Shake It and It Sounds Like Pasta... Over 70 Returns of Expensive Lego Sets Filled With Pasta

U.S. Retailers on Alert Over Growing Return Scams
High-Value Products Like Star Wars Lego Sets Are Main Targets

A bizarre theft case has been uncovered in the United States, where a person purchased a Lego set, opened the box to remove mini-figures and several key components, then filled the box with dried pasta before returning it for a refund.

On April 19, Yonhap News TV, citing NBC and other sources, reported on a recent Lego return scam that occurred in the U.S.

Augustine is known to have put dried pasta inside a LEGO box to mimic the weight and sound, then repackaged the outer packaging and returned it. NBC

Jarrell Augustin, a 28-year-old man residing in California, was arrested on charges of purchasing Lego sets from a Target store, opening the boxes to steal the internal mini-figure models and certain parts, replacing them with dried pasta, and then obtaining refunds. The investigation found that Augustin had used the same method at least 70 times. The total loss is estimated to be about $34,000 (approximately 50 million won).

Among the stolen products were high-value and highly sought-after Lego sets, including the Star Wars series. The police are treating this as a serious case, as the target was not just toys, but expensive collectibles that are easy to resell. It is reported that Augustin placed dry pasta inside the Lego boxes to mimic their weight and sound, then repackaged the outer packaging before returning them. He exploited the store's inspection loophole, where only the external appearance of the box is checked during returns.

The police tracked the suspect’s movements based on repeated reports of suspicious returns and identified him after a period of surveillance. They apprehended Augustin at the scene as he was attempting another theft. He is currently being held at the Orange County Jail on charges of grand larceny. The police stated, "A plan to replace Lego with pasta is doomed to fail," and issued a warning against similar crimes.

While this incident may seem absurd, experts point out that it is a typical refund scam that exploits retailers’ return systems and should not be taken lightly. Recently, the U.S. retail industry has seen a spike in scams involving the return of empty boxes or boxes with replaced contents, highlighting the need for stricter inspections. Crimes targeting Lego sets are also not new; in recent years, cases of stealing and reselling expensive Lego products have been uncovered in the U.S., Australia, and elsewhere. Products with high collectible value, such as Star Wars and limited edition series, are especially easy to sell for cash in the secondhand market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.