Walmart scam calls on iPhone and Android: what they are and what to do
Walmart scam calls are fake calls, usually robocalls, that use Walmart's name to claim a large order on your account and push you to press 1 or call back. Hang up without pressing anything, check your real Walmart account yourself, and block and report the number. This guide covers iPhone and Android, because the call lands on your phone.
Facts checked October 12, 2026. Steps checked against Apple's and Google's current documentation and the reports we cite. We have not run the app or the link on a phone ourselves.
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Walmart scam calls: summary
| Name | Walmart scam calls (also called the Walmart order scam, Walmart robocall scam) |
|---|---|
| Type | Phone scam that impersonates a retailer; a robocall followed by a live operator |
| Risk | Medium to high if you give details or pay; none from hearing the call and hanging up |
| Symptoms | A call or voicemail about a large Walmart order you did not place, often with 'press 1 to cancel'; later calls from new numbers |
| How to get rid of it | Hang up, check your account yourself, block and report the number; if you gave data, call your bank and lock down your credit and passwords |
| Our check (12 October 2026) | No address, file or app exists to test; this guide rests on press reports and our reading of them |
Show 9 more facts
| First reported | The press reports we read describe a robocall wave from 21 January to 11 April 2025; Walmart text scams were reported as early as 2012 |
|---|---|
| Devices | Any phone that can receive calls or texts, iPhone and Android alike |
| Microsoft detection | None exists. Microsoft detection names such as Trojan:Win32/... label Windows files; a phone call is not a file, so there is no name to give |
| Evidence | 0 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Program | An app or link that a Walmart scam caller asked you to install or open |
| First seen | 1 January 2012 |
| Distribution | Typically ad scripts on free streaming, file-hosting and adult sites, typo domains and hacked websites |
| Damage | Redirects to scam pages, fake updates and tech support scams |
| Facts checked | 12 October 2026 |
Checked on 12 October 2026 from press reports about the Walmart order robocall scam and the FTC reporting site. There is no address or file to test, and we did not receive any of these calls. We could not read a Walmart statement or the FTC advice pages, so the steps are general good practice.
What are Walmart scam calls
Walmart scam calls are phone calls that use the Walmart name to scare or tempt you into giving up personal details or money. They do not come from Walmart. The best known version is a robocall that says a big order was placed on your account and tells you to press 1 to cancel it.
The people who search for this are mostly in the United States, and most of them have just had a call. They want to know three things: is it real, did I do harm by answering, and how do I make it stop.
This guide answers all three, using press reports about the scam and the standard steps for phone fraud. We say plainly where we could not confirm a fact.
The call is the whole scam. Nothing is installed and no file is involved, unless the caller later talks you into installing a remote access app or opening a link.
That is why this page has no removal tool and no scan offer: there is nothing on the phone to scan for. The work is in how you respond to the call, and in cleaning up if you already gave something away.
- Pretends to be
- Walmart, usually its order or customer service department
- Typical story
- A large order, reported as a PlayStation 5 of about $919, was placed on your account
- The hook
- A recording asks you to press 1 to cancel the order
- What follows
- A live operator who, in press reports, asked for full name, address and even a Social Security number
- Not the same as
- A virus, a hacked phone, or a real order problem with Walmart
Are Walmart scam calls really from Walmart
No. The calls use the company's name because everyone knows it, and a large order from a store you may use feels plausible. The caller is a scam operation, not a store employee, and the order they describe does not exist.
Caller ID does not prove who is calling. Phone numbers can be faked, so a call that seems to come from a Walmart number, or from a local number, tells you nothing. One of the secondary pages we read gives the same warning, and our advice is the same: judge the call by what it asks of you, not by what the screen shows.
We could not find a page from Walmart itself on how it contacts customers about orders, so we do not claim to know its rules. What we can say is what a safe check looks like.
You open the Walmart app, or type the real Walmart address into your browser, sign in yourself, and look at your orders. A real problem with an order will show there. A false one will not, and then the call was a scam.
Is Walmart scam calls dangerous?
What we checked for this guide, and what we could not
This subject is a phone scam, not a website, so there is no address for us to test and no file to open. Our check was a reading of press reports and a search for official guidance. We did not receive or record any of these calls.
Walmart scam calls · desk check · 12 October 2026
- Press reports of the robocall scamSeveral news outlets describe the same pattern: a Walmart named order, about $919 for a console, press 1 to cancel, then a live operator. They agree on the main points.
- Regulator actionBitdefender reports that the Federal Communications Commission sent a cease and desist order on 2 December to SK Teleco, a voice service provider accused of carrying the scam calls.
