EAS Devices — Page 24

Why Does Grandma Steal?

July 24, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Japan and England have reported a marked increase in the incidents of elderly shoplifting in the last few years. The United States hasn’t shown as big of a statistical increase. However, experts believe the difference is due to reporting differences and the numbers will eventually show what they already know — elderly shoplifting is on the rise in the United States too.

There are 2 identified cohorts currently working their way through the aging cycle, the Greatest Generation (raised during the Depression and living through World War ll) and the Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). The people from both groups are dealing with some typical and some unique problems as they age.

Medical

In the past it was common for people to develop mental and physical complications during the aging process. It’s still common, but there’s a new twist. People are living longer and are much sicker than they’ve ever been. For many, an extended life doesn’t lead to quality of life, it only creates hardship.

Another problem is that aged people are vastly over medicated, which often induces cognitive impairment and creates new physical difficulties. Researchers at Harvard and the University of Toronto have studied the “prescribing cascade” and found that about 1 in 5 prescriptions written for the elderly were inappropriate.

Financial

People have always had to worry about how they were going to financially support their old age. But, for the first time ever, millions of people are struggling with the problem of outliving their money, possibly for years. Many have been or will be living inadequately on Social Security for a long time.

The Great Recession decimated many retirement accounts, hitting the boomers especially hard. A lot of the Greatest Generation didn’t know they needed a retirement strategy, because they didn’t expect to live this long. Scores of people, in both groups, don’t have enough to live on and not enough time, ability, energy or opportunity to fill the gap.

Social

Our fast paced, gadget focused, isolated, socially dysfunctional culture is a cliché. But, it’s also a real concern (especially for people who are used to a different, less lonesome time) because social interaction is one of the cornerstones of mental and physical health.

The aged are increasingly separated from their families as people have become more mobile over the years. Also, the longer they live the more isolated they become as friends, family peers and spouses start to die.

These challenges explain why there’s an increase of elderly shoplifting — depression, isolation, stress due to lack of resources (financial, medical, social), need for the product, loneliness, hostility, boredom, impairment of judgment and impulse control, lack of structure, low self-esteem caused by no meaningful work or interests, anger and feeling under appreciated. All possible characteristics of the average shoplifter, but for the elderly it’s the perfect storm.

Nicole Abbott is a writer and psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in the fields of mental health and addiction. She’s an educator, consultant, lecturer, trainer and facilitator, who’s conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, college classes and seminars.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices

Senior Citizen Shoplifting

July 16, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

There is truly no profile of a shoplifter. Men and women shoplift as equally, and juveniles made up 25% of the shoplifting around this country. The other 75% of shoplifters comprised the men and women and the senior citizens as well. Shoplifting is a crime, so why do senior citizens do it? There are many reason and many studies why people shoplift, and in the case of the senior citizens those reason are many.

To read more about this topic follow the links below for more information.

Local 4 Defenders: senior citizen serial shoplifter

The Defenders investigate the case of a repeat-offender senior citizen shoplifter, and why she might have a good reason for doing it.

We Help People Who Have
Nowhere Else To Turn

If you are dealing with a shoplifting issue or are seeking to understand why you shoplifted and are looking for confidential help and support to overcome the problem, you’ve come to the right place.

“For 45 years, I work hard, provided for my family and raised my children with good values. Then I retired. Suddenly, my life lacked purpose. The man I was just didn’t exist anymore. Why does filling my pockets with items from the food store fill the empty space? Its wrong and goes against everything I believe in but the pull to do it is so strong. If my wife were alive, she’d be so ashamed of me” Hank

Shoplifting becomes an increasingly difficult problem for Japanese officers

According to Japan’s National Police Agency, the number of shoplifting cases on record has been at a steady high for the past 10 years or so. In 2012 there were a total of 135,000 documented cases nation-wide. Granted, Japan’s crime rate is less than one-fourth that of the United States according to some sources, but it still ranks in as having the sixth highest crime rate in the world. For shoplifting in particular, the problem appears to lie less with the will of the law enforcement and more with the attitudes of society. Many individuals will become angry and defensive on behalf of the thieving criminals, as though having beat the shop’s security system makes it acceptable to have stolen something in the first place! This has caused quite a few problems for security officials.

