Social Media Helps Authorities Catch Criminals

July 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

law-3As of the first quarter 2014, Facebook had 1.28 billion monthly active users. This of course is only one social media site that people tend to gravitate to and one of the many sites authorities are using to capture criminals dumb enough to post selfies with stolen merchandise, or bragging about their crimes. Social media sites are playing many roles in the lives of people, from keeping them connected to friends to preying on victims.

For more about this and other stories follow the links below.

Facebook Led These Criminals To Face Time Behind Bars

Doing a crime is inherently stupid, but boasting about it on social media takes it to a whole new level of idiocy. Bidness Etc takes a look at some of these ‘criminal geniuses’ and how their addiction to social media got them caught.

They say social media is nothing but a waste of time and intelligence. While we agree with this notion to a certain extent, we believe that it is actually the horde of brain-dead, half-witted, below-average excuse for human beings that destroy social media’s reputation on a daily basis.

We believe that this epidemic (i.e. stupid people running rampant on social media) is because of the inherent nature of the internet. You see, everyone – even criminals – have access to it, can sign up for various sites, and are then free to express their worthless opinions there. Speaking of petty criminals, there have been many instances in the recent past where the criminal’s own stupidity on Facebook Inc (FB) helped the law catch them and put them behind bars for good. The law’s triumph not only restored our faith in the legal system, but it also gave us hope for the future of social media sites as well.

Criminals using social media sites to prey on victims

NEW ORLEANS —In the past three weeks, three similar crimes happened in the Crescent City – all with one common thread: social media.

Police said sites like Tagged, Tinder and Kik have been used to lure victims to potential danger, resulting in robberies and carjackings.

The first case happened in the 1600 block of Baronne Street, where police said a man met a woman and was later robbed by three men.

The second crime was committed in the 2100 block of Danneel Street by 10 men – four of whom had guns.

Digital Detectives: Social Media Helping Police Put Criminals Behind Bars

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Anne Arundel County Police say social media is helping them put criminals behind bars.

Rochelle Ritchie explains how.

At the stroke of a keyboard, residents in Anne Arundel County are becoming digital detectives in helping Anne Arundel County Police solve crime.

“We’ve been able to solve crime based on social media tips,” said Lt. T.J. Smith, Anne Arundel County Police.

After one man’s photo was placed on their Facebook page, the comments began to pour in. It didn’t take long for the alleged ATM robber to be put behind bars.

“We have the opportunity to get the message out to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people at the click of a button,” Smith said.

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Start Before It Becomes An Issue

July 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (2)Employee theft can and will happen to every small business at some point in time. The question of how you handle it, and what you can do about it relies on the protections you have in place before an incident occurs. Without these protections in place setting precedence, you might find your hands are tied in regards to the specific incident currently in front of you

The best place to start is in having anti theft verbiage in your employee handbook. That of course, means you need to have an employee handbook in place to standardize all of your business policies. If you do not have a handbook, you need to develop and implement one as soon as possible.

Within your handbook you need to be clear and broad all at the same time. A sentence stating that employee theft of any kind will under no circumstances be tolerated. Theft is defined as possessing or removing any company asset or another employee’s possessions without prior authorization from management.

You can further elaborate on the different types of company assets, or you can leave it open to all assets from pens and paper to merchandise and cash. Next you may want to include that the company will prosecute all cases of employee theft.

After having a written record of the company’s intentions, the policy should be verbally covered in employee on boarding and training. This way there is no confusion as to what the expectation is. Some businesses even have the employees sign a paper (to be retained in their employee file) that they are aware of this policy.

By clarifying up front, most employees will take heed to this warning. For those that do not, it is much easier to prosecute the employees for their theft, or misappropriation of company assets, when there is proof that the employee was aware of the consequences ahead of time.

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Retail Shrinkage and More News

July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (13)Recent research about loss prevention states that the industry loses about $57 billion yearly. The perpetrators are more brazen and the consequences more expensive. Surveillance and private surveillance personnel are not enough to stop shrinkage in the retail industry. The steps that the store employee can follow depend on the store and the state they are situated. Private Citizens are generally not allowed to restrain people against their will and by doing so opens the doors for civil or criminal law suits. For more news about shoplifting follow the links below.

Survey: Retail shrink translates into $57 billion loss; cash theft jumps 20%

New York — Shrinkage levels average 1.27% of sales, which translates to a $57 billion loss to the industry, according to the U.S. Retail Fraud Survey, which is based on research into the systems and strategies used by 100 leading North American retailers.

