Barcode Bandits Devious Rings
It’s not a ring of barcode bandits… it’s a barcode bandits that are using rings to rip off the self-check line at big box stores. Recently, an Idaho man as…
Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Getty Images/iStockphotoIt's not a ring of barcode bandits... it's a barcode bandits that are using rings to rip off the self-check line at big box stores. Recently, an Idaho man as accused of stealing from a Walmart. He tried to buy a grill from the price of a can of soup.
How Do The Barcode Bandits Do It?
A barcode is attached to a ring... we can't find any pictures of the rings. We're assuming this is because it would make things easier for copycat thieves. The barcode on the ring is for a cheap item (like a can of soup.) The thief goes through self-check, swipes the ring instead of the actual barcode and pays for the cheap item, leaving with a different, much more expensive item.
In the case of our Idaho man, Dylan Rockwell is accused of trying to buy a $300 grill for the price of a can of tomato soup. When Rockwell was apprehended, his residence was searched, and according to NBCnews.com, more stolen items were discovered.
Australia Has a Barcode Bandit Too
This man didn't use a ring... Here's a news report about a man in his 50's who stuck a candy bar barcode to his fingers using blue tape and tried to steal hundreds of dollars in groceries from a local store.
If you Google "Barcode bandit" you can go down a pretty big rabbit hole. Bar code scams have been going on for years. This news story tells of a lady who made her own barcodes, attached them over the actual barcodes and tried to buy the items at a much lower price.
