‘Happened to me with a Keurig’: Man buys AirPods from Target. Then they tell him something shocking when he tries to return them the next day

By Rachel Thomas May 15th, 2026, 4:00 pm

apple airpods (l) man shares target purchase issue (c) Target storefront (r)

A TikToker said that Target sold him AirPods that another customer had swapped for fakes. According to him, they almost didn’t take them back, even when he tried to return them.

Viewers Weigh In

Commenters who left their thoughts on the matter felt as though Target was scamming customers just by selling used products.

“So they r selling used AirPods as new,” one person said.

Another commenter said, “I dislike how they automatically assume you are the scammer and not a victim of a scam.”

Despite bringing in the purchase he made only a day or two prior, store employees asked Conner to jump through multiple hoops just to return the product. Commenters emphasized that the fault rests with Target for not properly vetting their returns before putting them back on shelves.

How Common Is AirPod Fraud?

In 2025, the National Retail Federation estimated that a total of nine percent of all returns were fraudulent. That equates to around $76.5 billion worth of products being deliberately returned either by overstating quantities of items, returning decoy products, switching prices, or other means. Customers returned 850 billion worth of products in 2025, and the NRF’s estimate on how many products were actually fraudulent was only the “tip” of the iceberg. That actual number might be higher, at least according to some consumer reports.

Stores can try to be aware of these trends, but it doesn’t mean that they’ll always catch fraudulent products hitting the shelves again. In reality, many stores do not vet incoming returns. Walmart, Costco, and Target have all fallen victim to selling completely fake products originally returned by customers. AirPod scams in particular have become increasingly more common.

Protecting Yourself From AirPod Fraud

When purchasing products in person, it can be worthwhile to immediately check them before fully leaving the store. One of the biggest “hacks” that fraudsters utilize is to replace things they want with rocks, bolts, or other miscellaneous items that have a similar weight. Doing a simple check to make sure the product looks and feels the way it should can save a hassle later on.

In Conner’s situation, the fraudster replaced the product with a near-identical dupe before returning it in its packaging. That made it so that even if Target employees actually looked at the return, it might still get processed. Another way to prevent getting stuck with fake products is to do a quick check to make sure the product has a serial number. If it does, check that it matches the receipt before leaving the store.

If the product already tries to connect to a device via Bluetooth, there’s a good chance it’s been used or opened before. A final glance to make sure that products like the Apple Pencil and AirPods have a charging percentage can be incredibly beneficial. Fake products tend to have noticeable differences when compared to genuine ones.