# Falsely Accused of Shoplifting - Is there any recourse?



## Bintang (29 December 2010)

Does anyone know what recourse a person has if falsely accused of shoplifting because a store's anti-theft detection equipment gives a false alert?

Yesterday I walked into a store in Perth carrying a rucksack.  I heard a detector buzz as I entered but thought nothing of it at the time and continued with my shopping. No-one else in the store reacted to the buzz either.
I selected and paid for a sunhat and left the store. As I walked up the street someone from the store chased me and said the hat must still have a tag on it because the buzzer went off. I said, "I don't think it is the hat because I heard the buzzer go off when I entered your store" but I also politely agreed to return to the store. There a sales-person checked the hat and found nothing but once again the buzzer sounded when I passed through the detector. Thereupon they demanded that I show them the contents of my rucksack. By this stage I was beginning to feel embarrassed as many other customers were staring at me and my initial politeness gradually turned into anger. I refused and an argument ensued.

They told me it was a condition of entry to their store that I show them the contents of my bag.  I told them they got it wrong the first time I first entered the store because the buzzer went off then and they paid no attention to it.

The situation got rather heated but finally I just walked out and continued on my way. Fortunately no-one pursued me again but the whole experience was stressful and embarrassing. 

Clearly the store's electronic theft detector was giving a false alert and that should be the store's problem not mine. I don’t think I should have to be humiliated and have my privacy invaded in front of other customers because of that.

Any comments?


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## tech/a (29 December 2010)

Just forget it it happens.
Life is bigger than small stuff.

I hopped into my car a few years ago only to see a woman staring at me through the drivers side window.
I wound it down and asked what she wanted.
"My car!!"
Sorry---??
"Your in my car!!"

My car and her car were identical and 4 cars apart.My key opened her car but wouldn't start it!
Her key---Which we tried didn't open mine and wouldn't start it!


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## adobee (29 December 2010)

I dont think it is unreasonable.. They had reasonable cause to think you may have had something and were doing their job..  

I get asked to come aside at the airport every time I travel.. I am an aussie and dont fit any profile but still get asked to take off my shoes and belt etc.. No big deal..


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## nukz (29 December 2010)

tech/a said:


> Just forget it it happens.
> Life is bigger than small stuff.




Thats easy to say if it has never happened to you. I actually had this experience at a Westfield shopping centre when i was younger at a major chain store(i was only 11 at the time) and the security guard followed me around the whole store and confronted me.

When i told my parents at the time we complained to the store manager who basically said hes there to do a job and started crapping on about how good there security system was. 

I felt that this was not really appropriate as i thought when the security guard confronted me he was quite aggressive and not professional at all. 

We ended up talking to the companies corporate office who where very apologetic and emphasised that the kind of intimidation was very rare and interestingly enough that had complaints before. 

long story short guy no longer worked there and got some nice big gift vouchers for free.

Its really not nice to be called a thief when you are not, especially when there is nasty words involved and intimidation.


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## Julia (29 December 2010)

A similar thing happened to me.  I'd bought an item in a department store in a shopping centre.  Then went to the chemist for something else.  Bought and paid for that, but as I attempted to leave, the dreaded alarm sounded.  I just stopped and waited for someone to come and sort it out.

Turned out the check out person in the department store had failed to remove the disc which shows the item has been paid for.  Presumably the chemist had the same item in stock.

So no problem, but I agree it's disconcerting when it happens.

If I'd been in your position, I'd have consented to having my rucksack checked.  It's usually a condition of entry that you are happy to have this happen.
By not agreeing you can look to have something to hide.  

The staff are simply doing their job so I'm not sure why you felt so strongly about not having the bag checked.
And from what you say, they didn't actually accuse you of anything, just asked if they could check your bag.


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## tech/a (29 December 2010)

> That's easy to say if it has never happened to you.




No its a small petty issue.

There are jails with innocent people doing years after being both wrongly accused and found guilty of a crime they didn't commit.
Some have even been served the death penalty.

I'm obviously wired differently.
Search me and I'm gone.

I've had 3 full body searches whilst travelling
All in New Zealand (On the way to the US) now Im sure if I kicked up a stink it would have been un pleasant for all concerned not the least me!


