Two arrested after Calgary Costco stores defrauded of over $30K in electronics

Two Calgary suspects face 189 charges after Costco stores were defrauded of more than $30,000 via fraudulent UPC codes between April and June 2026.

Calgary Costco fraud: altered barcodes used to steal $30K in electronics

Two people are facing a combined 189 charges after several Costco locations in Calgary were defrauded of more than $30,000 over approximately three months, Global News Crime reports.

According to Calgary police, the scheme ran from April 9 to June 30, 2026. A woman allegedly used fraudulent or altered UPC codes — codes normally assigned to lower-cost items — to obtain high-value electronics, including desktop computers, televisions, gaming consoles and sound equipment from multiple Costco stores in Calgary and surrounding areas.

Police were first called on April 24 following reports of suspicious purchases at several locations. Investigators subsequently determined that an unknown man had also participated in the fraudulent transactions alongside the woman.

On August 1, officers executed a search warrant at a property in the 0 to 100 block of Cornerbrook Manor Northeast. Two people were arrested at the scene. Among the items seized were 302.4 grams of suspected methamphetamine and credit card manufacturing equipment.

Each suspect faces 12 counts of possession of identity documents, 31 counts of possession of stolen credit cards, nine counts of possession of property obtained by crime, two counts of possession for the purposes of trafficking, one count of possession of instruments for copying credit card data or forging and falsifying credit cards, and one count of possession of stolen property.

Source: Global News Crime