Ask a Loss Prevention Manager

[AJR]

I was working at Marshall Fields in Illinois, made a fraudelent return in the amount of approx. $850.00, arrested, and charged with a Misdemeanor A crime. I returned the items back and paid the store within three days... Will I still have to servce jail time, pay a fine.. Does anyone know.. This is my first time offense... Help!

[Debutant]

On December 5 I mistakenly returned a belt ($167 value) to a big retail store (VA). A buckle and a tag were the same brand, while a leather part was made by another Italian designer. Neither the buckle nor the belt actually matched the model coded on the price tag. While doing a cash refund I provided the associate with my ID. When I realized the mistake I got really scared to be suspected and charged for refund fraud and decided to buy the belt back. It was not on a display already on December 8-th (I live 120 mls away from the store). Something tells me that it hasn’t been purchased and that the hybrid is kept in the manager's office for some kind of an investigation. Due to my visa status (H1B, GC - in process) I can't afford my self waiting for what may happen.
Q: Could an attorney contact the store and say that his/her client, a respectable person, a physician (no personal identification at the beginning) mistakenly returned an item, which he didn't mean to return. Now the person wants to take care of the mistake. Could the issue be possibly resolved by buying the item back or/and sending a check from the attorney’s office for the amount of $167 to the store if no charges have been filed so far? Can anything be done if they already contacted the police and/or issued the charges? What is likely to happen if my attorney contacts the store?

[carrie]

Hi, I posted a question about criminal trespassing, but haven't gotten many replies. I was wondering if you could help me. To make a long story short, I was caught shoplifting at walmart about 2 years ago. I have served my probation. I signed a paper saying I wouldn't go to walmart again. My question, will they really prosecute me for criminal trespassing if I go there? I am not going there to steal, I learned my lesson. I just want to shop there. And I live in a different city now, so I won't be going back to the same one. Could they know about it at the walmarts here, since it happened in a different city?

[PaulE]

Debutant, if they didn't catch the error at the time it was entered in the register, don't worry about it. If they should contact you for some reason, just tell them it was an oversight on your part and you want to make it right. Don't go looking for trouble, just be caerful in the future.

Carrie, usually if you get a trespass for a store they will tell you if it's for a specific time period, like 1 yr or 2 what ever. Some stores have a life time ban, call a Wally-World and don't give your name just ask. I would think if you go to a different store and with the 2 yrs behind you, it's probably OK. IF you get caught again in a different store, you're in bigger trouble. I've had people call and ask the store Mgr if they can come back on a trial basis, some do some don't.

[Debutant]

Paul, thanks. Did "Don't go looking for trouble ..." mean I shouldn't even try to send them money neither my self nor through an attorney? Eventually, my attorney already contacted them, but they can't find the item. If you just meant: “don't do this kind of things in future”, there is absolutely NO way I ever commit anything like that.

[LP1186]

Deputant,
If you ever make a mistake and you feel moraly obligated to correct it even if the mistake is in your favor, by all means do so! It is not a crime if you commit the "crime" by mistake, as was in your case. Many people are confused about this all the time, they believe if they accidently take something out of a store without paying they will be arrested if they return it, however this is not true! More than likely all that will happen is that the store maneger will give you a big Thank You for being honest.

Carrie,
Even if you were to go to the exact same wal-mart, the likely hood of an LP agent remembering you and the LP department being able to track down your Criminal tresspassing notice so that they could prosecute you is slim to none. The only way they may press criminal tresspassing charges is if they keep a company wide database of all shoplifters (which i highly doubt) and you were to get caught shoplifting again and they looked you up in their system...in that case they would charge you with tresspassing and shoplifting. However, it wouldn't hurt to call maybe a corporate office and ask them.

[fight or flight LP]

selisabethx

You need to pay the CD get a receipt to show the court you paid

You need to check with the laws for your state but I doubt it will only be $40 more like $50 or double the amount you are charged with which ever is greater or there might be a set rate like $150 or something

[fight or flight LP]

AJR

need to check with your states laws
850 is a high amount your luck if they only charged you with a misdameanor

you need to have a receipt where you already paid the store back but you should expect to pay some fines and court cost

[verysorry]

I was told I was banned from one store but I can still shop at other Target stores. Is the LP telling me the truth? Can I still go to other Target stores to shop? I have some stuff I need to return to Target on Monday, but I'm not sure if I should go risking tresspassing charges.

TIA.

[worried]

Question for an LP:
I was cought shoplifting 2 movies at Hastings, and I know that the LP didn't see me take the exact items, because when he stopped me at the door, he said he heard some noises, like boxes opening, and it just so happens that two cops were there at the time checking out videos, and they asked the LP if there was a problem and I opened my purse, and said that there were two movies in there that were mine, and that I was going to trade them in for something else, then the cop said that if I didn't confess, he would take me to jail, so of course I did. They did not have me on video. I've since then stopped, but do not want this on my record. From your experience, do you think I could get this dismissed?