A WALMART shopper stole over $8,000 worth of merchandise after duping a store employee into accepting a fraudulent payment.
The thief stole 37 products while using a credit card and duping an employee in the electronics department into processing his orders.
According to law enforcement, the Ohio man engaged in a “cash-cash” scam, Cleveland.com reported.
The scam involves a criminal duping an employee into creating a false receipt, making it appear that the thief’s credit card transaction went through when it did not.
Cash-cash scams involve fraudsters instructing employees to press a specific key on the register or reaching over the counter and pressing the key while the employee is distracted.
According to Walmart loss prevention, the criminal walked away with $8,427.
The retailer stated that the problem is becoming more serious as several stores have lost thousands of dollars to the scam.
Another scammer was arrested in February after attempting to force the sale of $1,447 in electronic goods using a fake credit card.
Walmart did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request for additional information.
Walmart has recently become the target of a number of high-value scams.
A new “BIN” scam involves criminals randomly guessing customers’ credit card information and making fraudulent purchases.
In Alabama, Walmart customers reported losing hundreds of dollars after criminals hacked into their Redstone Federal Credit Union accounts.
“Upon discovering the fraudulent charges on member accounts, we have taken the necessary time to understand the situation, ensuring that all member information and funds remain secure,” Redstone told reporters.
Despite having several fraud prevention services in place, the credit union reminded customers that these types of scams are impossible to avoid.
“Large retailers are particularly vulnerable to BIN attacks because they process a vast number of transactions daily, providing attackers with a wealth of data to exploit,” according to the business.
Walmart immediately refunded the majority of the victims of the scam.
“Redstone understands how frustrating fraudulent transactions can be, and we take this matter very seriously.
“We have safeguards in place to help prevent fraudulent attacks on our members’ accounts and are diligent in our account monitoring.”
What is the ‘cash-cash’ scam?
A growing credit card scam, known as the ‘cash-cash’ scam, is robbing retailers of thousands of dollars. Fraudsters instruct employees to press a specific key on the register to process a fake credit card transaction, or they reach over the counter and press the key while the employee is distracted.
In Virginia, customers lost hundreds of dollars due to a card skimming device installed at self-checkout machines.
One shopper discovered that the device had stolen all of the money from her food stamps card, making it impossible for her to buy groceries.
Customers are usually unable to see the skimming devices due to their small size.
“These devices are super easy, unfortunately, to install,” said Katie Jennings, a Lynchburg Police Department crime prevention specialist.
“They go right over the payment terminals.
“You can find them at gas terminals, or self-checkouts, or even at the checkout where there is a cashier.”
