Technology developed by Walmart helped the retail giant identify and freeze nearly $4 million in gift cards that had been bought by thousands of primarily elderly victims.
"This includes developing our own proprietary, industry-leading technology designed to identify distinct red flags and freeze funds when possible before they can be used if consumer gift card fraud is suspected," Hargrove said.
The affidavit says that in the fall of 2015, Walmart's Global Investigations team"noticed a pattern of regular inquiries from local police departments regarding reports filed by victims of unspecified scams" who had been directed to buy Walmart gift cards, usually in the sum of $500 and $1,000. The document reveals that Walmart, through a review of its gift card system, saw a pattern where a large number of gift cards were purchased around the United States and their values were immediately checked from overseas locations.
One man, a 64-year-old truck driver in Belleville, Michigan, identified by the initials"R.J.," told the Secret Service that in September 2020 a man with"a Middle Eastern accent" called his cellphone"and claimed to be a bill collector from an apartment complex in Michigan where R.J. previously resided."
One victim quoted in the affidavit, a 70-year-old identified as K.K., was swindled out of $8,000 worth of Walmart gift cards alone in a scam spanning 21 months.
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