Found out my store's refund policy cost us $47,000 a year in fraud

I work at a big box store and last week our loss prevention guy showed me the numbers. Turns out our super easy no-receipt refund policy was getting abused like crazy. People were returning empty boxes and used electronics, and it added up to $47,000 last year alone. We switched to requiring ID for any return over $50 and it cut fraud by like 60% in just 3 weeks. Has anyone else had to deal with a policy that was way too generous for its own good?

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diana_park2mo ago

The part about cutting fraud by 60% in just 3 weeks really shows how fast people adjust when they know there's a rule. It's like once they realize they can't just walk in with a random item and get cash, the whole game changes. I bet a bunch of those fraudsters weren't even pros, just regular people testing the system because it was so easy. And the ID requirement probably scares off the casual ones who don't want their name attached to a shady return. What's wild is that the store probably kept the policy for so long just because it sounded customer friendly, but nobody checked the real cost. If you think about it, that $47k was basically paying for a policy that made shopping worse for honest people too, since stores usually jack up prices to cover those losses.

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