Scammers find way to target Redbox rental units

ORLANDO, Fla. — Redbox has rented more than 3 billion DVDs, BluRays and video games since its kiosks were introduced in 2002. But scammers have recently found a way to cash in on the rentals, leaving honest paying customers empty handed.

Channel 9's Roy Ramos took the concerns of those customers straight to Redbox.

The bright red kiosks sit on storefronts, and there's always someone either returning or renting a movie or game. They're hard to pass up, especially when Redbox charges just over $1 to rent.

Each Redbox disk has a bar code sticker that tracks credit card information, time of rental and what you are renting, but scammers are stealing the disk, copying the bar code, placing it back in the box and returning it, leaving the next renter paying for an empty box.

Mark Gau of Redbox said while the scam is clever, it takes advantage of paying customers.

"People are putting fake CDs or paper over the actual CD and then when you go to rent it, you are not getting what you need."

"People are always looking for ways to cheat the system and this just seems like one more way that they are trying to go about doing that," said customer Dawn Oetjen. "I am shocked. We haven't experienced that yet."

Redbox is doing its best to satisfy scammed customers. It released the following statement to Channel 9: "If a customer receives a blank case, they are not responsible for the missing disc. They simply need to call Redbox and replace the empty case in the kiosk to allow us to investigate further."

Redbox said they have yet to find a permanent solution to the problem because it is difficult to track down the exact renter who stole the disc.

WFTV