Scanning an item for too little, or scanning the wrong barcode are methods that several thieves have adopted since the introduction of cash registers where the customer himself serves the purchase made.
Of these new crimes, there have been several different sentences. One of the most notable was when Anders Öfvergårdthe “Angry Carpenter”, had stolen pieces of meat in the self-scan on an Ica Maxi.
It was then clear that Anders Öfvergård was sentenced for petty theft with 40 daily fines of SEK 1,000.
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Theft or fraud? So say the police
Since then, Swedish police, following a request from the organization Swedish Trade, have investigated which crime applies when you cheat at the ATM.
“With practical guidelines in place, we hope that more self-service crimes will be discovered. Because it is really needed,” says Nina Jelverhead of security at Swedish Trade, in a press release.
Theft occurs when a customer fails to scan all goods during self-scanning. The crime is considered completed when payment in the terminal is completed.
Fraud occurs when a customer manipulates barcodes/scans other goods to pay a lower price, which means misleading the store’s technical system. The crime is also considered completed here when payment in the terminal is completed.
The investigation by the Police Authority shows that people who scan the wrong goods or incorrect codes can be convicted of fraud. Theft is classified as when the person neglects to scan all goods.
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70 percent of the thefts are estimated to go through the ATMs
News24 have come into contact with Eric Mangensecurity expert at Svensk Handel, who says that since the crime classifications differ, so will the punishment.
– The penalties are after all assessed by a court and have not changed with this legal investigation. There are different penalty scales and they continue regardless of this investigation, explains Mangen.
Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT.
Thefts via the cash registers are usually of smaller amounts, but are common. As much as 70 percent of all thefts in the grocery trade have been estimated to be via self-service, says Mangen.
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Within the trade, the investigation is welcome as it brings with it common guidelines, something that stores in Sweden previously lacked. As for the grocery stores’ customers, Mangen does not believe that it will be significantly affected.
– We may not think that customers will be affected directly, but of course we want to get rid of the criminal waste through this payment system because otherwise it risks disappearing from the trade.
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Swedish Trade’s call to all members
Now Svensk Handel urges all member companies to take part in the police’s investigation and use it as evidence when thefts occur via ATMs.
– We hope that this contributes to creating consensus within the legal chain, which has been lacking before. We do not believe that it is the industry that should be able to explain exactly what crime has been committed, but be able to describe an event, which is the case with all other police reports, says Erik Mangen to Nyheter24.
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