Is it true that if you scan a barcode with a magnet it disables itself?

Question

well, i'm a new worker at BestBuy, and i was told by one of my co-workers that a way people steal is by scanning the barcodes on games with magnets and they can walk out, but I'm not sure if its true or not, so does it work, and what should i do if i see someone with a magnet in the store?

Answer 1

Not true.  A bar code is just ink on a medium such as paper.  A magnet won't affect it.  A magnet may affect the anti-theft device inside the package.  If you send me an e-mail I'll tell you the most common way of defeating the anti-theft devices.  I don't want to broadcast it over the internet.

Answer 2

Not a barcode, but the metal strip inside the case that sets off the alarms. The barcode has nothing to do with it

Answer 3

It's not a barcode, and no, it can't be disabled using a normal magnet. But you might think it's a bar-code.

You're talking about an EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) device. These are small electronic tags that can be embedded in product packaging, or even in a pricetag that looks just like any other paper price tag/barcode. You probably know that, at the checkout register, there's an area you place small objects for EAS deactivation. The reader at the store exit can only see those that are still active.

A basic EAS device doesn't tell much about the thing it's tagging, and it's basically destroyed in the process of de-activation. The next generation of this uses a small electronic transponder called an RFID chip... this doesn't simply reply with an "I'm here" response, but it can deliver a whole product code and more. Some classes of these objects can be told to just be quiet, and they will no longer respond to broadcast requests. RFIDs are already used for stocking... Wal-Mart demands them on every crate, but not necessarily every retail box.