Man defrauds Walmart stores out of $1.3 million by buying laptops and removing parts before returning them for refund

A man took advantage of the easy return policy at Walmart and defrauded the company out of $1.3 million.

The man is accused of making fraudulent returns at more than 1,000 Walmart stores over a period of several months.

23-year-old Thomas Frudaker from Arizona was arrested in Yuma after shop employees reported a suspicious transaction to the police.

Frudaker went to the store to return a laptop from which he had removed certain parts, according to Yuma Police Department spokesman Edith Ruiz.

Investigators suspect he has carried out the same scam at hundreds of stores in the past 18 months, costing Walmart an estimated $1.3 million.

Frudaker was charged with six felonies, including theft, fraudulent schemes, and criminal damage.

He is being held at the Yuma County Detention Center on $40,000 bond.