- Walmart's own statementOur search did not reach a Walmart page on this scam, so we cannot quote what Walmart says about it.
- FTC guidance pagesTwo FTC consumer pages we tried to read returned an error. The only FTC page we could open, reportfraud.ftc.gov, showed little text, so our steps rest on general good practice, not on a quoted FTC rule.
- Where the calls come fromUnknown. Reports name a voice provider, but we have no proof of who runs the calls or where the operators sit.
A real phone scam; the danger is in what you hand over The scam is well reported, and it is a call, not an infection. What matters is what you say and do during and after the call. One desk check of press reports does not tell us what any single call near you will say.
Timeline: what has been reported
Walmart scams are not new. A text scam with a gift card prize was reported in 2012, and a large robocall wave about a fake console order was reported for early 2025. The dates below are the ones in the reports we read.
2012
Gift card texts
NBC Los Angeles reported that Walmart warned about text messages promising a $1,000 gift card. The links led to look alike domains, not to Walmart's real site.
21 January to 11 April 2025
About 8 million robocalls
YouMail, a call blocking company, estimated nearly 8 million robocalls tied to the Walmart order scam in this period, as cited in a press release that Bitdefender reported. Callers were said to use more than 50 aliases, according to CBS News.
Early 2025
Hundreds of thousands a week
CBS News reported that the scam reached hundreds of thousands of people each week. Yahoo News reported that the recordings used AI voices named Emma or Carl.
2 December
FCC order to the voice provider
The FCC issued a cease and desist order to SK Teleco, a voice provider accused of carrying the scam calls, and warned it could be cut off from U.S. networks if it did not stop. The year is not shown in the summary we read; we believe it is 2025 but did not confirm it.
12 October 2026
This guide is written
Our guide is written. Search interest in Walmart scam calls was around 1,600 security related searches a month, which tells us the calls are still reaching people.
The versions of the scam you may meet
The recording about a large order is the best documented version, but the same name is used in other ways. The table lists the versions we found, what each one wants, and the safe move.
| Version | What it says | What it wants | Safe move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order robocall | A big order (a console of about $919) was placed on your account; press 1 to cancel | To get you to a live operator and then your personal details | Hang up, press nothing, check your account yourself |
| Live caller or voicemail | A problem with an order, a refund, or your account | A call back, a code, card or bank details, or remote access | Do not call the number left; use the Walmart app or website |
| Gift card prize text | You won a gift card (reported as $1,000 in 2012) | A tap on a link to a look alike domain, then your details | Delete the text; do not tap the link |
| Refund by gift card | You are owed money, or must pay a fee, by gift card or transfer | Payment that cannot be reversed | Never pay in gift cards, wire transfers or crypto to a caller |
How dangerous is it
Hanging up is safe. The danger starts when you talk, press 1, give details or pay. The table sets out the risk at each point.
- Low
You heard the recording and hung up
Nothing was taken from you and nothing was installed. Block the number and move on.
- Medium
You pressed 1 or spoke to the operator but gave nothing
Your number may be marked as active and you may get more calls. End the call at once and do not call back.
- High
You gave your name, address, birth date or Social Security number
This data can be used for identity fraud. Warn your bank, set a fraud alert or credit freeze, and watch your accounts. Press reports say operators asked for such details.
- High
You paid, gave card numbers, or let them use a remote access app
Call your bank or card company now, ask to stop or reverse the payment, remove the app and change your passwords from another device.
How Walmart scam calls got onto your phone
Scam robocalls are sent to huge lists of numbers, so you were most likely not picked for any reason. The press reports speak of millions of calls, which means the system dials number after number and waits to see who presses a key.
A robocall costs the sender very little, so even a tiny share of people who press 1 makes it pay. That is why the story is a big order: a price near a thousand dollars is enough to make someone act, and it is plausible for a shop as large as Walmart.
It also explains why you may get the same call again from a different number. Reports say the callers used more than 50 aliases.
If you answered, pressed a key or spoke, the system may mark your number as live. We have no direct proof that this raises the number of calls, but it is the standard view of how robocall lists work, and it is the reason we advise you to hang up and press nothing.
Where your number came from is unknown. It may be from data leaks, from lists sold between marketers, or from plain number guessing.
How to remove Walmart scam calls
How to deal with Walmart scam calls on iPhone and Android
There is nothing to uninstall, because a call installs nothing.
You stop the contact, check your account yourself, block and report the number, and protect whatever you gave away.
Step 1: Hang up and press nothing
End the call at once, whether it is a recording or a live person. Do not press 1, do not say yes and do not give a name. Saying nothing is safe; pressing a key tells the system your line is live.
