A booster bag is a bag, box, or similar item used in relation to various kinds of theft, most frequently used in the shoplifting of higher retail value items. Some versions of the bag are lined with aluminum foil or other types of material in order to keep the store's theft sensors from detecting that an item is being taken from the store. The bag used in relation to shoplifting is often made out of one of the shopping bags from the store the shoplifter is stealing from. Other versions of the bag can have the bottom removed, with the thief using this to place the bag over someone else's item. A mechanism within the bag will grab hold of the item, allowing the user to walk off with the other person's possessions.
Early versions of booster bags have been reported to have been in use as of 1877, with thieves of the time period hiding bags within their clothing to hide goods in.
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