The biggest area of store loss remains employee theft (38% of shrink), up 3% from last year, according to the study, published by U.K. based Retail Knowledge and sponsored by Volumatic and Kount. It is followed by cash theft (24%), up 20% from last year, administration and book keeping errors (21%), down 9%, and shoplifting (11%), down 15%.

The biggest area of online loss is fraudulent use of credit cards (59% of shrink).

In other survey highlights:

• Return fraud is costing retailers an average of 0.25% of sales this year, compared with an average of 0.4% last year.

• With regards to loss prevention departments, on average, each member of the fraud prevention team is responsible for $103 million of sales.

Retailers apprehend shoplifters and dishonest employees in record numbers

While the increased brazenness and skills of both shoplifters and unscrupulous employees continue to plague retailers across the United States, the industry’s most respected loss prevention researchers offer some good news in their just released survey. According to numbers highlighted in the 26th Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, the leading loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm, both apprehensions and money recovered from retail theft increased again in 2013.

The survey says almost 1.2 million shoplifters and dishonest employees were apprehended in 2013 by just 23 large retailers, who recovered over $199 million from thieves. The figures show that shoplifting apprehensions were up 2.5 percent and recovery dollars increased by 4.5 percent. When it came to cracking down on internal theft, the survey revealed that apprehensions for dishonest employees rose 6.5 percent and recovery dollars rose 2.5 percent. According to Mark R. Doyle, President of Jack L. Hayes International, these figures display a positive trend of apprehension and recovery that has been seen for three consecutive years.

A look back: Four lessons from my first LP conference

I was named NRF’s Vice President of Loss Prevention a little more than a month ago. It was perfect timing for me to jump in and do my best to meet thousands of my peers at NRF’s annual Loss Prevention Conference. Here are my top takeaways after experiencing the event for the first time behind the scenes.

  • There’s a live stream audience for retail loss prevention. Gus Downing, producer of the LP News Network (LPNN), led this historic first-ever live broadcast from any loss prevention conference. Thousands of viewers watched LPNN’s eight hours of educational content, news and even an interview with me and Vicki Cantrell. Thanks to Downing and his team for their diligent coverage of the retail loss prevention issues that matter most to our community – at the event and throughout the year. There is added value as the stream is currently being broadcast on the D&D Daily as the gift that keeps on giving to the LP community.
  • We’re in the age of “Brand and Business Protection.” The protection of products, our brands, employees and customers: No matter your focus, Cantrell was direct in her opening remarks last month. “We must prepare, plan, preserve, prevent and – most importantly – protect those we are entrusted to serve. By protecting our organizations, we keep them strong, and it is the strong who survive and thrive.” The transformation of NRF’s Loss Prevention Conference to NRF PROTECT is a commitment from NRF to prepare this community for the growing challenges, threats and responsibilities for retail loss prevention professionals. Keep your eyes peeled for more to come!
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Shoplifting News This Week

July 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (8)These are some of shoplifting news happening this week around our country. Click on the links to read the whole story.

Trio of shoplifting suspects nabbed by Bossier Police after wild ride in Walmart parking lot

It wasn’t the getaway some shoplifting suspects were hoping for Monday in Bossier City.  Officers responded to Walmart in the 2500 block of Airline Drive in reference to three women who were seen shoplifting in the store. The suspects ran out of the store after they were confronted by store security.

While one of the suspects was attempting to get away in a car, she backed over a woman’s foot. The woman’s adult daughter confronted the driver and as the suspect attempted to drive off, the daughter jumped on the hood of the car. The suspect then sped through the parking lot with the daughter on the hood.

As police arrived on the scene the suspect slammed on the brakes and the daughter was thrown off the hood and landed on the pavement. The daughter was taken to University Health in Shreveport by BCFD with a possible broken leg. The mother who got her foot run over was checked out at the scene by BCFD and did not need to go to a hospital.

Shoplifting foiled, four arrested

Four people were jailed Saturday after a failed shoplifting attempt.

Jason R. Walker, 29, of 1612 Roanoke Ave. in Uhrichsville, and Casey L. Myers, 33, of 413 12th St. in New Philadelphia, left Sears at Belden Village Mall around 1:15 p.m. without paying for a universal charger and pair of women’s shoes, said Stark County Jail records.

Carol D. Henry, 34, who Stark County Jail records say is homeless, and Stacey J. Jones, 28, of 131 Third Drive NW in New Philadelphia, arrived with Walker and Myers and were waiting in the parking lot. Jackson Township officers were given permission to search the car and found items used to make methamphetamine in the trunk.

All four were charged with assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, a third-degree felony. Walker also was charged with petty theft, and Myers was charged with complicity.

