Thieves target Lego sets nationwide, local Fox Crossing store hit
Police say the man in security photos might have information about the theft
FOX CROSSING, Wis. (WBAY) - A Fox Crossing store is the latest victim of thieves across the country targeting Lego products.
This is not the first time a Lego product has walked out the door of bricks and minifigs without being paid for. The owner says this particular item wasn’t expensive, but the theft highlights a problem that’s becoming way too common.
Since opening his store in April, Joe Schmidt says he never expected theft to be a concern, but that changed last week after this man was caught on camera swiping a Lego product while shopping with his entire family.
“Really, we want to talk to him and ask him why he did that and if it is him, but we have good evidence he stole it, a product of ours, and so this is not our first but we’ve had a few, and we didn’t catch them all but we know we are missing product,” said Schmidt.
The store, Bricks and Minifigs Fox Valley, isn’t alone. In Las Vegas, a man was arrested in September for stealing more than seven thousand dollars’ worth of Legos from two Target stores on 13 different occasions. A quick Google search will show similar cases all across the country.
At HobbyTown in Oshkosh, Bob Mazza explains the value behind Legos right now.
“It is one of the most popular toys on the market. If somebody is stealing them, they’re probably stealing them to resell, not collect them because it’s like anything hot that would be easy to get rid of. Anybody would buy them from you,” said Mazza.
As a result, some places, like Bricks and Minifigs, are requiring customers attempting to sell their Lego products to sign off on paperwork.
“You sign this form stating that it’s yours. We take your name, phone, and address and then driver’s license. It’s just a way of tracking if authorities ever have to track a larger string of Lego that’s been stolen and it’s mostly for new inbox but we do it for every type of product that we trade or buy from here,” said Schmidt.
The Fox Crossing Police Department investigating a retail theft asked for help. It posted security photos on Facebook, saying the man “may have some information on the matter” in a Facebook post Monday.
The man was later identified.
Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved.
