$1.7M Water Heater Return Scam Exposed in St. Louis
Four men from St. Louis have been accused of orchestrating a large-scale water heater return scam, netting over $1.7 million in Home Depot gift cards.
The alleged scheme began with used water heaters obtained in California and transported to various states via rental truck, where they were returned to multiple Home Depot stores across the region.
According to court records, the men altered the serial numbers and manufacture dates on these appliances to make them appear eligible for return. They then received gift cards worth more than $1,700,000 from the returns at St. Louis-area stores.
In one notable instance, a traffic stop in Arnold on May 14 uncovered 23 water heaters and multiple fake California identification cards inside a rental truck driven by two of the men, who had just returned two water heaters at a Home Depot store on Vogel Road and received $1,521.24 in gift cards.
Federal prosecutors are pursuing conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges against all four men involved in the alleged scam.