A woman in Palm Beach County, Florida, has been accused of a barcode-swapping scheme that netted her approximately $1,300 in stolen merchandise from a Walmart store, according to a report from cw34.com.
Authorities allege the suspect removed barcodes from lower-priced items and attached them to more expensive products, such as electronics and household goods, before paying the reduced price at self-checkout. The scheme was uncovered when loss prevention officers noticed discrepancies between scanned items and actual merchandise.
The woman now faces charges of grand theft. Barcode-swapping, a form of retail fraud, has become more common with the rise of self-checkout lanes, prompting retailers to adopt additional security measures such as weight sensors and random audits. The case remains under investigation.