One example of small-scale theft comes from a certain large-scale shopping center in Japan. People take carts containing rice or liquor out into the parking lot under the guise of having forgotten their wallets in the car.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Shoplifting Prevention

Information You Need to Know About Pre-employment Screening

July 6, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Many employers required drug testing for their employees before they are hired, but the pre-employment screening does not necessarily stop there. Background checks for possible hires are sometimes a necessity, specially if you are in the retail industry where the smallest profit margin can make a big difference. What do you need to know before hiring a new employee? Are there any issues that are unlawful for you to pry into?

Follow the links for more information about this topic

Are you an employer who’s hiring? The importance of pre-employment background checks

if you’re an employer who’s hiring, you can’t afford the risks associated with not doing Pre-Employment Background Checks, advises Bay Area Investigations & Protection Services in Burlington, Ontario.

The need for employers to conduct pre-employment background checks for job applicants is now more important than ever before. Background checks can be critical to the safety and welfare of your business, your employees, and even third-parties such as suppliers. Anyone who is unfit to join your firm can jeopardize any part of your company, including its reputation, financial status, or the safety of others.

Background checks provide a company with the means to discover any false information or discrepancies that might not have appeared in a job application or through the company’s employment screening process. Keep in mind: your company could be held liable for property damage, theft, or any harm that comes to another due to one of your hires!

How could pre-employment test be discriminatory?

Q. I am looking to hire new employees. Some applicants who did not qualify for the open positions are now threatening to sue, claiming that my pre-employment tests are discriminatory. What should I know about pre-employment tests?

A. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in all terms and conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender or national origin. Title VII allows for the use of professionally developed screening procedures and tests, as long as they are not intended or used to discriminate.

However, an employer may use a test that has an adverse impact on protected groups if it can show that the test is job-related and consistent with the employer’s business needs. To prove that a test is job-related, it must require test-takers to demonstrate the knowledge, skill or ability to successfully perform the duties of the job, or it must be tied to the tasks required of the position.

‘It’s legal, but …’ Most municipal employees can use marijuana as long as it doesn’t affect work

“It’s legal, but…”

That was the subject line for an email from the city of Tigard about recreational marijuana use by employees.

“The rules that apply to the work place have not changed,” wrote Dana Bennett, human resources director with the city. “As you already know, it is against policy to be at work under the influence of any controlled substance, whether alcohol, prescription medication or marijuana.”

Employees at metro-area municipalities received similar reminders this past week. Most appear to be on the same footing with their drug use policies: Employees can smoke on their own time, but they can’t come to work stoned.

“It’s no different than coming to work intoxicated from alcohol,” said Cornelius City Manager Rob Drake.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft tags, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Training, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices

DETECTING FAKES – COUNTERFEIT MONEY

July 2, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

If you hadn’t noticed, every couple of years, the US Treasury completely redesigns the American currency. Just compare a few Ben Franklins from today and just a few years ago. They are radically different. Just in the last decade, the US has added different colors, designs, watermarks and other highly sophisticated elements into its currency to help reduce the prevalence of counterfeit dollars.

Just today, I was called by one of my stores about some funny money. It seems as if one of our new cashiers had accepted 5 crisp, new and ultimately fake, $100 bills. To say I was a bit frustrated was an understatement. For all the technology out there, it all still comes down to a cashier simply paying attention. You may say to yourself that it’s impossible for a fake bill to pass through your store. Maybe you think this because you have that fancy counterfeit detector pen. Would you be surprised if I told you that some of the better fakes can pass that test with flying colors? Yep, it’s true. I’ve personally seen some exceptionally made $20’s that, when marked, appear to be legit. So if the markers don’t work, how can you stop the madness?

Training. Training. More training. Your cashier is you last line of defense. They are taking in money all day long, so it’s only common sense that they be able to detect a fake quickly. I have friends in the banking industry and there are people out there that can spot a fake blind folded (based solely on the feel of the paper). So what’s your first step? The US Secret Service has a website dedicated to the detection of counterfeit currency. (http://www.secretservice.gov/know_your_money.shtml and http://www.newmoney.gov/). I constantly reference these resources when I’m conducting new store training, or manager training in my stores. You can’t get any better training material out there and the best part is that it’s all free!