Warning: Do not call back the number on the screen or in a voicemail.
The order of actions after a Walmart scam call, on iPhone and Android. Step 2: Check your real Walmart account
Open the Walmart app, or type the Walmart address into the browser, and sign in. Look at your order history for the item the caller named.
If it is not there, the call was false. Also open your bank or card app and look for charges you do not know. Never use a link or number from the call.
Step 3: Block the number
Open the call in your phone's recent calls list and look for the option to block the caller.
The exact wording and place differ between iPhone and Android versions and phone makers, and we did not test it for this page. Blocking one number helps only a little, because the callers change numbers, but it costs nothing.
Step 4: Turn on spam call filtering
Both iPhone and Android phones, and most carriers, offer some filter for suspected spam calls. Look in the Phone app settings and on your carrier's help page for a call filter or spam protection option.
We did not verify the menu names for this page, so use the help page of your phone maker or carrier. A filter lowers the number of calls but will not catch all of them.
Step 5: Report the call
Go to reportfraud.ftc.gov and report the number, the date and what was said. If you lost money, report that too.
Tell your bank or card company first when money is involved, because speed matters. We cannot say what the FTC does with each report.
Step 6: Protect what you gave away
If you gave a Social Security number, ask the credit bureaus for a fraud alert or credit freeze. If you gave card or bank details, call your bank on the number printed on your card.
If you gave a password or a code, change it from another device and turn on two step sign in. If you installed an app on the caller's request, uninstall it and restart the phone.
Step 7: Ignore removal tools and recovery offers
Nobody needs to buy a tool to remove a Walmart scam call. An app, a page or a caller that offers to get your money back for a fee is another common scam.
The free steps above are enough. If you feel unsure, talk to your bank or a trusted person before you act.
What to do right now, in order
The order matters: stop the contact first, then check, then report, then clean up only what you actually shared.
How to check for a real order problem
A real problem with a real Walmart order will be visible in your own account. You never need a phone call or a text to see it.
- 1
Go to Walmart yourself
Open the Walmart app you installed from the App Store or Google Play, or type the Walmart address into your browser. Do not use a link from a message and do not call a number the caller gave you.
- 2
Look at your orders
Sign in and open your order history. If there is no order for the item the caller named, there is no order to cancel.
- 3
Look at your statement
Open your bank or card app and check for charges you do not recognise. If you see one, call the bank on the number on your card.
- 4
Leave the call alone
Even if the check looks clean, do not call back. A quiet check does not prove a caller will not try again.
After removal: keep the ads from coming back
If you pressed 1, answered, or gave something away
Match your steps to what you shared. Do only the steps that fit, but do them the same day.
- 1
You only pressed a key or listened
Nothing was taken from you. Block the number, do not answer unknown numbers for a while, and expect that more calls may come.
- 2
You gave your name, address or birth date
Be alert to mail, texts and calls that use those details. Do not confirm anything to a caller who knows your name; hang up and use an official number or site you looked up yourself.
- 3
You gave your Social Security number
Ask the credit bureaus for a fraud alert or a credit freeze, and check your credit reports for accounts you do not know. The FTC runs a recovery site for identity theft, but we did not open it for this page, so check the official site yourself before you follow any step.
- 4
You gave card or bank details, or paid
Phone your bank or card company on the number printed on your card, say it was a scam and ask to block the card and dispute the charge. Payments by gift card, wire transfer or crypto are hard or impossible to reverse, so act fast.
- 5
You installed an app or let someone control the phone
Uninstall the app, restart the phone, change the passwords of your email and bank from another device, and turn on two step sign in. If you cannot tell what was installed, a factory reset is the safe route, after you back up your photos and contacts.
Where to report Walmart scam calls
Report the call to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Give the number that called, the date and time, and what the recording said. A report may help others, though we do not promise it will stop the calls.
| Who | Why | What to give |
|---|---|---|
| FTC, reportfraud.ftc.gov | The U.S. place to report fraud and scams | Number, date, the story, any money lost |
| Your bank or card company | To stop or dispute a payment | Date, amount, how you paid |
| Your phone carrier | Many carriers have a way to flag spam calls; check your carrier's help page | The number and the date |
| Walmart | To tell it that its name is being misused | Use the contact page on the real Walmart website; we did not find a reporting page to quote |
How to keep these calls away
Do
- Let unknown numbers go to voicemail; a real problem leaves a message you can check yourself.
- Block each scam number and use the spam call filter your carrier or phone offers.
- Check any order in the Walmart app or on the real website that you type in.
- Tell older relatives about this scam; calls of this kind aim at people who may act quickly.
