A federal lawsuit alleges that Walmart deceived more than a million delivery drivers by creating deposit accounts without their knowledge or consent, using their Social Security numbers and other personal information.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday accused Walmart and payments platform Branch Messenger of costing delivery drivers over $10 million in fees through these accounts since 2021. Walmart, in turn, accused the agency of filing a rushed lawsuit full of errors.
The government's lawsuit says Walmart told drivers, who deliver its shipments to customers' homes, that they would lose their jobs if they didn't use Branch accounts to receive the pay. "Thousands" of drivers had their wages deposited into a Branch account before ever agreeing to terms and conditions, according to the lawsuit.