Walmart is giving some women $500 grocery store credit as part of a discrimination settlement.
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Online scams use fabricated Walmart sexual discrimination ‘settlements’ as lure
If Your Time is short
- A spokesperson for Walmart said this isn’t true.
A recent Facebook post follows a familiar script: dangling hundreds of dollars in Walmart store credit in exchange for answering a few simple questions. Too good to be true? Yes — don’t waste your time.
"Walmart faces big fine for discriminating women. WM managers are giving 35+ y/o women 500$ grocery credit as settlement," the Jan. 17 post says. It was shared by a page called "for women only" that was created the same day.
The post then directs people to "complete 3 questions" via a suspicious link with a url that includes the words "recipes" and "butter chicken."
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook.)
Randy Hargrove, a Walmart spokesperson, told us there’s "no truth to what was posted."
Featured Fact-check
It’s similar to other posts we’ve debunked, such as one from October that the government was giving each household that completed three questions "500 $ WalMart shop credit." Walmart advises customers to avoid buying, selling or checking a gift card balance "on online marketplaces outside of Walmart.com."
Similar Facebook posts are circulating online with the same lure: discrimination against women. Only this time, Lowe’s appears to be the offending company, and anyone who answers three questions and spends $2 will supposedly receive cookware sets "as settlement." Like the Walmart post, these offers were shared on Facebook pages that were created the same day the posts were published.
We found no news reports or credible sources to corroborate the claim that they’re settling discrimination allegations by giving women deeply discounted cookware. A spokesperson for Lowe’s told us it’s not true.
We rate this post False.
UPDATE, Jan. 19, 2023: This story was updated to include a response from Lowe’s.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 17, 2023
Facebook post, Jan. 17, 2023
Facebook post, Jan. 17, 2023
Walmart, Fraud alerts, visited Sept. 6, 2022
Walmart, Fraud warning, visited Sept. 6, 2022
Email interview with Randy Hargrove, senior director, national media relations, Walmart, Jan. 18, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
Online scams use fabricated Walmart sexual discrimination ‘settlements’ as lure
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.