Walmart has apparently decided that buying multiple gift cards now warrants an interrogation rivaling that of international border crossings.
should have been a simple errand devolved into what felt like a public shaming, leaving Madison—and many others—asking: has buying gift cards become the newest suspicious activity?
Like many parents during what she referred to as “Maycember”—that chaotic end-of-school-year stretch packed with graduations, teacher appreciation events, and sports banquets—she stopped by Walmart to grab a stack of gift cards. Seven, to be exact. Not an unusual number, considering the flurry of year-end gifting, but apparently enough to trigger Walmart’s anti-fraud radar.
When Madison approached the checkout line, her purchase was immediately flagged. She was told she couldn’t buy that many gift cards at the and would need to check out at the customer service desk instead. While inconvenient, this wasn’t entirely unexpected; after all, Walmart has long been on high alert for gift card scams. But what began as an extra step quickly spiraled into something much stranger. Once at the customer service desk, Madison was peppered with a series of questions that felt less like standard procedure and more like an interrogation. “Who are these for?” the associate asked. “Is someone telling you to buy these?” “Are you being scammed?” By the end of the interaction, she felt less like a mom running errands and more like a suspect caught in the act.
To understand why Madison’s purchase raised red flags, it’s important to look at the broader context of gift card scams. These scams have become alarmingly common in recent years, with fraudsters preying on vulnerable individuals and pressuring them to buy gift cards as a form of untraceable payment. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers often pose as family , friends, or even government officials, tricking victims into spending thousands of dollars on gift cards and then handing over the codes.
Retailers like Walmart have implemented strict policies to combat this epidemic. Employees are trained to identify potential scam victims, and large gift card purchases are often flagged for further scrutiny. On paper, this approach makes sense. After all, the FTC has repeatedly warned that no legitimate business or government agency will ever ask for payment via gift cards.
Sure, Walmart was trying to prevent fraud, but their approach left a lot to be desired. Instead of treating Madison like a valued customer, they treated her like a potential scam victim—or worse, a scammer.
Published: May 12, 2025 10:05 am