JASON'S STORY - WINNER
LOTTERY WINNER TURNED INTO A BANK ROBBER - AND GOT BUSTED
James Allen Hayes, 55, was charged for allegedly committing 10 bank robberies and one attempted bank robbery in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties between April and September.
Was the guy just flat broke? Maybe...but that wasn't always the case. Officials confirmed that he actually won the lottery back in 1998.
His ex-wife received half of the money. He says he ended up with about six million dollars. He purchased an apartment building, but that burnt down after he bought it. He also bought a Ferrari...but he wrecked it.
He also has a $1,000-a-week heroin addiction.
An FBI affidavit states the robberies were committed by using a note that requested between $5,000 and $10,000, and in nine of the robberies, claiming to have a gun. Hayes is currently in federal custody.
(Santa Clarita News)
KRISTEN'S STORY
STORES THAT TRACK ALL OF YOUR RETURNS
There are several major retailers out there discreetly tracking every return shoppers make and some also punish those they suspect are abusing their return policies. Some have hired a third-party firm to track sales data and keep a database of returns to flag potentially problematic shoppers. Those customers could be stopped from making returns in the future. The retailers say they do it to combat fraud, but critics have privacy concerns.
Home Depot - Their spokesman says the company uses The Retail Equation to fight fraud, but unlike a lot of other stores, Home Depot only tracks returns without a receipt.
CVS Pharmacy - They partnered with The Retail Equation last year, but since then, they’ve only declined one-third of 1% of returns.
Sephora - They also use The Retail Equation, but only “crack down on customers with excessive returns,” by telling them they “may limit future returns or exchanges if no proof of purchase is provided.”
Dick's Sporting Goods - Their use of The Retail Equation has inspired customers to complain on social media.
JCPenney - The retailer confirms that it uses The Retail Equation to help “prevent fraudulent or abusive returns.”
Victoria's Secret - Shoppers have complained online about being banned from returning things to Victoria’s Secret.
Best Buy - They actually apologized to anyone affected by their returns policy. "On very rare occasions — less than one tenth of one% of returns — we stop what we believe is a fraudulent return. Fraud is a real problem in retail, but if our systems aren't as good as they can be, we apologize to anyone inappropriately affected."