MEDICINE HAT, Alta. — Police have seized over $30,000 worth of DVD sets and action figures they allege were purchased fraudulently from big-box stores in southern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan for a fraction of their actual value.
Medicine Hat Police Staff Sgt. Cory Both says investigators allege the suspect manipulated the bar codes on the products and then paid for them at automated check-outs, with the intention of selling them later.
Both says it allowed the suspect to make the purchase without store staff noticing the discrepancy between the actual price of the items and what appeared on the register.
Eventualy, Both says, staff at a store noticed something was up.
A 37-year-old man has been charged with one global count of fraud over $5,000 and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Action figures that were seized include characters from Marvel superhero movies and Transformer movies, while the DVD sets include the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy as well as TV shows “Friends” and “The Office.”