Thieves in New York are stealing thousands of cartons of ice cream from chain stores to resell to neighborhood mom-and-pop stores, according to the New York Times.
Stolen ice cream: How to avoid buying it
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It has gotten so bad that the owner of one grocery store offered a $5,000 reward after dozens of pints of ice cream were emptied from his freezers in August. Two people were later arrested.
The suspects in this theft ring generally go after Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s products, which sell for about $6 a pint.
After stealing the ice cream, usually late at night, police told WCBS that the criminals move quickly to resell it to small local stores, sometimes for as low as 10 cents on the dollar.
In response, chain stores are installing cameras and alarm systems by the freezers where the ice cream is kept.
How do you know if your ice cream was stolen? WCBS reports that freezer burn should be a warning sign. Also, inspect the container. Chain stores have started marking containers to help police track stolen goods.
Of course, to be on the safe side, buy your ice cream from a retailer that you know you can trust.
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