Lowe’s stores hit by counterfeit scam

Two men used counterfeit dollars to purchase items at several Lowe’s stores in Florida and Alabama and then returned the items for cash, according to an article in the Press Register.

The alleged crimes, which happened over the weekend of Feb. 18 to 19, began with the purchase of an $890 power tool in the Lowe’s garden center in Malbis. The men used counterfeit $20 and $50 bills. Thirty minutes later, the suspects returned the item to the same store and received a cash refund, according to police. The pair then purchased a second item with counterfeit money, which was taken to a Pensacola store the next day and returned for a cash refund.

Altogether, five Lowe’s stores have been affected by the counterfeit scheme, police said, estimating the total amount of money lost from the scam at $2,800. Daphne police will check video surveillance footage from Lowe's and will bring the Secret Service into the investigation, the newspaper reported.