A Target shopper says an attempt to help a stranger buy baby formula ended with an $800 checkout that left her fearing she had been caught up in a scam. In a video posted to TikTok, creator Ariana Tomlinson recounted how she and her boyfriend were approached by a woman asking if they could buy baby formula. At first, the alleged request did not seem unusual, she explained. Since neither of them has children, they assumed a few cans of formula would be expensive but still manageable. That expectation changed as they continued through the store. She alleged the woman continued adding baby products to the cart while explaining why she needed help. According to the creator, the woman claimed, “She has 3 kids, she’s a single mom,” and said she “has to send her kids back to Bulgaria.” An act of kindness gets expensive The situation became harder to ignore once they reached self-checkout. She recalled the total climbing far beyond what she expected as the woman repeatedly offered to repay her on payday and asked to exchange phone numbers. To make sure she could contact her later, Tomlinson called the number on the spot. “Her phone did not light up. Her phone did not ring. There wasn’t a sound, that wasn’t a vibration, nothing.” She now considers that exchange one of the first warning signs. By then, however, the purchase was already underway. When the register displayed the final amount, she realized just how much had accumulated. “I look over, it’s $800. $800 worth of baby stuff,” she recalled, adding, “My birthday is coming up. I cannot afford this.” @arianatomlinson2323 apparently this scam is very popular i cant believe i fell for it ♬ original sound – arianatomlinson23 Even with growing doubts, the couple chose not to back out after agreeing to help. “But we didn’t want to seem like assholes and say, never mind, put it all back, so we paid for it,” she explained. The concern set in almost immediately after the payment was complete. As she picked up the receipt, she believed the woman intended to return the merchandise instead of taking it home. “As I’m taking the receipt out of the machine, I’m like, this is a scam. Is a scam. She’s gonna return it all and get the money.” By that point, her boyfriend had already handed over the receipt. Worried it could be used to process a return, Tomlinson said he managed to get it back, although the woman had already taken a photo. She then approached Target’s guest services desk to explain what had happened while, according to her, the woman remained nearby watching them. The video ends before revealing how the situation was ultimately resolved, with Tomlinson directing viewers to a second part of the story, which she has not posted on her account yet. Tomlinson’s experience is one of several recent Target-related shopping stories to gain traction online. While her concerns centered on a purchase she says she voluntarily completed before suspecting something was wrong, another Target shopper claimed an expensive purchase turned into a customer service dispute after an order allegedly arrived in an empty box. Viewers were divided over whether Tomlinson had encountered a scam or simply agreed to a purchase she later regretted. One commenter, who identified themselves as a former Target employee, wrote, “As a former target employee I can confirm this is a common scam and has been happening for years.” Another user wrote, “Btw target always allows returns even without a receipt,” suggesting that keeping the receipt alone may not have prevented a return. Not everyone agreed with Tomlinson’s interpretation. One commenter wrote, “This isn’t even a scam someone asked you for money and you said yes. You can’t dispute that at a bank.” While Tomlinson’s account has not been independently verified, similar questions surrounding receipts and completed purchases have emerged in other retail stories, though under very different circumstances. Her experience also raised questions about where shoppers should draw the line when strangers ask for help paying for expensive items, with commenters split over whether she had encountered a scam or simply agreed to an unexpectedly costly purchase.