Teens share shock ‘how-to’ shoplifting guides on social media

Aussie teens are taking to TikTok to share detailed how-to guides for stealing from major retailers. Described as “racking hauls”, the youths are stealing everything from clothing to groceries.

Aussie teens are taking to TikTok to share detailed how-to guides for stealing from major retailers across the country.

Described as “racking hauls,” the allegedly stolen products featured in the videos and photographs range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars in value taken from the likes of Kmart, Big W, Coles and Woolworths.

The term ‘racking’ comes from the act of taking items off the rack and taking them home.

One post seen by The Courier-Mail encouraged people to choose Woolworths or Coles as “easy targets.”

Aussie teens are giving out "racking" tips online.

Aussie teens are taking to TikTok to share detailed how-to guides for stealing from major retailers across the country.

The guide instructed people to take a specific type of bag and told them how to place it to avoid detection. It also included details on how to successfully hide products.

Another user warned putting allegedly stolen goods in a handbag was an easy way to get caught and told people to enter the store with friends to avoid drawing attention.

Other tips posted to the app included what type of clothing to wear and how to act in the event they got caught.

“If you’re in a shop, and they make an announcement over the intercom saying something about ‘check the cameras’ quickly and calmly leave the store. They may have seen you take something,” one user wrote.

“If security is following you, just calmly and slowly walk away and try to lose them (go to the toilet).

“If your security tag does go off, just keep walking calmly. Don’t run and be obvious.”

Another user warned people not to attempt to shoplift in Myer as the policies “differ” from the other big retailers.

“ … Myer is so high end branded they do whatever they can to keep track of their stock, so just be extra careful,” they wrote.

The trend is exploding on TikTok.

Teens are sharing tips for stealing on social media.

Guides on how to steal from beauty retailers Sephora and Mecca have also been posted with detailed instructions on how to remove security tags.

To avoid detection from the algorithm, many call their heists as a “borrowing” haul.

Other TikTok users describe their alleged activities as “role playing” and often share login information with other people so that all the videos aren’t coming from just one source.

“This is fake (for legal reasons). Used to be four owners, only two now,” one user wrote on their biography.

“All fake, TikTok don’t ban us,” another user wrote.

A spokeswoman for TikTok said content promoting alleged shoplifting was in breach of the TikTok guidelines.

“A proactive sweep of the platform has resulted in the removal of additional accounts and videos, and we have banned certain hashtags related to this activity,” she said.

The value of each haul ranges significantly but posts seen by The Courier-Mail bragged about “hauls” worth up to $700.

A Coles spokesman confirmed the supermarket chain was actively working with police to investigate people who are allegedly boasting about shoplifting on social media.

There are social media pages dedicated to theft tips.

Aussie teens are taking to TikTok to share detailed how-to guides for stealing from major retailers across the country., Described as “racking hauls,” the allegedly stolen products featured in the videos and photographs range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars in value taken from the likes of Kmart, Big W, Coles and Woolworths. The term ‘racking’ comes from the act of taking items off the rack and taking them home.

“We are deeply concerned by the recent trend on social media, encouraging illegal activity. We take the safety and security of our team members and customers very seriously, and we are actively working with police on this issue,” he said.

“While most of our customers do the right thing, unfortunately a small number don’t. Our primary focus remains on providing a safe and enjoyable shopping experience for our customers, and we have a range of security measures already in place to deter theft – including CCTV, electronic article surveillance (EAS) and security guards. Further, we are constantly evaluating the measures we have in place to ensure we have the right mix of security mitigation in place.

“We also work closely with police on these issues, and sometimes this includes activity targeted at repeat offenders.”

A spokesman for Woolworths said the retailer had extensive security measures in place to deter shoplifting.

“We have a number of initiatives that we use, both covert and overt, to help reduce retail crime. These initiatives include the use of camera technology at the check-outs, double welcome gates, CCTV and a trial of gates at the exit to our self-serve checkout area. The majority of our customers do the right thing, and we thank them for doing so,” he said.

In a search conducted by The Courier-Mail on Friday afternoon, many videos alluding to “racking” remain available, however the hashtag has been deactivated.

Originally published as Teens share shock ‘how-to’ shoplifting guides on social media