In recent years, scam websites pretending to be Walmart clearance stores have proliferated online. These fraudulent sites claim to offer unbelievable deals on electronics, appliances, toys, and more. However, they are designed to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting shoppers. This article will examine how the Walmart online clearance store scam works, how to identify these malicious sites, and what you can do if you have fallen victim to one.
What are the Walmart Online Clearance Store Scam Websites?
The Walmart online clearance store scam involves websites that are made to look like official Walmart sites advertising huge clearance sales of up to 90% off retail prices. They use Walmart’s trademarked logos and web layout to appear legitimate. Some even go as far as listing fake customer reviews and policies identical to Walmart’s to trick shoppers.
In reality, these sites have no affiliation with the retail giant. They are elaborate frauds looking to scam people out of their money and personal data. The rock-bottom prices on high-end electronics and popular toys seem too good to be true because they are. Victims will pay for items but never receive them. Any credit card or personal information entered on the sites may be stolen for identity theft.
How Do the Walmart Online Clearance Store Scam Websites Operate?
The criminals running these schemes invest heavily in making the sites look authentic. They register domains very similar to Walmart’s real URL and copy images, text, and page design directly from Walmart’s website. The sites often have working shopping carts and payment portals so victims can purchase the “clearance items.”
To further legitimize the sites, the scammers will create fake reviews, security badges, and wholesaler licenses. There may be a fraudulent “Contact Us” page with phone numbers and addresses. However, the information is untraceable or leads back to the scammers.
Once victims place orders and enter credit card information, the criminals have what they want. They take the money and disappear. The victim never receives their purchase. The site may eventually disappear too, only to pop up again later under a different name.
How to Spot and Avoid the Walmart Online Clearance Store Scam Websites
While scam sites appear convincing at first glance, several red flags can help identify their fraudulent nature:
Check for a Legitimate Domain Name and Company Details
- Fake sites often have domain names with odd spellings, extra words or use popular brand names. Search the company name online to confirm they are real.
- Check that a physical business address, working customer service phone/email are provided. Lack of real contact details indicates a shady seller.
Look for Overly Good-to-Be-True Deals
- Scam websites lure customers by advertising extravagant discounts of 50-90% off or deals well below market prices. Real businesses cannot sustain such heavy losses. If the deal looks too good to be true, it likely is.
Verify Company Reputation
- Search the website, business name and owner names online for any negative reviews or scam reports. Check with BBB, TrustPilot and complaint forums to see their reputation.
- No social media presence and zero signs of real customer activity on review sites signal likely frauds.
Analyze Site Security and Payment Options
- Ensure sites connect with SSL encryption and have guaranteed refund policies. Unsecured sites should not handle payments or sensitive data.
- Scam websites tend to only take irreversible payments like wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency and avoid credit cards with stronger fraud protections.
Spot grammar errors, plagiarized policies, limited products
- Fake sites lack effort invested into proper grammar and original legal policy writing seen on established businesses.
- Very limited product selections avoiding common best-selling items categories also indicates pop-up scams.
Carefully applying these warning signs allows shoppers to expose scam retail fronts seeking solely to exploit rather than serve legitimate customer bases built on accountability and trust.
How to Spot This Scam on Social Media
In tandem with operating entirely fake e-commerce storefronts, retail scam websites heavily leverage sponsored social media ads promoting unbelievable yet highly compelling deals up to 90% off across product ranges in attempts to lure target audiences.
Highly deceptive posts explicitly screaming too-good-to-be-true price cuts frequently overrun Facebook feeds, Instagram stories and TikTok streams with aims of deceiving deal-seeking shoppers. However, certain patterns across these advertisements expose their underlying deceitful intentions.
Spotting Fraudulent Facebook Ads
Beware of too-good-to-be-true deals in Facebook ads like “90% off” or “Free Shipping” that entice people to shop. Scammers know how lucrative Facebook’s 2 billion users can be. Warning signs of a scam Facebook shopping ad:
- Extreme discounts such as “Store Closing Sale” or “Going out of Business” that seem suspicious for a newly created page. Legitimate businesses usually don’t heavily discount new inventory.
