Louisiana Woman Warns of Fake Secret Shoppers at Lafayette Walmart

LAFAYETTE, LA (KPEL)— A Lafayette woman is sharing a serious warning after a frightening encounter at the Walmart on Ambassador Caffery Parkway.

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Meagan Guidry says her mom was shopping around 4 pm on Monday when she was approached by two men saying they were "secret shoppers" and began accusing her of shoplifting.

What is a Secret Shopper?

Secret shoppers or mystery shoppers are often hired by businesses or third-party companies to evaluate customer service or store operations, but they will never approach customers, accuse them of theft, or ask them to leave the store.

Men Allegedly posing as 'Secret Shoppers' Pretend to Call the Police

That's when they insisted she needed to go with them to the back of the store. Meagan's mom knew something wasn't right immediately and told them to call the police since they thought she was stealing from the store.

One of the men pretended to call the police, even going so far as to describe what she was wearing; however, she noticed that he wasn't on the phone with anyone, despite having the phone pressed up to his ear.

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She walked to the front of the store and notified the manager of their suspicious behavior. When they confronted them, the two men pretended they had no idea what they were talking about.

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"I see posts like this ALL the time and my first thoughts are always, “did that really happen?!” or “that’ll never happen to me!”

After pretending they had never seen Meagan's mother before, they proceeded to ask the employee if they sold picklock kits.

As an extra precaution, her mom asked to be escorted to her car just in case the men were waiting for her in the parking lot.

No one is an exception in today’s world, and things like this happen every day.

Meagan says that the Walmart security did exactly what they needed to do to ensure her mother's safety and is thankful for their handling the situation the way they did.

Was Lafayette Law Enforcement Notified?

They are unsure if local police were notified; however, her mom is safe and will be carrying a taser from now on.

"My first and only intent was to bring awareness and understanding that things like this really do happen in the heart of Lafayette."

Always be aware of your surroundings and never be hesitate to notify someone if a situation feels off.