Tesco pair named and shamed in refund scam

A pair of customer service assistants have appeared in court for faking customer refunds and pocketing the cash at the Tesco store in Formby.

Julie Evans, 53, of The Moorings, Lydiate admitted stealing £6,002 (between June 2018 and July 2019) from the store on Altcar Road, when she appeared at Sefton Magistrates Court. Her colleague, Linda Ford, 62, of Central Avenue, Birkdale, admitted stealing £138.10 between July 2018 and December 2018.

Both Evans and Ford had worked for Tesco for a ‘considerable amount of time’ and both had previously been subject to disciplinary proceedings. In 2007, Evans was caught helping herself to stock when she worked on the deli counter.

While in 2009, Ford was caught putting ‘reduced stickers’ on items and then buying them for herself.

Mrs Conlan said that on two occasions, Evans, and on one occasion, Ford, had aroused the suspicions of staff when they were seen to process customer refunds without any customer present.

Evans was monitored closely from mid June of this year after she was seen by a fellow staff member put money in her pocket.

Evans, with Ford assisting, was then observed making a fraudulent transaction over a customer refund and putting money in her pocket on June 23. She was confronted after being seen to do it again on July 1 when £57 was recovered from her pocket.

Ford told bosses she’d known about the scam for about five months and that Evans had ‘entangled’ her in it..

Magistrates sent the matter to Liverpool Crown Court where they were told to appear on December 18