why all of a sudden does the Walmart website start asking to prove my identity with reCAPTCHA?

Don't bother reconfiguring your browser or jumping through any of the suggested hoops. The captchas are not due to an issue with your computer, they are IP address range specific and designed to prevent bot traffic. Unfortunately, your IP address falls within one of these address ranges. You could look at using a VPN to get around the restriction.

BTW I'm in Australia, and my IP address gets the captcha too

Hello Cindi,

Hopefully I can shed some light on this for you. Just for the record, I'm in the states, and I also get the captcha that both you and _AW_ have been experiencing. I can confirm, it isn't anything wrong with your laptop, and you shouldn't get rid of it. Allow me to reiterate:

This is not a problem with you, or your computer. It is an issue with Walmart.

Please, please, please, do not get rid of your laptop because of this. And frankly, I agree with _AW_ that all of the steps recommended thusfar are essentially canned "fix-it" steps that are given out to almost anyone with a problem. This is not an issue that resetting or getting a new computer will fix. And frankly, as a person who actually works in tech support, I find it kind of appalling that they'd drag you through such a goose-chase to begin with.

I actually have multiple computers, and all of them get prompted like this by Walmart and a few other websites that use a networked 'security' feature, the system that prompts you with those images to click. Here's why you're getting it:

Lately there has been a craze for various products, particularly computer components, which have been harder and harder to purchase, and more and more popular to "scalp" (buy at retail and then flip for double and sometimes triple the price). The problem has gotten so intense, that people are using "bots" - automated programs from their computers - to instantly buy up any retail stock of these parts.

In order to combat this, many websites have started trying to track locations that were doing this. Those are the "IP" ranges that _AW_ was referring to, and they aren't always exact. So the most likely scenario is that one or more people in your general area were trying to "bot" those components and so that area got added to a tracking list.

Thus, now when you go to Walmart, the website looks at its security records and says, "Oh, this person is in the area that these bot attacks were coming from. I should make sure they're real." Except unfortunately, their algorithm is over-aggressive to the point of being agonizing. I was trying to shop for a computer screen earlier tonight and got dragged through it, which is actually how I found your post.

So in conclusion, this isn't a "you" problem. You haven't done anything, nor has your computer. I know this is disappointing, in a way. Something that "you" caused or that was caused by your computer is something "fixable" and a problem caused by (in this case) someone else, isn't, and that's frustrating, but please trust me that you will be doing yourself no favors by trying to wipe or replace the computer.

The "VPN" that _AW_ was referring to would work but not all VPNs are easy to use for someone who isn't tech-savvy. When I need to, I personally use Private Internet Access but there are several others such as TunnelBear and the more widely known NordVPN. You can look into those if you feel comfortable, but you do not necessarily need them for the rest of time.

Eventually, Walmart will likely loosen how strict their algorithm is because of complaints and because it will impact their sales, and/or as your internet service provider shuffles computer IP addresses, yours will be moved out of the range that Walmart thinks might be a potential problem.

I hope this post has answered your concerns about what is happening, why it's happening, and what there is to do about it, and saves you a few headaches that trying to reset the computer or get a new one would pose. Take care, and have a good one.

I'd say that you struck a reCaptcha problem with the Walmart website. I really doubt resetting your PC is necessary or would achieve anything.

Here's a prior discussion from people stuck in a Walmart reCaptcha loop:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PS5/comments/jxaf56/walmart_recaptcha_loop/

Quote from above link

"How ridiculous.... on my last order I had to enter Captcha 25 times before it placed my freakin' order. Guess I will switch to Target now."

Thank you, Paul R. for your reply. I cleared the browser data and that did not work. I continually get the CAPTCHA sign when I open the Walmart website. No other website asks me for proof of identity, so I don't know why. It's not once in a while -- it's always now and sometimes I can't even read the pictures to figure what's in them. Also, if I go to duckduckgo I might not get the CAPTCHA, but sometimes even then I do. So I know something must be wrong. How do I get rid of any security like free Avast or Microsoft for a little while? I can't find these on my computer details, so I don't knoiw how to get rid of them, even temporarily. Can you help me? Thanks.

(By the way, I did what you told me. Still getting the CAPTCHA signal for Walmart only.)

It's like so wierd. I clicked on an ad in my email from walmart and I had to go through at least 20 CAPTCHA diagrams, and still no end. Something is wrong, I know that, but it's only with Walmart that this happens. I don't know what I did, but I must have done something. I'm wondering if I can simply cancel everything on my computer, configure it back to the beginning, but save my emails. (How do I do that? I mean save my emails...)