How to Remove a Security Tag from Clothing

Security tags are a kind of anti-theft devices installed in clothing and other materials. These tags work by setting an alarm on if taken out of the store without removing them. The magnetic chips at the gate of the shopping mart sense this device and make loud sound if the device comes in the magnetic field. Even if somehow the product comes out of the store, it is really difficult to get the device off the product as it may spill ink which is filled inside if it is tried to remove forcefully. We are not asking here to shoplift something, we know it is illegal but there are few instances when the shopkeepers carelessly leave the device on.

So here are few methods to remove the security tags without spilling ink on your clothes-

• Using rubber bands-

Place the ink-cartridge of the device upside down. The ink cartridge is the bigger side of the device which looks somewhat like a cone. Putting the ink cartridge upside down means putting the wider part down and the narrower part upwards. Pull the device away from the rest of the clothing so that minimum damage happens if the ink spills. Now slightly slip a rubber band around the pin, hold the larger part of the pin in one hand and pull off the pin which is in the opposite side of the clothing from the other hand. The work of the rubber band is to loosen the grip of the pin, and if one rubber band isn?t loosening it enough then multiple rubber bands can be used.

• Using a screwdriver-

Press the wider part of the conical structure so that you can see a gap somewhere in between. Use a very tiny and flathead screwdriver and try to scrape the plastic lining through the perimeter of the uplifted pyramid-shape structure. Continue to pop up the structure and when it comes off you can see a metal plate. Use the screwdriver to remove the metal plate while lifting the pin from the inside and pull off the pin.

• By hitting the tag-

Pull the device at least 5-10 times from the clothing to loosen it a bit. Take a nail bigger than the tag and strike down on ink cartridge to pop it open. Hit it without applying too much of force or the device the burst. This is a delicate job, it may require some 20 times of striking.

• Using Pliers-

Hand one of the rectangular side of the tag and grip it using the plier, and other side using another plier. Gently bend each side of the tag down, kind of like see-saw. But don?t bend too hard or the device will burst. Keep bending the device till it pops open.

• Burning the tag-

This may be one of the hardest method to remove the tag. Pull out the device and burn the conical or dome like structure and it is most likely to catch fire because it is made of plastic. As soon as it catches fire, use something sharp, like a knife, to chop the conical thing. As you keep on chopping and scraping off, the device is most likely to pop out.

These are some of the ways by which the security tag can be successfully removed. There is one hack that can be useful in all these methods. The product can be put in freezer for sometime which will freeze the ink inside and will have lesser risks of spilling off. And again, a short reminder, we don?t in any way encourage shoplifting. These hacks are supposed to be used when due to some misunderstanding or carelessness, an already bought product has the security device on.