More and more people are committing fraud at local retail outlets by returning items to stores that they never purchased to begin with. In the past three days, Walmart on Old Fort Parkway filed at least four reports with the M-P-D. Each report was labeled as a “Fraud” offense.

Subjects are evidently taking merchandise off the store shelf and walking it to the front service desk and returning it for gift cards.  The scheme is working… sort of.

The plan unravels when the subject or subjects leave the store and management realizes the returned item had never been paid for. This is where it really backfires… The store has a copy of the suspects driver’s license number and address from when they return the non-paid for merchandise. That being said, it appears that a few arrests are likely pending. All the store has to do is file a warrant for the arrest of the suspect or suspects.

Source:

MPD Incident Report #13-22961
MPD Incident Report #13-22960
MPD Incident Report #13-22959
MPD Incident Report #13-22958