Just as any other fraud scheme, the fraudsters will compete with new technology to defeat the controls and new controls will be implemented to fight the fraudsters. Counterfeiting is no different and as technology improves, you can bet that our dollars will get smarter. By staying on top of the latest changes and trends though, you can do your part to save your business the embarrassment of accepting phony tender.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, loss prevention, Shoplifting Prevention

TIPS FOR PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENINGS

July 2, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Did you know that turnover and shrink play hand in hand? Stores that have less turnover, generally speaking, have lower shrink than their counterparts with higher turnover. So what can you do as managers and owners to reduce turnover? There are the standard answers you can easily find like “improve morale,” or “offer a generous salary and benefits package”. Reducing turnover starts with hiring the best candidate for the job. That starts with a solid hiring process.

I can’t begin to tell you just how many times I’ve cringed at the way I’ve seen managers’ interview candidates. They range from the “cookie-cutter” manager who simply asks the questions on the interview guide, to the manager who does all the talking. (Seriously, I’ve been in the office for several of these types. The manager literally will talk for 15 minutes and without so much as peep from the candidate, offer a job). Someone has to train the manager on proper hiring techniques, for starters. This protects you legally (there are some questions you can’t ask)! And it helps shield you from a bad apple (employees never steal from their employer, right)? Here’s a few suggestions of what your managers should be asking.

Can you tell me a little about your work ethic and how it separates you from other candidates?

If your candidate doesn’t know what work ethic is, then chances are, they are not the candidate for you. Take this time to listen to what they are saying. Anyone can show up to work on time and coast through the day. It’s hard to find someone with a strong work ethic these days. It’s not something that can be learned in school.

If hired, how would you sell yourself to the rest of the team?

How will your candidate establish credibility in your organization? Will then lead with an iron fist, or will they be a true leader and gain the respect of the rank and file?

What do you think is worse; a cashier who steals $20k to support her mother’s cancer treatment, or an electronics associate stealing computers to fuel a drug addiction?

Does your candidate possess a bit of empathy? While both scenarios illustrate internal theft, the first can be reasoned some (a little). It’s good to see what your candidate says about employee theft in a general sense here as well. The last thing you want is to hire someone that will steal from you.

How important is confidentiality?

This is a very important question, especially if you are hiring a supervisor, or a manager. Not only are we talking about keeping employee issues confidential, but also your company sales figures, market position and other proprietary information. A good candidate will understand just how important staying tight-lipped is to your business.

Can you tell me about your greatest failure?

This is my personal favorite. I close out every interview with this question. I need to see that my candidate is human. Nobody is perfect and everyone will make mistakes. Find out the biggest mistake your candidate made and then how they reacted to it and moved forward. You’ll be surprised at what you may hear with this one.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Alpha Spider Wrap, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminar

Credit Card Fraud and the Rollout of EMV

July 2, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Some major changes are taking shape this year to help combat the ever rising prevalence of identity theft and credit card fraud. With it comes some confusion for the small business owner. Credit card fraud (duplicated cards, cloned credit cards, data breaches…etc) losses mount in the hundreds of millions of dollars every year. The numbers are doubling every couple of years. Chances are, you’ve been the victim, you’ve known someone who’s been a victim, or someone (or a group of someones) have used fraudulent credit cards in your store before. The new EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) aims to derail these operations by installing a tiny computer chip on your credit card, instead of using a magnetic strip (which can be very easily duplicated). The “deadline” issued by the major credit card companies is October 15, 2015. That doesn’t mean everyone will be onboard though. You can bet that those large retailers will have the new software and POS systems in place, but where does that leave small businesses? What can you expect from this? And the big question is, how much is it going to cost you?

Basically, the United States is behind most other countries in the developed world with regards to credit card security. It’s time for us to play catch-up, but it could lead to some pretty substantive business expenses. Currently, cards issued in the US have a magnetic strip on the back of the card, which is swiped at the point of sale. That magnetic strip contains unchanging data. If a fraudster (think massive data breaches over the last few years), gets the information contained in the strip, credit cards can be duplicated, replicated and counterfeited, and thus the booming fraudulent credit card industry is born. It’s such a problem that law enforcement is overwhelmed. It’s impossible for them to investigate every time a card is used; they simply do not have the resources. Federal agencies focus on the counterfeiters themselves, but more often than not they are made overseas, far out of the reach of US prosecution. Enter EMV.

