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An attorney is warning consumers about those convenient self-checkout kiosks in big box stores and supermarkets.
In a viral TikTok video, attorney and influencer Carrie Jernigan explains that self-checkout counters can cost you thousands of dollars.
"As a criminal defense attorney, I advise most people to steer clear of self-checkout," she said.
She added that big box stores like Costco use security footage to accuse innocent customers of theft.
While there are actual cases of shoplifting, the people who end with theft charges are innocent shoppers.
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Jernigan said people using self-serve checkouts are accused of stealing items they rightfully purchased or never picked up.
"Most of these [customers] are not getting charged day of," she explained. She said someone in the store's asset protection department counts inventory, and discovers the theft, days, weeks or months later.
"So they will begin watching hours of video to see the last person who checked out with the Mario Lego set because they're two short or an Xbox game. And, for some reason, they pinpoint that they think you did it," she said.
"The charges that could land you up to a year in jail. You have to spend thousands of dollars hiring a lawyer and we have to go through grainy video footage to try to determine what all you bought that day."
Jernigan advised shoppers to avoid the self-checkout, and always pay with a credit card.
Question: Do you use the self-checkout kiosk? Do you plan to continue?
