JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The same register at a Walmart store on Jacksonville's Westside handed out counterfeit money to shoppers requesting cash back after paying with a debit card, according to customers.
Shoppers told News4Jax that not only did they receive counterfeit cash, but a store manager had them escorted out of the Walmart on 103rd Street when they came back with receipts in hand, attempting to get their money back.
Derrick McConnell on Tuesday recalled taking out a $100 bill at a local restaurant.
"I was kidding with the lady and was like, ‘Wow, this new bill looks fresh. It almost feels fake,’” McConnell said. “Then she scanned it and said, ‘Yes, it is fake."
The same day, Taijahn Robinson was at a Foot Locker, trying to purchase items with cash.
"They marked the money and it was fake,” she said. “So I could have went to jail for that. That's counterfeit money and they don't know I got it from somewhere else. All they know is that I had it in my possession."
McConnell and Robinson told police they received the counterfeit cash from the same register at the Westside Walmart.
McConnell’s mother, Tometta Latella, said she gave her son her debit card to purchase items and get $100 back in cash. When she and her son discovered the cash was counterfeit, she called her bank.
"My bank was like, ‘Why don't they give you your money back? They should give you your money back," Latella said.
Robinson was also told Walmart should give her back the money that was withdrawn from her account, but when both women arrived at the store with receipts, it didn’t go well.
"I was upset because I was escorted out by a police officer,” Latella said. “She was really nice, but I was like, I did nothing wrong."
Robinson added, "We were escorted out of the Walmart with an officer as if we did something wrong. Was there any explanation as to why? No. The manager didn't talk to us. She let the officer know that we had to make a police report and then we had to call 1-800-WALMART, which is only a complaint line."
Both women filed criminal complaints with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and have yet to get their money back.
“I don't think I'll ever get cash back out of Walmart, ever,” Robinson said. “I don't understand why they don't have money markers there. They should."
News4Jax spoke with a store manager who said he knew nothing about the situation. When we showed him a police report and asked to speak to the manager who was working the day this incident happened, we were told she wasn’t there.
It's unclear how long it will take for the women to get their money back. It could be a matter of days or weeks. This type of investigation likely will be handed over to federal authorities because it involves counterfeit cash.