Walmart employees want three things: sunlight, parking and food
When Walmart asked employees what they wanted at their new headquarters, the answer consisted of three things: natural light, parking and food.
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Walmart Wmt.N has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve a US Federal Trade Commission civil lawsuit accusing fraudsters of ignoring the world’s biggest retailer of ignoring warning signs that they used remittance services to hundreds of millions of dollars of consumers.
The settlement will be filed Friday in Chicago Federal Court and requires approval by US District Judge Manish Shah.
Walmart also agreed not to process remittances they suspect or to assist sellers or telemarketers who believe they are committing fraud and using the service.
Christopher Mfarigue, director of FTC Consumer Protection, said: “Companies that provide these services need to train their employees, comply with the law and strive to protect consumers.”
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer did not acknowledge or deny the fraud by agreeing to a resolution. Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a June 2022 complaint, the FTC accused Walmart of turning a blind eye to a scammer who transferred money at the store.
Walmart acts as an agent for money transfer by companies such as MoneyGram, Ria Eeft.O, and Western Union Wu.N. Once the money is delivered it can be difficult to track it.
The FTC said the fraudsters used many schemes, including impersonating Internal Revenue Agency agents, impersonating family members who need money from their grandparents to avoid prison, winning lottery tickets and sweepstakes to the victims, but owing fees to collect prizes.
Shah dismissed some of the FTC cases last July, but forced the regulators to pursue the rest. Walmart appealed from the decision. Friday’s settlement will end the appeal.
The case is Federal Trade Commission v. Walmart, Inc., No., of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. This is 22-03372.
Reported by Jonathan Stempel of New York. Edited by Marguerita Choy
