Two Michigan men face federal fraud charges for allegedly orchestrating a scheme that bilked Atlanta-based Home Depot out of $311,000 by switching out prices on high-end products, buying the items and returning them for store credit.
An FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Flint this week and obtained by MLive.com says more than 100 stores in 13 states were targeted in the two-year operation.
The men were not identified, and have not been indicted or arraigned.
They are accused of switching UPC codes on expensive merchandise with items with similar descriptions. The men and their more than 20 accomplices would then allegedly purchase the cheaper items and return them to the store without receipts so they could get store credits at the higher price.
They presented service counters with more than 150 different forms of ID to get their credits.
The men allegedly made more than 640 returns, the affidavit says. Some of the store credits allegedly were sold to others or used to purchase other high-end merchandise.
A Home Depot spokesman said the company has taken aggressive actions to reduce fraud.
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