The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is distributing more than $9.8 million to 65,022 people harmed by fraud involving Walmart money transfers, extending consumer relief under a court order that imposed new fraud safeguards.
On Oct. 15, the agency said checks were being sent to consumers whose eligible Walmart money transfers were completed from January 2015 through December 2024. The FTC said recipients have 90 days to cash their checks.
That relief follows a June 23, 2025, federal court judgment requiring Walmart to pay $10 million to the FTC within seven days. The order allows the agency to direct the funds toward consumer redress and the costs of running a refund program. It requires Walmart to take timely, appropriate measures that can effectively detect and prevent fraud-induced transfers. Walmart is also barred from sending a transfer or releasing its proceeds when it knows the transaction is fraud-induced or consciously avoids that knowledge. Walmart neither admitted nor denied the complaint’s allegations, but accepted facts needed to establish the court’s jurisdiction.
The FTC’s 2022 complaint accused Walmart of failing to maintain effective safeguards, train staff sufficiently and alert customers to money-transfer fraud. Records from MoneyGram, Ria and Western Union cited in the complaint listed at least 226,679 complaints about fraud-induced transfers sent from or received at Walmart locations between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2018. The complaint put associated losses at $197.3 million, including fees. It separately identified more than $1.3 billion in transfers connected with those complaints that could have been fraud-induced.
The complaint also alleged Walmart earned millions in transfer fees and had commission, fee and bonus arrangements linked to transactions it handled. It described older consumers among those targeted in grandparent, Good Samaritan, lottery or prize, and romance scams. According to the FTC complaint, Walmart was covered as an agent by earlier orders against MoneyGram in 2009 and Western Union in 2017.
Consumers with payment questions can call refund administrator Rust Consulting Inc. at 1-833-472-1990. The FTC says recipients do not have to pay or share account information to receive a check.
