Walmart refund checks arrive for 65,000 money transfer customers

The Federal Trade Commission announced on October 15 that it has begun mailing 65,022 refund checks to consumers who used Walmart money transfer services between January 2015 and December 2024. The agency stated that the distribution is complete without the need for recipients to file claims, as the checks are being sent directly to individuals identified in the program.

The total value of the refunds exceeds $9.8 million. While the FTC has not released official data on individual check amounts or the specific criteria for eligibility, a calculation by MoneyTalksNews estimates the average payment at approximately $150. This figure is a projection based on dividing the total payout by the number of checks and is not an official average.

The refunds stem from a settlement reached in June 2025 with Walmart Inc. The agency originally sued the company in June 2022 in the case FTC v. Walmart Inc. The lawsuit alleged that Walmart acted as an agent for money transfer services like MoneyGram, Western Union, and Ria but failed to maintain effective anti-fraud policies. The FTC also claimed the company did not adequately train employees or warn customers about potential fraud. In the settlement, Walmart neither admitted nor denied the accusations.

Recipients have a strict 90-day window to cash their checks, according to the terms printed on the documents. The FTC noted that if a check expires, it can only be reissued if funds remain in the escrow account. Consumers are advised to ignore the checks or leave them unclaimed for long periods, as the deadline is short.

The agency emphasized that simply shopping at Walmart or using its shipping services does not qualify a customer for a refund. Payments are limited to those affected by the specific failures in fraud prevention attributed to the company. The FTC has not yet published the methodology used to determine which customers were eligible or how individual amounts were calculated.

To verify the authenticity of a check, recipients should visit the official FTC page at ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/walmart-refunds. The commission warned against paying fees or providing bank account details to receive the money. For questions, the FTC directed consumers to contact Rust Consulting, the official administrator for the program, at 1-833-472-1990. The agency advised people to be wary of calls or messages claiming to be from the FTC and requesting money to release a refund.