New cards, which have already begun hitting consumer pockets, will have a tiny computer chip embedded in the card. At first, they will also contain a magnetic strip (a backup until all businesses are 100% compliant). Unlike the strip, the computer chip will be inserted into the businesses POS via a card reader and a unique transaction code generated for each transaction, making cloned or counterfeit cards virtually impossible. It means a more secured card and less risk on the back of the issuer. In addition, the liability of loss will eventually shift from the issuer to the less EMV compliant party (the business). Basically, if a fraudster uses a fraudulent credit card in your store, you very well could be liable for those charges if you don’t have the proper technology installed.

This radical shift has both positive and negative impacts. First of all, it will reduce brick and mortar credit card fraud. On the opposite side, it will more than likely push the fraud to an e-com platform. Europe has seen this happen over the last few years. This will no doubt happen here as well. Criminals will always find a way. Second, small business owners like yourself will have to incur the cost of updating your payment processing systems. In some cases, it may be a few hundred dollars, but the costs can spiral into the thousands depending on your particular business and how your POS is currently set up. While I think this was a great step in the right direction to minimize fraud, I think the small business community will face some initial costs associate with the transition, as well as a tad bit of frustration.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, anti-theft tags, EAS Devices, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Perpetual Inventory, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, racial profiling, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting violence, surveillance

Is Your Store Doing Racial Profiling and Is That Lawful?

June 25, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

According to the Civilrights.org website “The U.S. Supreme Court has held that racial profiling violates the constitutional requirement that all persons be accorded equal protection of the law.¹⁹ Recently, many lawsuits that have captured the attention of the public involves lawsuits where not only the accused shoplifters , but employees of these retail stores have cited racial profiling against these giants. Follow more news about this topic by following the links below.

Fashion Chain Zara Profiles Black Shoppers As Potential Thieves, Workers Allege In Report

In early June, Spanish fast fashion chain Zara hit headlines when the longtime in-house lawyer for their American stores sued for $40 million in damages, alleging anti-Semitic, anti-gay discrimination.

Zara called their former counsel’s allegations “shocking,” adding that the company intends to “respond strongly and vigorously” in court.

A report released on Monday suggests the clothier may have deeper troubles, starting with a corporate culture steeped in racism.

Labor advocacy group Center for Popular Democracy surveyed Zara retail employees at six of the chain’s seven New York City stores this past spring following a handful of scandals involving insensitive designs by the fashion company, like a child’s shirt that resembled a Holocaust uniform.

CVS Lawsuit: Security Profiled Minorities for Anti-Shoplifting

CVS was hit with a federal lawsuit on Wednesday after four former store detectives at the drug chain charged their supervisors told them to profile minorities for anti-shoplifting enforcement.

The store detectives, who are also minorities, argued in their lawsuit that they endured racially insulting language and had clear instructions from their bosses to keep an eye on blacks and Hispanics because they were the ones most likely to steal, according to Newsday.

The detectives charged that when they pushed back against the profiling orders they were all fired, they claimed in their suit.

“CVS intentionally targets and racially profiles its Black and Hispanic shoppers based on the highly offensive, discriminatory and ill-founded institutional belief that these minority customers are criminals and thieves,” lawyers for former store detectives stated in their suit.

Natick judge to Macy’s: Stop collecting shoplifting fines

A Natick District Court judge told a lawyer from Macy’s he planned to issue an injunction banning the store from collecting fines from shoplifting suspects, but said he expects Macy’s to ignore the court order.

Judge Douglas Stoddart said Macy’s policy to collect a $500 fine from alleged shoplifters is “ethically wrong.”

“We’re heading into uncharted waters, legally, and I think it needs to be heard by a higher court,” Stoddart told the store’s lawyer, Daniel Field.

In March, Stoddart held a hearing to discuss Macy’s policy. Currently, if suspected shoplifters are caught they are brought into a security office, and told they can pay a $500 fine instead of being sued civilly for the money. However, payment of the $500 does not preclude their arrest. Several people have told Stoddart over the years they were told if they paid the money they wouldn’t be arrested, but still were.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha 3 Alarm, Alpha High Theft Solutions, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, Alpha Security, Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting systems, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, Shoplifting Prevention

Shoplifting Statistics And Apprehensions 2014

June 18, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

The losses big retailers like Wal-Mart faces every year are astronomical. The losses though are not absorbed by these big retailers, the losses are then passed to the consumer like you and me by paying higher prices in their store. Shoplifting is a crime that affects everyone. Some big businesses like Wal-Mart can deal with their losses. Shoplifting for small businesses can mean closing their doors for good. Is your store dealing with shoplifting or employee theft? Is it working? Read more about this topic by following the links below.