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## nukz (29 December 2010)

tech/a said:


> No its a small petty issue.
> 
> There are jails with innocent people doing years after being both wrongly accused and found guilty of a crime they didn't commit.
> Some have even been served the death penalty.




You know i don't dispute those are much bigger injustices lol but why let anything that upset's you slide? 

Unless your going to quote this with something even bigger lol 

Yea millions died in WW2 so i shoudn't care about being accused about shoplifting... i should remember those who died in WW2 and not care who does what to me right? 

I know this game, you keep coming out with bigger injustices.


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## nunthewiser (29 December 2010)

Should of nicked a Stereo instead of the hat m8


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## Bintang (29 December 2010)

Julia said:


> .....The staff are simply doing their job so I'm not sure why you felt so strongly about not having the bag checked.
> And from what you say, they didn't actually accuse you of anything, just asked if they could check your bag.




Fair enough. But they could have invited me to the back of the shop and done their job in a quiet, unobtrusive way out of the glare of other people. Why cause embarrassment?


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## awg (29 December 2010)

You may have been the victim of an unlucky situation.

Many items cause a false trigger. Every single time I buy printer ink at Harvey Norman it sets off the alarm..they wave me thru.

I saw on TV last night, that pro shoplifters are onto this problem, and exploit it to the max, so security have to be on alert.

I would be annoyed if they embarrassed me, but find it best to take Tech's approach.

Show them some luv


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## jersey10 (29 December 2010)

Bintang said:


> but I also politely agreed to return to the store.





If you know you have done nothing wrong, why return to the store?


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## wayneL (29 December 2010)

jersey10 said:


> If you know you have done nothing wrong, why return to the store?




Exactly.

This is actually a mistake as they have no jurisdiction over you while outside the store.

If confronted in this way do not go back inside the store. If you have done nothing wrong you can show good faith by showing your bag contents outside.

Once back in the store they have you by the nuts, that's why it's the first thing they try to get you to do.


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## Dowdy (29 December 2010)

nunthewiser said:


> Should of nicked a Stereo instead of the hat m8




I agree. It what I always do at bunnings and never get caught


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## Logique (29 December 2010)

tech/a said:


> I'm obviously wired differently. Search me and I'm gone.
> I've had 3 full body searches whilst travelling.



Sympathies Bintang, but philosophically, I'm with Tech/a on this.  
Some international airports now have full-body scanners that show you in the nude. Even on cold days. 
Awesome the advice from WayneL, don't go back into the store.


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## Bintang (29 December 2010)

Logique said:


> Sympathies Bintang, but philosophically, I'm with Tech/a on this.
> Some international airports now have full-body scanners that show you in the nude. Even on cold days.
> Awesome the advice from WayneL, don't go back into the store.



Airport body scanning wouldn't upset me the same way for the simple reason that all passengers are subjected to the same treatment.
I was singled out and subjected to embarassing treatment in front of other shoppers who stood around gawking at me.
How would you feel if at the airport you were the only passenger singled out for body scanning and all the other passengers were allowed to stand around and gawk at your nude body image?


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## Garpal Gumnut (29 December 2010)

So what was in your rucksack?

gg

And there is no recourse unless you can prove loss. Your big mistake was going back to the store with security. You should have done a runner and had a twisted ankle or a heart attack or if he was fat being sat on by him and having broken ribs.

gg


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## poverty (29 December 2010)

As a retailer I would suggest stop carrying rucksucks into stores.  It may be a surprise to you but some businesses are sick of being robbed and the robbers always have big bags.  Big bag + beeper going off is a fairly good reason to doubt your integrity since 95% of thieves fit this description.


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## Tyler Durden (29 December 2010)

This is one of my great fears whenever I walk into a store, even though I'm not a thief. At stores like JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman where they have someone standing outside to check people's bags, I always feel like I'm being watched and suspected, so I keep my hands in clear sight.

I just hate that feeling of being suspected of something, sometimes I hate it so much it decides whether I go into the store or not.


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## sails (29 December 2010)

poverty said:


> As a retailer I would suggest stop carrying rucksucks into stores.  It may be a surprise to you but some businesses are sick of being robbed and the robbers always have big bags.  Big bag + beeper going off is a fairly good reason to doubt your integrity since 95% of thieves fit this description.




