Police: Man Stole $50,000 In Cellphones From Two Target Stores By Impersonating Employee

Here at Consumerist, we’re no strangers to reporting on stories of employees behaving badly, but sometimes it’s not an actual worker doing the greedy deed. To that end, police say a man in Georgia allegedly impersonated a Target employee in order to steal more than $50,000 in cellphones. 

On at least two occasions, police say a man walked into two separate stores pretending to be a Target Mobile representative in order to gain access to a inventory locker full of cellphones, Patch reports.

According to police, the most recent incident occurred Oct. 17 when the man, dressed in attire for a Target Mobile employee – a black polo shirt and khaki pants – approached the customer service desk asking for the key to the cellphone locker.

The man reportedly told the Target employee he was a new hire and needed an escort to the locker’s location.

After reaching the area, the man placed 26 cellphones – worth $18,000 – in a duffel bag. He then put on a grey sweatshirt, returned the key to the desk and left the store.

Police say the man is also a suspect in an Oct. 3 incident at another nearby Target. In that case, the man allegedly stole nearly $30,000 in cellphones using the same tactic.

He reportedly returned to the first store after the second heist, but was turned away.

Authorities say they believe the man may be a former employee as he seems familiar with the practices of Target and knows the names of store and district managers, Patch reports.

Police: Man Posing as Employee Takes Nearly $50,000 In Cell Phones [Patch.com]