Photo via Best Life
What investigators say happened
Michael Alan Williams, 46, was charged on September 21, 2026, with two counts of second-degree felony retail theft in Utah. Investigators accuse him of stealing more than $15,000 in merchandise from Lowe's and Home Depot through a form of self-checkout fraud known as "skip-scanning" — ringing up only some items while walking out with the rest.
Court documents allege the shoplifting played out from more than 100 separate store visits.
From February 18 through May 26, 2025, Williams allegedly visited Lowe's 38 times and took $6,075.44 in merchandise without paying in full. According to investigators, every one of those transactions was paid with a card in Williams' own name, and the store's organized retail crime investigator matched receipts against surveillance footage to confirm he left with items he never scanned. Police later compared the footage to his driver's license photo.
The alleged scheme didn't stop there. From March 22 through June 7, 2026, Williams allegedly hit Home Depot 66 times, taking $9,159.93 in merchandise the same way. A Home Depot asset protection associate identified his vehicle — which was registered to Williams' wife — and officers who contacted her on June 10 reported seeing items consistent with the stolen merchandise. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the couple's home, and Williams was arrested.
All of these are allegations; Williams has been charged but not convicted.
How scammers exploit home-improvement stores
Cases like this matter to shoppers because fraud around big-box retailers rarely stops at the exit doors. Criminals also run return-fraud schemes — bringing stolen merchandise back for gift cards or cash — and blast out phishing emails pretending to be Lowe's or Home Depot, dangling fake receipts, "warranty renewals," delivery notices, or rebate offers to steal payment details.
Red flags: fake Lowe's and Home Depot messages
- Emails or texts about orders, deliveries, or refunds you never placed
- Links that don't go to lowes.com or homedepot.com — hover before you click
- Urgent warnings that your "account will be suspended" unless you verify payment info
- Requests for gift cards as payment — a classic scam tell
- Attachments labeled as "receipts" or "invoices" from senders you don't recognize
How to protect yourself
- Go directly to the retailer's site or app instead of clicking email links
- Check the sender's full email address, not just the display name
- Never pay to resolve an "account problem" with gift cards
- Report phishing attempts to the retailer, and forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM)
Scam alert: if a deal, refund notice, or account warning about your home-improvement store arrives out of the blue, treat it as guilty until proven innocent.
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