Poverty, I agree. I'm not a retailer, but don't like the idea that we probably have to pay higher prices because of those who steal.

When going into a shop with large bags, I usually offer for someone to inspect them on the way out - and with a smile.  Often offer to pull everything out and show the docket because I have nothing to hide.  It's great to have a clear conscience.

Once I walked out of a shop with a Christmas tablecloth unknowningly.  I had several shopping bags and so it wasn't obvious at the time of leaving the store.  When I realised what had happened, I immediately took it back to a highly embarrased security lady who really didn't know what to do with it saying this had never happened to her before...

Bintang, I can imagine it was an extremely embarassing situation, but I do agree with Poverty in that many people who steal usually have large bags, coats, etc.  It doesn't mean that all with large bags & coats steal, however, it raises suspicion.  Maybe offer for someone to check your bag before leaving the store in future and it might prevent any such embarassment in the future...


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## Tyler Durden (29 December 2010)

sails said:


> Once I walked out of a shop with a Christmas tablecloth unknowningly.  I had several shopping bags and so it wasn't obvious at the time of leaving the store.  When I realised what had happened, I immediately took it back to a highly embarrased security lady who really didn't know what to do with it saying this had never happened to her before...




Should've kept it 

It's only stealing if you had the intention at the time of the act


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## Smurf1976 (30 December 2010)

A while ago I had an alarming problem myself. 

Harvey Norman, Harris Scarfe, Myer, Target, Big W, David Jones, Coles, Woolworths... Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney...

Wherever I went, the alarm would go off. Alarmed when I entered the store, and alarmed again when I left. Browsing without actually buying anything became a real nightmare.

In due course I did a bit of experimenting at Big W and found that my wallet was the trigger. Not sure why, but rearranging the cards, specifically to have the normal ATM card and my Visa card in specific positions, fixed the problem most times.

Then the alarm went off again. Finally a shop assistant with a bit of initiative (Harris Scarfe for the record). They passed my wallet over some machine which has since fixed the problem completely. How it works I'm not sure, but it's been fixed. All my cards still work fine.

My stress level still goes up a bit every time I walk past one of those scanners though since I've been stopped and searched hundreds of times (literally). Furnishing a new house was a real nightmare, being searched probably 10 - 15 times in the space of a single day, several of those at the same store. Funny how it took so long to find a shop assistant who knew how to fix it. This went on for some years...

All that said, I understand why shops have these scanners and it's much like being searched at the airport (on the subject of which, I've often wondered how anyone who does legitimately work with explosives deals with this - would there not be traces on their hands, skin etc that would be detected and prevent them from flying?)

My time being alarmed did teach me one thing though. There is a major flaw in shop security past which you could easily take just about anything of reasonably small size. I won't provide the details, but I've noticed that at least some Myer and David Jones stores have addressed it whereas it is wide open at many other retailers.


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## Bintang (30 December 2010)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> So what was in your rucksack?




Since you asked ..... a mobile phone, a beach towel , a large tube of sunscreen and a pair of underdacks because I was still wearing my swimmers. The underdacks were on top.


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## jersey10 (31 December 2010)

How about this guy? Deliberately sets off the alarm for the fun of it!
Warning: Occassional language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8CEzILvtg8


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## cutz (31 December 2010)

Bintang said:


> Since you asked ..... a mobile phone, a beach towel , a large tube of sunscreen and a pair of underdacks because I was still wearing my swimmers. The underdacks were on top.




If I may,

How big is your rucksack,

Or to put it another way, in percentage terms what was the contents to free space ratio ?


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## Bintang (31 December 2010)

cutz said:


> If I may,
> 
> How big is your rucksack,
> 
> Or to put it another way, in percentage terms what was the contents to free space ratio ?




Not much free space at all. Big beach towel.


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## Garpal Gumnut (31 December 2010)

Bintang said:


> Since you asked ..... a mobile phone, a beach towel , a large tube of sunscreen and a pair of underdacks because I was still wearing my swimmers. The underdacks were on top.




And the burka?

gg


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