Is Your Walmart Account Hacked? Here’s What To Do

Do You Think Your Walmart Account Was Hacked? Act Fast!

Mady was on a cruise when her Walmart account got hacked. As notifications flooded her phone, she checked the mobile Walmart app to find that a scammer had accessed her account and racked up a $6,000 bill on her credit card [*].

With 37 million Walmart customers active online every single day, your Walmart account has become a prime target for hackers and scammers around the world. 

According to the latest data [*]: 

Walmart account takeover fraud — when scammers hack your online Walmart account — grew by 427% in 2023 alone.  

Whether you’re locked out of your Walmart account, discover unfamiliar purchases, or are worried you’ve compromised your password, you need to act quickly. 

In this guide, we’ll show you what to do if your Walmart.com account is hacked, the warning signs to look out for, and how to protect yourself and your family from hackers and online scammers.

{{show-toc}}

What Happens If Your Walmart Account Gets Hacked?

In 2024, hackers are using a myriad of tactics to target Walmart accounts — from sending phishing emails to buying leaked passwords on the Dark Web to credential stuffing and tech support scams. 

When cybercriminals run Walmart scams, they look to steal valuable personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, phone numbers, and credit card details. 

Here’s what can happen if your Walmart account gets hacked: 

• You could lose access to your Walmart account. Once scammers get hold of your login credentials, they could take over your Walmart.com account by changing your password — locking you out completely.
• Scammers can make purchases by using your payment details. Fraudsters can use saved payment information — such as credit card numbers or bank account details — to place orders without your knowledge or consent.
• Your account data could be used to steal your identity or scam you. Identity thieves won't stop with fraudulent purchases — they'll steal your personal information. If your Walmart account is hacked, you must act quickly before the perpetrators use your details to apply for loans or credit cards. 
• Hackers could gain access to your other sensitive accounts. Many people reuse passwords on multiple accounts. If hackers get your password, they could try the same login details to gain access to your emails, social media, and banking accounts. 
• You could become the victim of "porch pirates." When fraudsters hack your Walmart account, they can have orders sent to your address — then steal the items from your doorstep. Some porch pirates disguise themselves as Amazon delivery drivers [*].
• Your data could be sold to other scammers. After a data breach, cybercriminals can sell stolen personal data on the Dark Web or use it for various types of fraud. 

How To Tell If Your Walmart Account Has Been Hacked

When hackers gain access to an account, they often make changes to the password or settings. Pay attention to any alerts you receive from Walmart — this could be the only chance to stop an intruder before it's too late.

Here are six warning signs that your Walmart account has been hacked. 

• You can’t log in to your Walmart account. Sometimes, it's hard to remember your password. But if you're sure you have the correct login credentials, being denied access is a sign someone has locked you out. 
• You get a notification about an order you didn't place. Any alerts about an unfamiliar purchase could be a sign of fraud. Keep an eye on emails from Walmart; and periodically check your purchase history, order status, and account settings for any suspicious activity.
• Someone tries to change your address, email, or contact details. Any unauthorized attempts to change your address, email, or contact information could indicate a security breach on your Walmart account.
• You receive strange notifications. If you receive emails or text messages about changes to your account settings or password reset requests, someone may be trying to gain access to your Walmart account. 
• You discover unfamiliar charges on your credit card statement. It’s wise to regularly review your banking statements for inaccuracies and unauthorized charges. If you spot anything suspicious, contact the financial institution immediately.
• You notice unusual login locations. If there are recorded logins from unfamiliar locations or devices, someone else may have access to your Walmart account.

A hacked Walmart account can lead to financial fraud, identity theft, and further scams. If you see any warning signs that your Walmart account has been hacked, act quickly to secure it — and yourself. For added security, consider signing up for an identity theft and scam protection service.

💡 Related: Have I Been Hacked? How To Recognize & Recover From a Hack →

How To Recover a Hacked Walmart Account (10 Steps)

1. Make sure your device and email account haven’t been hacked
2. Request a password reset
3. Contact Walmart support to verify your identity
4. Review your account details for any changes
5. Unlink any saved payment data
6. Check your purchase history
7. Contact your bank to cancel unauthorized transactions
8. Secure your Walmart account
9. Scan the Dark Web for your personal information
10. Consider signing up for a digital security app

Here are 10 steps to help you recover a hacked Walmart account and secure it against future attacks:

1. Make sure your device and email account haven’t been hacked

Hackers can install malicious software on your smartphone or computer to spy on you. It’s important to ensure that nobody has backdoor access to sensitive accounts like your email inbox.

