It's time like these when I'm glad I have a difficult legal name that I rarely use outside legal documents.