Man suspected in $80,000 in thefts from TJ Maxx hits Athens store
A man who is targeting TJ Maxx stores across the state to commit fraudulent merchandise returns apparently made his first trip to Athens recently to carry out his scheme.
The suspect, who is believed to reside somewhere in the metro Atlanta area, made the visit to Athens in mid-August.
Athens-Clarke police learned from a private security officer investigating the crimes that losses to the chain of stores is approximately $80,000.
Police detectives were made aware of the man’s crime only after an organized retail crime investigator with TJX Companies, which owns the stores, reported the theft in Athens on Aug. 21.
Athens police Detective Nathaniel Franco is investigating the case locally. The suspect’s name is not being used because it is undetermined if TJX has taken out warrants for his arrest. The investigator could not be reached for comment.
“They know him well. He uses his own ID a lot of times to get returns,” Franco said. “They’ve built an investigation on him and found out he came to Athens.”
Besides TJ Maxx, the 43-year-old man also victimizes Marshalls, another store chain owned by TJX, according to Franco.
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Why the suspect is hitting these stores is not known, but Franco suspects it is because the stores carry some higher end merchandise than one finds in a Target or Walmart.
Or, the detective said, it could be as simple as that those are the stores where he’s gotten away with his thefts "so that’s the one he chooses.”
The man’s method of operation is often to switch out a price tag on a lower priced item with a higher priced tag then make a return.
In the Athens case, the man had gone to a TJ Maxx in Smyrna on Aug. 14 and purchased a rug for $299. On Aug. 19, he went to the store on Alps Road in Athens and attempted to obtain a refund on that rug, but was refused because his ID was flagged in their system for fraudulent refunds.
He left, but an hour later the suspect returned with an Athens woman who used her identification to obtain returns for three rugs, including the Smyrna rug, which now had a price tag of $1,999.
The suspect was able to get a refund on gift cards for $2,159.
Franco said he believes that once the man was personally refused a refund, he went looking for someone on the street to assist him. He found an Athens woman, who is a known drug user, according to Franco.
The detective knows the identity of the woman, who has outstanding drug charges, but he hasn’t located her to verify his suspicions.
“I’d be willing to bet a week’s pay that he just rode around, found a female on the street and said, “I’ll give you a $100 to use your ID to make this return,” Franco said.
Franco said he had no photos of the suspect as he has never been jailed in Athens.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Police believe notorious TJ Maxx defrauder stole from store in Athens
