YouTuber charged with running $250K ‘Operation Eau de Fraud’ fragrance scheme, including returning clay-filled bottles to Nordstrom for full refunds

Carter runs a YouTube channel where he reviews expensive perfumes. In one video posted one year ago, Carter touts his more than 1,000 fragrances and breaks down what his favorites are so far. The problem is, it appears his collection, including fragrances he gifted viewers, was stolen.

Nordstrom duped out of thousands of dollars

Nordstrom caught on to a trend where Carter would order expensive fragrances and request a refund after they shipped. Carter first placed an online Nordstrom order for 39 fragrances at a total cost of $11,915, per CBS Chicago. After the items arrived, he informed the retailer that the fragrances were supposed to be gifts, but recipients didn’t want them.

A police report cited by the CBS affiliate said that Carter claimed the packages were, “in perfect condition and haven’t been opened.” But when he returned the perfumes, Nordstrom realized the bottles were tampered with. Some bottles were missing or filled with molding clay.

Carter allegedly repeated his swindle at least two more times with Nordstrom. In March, authorities say he ordered eight fragrances for $2,145. And later, another four fragrances were ordered for $3,085.

In July, police showed up to Carter’s home with a warrant, and they discovered 714 bottles of perfume, worth $250,000. Many of the boxes were previously opened and resealed using a hot glue gun and ready to be shipped.

Carter is accused of defrauding Nordstrom of just under $15,000. However, authorities believe more retailers were duped, as well, and are working to figure out exactly how many.

Retail return fraud is rampant

The Chicago case provides a snapshot of what the retail industry regularly faces. Retailers are increasingly navigating return fraud, in the form of empty packages, swapped out items and claimed failed deliveries.