Self-scanning checkouts undermined German woman steals Migros goods for months

A German woman living in Switzerland tricked the self-scanning system in Migros stores for months. She either didn't pay for her purchases at all or only paid for a fraction of them.

For weeks, a 50-year-old German woman living in Switzerland used a simple trick to steal goods from Migros self-scanning checkouts. The theft went undetected for over three months until she was found out. A penalty order, which is available to the "Zürcher Unterländer" (paid article), documents the cheeky actions of the crook.

The woman committed her first theft offense in a store in Zurich's Seefeld district. There, she scanned items worth 64 francs at the checkout. Although she aborted the process, the woman then left the store with all the goods.

Apparently emboldened by her successful theft, the woman went back to work in a similar way ten days later in Oberglatt. She packed items worth 252 francs in the Migos store there. She then used the "Subito-Go" app to cancel a large part of her "purchase". She left the store with her pockets full, but only paid 24 francs.

Brazen thefts

In several other thefts in Dielsdorf and Oberglatt, the woman used her technique of paying for only a fraction of the scanned goods or canceling the payment process prematurely to scam more purchases. In each case, she paid between 50 and almost 250 francs too little. The woman gradually became more and more brazen in her Migros robberies. Once she packed goods for 474 francs in Dielsdorf - and left the store without having paid a single franc. On some days, she visited several stores at once and stole items worth up to 615 francs.

In October 2023, the self-scanning theft was finally discovered after three months. Criminal proceedings were initiated against the woman. She was sentenced to a conditional fine of 90 daily rates of CHF 170 each for theft. For the time being, she does not have to pay the fine unless she reoffends. However, she will have to pay a fine of 3,500 francs and procedural costs of 800 francs.