Inside Tiktok’s shocking ‘racking’ community where vile shoplifters brag about stolen goods and share stealing tips

IT’S one thing to steal from a shop – and it’s a whole other thing to brag about it online to millions as if it was just a normal day out. But that is exactly what people on the popular social media app TikTok are doing in a bid to boost followers. “Racking” is a trend that sees people brag about shoplifting Credit: supplied People steal from shops before showing off what they have newly acquired Credit: Getty Shocking videos see thieves showing off items they have nabbed, while getting thousands of likes from other users. Together, they are part of what is called the “racking” community – a slang term for shoplifting. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The shameless users, who operate under cryptic handles, post hauls of what they have taken in the hope of attracting followers. Posts on the app show items such as clothing, makeup, skincare and accessories laid out, while vile thieves brag about the value of their ‘haul.’ While the social media trend for hauls typically show off what someone has purchased during a shopping spree, in these cases, using hashtags such as #racking, the users make no effort to hide the fact that they stole their new possessions. Other posts in the community refer to shoplifting as “borrowing”, euphemistic language used to avoid outright admitting to having acquired the items illegally. Others still, aware that their activity may draw unwanted attention, cryptically replace letters in the word “racking” with emojis that look similar to the letters replaced, thus avoiding the detection of moderators and software. In addition to bragging about their crimes, these TikTok thieves swap tips and share methods on how to get away with shoplifting. Most read in The Sun Followers of the account will often beg for tips in the comments with thieves offering just that through private messages and “racking tutorials” has become a suggested search term on the site. When we flagged these accounts to TikTok the posts were taken down and accounts banned for violating its community guidelines, which bans the promotion of crime. Many of the people in this “community” – which spans across the world – are still living at home, and share tips on how to avoid being caught stealing by their parents. Last year there were more than 5.5 million detected incidents of shop theft, according to the British Retail Consortium, costing retailers nearly £400 million. The posts are often written and styled in a “cutesy” way Credit: supplied Others brag about how they manage to avoid detection Credit: supplied Lucy Whing, Policy Advisor at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Theft is nothing to brag about: it costs retailers hundreds of millions of pounds every year, raising the price of goods for honest shoppers. “It is vital that the police clamp down on shop theft and take action against those who promote or encourage it online. “Retailers have spent £5bn over the last five years to tackle retail crime, money that would be better spent lowering prices or improving customer experience.” The true scale of shoplifting is obvious across these TikTok posts. In one made by a user operating under the handle “rack1ing”, each slide shows off a “borrowing haul”, dedicated to a different shop that has been targeted – including TKMaxx, from which the person has apparently shoplifted a number of makeup and beauty products. In another, by a different user going by the name of “hauls”, they advertise their “racking haul” in a sparkly font. In the caption under one of the most popular videos, which has more than 2,700 likes, the shoplifter also asks their followers: “Should we make a tips video?” Another, going by the name of “rackerz”, posted a video showing clothes laid out on a bed, garnering more than 2,300 likes. Here, they brag about the total value of the items they have stolen – in this case, more than $3,300 (£2,434). The gloating continues in the caption too, which reads: “Wish you were as good as us”. TikTok is currently reviewing whether or not the posts shown to them by The Sun are a violation of its guidelines. It isn’t the first time that an online service used by millions has found itself exploited by criminals. Vinted is an online marketplace on which people can buy and sell second-hand items, and has at least 16 million UK users. However, The Sun revealed last year that the site was also awash with suspected stolen items, taken by gangs, and sold on in order to convert the thefts into cash. Some people who take part in “racking” may still be living with their parents Credit: supplied Allegedly stolen items are also sold on sites such as Vinted Credit: Supplied The investigation found hundreds of suspiciously cheap cosmetics and toiletry items. Consumer champion Mark Newman told The Sun at the time that the “steal-to-sell-on” market had exploded in recent years, with gangs nicking goods that then appear on the likes of Vinted, Depop, and Facebook Marketplace. Vinted told The Sun that the selling of stolen items is “strictly prohibited” and that it is “committed to fighting the issue”. In an effort to tackle shoplifting more generally too, new tactics to beat criminals are being rolled out around the country. In Croydon, it was revealed yesterday that prolific shoplifters could be electronically tagged and banned from parts of a London borough. The first-of-its-kind proposal from the council is aimed to deter repeat offending. “Shoplifting is not a victimless crime,” Executive Mayor Jason Perry said. “It threatens people’s livelihoods, drives up prices for honest customers and leaves shopworkers facing intimidation and abuse simply for doing their jobs.” Comment now