PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A 76-year-old woman was arrested after police said she used counterfeit barcode stickers to pay deeply reduced prices for merchandise at a Target store in Port St. Lucie.

Officers responded Tuesday to the Target in Tradition after store loss-prevention employees detained Joan McKeon, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

Investigators said McKeon entered the store carrying barcode stickers for lower-priced products. She allegedly placed or scanned those barcodes at self-checkout instead of using the barcodes attached to the merchandise she selected.

During the most recent incident, police said an item priced at $32.99 was scanned as a $1.29 purchase.

Officers searching McKeon’s purse found 28 barcode stickers, some bearing the names of other retailers, including TJ Maxx, Publix and Burlington, police said. Investigators planned to contact those businesses as part of the continuing investigation.

“Listen, times clearly are hard for people in America. Healthcare is high, food is high so people are doing anything that they can to make ends meet,” said Noesha Jennings, a shopper from Port St. Lucie.

“Me personally I think it’s pretty clever but we are a growing city and we can’t be having those things going on around here, man,” said Stephon Jennings, a shopper from Port St. Lucie.

See also: No Powerball jackpot winner; prize climbs to estimated $856 Million

Target loss-prevention employees told officers the incident was not isolated. Police said investigators documented 12 alleged thefts at the same store dating to September 2025 that used a similar barcode-switching method.

McKeon was arrested on charges related to an ongoing scheme to defraud and taken to the St. Lucie County Jail.