Beginning in fall of 2015, Walmart, Inc. (“Walmart”) noticed a pattern of scams where unknown fraudsters directed victims to purchase Walmart gift cards with values typically ranging between $500 and $1,000. Between April 2016 and July 2017, Walmart froze the balances of the gift cards that were connected to this suspected fraud before the balances could be transferred to the fraudsters. Based on this conduct, and pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981, the United States Attorney’s Office filed a Verified Complaint for Forfeiture against $3,958,060.84 in United States currency (22-USS-000172), representing the gift card balances frozen by Walmart.

You may be eligible for a remission payment if, at the direction of an and unknown fraudster, you purchased and sent a Walmart Gift Card between April 1, 2016, and July 31, 2017, and were the victim of fraud.  To apply, you must file a Petition of Remission by July 14, 2023. The acceptance of Petitions for Remission postmarked after this date will be subject to the Justice Department’s discretion.

Your payment will be based only on the amount loaded onto the Walmart Gift Card, less any recoveries you have received from a bank or other source. This payment amount will likely be less than the amount you lost. You cannot recover collateral expenses , such as money transfer fees, incidental losses, or transfers sent through other companies.

The money seized in relation to this action will be made available to victims through a process called "remission." The remission process is governed by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 28, Part 9. If you filed a petition for remission detailing the loss amount before the filing deadline, DOJ’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section will compare the requests to Walmart records, where available, and decide whether to grant the petition. After the DOJ has reviewed all petitions, approved petitioners will get payment for some or all of their approved loss.

You may file a Petition for Remission online at the case website www.walmartgiftcardremission.com or you may file Petition for Remission you received via mail. You may mail the Petition to:

Walmart Gift Card Remission Claims Administrator
P.O. Box 6175
Novato, CA 94948-6175

Please enter all requested information that applies to your Petition for Remission. Failure to do so could result in your Petition being deemed deficient and potentially delay payment.

All Walmart Gift Cards that were purchased and seized within the United States between April 1, 2016, and July 31, 2017, may be eligible for remission.

No. You are not required to be a United States citizen to file a petition.

Currently the Petition filing process is open. Payments will not be issued until after the filing period has ended and all submitted Petitions have been reviewed for eligibility.

If you do not submit a Petition for Remission, you will not get a payment.

If your petition is approved, it must be reviewed by the Treasury Offset Program to verify that you do not owe any money to the federal government or certain state debts.  If you owe money, your payment will be used to pay your debt.  If your payment is more than the amount you owe, you will get the remainder. Your Social Security Number will not be shared or used for any other purpose.

Only the amount of the gift card will be included in approved remission amounts. Collateral expenses such as fees, incidental losses, or transfers sent through other businesses are not recoverable through the remission process. More information is available HERE.

The Gift Card Number is the number you get from Walmart when you purchased your gift card. You may still submit a petition without this number. Please provide any other details about the transaction that may help us validate the transfer.

Yes. If the person who purchased the gift card is deceased, please submit the petition in the name of the deceased and include verification of the death (Death Certificate) and documents showing that you represent the estate.

A blank form is available HERE.

No, you do not need an attorney to file a petition.

The Department of Justice does not charge fees for you to participate in the remission process.

For the latest information about the remission process:

•           Check the Home Page for updates.

•           Email [email protected]

•           Or call (888) 846-6824

Approved petitioners will receive checks issued by Huntington Bank.