27th Annual Retail Theft Survey Reports over 1.2 Million Shoplifters and Dishonest Employees Are Apprehended by Just 25 Large U.S. Retailers in 2014

Wesley Chapel, Fla. — More than1.2 million shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2014 by just 25 large retailers who recovered over $225 million from these thieves, according to the 27th Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm Jack L. Hayes International. The participants were made up 25 large retail companies with 23,250 stores and over $700 billion in retail sales (2014).

“In 2014, the number of apprehensions and recovery dollars were up again for both shoplifters and dishonest employees. Shoplifting apprehensions rose 7.4%, while dishonest employee apprehensions rose 1.7%. The dollars recovered from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees also rose, 7.5% and 18.1% respectively,” said Mark R. Doyle, president of Jack L. Hayes International.

The increases, follow similar increases reported the previous three years.

Highlights from annual theft survey include:

• Apprehensions: 1,272,560 shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2014, up 7.1% from 2013.

• Recovery dollars: Over $225 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2014, up 10.4% from 2013.

• 1,192,194 shoplifters were apprehended in 2014, up 7.4% from 2013.

Here’s How Much Walmart Loses Every Year to Theft

Walmart is fighting back against “unknown shrinkage”

When you’re a company as big as Walmart, everything about you is huge, even your losses from shoplifting.

The retailing giant says that it loses about $3 billion every year from theft, or 1% of its $300 billion in revenue, Reuters reports.

Leading the effort to fight back against this so-called “shrinkage” is Greg Foran, head U.S. operations, who told reporters Thursday that cutting down on these loses was a key priority for the firm in coming months.

“One percent of $300 billion is quite a lot of money. If you can save 10 basis points of it – boy I’ll take it every day of the week and put it into lower prices for customers,” Foran said to Reuters.

6 Ways Small Businesses Can Effectively (and Cheaply) Prevent Shoplifting

Shoplifting remains a constant issue for American small businesses, leading to losses of over $10 billion each year. According to the Loss Prevention Research Council, 1 out of 11 customers is a habitual shoplifter (repeat offender!). Small businesses have slim profit margins, which means that “shrinkage” (reduced inventory to shoplifting and thefts) can really put immense pressure on their ability to stay afloat. Some of the fastest growing and most successful brands out there have recently employed innovative tactics to discourage shoplifting, largely harnessing the power of consumer psychology. Check out 6 of their most successful tactics, that any small business can easily, and cheaply, start using to discourage and prevent shoplifting!

1. Strategic Checkouts
Place your checkout registers near the front door to dramatically reduce the likelihood of a shoplifter. Most shoplifters prefer to enter the store and then make a quick exit, without passing by an employees. Having customers come in near your employees will also provide your staff with the opportunity to greet new customers, a big plus for customer service and yet another major deterrent of shoplifting. One of the most successful new techniques was introduced by Apple stores — make your registers mobile, on tablets or “phablets.” Have your employees roaming the store, and check-out people right where they encounter them. This tactic has already been adopted by many nationwide retailers as a quick and easy way to dramatically reduce their shrinkage.

Filed Under: Shoplifting Prevention Tagged With: Alpha 2 Alarm, Alpha Jewel Lok, Alpha Nano Gate, anti-theft tags, EAS Devices, employee background checks, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics

Take a Bite out of Shoplifting – Literally

May 29, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

Shoplifters are great. Well, not great for business, but great for laughs sometimes. Most of the times, shoplifting incidents are pretty serious business. You’re confronting someone who has just committed a crime. You don’t know their state of mind and you definitely don’t know what they are capable of. I’ve personally been pepper sprayed by a shoplifter as they tried to escape, along with seeing countless managers suffer the same fate. Often suspects immediately want to become physical and more simply will flee the store. Every now and then karma and a little luck is on your side.

I was training a new LP agent last summer in a very active market. It was day four of our training and she had already thrown a half dozen folks in jail. So far, no problems, this particular agent was an attractive young female who didn’t take lip from ANYONE! It was amazing how many shoplifters hit on her… but we’ll save those stories for another time. The clock was ticking away and it was just about time to call it a night when one of our frequent flyers entered the store. I had busted this guy on no less than three previous thefts and he was definitely a runner. I had my new agent begin observation while I contacted the police. At the very least, I was going to charge him with trespassing.