- Language and grammatical errors or inconsistencies throughout the ad or website. This signals the scammers likely quickly generated the content.
- Generic stock images of products rather than real images. Or images with watermarks that the scammer likely didn’t have rights to use.
- Very recent Page creation date shown under the Page name. Scam sites don’t last long before users report them or Facebook removes them.
If an ad or Page sets off warning bells, search for reviews of the website before purchasing. Or reverse image search any product photos to see if they were stolen from another site. Don’t support scammers taking advantage of Facebook users.
Spotting Fraudulent Instagram Ads
Scam online shopping sites try luring Instagram users with attention-grabbing captions like “Limited Time Offer!” and enticing prices such as “Today Only $39”. But is the Instagram shop legit or a scam? Signs to help determine:
- The account has very few posts and followers. Scams setup disposable accounts that get deleted once reported.
- Check user tags on the posts. If real people aren’t shown wearing or using the products, that’s a major red flag.
- Tap on the shop link in the bio. If there’s no HTTPS or SSL certificate, it’s not secure to enter payment information.
- Reviews seem fake or non-existent. Scam sites don’t have much satisfied customer proof.
- Limited or vague return policy information. Or difficult channels to request a return.
Trust your instinct if an Instagram shop seems fishy. Check independent review sites first before buying through an unknown seller advertising on Instagram. Protect your personal and payment information entering it only on secure sites after verifying legitimacy.
Catching Fake TikTok Ads
Scam TikTok shopping sites try attracting traffic using compelling videos showcasing unbelievable deals. But amazing discounts and prices may bait unsuspecting TikTok users into a scam. Be wary of:
- Links in the caption or videos bringing users to store sites no one’s heard of. Scammers setup temporary sites that won’t be around long.
- No blue checkmark verification badge on the account. This signals TikTok hasn’t authenticated the authenticity of the seller.
- Prices drastically slashed with countdown timers pressuring purchase decisions. Scare tactics rush rational judgement.
- No reviews or evidence showing real customers enjoying the products. Easy with video testimonials to fake satisfaction.
Check comment sections on TikTok scam shopping site videos for warnings from others getting duped. When prices seem too good to be true, they most likely are. Verify legitimacy before handing payment info to unknown sellers promoting on TikTok videos. Your security comes first.
What to Do If You Have Fallen Victim to a Walmart Online Clearance Store Scam
If you have fallen victim to this scam, you should take immediate action to protect yourself and your money. Here are some steps that you can take:
- Contact your bank immediately – Alert your bank to disputed charges and consider canceling your card to prevent further fraudulent purchases.
- Keep records – Save receipts, emails, screenshots, and any details related to the transaction. This provides proof of the scam.
- File a complaint – Report the fraud to the FTC and Internet Crime Complaint Center. Provide any relevant records.
- Leave online reviews – Post details of the scam on consumer review sites to warn others. However, don’t defame legitimate businesses.
- Report social media accounts – If the scam involved social media, report the accounts to get them removed.
- Reverse payments – If you paid with a credit card, request a chargeback. For wire transfers, contact the recipient bank to possibly reverse it.
- Check credit reports – Request credit reports to check for any accounts opened fraudulently using your information. Consider placing a credit freeze if needed.
- Reset account passwords – Change passwords on any online accounts that used the same login credentials entered on the scam site.
- Check your device for viruses – Run a Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free scan to check for any malware that may have infected your device through the site.
- Learn from the situation – Study how you were deceived so you can avoid other scams in the future.
Being vigilant against shopping scams and acting quickly when scammed can help limit financial and identity theft impact. Report it to help authorities investigate and shutdown scam sites that are still active.
Conclusion
The Walmart online clearance store scam is a prevalent consumer fraud targeting deal-seeking shoppers. Scammers are experts at making their sites look exactly like Walmart’s genuine website. Always verify that you are on the official Walmart.com for clearance sales. Type the URL directly instead of clicking links. Use an app like Scamadviser to check site trustworthiness. If a deal seems too outrageous to be true, it probably is. Protect your money and information by being an informed consumer. Spread awareness so these scam sites have fewer victims to prey upon.
