I’m a lawyer – action to take if you’re wrongly accused of stealing at a self-checkout in stores like Walmart and Target
SHOPPERS face a mortifying situation if they have been wrongly accused of stealing when they use the self-checkout.
Customers may be taken aside and quizzed in an office by a loss prevention officer – even if they had no intention to shoplift.
But, top legal expert Carrie Jernigan has shared a series of tips that can help customers avoid a potentially embarrassing situation when they use the self-checkout in stores like Walmart and Target.
In a viral TikTok clip, the lawyer offered commentary alongside footage of a woman who was accused of stealing at Ralphs La Brea store in Los Angeles.
Carrie explained: “The officer is making her go back into the store. He didn’t witness anything.”
Meanwhile, Steph Tolev, the alleged shoplifter, filmed herself walking back into the store with the officer.
The shopper tried to explain what happened to the officer.
But, Carrie warned shoppers who are in a similar situation to remain “quieter” than Steph.
She added: “But it is human nature to try to want to talk and explain yourself.”
In another video, Carrie warned viewers about the potential dangers when it comes to using the self-checkout.
She claimed that there is a risk Walmart may come after customers if they accidentally stole an item.
Carrie warned that stores will look to old shoppers when they are reviewing lost inventory even if it has been months since the item left the store.
She is not the only lawyer that has urged shoppers to exercise caution when using the machines.
Criminal defense attorney Justin Sparks warned that a customer’s car may give their identity away.
In a viral TikTok clip, Sparks warned that law enforcement will watch the suspected shoplifter on camera.
He added that officers will follow their movements out of the store and into the parking lot to their car.
The lawyer explained: “They [investigators] will run that license plate through the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles].”
Sparks revealed that cops will get a name before trying to match the driver’s license picture to the person in the footage.
The lawyer also urged shoppers to “take a step back” and check their surroundings before scanning their groceries.
He also warned that customers shouldn’t try and huddle up over the machine as it creates suspicion.
The lawyer also advised that self-checkout users should not cover up camera angles while scanning.
In January, The U.S. Sun reported how Target shopper Alexis (@blexxican) was left outraged after she was stopped at a self-checkout machine while at a store in Florida.
She documented how she was approached by a store manager who re-scanned her items.
The worker reportedly claimed that the self-checkout machine had been “messing up” and wouldn’t check out her items properly.
Alexis, who was shopping with her daughter, was furious as she said: “It feels like you are accusing me of stealing.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to Target at the time but didn’t receive a response.