More than 65,000 people across the country are opening their mailboxes to find checks from the Federal Trade Commission this month, part of a $9.8 million refund effort tied to Walmart's money-transfer services. The checks stem from a settlement over allegations that scammers used Walmart to fleece customers, and recipients have a limited window to actually cash them.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, it is sending 65,022 checks totaling more than $9.8 million to people who completed eligible money transfers at Walmart. The agency's refund page says the eligible window ran from January 2015 through December 2024, though that timeframe conflicts with another account of the case, which describes victims scammed between 2013 and 2018 — a discrepancy that has not been resolved in the available record. As USA Today reports, more than 65,000 consumers are set to receive checks related to the complaint, totaling over $9.8 million.
Whatever the exact dates, the payout follows a 2025 settlement in which Walmart agreed to pay $10 million for customer refunds to resolve the FTC's allegations, according to Fox 13 Seattle. The retailer's total settlement commitment and the amount now going out to consumers are reported slightly differently across the available sourcing, but both land in the same ballpark of roughly $9.8 to $10 million.
What the FTC Says Walmart Got Wrong
The underlying case centered on claims that Walmart failed to protect customers from fraud running through its money-transfer counters. The FTC's complaint alleged that Walmart failed to implement effective anti-fraud policies and procedures, did not properly train its employees, and failed to warn customers about potential fraud related to money transfers, per the agency's own account.
A related class action lawsuit accused Walmart of allowing scammers to use its money transfer services, claiming the company's failure to implement proper anti-fraud measures caused customers to lose millions of dollars to fraudsters, per the seed facts in this case. At the time of the settlement, Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige described money transfers as a favorite tool of fraudsters because, once the cash is picked up, it is often gone for good, noting that transfers are frequently used across a wide variety of scams and are nearly impossible to retrieve after pickup.
How Much Time Recipients Have to Cash In
Anyone who receives one of the paper checks needs to act fast. The checks need to be cashed within 90 days, the station's report notes, meaning recipients who let envelopes sit on the counter for too long could miss out entirely. Beyond paper checks, other common forms of payment in cases like this include prepaid debit card, PayPal and Zelle, per the same account, though it's not clear from available reporting which method any individual Walmart claimant will receive.
A Warning Baked Into the Payout
Federal officials are using the refund rollout as a reminder that the FTC does not ask recipients to pay for their money. The agency never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a payment, Fox 13 Seattle reports, a detail aimed squarely at scammers who might try to exploit the refund news itself by posing as the FTC. Anyone contacted demanding payment or sensitive account details in order to release a check should treat it as a red flag.
