Walmart ‘phishing’ e-mail scam hits Oregon

The Oregon Department of Justice said it has learned about a false email sent to a number of Oregonians, Thursday morning claiming to be from Walmart.com.

This email looks like a confirmation of a purchase made on Walmart.com. It isn’t. It is a phishing scam attempting to trick you into giving out your personal information.

The company has confirmed that “this emailis not from Walmart.com and it is important that individuals who received this email DO NOT click on any of the links in the email or respond in any way.” (See Walmart.com’s Statement on the May 16 Phishing Scam online at http://tinyurl.com/caw4cqv.)

To stay safe online, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum urges Oregonians keep the following tips in mind:

Delete email and text messages that ask you to confirm or provide personal information (credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, etc.). Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via email or text.
Don’t reply, and don’t click on links or call phone numbers provided in the message, either. These messages direct you to spoof sites – sites that look real but whose purpose is to steal your information so a scammer can run up bills or commit crimes in your name.
Use trusted security software and set it to update automatically.
Be careful about opening attachments and downloading files from emails, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other malware that can weaken your computer’s security.

If you think you have been tricked by a phishing email, contact the Oregon Department of Justice online at www.oregonconsumer.govor call 1-877-877-9392.