Here’s what to do:

• Don’t ignore unusual behavior. If you notice your device is getting slower or losing battery quickly, there may be a security issue. It’s worth running a scan if your device feels hot to the touch or if you find any new, unfamiliar apps.
• Review the active processes. Open your Task Manager (on Windows) or Activity Monitor (on Apple devices) to check what processes are running. If you see anything suspicious, it could be malware planted by a hacker. 
• Scan with antivirus software. An antivirus program can scan your device to detect and isolate infected files and malicious programs, like ransomware or spyware.

2. Request a password reset for your Walmart account

According to Microsoft, there were approximately 921 password attacks per second in 2022, marking a 74% increase since 2021 [*]. If you have any doubts about the security of your Walmart account, the first port of call should be to change your password. 

Here’s what to do:

• Visit the official Walmart website. Go to the login page of Walmart.com, and then select the option for Forgot Password/Need help? below the password field. Enter your email address.
• Look for Walmart’s email. Walmart will send an email with instructions on how to reset your password. Follow the prompts to create a new password and regain access.
• Notify Walmart's customer support. It’s best to let Walmart know about the hacking incident in case the intruders made any modifications or purchases when they had access to your account.

💡 Related: Microsoft Account Hacked? Here's How To Recover It →

3. Contact Walmart support to verify your identity

If you don't get a new password link after requesting a reset, someone may have changed your email or phone number on your Walmart account. In this case, you’ll need to get in touch with Walmart to verify your identity. 

Here’s what to do:

• Go to Walmart’s website. You can find the Help or Contact Us section at the bottom of the page — either fill out a form or send an email.
• Include details of the situation. On the form, choose Account Issues from the first menu. Provide all necessary information about the hack and any suspected fraud. 
• Wait for a response. After completing the form, submit it and wait for a response from Walmart. The team should make contact within a few days but may reach out within a few hours for urgent cases.

Pro tip: To speed up the process, use the same device and network you normally use to access your Walmart account (if possible).

4. Review your account details for any changes

In account takeovers, scammers often edit the shipping address so that they can order items that will be sent to their address — using your bank account details for payment. After you regain access to your account, examine your profile to look for unauthorized changes. 

Here’s what to do:

• Confirm the login credentials. First, check if your email address and password are the same as they were before the incident. If you haven’t already, it’s best to update your password to something unique and complex.
• Review your personal information. Check all key data, including your name, contact details, and shipping address. 
• Verify the payment methods. Make sure there are no changes to your saved payment information. Remove any new payment methods that you don’t recognize, as these could be stolen cards from other victims of fraud.

💡 Related: How To Protect Your Personal Information & Privacy Online →

5. Unlink any saved payment data

Even if you don’t see any fraudulent transactions on your bank statement, it’s best to play it safe. By removing all saved payment details and linked accounts, there’s less chance that hackers could drain your account while you are investigating.

Here’s what to do:

• Log in to your Walmart account. Using a secure device and network is important, so install or switch on a virtual private network (VPN) to hide your activity from hackers. 
• Delete cards from your account. In your Walmart profile, you can edit your billing address or card details. To delete the card, select Account > Wallet > Edit.
• Secure your account before adding new details. After you unlink all credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, PayPal, and bank accounts, take time to fully secure your account via all the other steps. You can add new payment details when you are sure your Walmart account is secure. Until then, it's best to use gift cards to pay for any purchases.

6. Check your purchase history, and report fraudulent charges

Crooks sometimes make fraudulent purchases before archiving the order history — making it harder to detect the theft. It's important to search your account thoroughly. You should notify Walmart's customer service team about any fraud to help them resolve issues and protect your account security. 

Here’s what to do:

• Search your order history. Review the complete list of transactions for any unfamiliar or unexpected purchases — taking time to carefully inspect the quantities, prices, and order dates. 
• Request information from Walmart. If you ask, Walmart must supply free copies of its application and business records relating to fraudulent transactions. 
• Report suspicious activity. To file a fraud report, complete the Walmart/Sam's Club Identity Theft Victim's Affidavit and submit it with your supporting documents through one of the following ways:

7. Contact your bank to cancel unauthorized transactions

If your Walmart account is hacked, you need to contact your bank immediately. The longer you wait, the more time the thief has to make fraudulent purchases with your credit card information.

Here’s what to do:

• Contact your financial institution to report the fraud. Ask the bank or credit card company to block the account and cancel the card. Putting a hold on the account will stop further fraud.
• Dispute any unauthorized charges. Many U.S. banks, including Chase, Discover, and American Express, offer zero fraud liability to cardholders. This $0 liability policy ensures that you will not be liable for fraudulent charges [*]. 
• Review your rights against unauthorized charges. If you have problems with card issuers, you can get more information about your rights on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website. After making an initial fraud report, follow up with the financial institution within 15-30 days to make sure that you get your money back. 

💡 Related: What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed Out Of Money →

8. Secure your Walmart account with 2FA

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an additional security layer that encrypts your IP address, stopping hackers from seeing your data and browsing activity. You can enroll for Walmart’s two-Step Verification (2SV) by logging into One Walmart's official website. 