- Report the call at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Don't
- Press 1, or any key, on a recording.
- Call back a number from a voicemail or a text.
- Read out a code that was sent to your phone.
- Pay with gift cards, wire transfer or crypto.
- Install an app or allow remote control because a caller says so.
Questions about Walmart scam calls
Are Walmart scam calls real?
Yes, the scam is real, but the calls do not come from Walmart. Press reports from 2025 describe a wave of robocalls in which a recorded voice says it is Walmart and claims a large order, reported as a PlayStation 5 of about $919, was placed on your account. The recording asks you to press 1 to cancel.
Pressing 1 connects you to a live operator who asks for personal details. The company named in the call has nothing to do with the order, and no order exists. Hang up and do not press any key.
What happens if I press 1 on a Walmart scam call?
You are passed to a live operator. According to the news reports we read, the operators asked for sensitive details such as a full name, a home address and even a Social Security number. Pressing 1 itself does not install anything on a phone, because a call cannot install an app.
The harm comes from what you say next, and from the fact that your number is now known to answer. If you only pressed a key and hung up, expect more calls, block the number and change nothing else. If you gave details, follow the steps in this guide.
Did I really order a PlayStation or another item from Walmart?
Almost certainly not. The call is built around an order you never made, so that fear pushes you to act. To be sure, ignore the call and open the Walmart app or type the real Walmart address yourself, then look at your order history while signed in.
If no such order appears, the call was false. Do not use a link, number or code the caller or a text gave you. Also check your bank or card statement for charges you do not recognise, and report any you find to your bank.
Is a Walmart scam call a virus on my phone?
No. A phone call is not a virus and cannot put malware on an iPhone or Android phone by itself. The risk is social: the caller wants you to talk, give details, install a remote access app, or pay.
If the caller asked you to install an app, open a link, read out a code, or let them control the screen, then treat the phone as exposed and follow the cleanup steps.
If you only listened and hung up, nothing was installed, and no removal tool is needed. Be wary of any app that claims to remove a scam call.
How do I stop Walmart scam calls?
You can lower the number of calls, but you cannot stop all of them, because callers change numbers and used more than 50 aliases according to CBS News. Block each number after the call, turn on the spam call filtering your carrier or phone offers, and do not answer unknown numbers.
Answering, pressing a key or saying yes tells the caller your line is live and may bring more calls. Report the call to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The menu names for filtering differ by phone model and carrier, and we did not test them for this page.
Can the caller see my number or my details from my phone number?
They have your number, because the robocall system dialled it, and they may know the name tied to the number from data sold or leaked elsewhere. A scammer can seem to know you, which makes the call feel real. That is not proof of any link to Walmart.
What a caller knows is not a reason to trust the call. Do not confirm your address, birth date or any code. If a caller states a detail, still hang up and check through Walmart's app or website.
Does Walmart call customers about orders and ask for personal details?
We could not find a Walmart page that sets out its calling rules, so we cannot state what Walmart does or does not do.
Secondary pages we read say real representatives rarely ask for a full Social Security number, bank details or card numbers by phone, and we treat that as general advice, not a Walmart policy. Our rule is simple:
- whatever the caller says
- end the call and contact Walmart yourself through its app or its website
- never through a number given to you in the call
Who do I report a Walmart scam call to?
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov, with the number that called, the date and what was said. The FTC site is the U.S. place to report fraud. If you lost money, tell your bank or card company first, and ask about reversing the charge.
If you gave your Social Security number, contact the credit bureaus about a fraud alert or credit freeze. We confirmed only that the FTC site exists; the page we fetched gave no detail on what happens to reports, so we do not promise an outcome.
Are there Walmart scam texts and emails as well as calls?
Yes. A 2012 report from NBC Los Angeles described text messages that promised a $1,000 Walmart gift card and linked to look alike domains instead of Walmart's real site.
The tricks are old and still used: a prize, a refund, or a problem with an order, plus a link or a number to call. Treat any such message the same way as the call. Do not tap the link, and check your account through the app or the address you type yourself.
Sources
- CBS News Miami: Walmart impersonation scam targets hundreds of thousands of consumers each week (read October 12, 2026)
- Bitdefender: Robocall Scam Impersonating Walmart Hits Millions; FCC Orders Provider to Shut It Down (read October 12, 2026)
- Yahoo News: Millions of Walmart customers targeted in new nationwide scam (read October 12, 2026)
- NBC Los Angeles: Walmart Warns of Texting Scam That Promises $1,000 Gift Card (read October 12, 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission: ReportFraud.ftc.gov (read October 12, 2026)