I got a Walmart receipt by text saying I bought something at a store in Kentucky. The thing is… I don’t live in Kentucky, and it says it was bought with a VISA card I don’t have. The purchase shows up on my Walmart account, so I’ve changed my password and removed any saved payment info.
I checked with my credit union, and nothing weird has shown up there. But recently, a Bank of America card appeared on my credit report that I didn’t open. It got removed, but all of this happening close together is making me anxious.
Is this something I should be looking out for? Any other steps I need to take?
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At my Walmart, the self-checkout lets you enter your phone number for a digital receipt. Maybe someone typed your number by mistake, which could explain why you got the message.
Freezing your credit is a smart move. There’s a really helpful post on everything you should do if you’re worried about ID theft.
Check out this guide from the Identity Theft forum. Start by freezing your credit with the main bureaus - Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, plus Innovis and LexisNexis. Then look into ChexSystems for banking protection, and consider locking your SSN with USCIS so it can’t be misused for employment.
It’s possible someone at the checkout just entered your phone number by accident, and it linked to your account. Still, it doesn’t hurt to take precautions just in case.