Here’s what to do:

Once you’re logged into One Walmart’s site, you can choose from three 2FA options:

9. Scan the Dark Web for your personal information

A hacked Walmart account with an attached credit card sells for as little as $5 on the Dark Web [*]. While you can’t remove everything from the Dark Web, knowing if your data is exposed will help you take appropriate action to protect yourself. 

Here’s what to do:

• Use a free Dark Web scanner. Aura's free Dark Web scanner checks public records and informs you if any of your passwords are compromised.
• Consider signing up for a paid Dark Web monitoring service. While free scanners can look for breached passwords, a full Dark Web monitoring service checks for more sensitive information — including leaked Social Security numbers (SSNs), driver’s licenses, passports, and credit card numbers. 

💡 Related: What Is Dark Web Monitoring? How Does It Work? →

10. Consider signing up for a digital security provider

Hackers and identity thieves have only gotten better and more advanced with their schemes — making it nearly impossible for people to stay completely safe. 

Aura’s digital security solution gives you peace of mind and constant protection with a dedicated platform that monitors your accounts, passwords, and personal information. 

Here’s how Aura protects you:

• Helps prevent future hacks. Every Aura plan includes digital security tools — including antivirus software, a password manager, a military-grade VPN, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered spam call and text protection. 
• Monitors your accounts. Aura monitors your bank accounts, credit files, and social media 24/7 — and sends fraud alerts in near real-time if it detects any leaks or suspicious activity.‍
• Supports fraud recovery. If your Walmart account is hacked, Aura will provide cover with a $1,000,000 insurance policy for every adult on your plan, along with round-the-clock U.S.-based support from an expert team to help you navigate the remediation process with vendors and lenders.

How To Protect Your Walmart Account From Hackers

Recovering a hacked Walmart account is just the first step in safeguarding your online presence. It's crucial to proactively protect not only your Walmart account — but also all of your other sensitive online accounts — from potential hackers. 

Here are 11 best practices for digital security that will help you protect your Walmart account:

1. Use strong and unique passwords. Avoid obvious passwords, like birthdays and pet names. Instead, combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols to create complex, unique login credentials for every account.
2. Store your credentials in a secure password manager. It’s easier to make each account login unique when you use Aura’s secure password manager. You can easily store all of your passwords without any need to remember them. 
3. Always enable two-factor authentication, ideally with an authenticator app. Secure your accounts by adding a second authentication factor to the login process — like a fingerprint scan or hardware security key. 
4. Make sure you have a valid secondary contact method. If your Walmart account is hacked, you must have a reliable email address or phone number through which to recover the account.
5. Learn to spot the warning signs of Walmart phishing scams. Never click on links within a Walmart email, especially if you’ve received an unexpected email about an order or issue that you don't recognize. Look for any sense of urgency and strange formatting or language — these are common warning signs of phishing emails. 
6. Use a VPN when using public Wi-Fi. Hackers can infiltrate unsecured networks in public places like hotels and airports. With a VPN, you can encrypt your internet traffic and hide your data from cybercriminals.
7. Don't ignore software updates. It’s important to protect your device from emerging cyber threats. Automated updates ensure that your programs remain secure with all the latest patches for vulnerabilities. 
8. Secure your devices with antivirus and digital security tools. With reliable antivirus software, you can eliminate trojans, keyloggers, and spyware before they can steal sensitive data and exploit your accounts.
9. Don’t save your credit card details. While storing your payment details on e-commerce stores like Walmart saves time, it puts you at risk. It's safer to manually enter your payment details for every purchase. 
10. Review your financial records regularly. Looking over your bank statements each month helps you find unfamiliar transactions and catch fraud in its earliest stages. Also, request your free annual credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com to make sure your credit file hasn’t been targeted. 
11. Consider monitoring your credit, bank, and online accounts. Aura provides 24/7 monitoring and protection for your financial accounts, Social Security number (SSN), account passwords, and more. 

The Bottom Line: Don’t Leave Your Walmart Account Vulnerable

It only takes a moment for a skilled hacker to crack your Walmart account — especially if you have a weak password. It’s imperative to make sure your online accounts are safe, as one compromised account could lead to ongoing identity theft. 

Aura keeps your online accounts, devices, and finances safe from scammers. In addition to award-winning identity theft and credit monitoring features, Aura’s suite of digital security tools includes a VPN, password manager, and anti-malware protection. 

You’ll have everything you need to safeguard your entire family from hackers. And if anyone falls victim to fraud, you’re covered by Aura’s $1 million insurance policy and a dedicated U.S.-based White Glove Fraud Resolution team. 

Keep your accounts safe from hackers. Try Aura free for 14 days.