Many large retailers in the U.S. have long been engaged in the practice of quietly tracking and targeting return behavior. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. retailers use third-party loss-prevention services to track risky return behavior. This doesn't outright mean fraudulent activity, but rather behavior that "mimics" or could be linked to such behavior. The most notable third-party loss-prevention service is The Retail Equation, a software provider that tracks return behavior that retailers deem potentially fraudulent. According to several now-dismissed lawsuits and Better Business Bureau complaints, customers reported they were following a store's return policy and were still issued a warning.

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Persons: Robert Overstreet Organizations: Walmart, Staples, National Retail Federation, Iowa, Wall Street Journal, Better Locations: U.S, T.J.Maxx