Some retailers have generous return policies. More often than not, you just need to show them the product and receipt to get a refund. Of course, these policies are often abused by scammers, but what’s happening in Michigan takes scamming to a whole new level.
Meet the latest scam: vomiting on receipts to get refunds from Walmart. Imagine being one of those poor employees who had to deal with a vomit-covered receipt! You’d probably just check the price and issue a refund without questioning the situation.
Well, even though you’d be disgusted at the thought of dealing with vomit covered receipts, you should probably check the product box for the actual product. These scammers are just returning empty boxes with receipts covered in throw up (or a substance resembling it). A new low? Let’s find out.
The Power of Emetophobia
Some receipts just aren’t worth dealing with
Phobias are weird things — irrational fears that result in compulsive behavior. Except when it comes to emetophobia, the fear of vomiting, it actually seems a bit rational to be afraid of someone else’s bodily fluids due to health concerns. That’s what these scammers are preying on.
Consumerist reports that scammers are fooling Walmart employees in Michigan into accepting returned video games, something retailers don’t normally do.
Except rather than returning a game in a box, it’s just an empty box, albeit resealed. The receipt is covered in vomit — at least that’s what they’re telling Walmart employees.
Here’s what the Consumerist had to say:
“Michigan State Police are investigating claims by Walmart stores in three cities — Bay City, Saginaw, and Hastings — that these fraudsters are not only resealing video game boxes to make them look like new, but that they are possibly putting vomit on receipts in order to further their larceny.”
What the scammer does is explain to the clerk that the receipt has been vomited on. The clerk doesn’t want to touch the receipt and opts to verify the return price. From there, they issue the return with no questions asked.
Just Show Us The Receipt
The scammer has an appetite for video games. The same four games — Masters Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14, NCAA Football 14, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Remember Me — were returned to the Bay City and Saginaw Walmarts back in August.
In total, the scammer pulled in $529.66 in returns one day alone. And it appears that this scammer isn’t alone.
Multiple scammers are targeting Walmarts in the Michigan area
At the Hasting, Michigan Walmart, the scammer is reportedly a female. Sometimes, all it takes for scams like this to spread is for one person to get away with it. Others will always follow, hence multiple scammers in the Michigan area.
Incidents like these chip away at once-great product return policies. As the Consumerist puts it, “When you can no longer trust a customer who says he vomited on a video game, who can you trust?”
If you work in retail, be wary of any fishy product return stories!
What Do You Think?
Heard of any crazy product return stories? What’s your worst product return experience you’ve been in? Let us know in the comments section!
See Also
Weird News: County Fair Carnival Worker Jailed for Hello Kitty Fraud
Vintage Wine Goes Sour: French Police Bust Huge Counterfeit Wine Operation
Strange But True: Poodle Buyer Discovers His Dog is a Ferret on Steroids
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