Thief arrested for not scanning every item at Walmart self-checkout and stealing >$1,000

[army judge]

Jurisdiction

Michigan

A Michigan woman is being charged with theft after allegedly stealing from Walmart by not scanning items at the self-checkout and swapping out barcodes for cheaper items.

Michigan State Police say 34-year-old TeddyJo Marie Fliam was using the self-checkout at the Walmart in Alpena County when employees noticed she wasn't scanning each item she was putting in her basket.

Walmart's loss prevention employees confronted Fliam after seeing what she was doing. According to reports, Fliam then became agitated and left the store.

The Walmart store in Alpena County reviewed their CCTV footage and discovered that Fliam had previously stolen more than $1,000 (£885) worth of items.

Fliam was soon arrested by Michigan State police at her home in Alpena County and was later charged with first-degree retail fraud.

Walmart's loss prevention workers had recently been tasked with cracking down on self-checkout theft. There were two recent incidents where people were caught not scanning items correctly and swapping barcodes at the self-checkouts.

This is not the first time someone has been caught barcode swapping at the Alpena County store. Joseph Carl Alexander, 36, was charged in early September for swapping the barcodes on inexpensive items for bigger items.

After reviewing the surveillance footage, Alexander was found to have stollen more than $1,100 (£970) worth of goods from the Walmart store.

He was also charged with first-degree retail fraud.

In 2019, Walmart rolled out artificial intelligence in its stores in an effort to crack down on thefts. The system uses 'selfie' cameras to watch customers and make sure every item is scanned.

A Walmart spokesperson addressed the use of artificial intelligence ion their stores. The spokesperson said: 'Walmart is making a true investment to ensure the safety of our customers and associates.

'Over the last three years, the company has invested over half a billion dollars in an effort to prevent, reduce and deter crime in our stores and parking lots. We are continuously investing in people, programs and technology to keep our stores and communities safe.'





Shopper arrested for not scanning every item at Walmart self-checkout and stealing $1,000 of items
...
Shopper arrested for not scanning every item at Walmart self-checkout and stealing $1,000 of items | Daily Mail Online
...
...

 

[Zigner]

In 2019, Walmart rolled out artificial intelligence in its stores in an effort to crack down on thefts. The system uses 'selfie' cameras to watch customers and make sure every item is scanned.

That's how they do it in the stores in my area. A couple of months ago I was holding two items in my hand. I scanned one and put it in the cart and as I was moving my hand back to scan the other, the system displayed a warning that I had failed to scan an item. It even replayed the video for me.