Returns Scams to Cost Retailers Billions

And the problem is only getting worse. Some shoppers make it a sport to scam retailers after the holiday season by making fraudulent returns. That can take the form of returning stolen goods, bringing back used items without a receipt or collusion with store employees. Either way, holiday return fraud is expected to cost retailers $2.2 billion this year, up 15 percent over 2014, according to a National Retail Federation survey released on Thursday.