A Illinois department store employee was booked on a preliminary charge of retail theft Wednesday after sheriff’s deputies said she stole from her employer using a gift card scam.
A sworn affidavit from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office said the 18-year-old worker at Von Maur in Hickory Point Mall was confronted by a store loss prevention officer who discovered the thefts.
“(The employee) would use the SKU number from an item within the store, return said item and then place the return balance onto a gift card which she would keep,” the affidavit said. “(The employee) would then return to the store at a later date with her boyfriend who utilized the gift card to purchase items she would keep…” Herald & Review