About 15 minutes goes by and like always, the shoplifter starts loading his pants up with electronics. About this time, the police were arriving, so I went outside to inform them of the situation and wait for the thief and my agent to exit the store. Well, she didn’t disappoint. Our thief exits, but completely ignores the agent and takes off running. The next thing I know he’s gone. He’s hiding around the vehicles in the parking lot, but we can’t seem to find him. The officer gets on his loudspeaker and announces that he’s going to let the K-9 unit loose if he doesn’t turn himself in. No answer.

Standing a full 3.5 feet tall and weighing in at about 120 pounds, K-9 Officer Scout is ready for action. This is a game for the pooch and I can tell he’s ready to play. Within seconds of jumping out of the patrol car, he and his handler are on the scent. Like a scene from a movie, out of nowhere, the shoplifter emerges. Only… he doesn’t surrender. In true idiot fashion, he starts sprinting across the parking lot. I don’t care how fast you think you are; you will never outrun a German shepherd whose sole purpose in life is to take you down. And take him down he did. When the handler finally reached the scene the shoplifter had a knife he was trying to stab the K-9 officer with. Not only did this shoplifter go to jail with some pretty serious bite wounds, he also got to feel what 100,000 volts of electricity from a Taser felt like.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Anti-shoplifting training, anti-theft devices, anti-theft tags, anti-thefts devices, EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, internal Audit, Loss Prevention Seminar, Loss Prevention Training, Prevent Shoplifting, prevent shrinkage, Retail Anti Theft Devices, shoplifting violence, surveillance

What Do You Really Know About Employment Background Checks?

April 29, 2015 by Staff Editor Leave a Comment

You probably know what employment background checks are… you might have even had them run on you in the past. But do you really know what an employment background check includes? And if you are responsible for or are assisting with your company’s hiring… do you know what you should be asking for when you ask for “background checks”?

When Loss Prevention Systems runs employment background checks for Retailers, most are interested in a potential employee’s previous criminal record. In many States we can look at their record “State wide”. This means that we access the Crime Information Center for that State. That database is maintained by each State. For example, in Georgia, it is the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) and it is run by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. All State, City and County arrest and conviction records in the state of Georgia are fed into this system. It is the same database used when a Police Officer stops someone in a traffic stop and “checks their record”.

There is no such thing as a “Federal Records Check”. It does exist but civilians do not have any access to it under any circumstances. If a company tells you they do, they are outright lying. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is restricted only to Law Enforcement. It is a serious felony for someone to access it. Many years ago I asked a Congressman why we could not have legitimate access to NCIC. His response is that it will never happen as unemployment would rise sharply. Wow, they do not care if we hire criminals, have thefts and crimes caused by them, they just do not want unemployment to rise?!?!?

Not all States have State wide records checks available. In that case we run them by county. The trick is to figure out which counties. We can make an educated guess based on where the applicant indicates they have lived. However, we frequently find that applicants will lie or omit a location where they have lived that is associated with criminal records. So what is the solution?

How about “social trace”? Ever heard of that? No, it’s not a new thing on Facebook or Twitter. It’s a check that we run on an individual’s social security number that allows you to know what states and addresses the person has lived in and what other names they could have used. Sometimes, we get a red flag because a female’s maiden name wasn’t listed and pops up as an alias, which is pretty common and obviously nothing to worry about… but other times, we get a red flag on a social trace because the individual has used entirely different aliases—not misspellings, completely different names!

When we run an employment background check for a customer, we like to run a Social Trace first. This tells us then where to search the criminal records. That keeps you in control, not the applicant. By the way, Social Traces are really inexpensive.

We see it all around here. To date “the record” is held by an applicant that had over 50 pages of arrests and convictions. Many of those were VERY serious crimes that were recent. This is the kind of person that you would never want near your family, friends or employees. There’s no telling what a new day will bring. But for you, and your company, trust us when we say that it’s better for you to find out first.

If you’re not running a social security trace on your potential new hires, you could be missing out on crucial information that will keep your workplace environment safe and hold down on employee theft.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: EAS Devices, Employee Theft, Georgia Alarms systems, Georgia shoplifting prevention, Georgia shoplifting systems, Loss Prevention Seminars, Retail Anti Theft Devices, retail security, retail security and monitoring, security devices, Shoplifting Prevention, shoplifting statistics, surveillance