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Same Time Next Week

July 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (5)Shoplifters are surprisingly creatures of habit. My initial assessment was that a shoplifter, who is desperately trying not to get caught, would work hard to vary the times and days that they would come into a store to steal. I thought they would want to take a surprise approach to their thieving ways. I was actually quite wrong in my assessment.

The truth is most shoplifters want to find a comfort zone to steal in. They are looking for a tried and true way to get in and out of a store undetected. That is why if they steal something and get away with it on the first try, they will continue to use those same methods and manners in their subsequent thefts.

Luckily for us, when a shoplifter develops a pattern, it makes it easier for us to catch them and put a stop to the shrink losses they are creating. By identifying the pattern they created, we can be one step ahead of them and can be waiting to catch them, just like this shoplifter.

I was working for a home improvement store. We started loosing large rolls of electrical wire worth several thousands of dollars. Since these were large, heavy items that were not frequently shuffled around, we set up a camera to see if we could find out where they were going. After a few weeks of watching, we saw that every Friday around noon a man came in, loaded a roll onto a cart and then switched the price tag out for a less expensive one. The cashier charged him for the roll of wire based on this lower priced tag.

Since we found his pattern, we waited until the following Friday. Sure enough he was just like clockwork. Noon came and so did he to walk off with another one of our rolls. This time, we were there to intercept the transaction and have him arrested.

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Shoplifting Laws and more News

June 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (10)Shoplifting laws across the United States vary and some states can and will change the laws as they see fit. Laws in Arkansas, Georgia or Indiana may well be worded differently but the truth is shoplifting is a crime and shoplifters may face criminal charges or a misdemeanor. The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention has a page with the laws for every single state in the United States and the laws governing shoplifting and what it entails. Follow the links to see more about this topic.

Alleged shoplifter flees scene with kids in car, crashes

CABOT, Ark. (KTHV) – A man is charged with numerous felonies after allegedly fleeing the scene of a shoplifting at a Cabot Walmart with four children inside the vehicle.

Sgt. Keith Graham said officers responded to the Walmart on S. Rockwood June 16 just before 7:45 p.m. about a shoplifter fleeing the store. After chasing the suspect through the neighboring Dixie Café, the suspect then got into a gold Suburban and fled the area.

Officers began chasing the suspect from the Walmart to 67/167 southbound. Graham said the gold Suburban took exit 16 at a high rate of speed, then lost control of the vehicle and it flipped, coming to rest in a ditch long the roadway.

The driver, 28-year-old Christopher Carver, was taken into custody after the accident, and while searching the vehicle, officers found four small children inside. They were taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital to be checked out.

Carver was taken to North Metro Hospital for minor injuries, and then transported to the Cabot Police Dept.

He is charged with shoplifting, fleeing, two counts kidnapping, second degree battery, and four counts of first degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

He is currently being held on $100,000 bond.

Local Stores Meet In An Effort To Prevent Shoplifting

Competitors are coming together to combat a big problem in Grand Island: shoplifting.

Grand Island Police brought local stores together for a second meeting Tuesday.

Shoplifting isn’t a huge problem at Carla Jensen’s store, but she knows the consequences if it becomes one.

“If there’s no money coming in, if it walks out the door, that means no money goes in my pocket or no money goes to the store,” said Jensen, owner of Royalty Boutique. “If there’s not enough in there to pay the bills then the store shuts down.”

G.I. Police Officer Butch Hurst said other local stores are being hit hard by thieves.

“It’s fairly severe,” Hurst said of the problem.

That’s why retailers – big and small – are coming together to swap information on the shoplifters they’re encountering.

“If they have photographs or digital, they show it to each other and say ‘hey, do you know this person,'” said Hurst.

Police want that information too.

Storeowners complain new shoplifting law in Indiana too lax

INDIANAPOLIS — Retailers are relieved that lawmakers have fixed an error in a new criminal law that would have made it tough to arrest shoplifters. Now they want a harsher penalty restored for thieves.
They contend the real problem with the new criminal code that goes into effect July 1 is a provision that drops theft from a felony to misdemeanor if the stolen goods are valued at less than $750.

“We’ve got a huge problem with that,” said Grant Monahan, head of the Indiana Retail Council, which represents thousands of store owners statewide.

On Tuesday, the General Assembly met in an unusual session to make “technical corrections” to the 400-plus page bill that overhauled crime and punishment in Indiana. While toughening penalties for violent crimes, the new law reduces punishments for some theft and drug possession crimes by making them into misdemeanors that are rarely punished with prison time.

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Shoplifting Videos And Incidents

June 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (12)The retail industry losses are approximately $13 billion dollars a year. Some of the preventing security devices they most rely on are closed circuit television installed in their stores that are visible by the employees and customers alike. Hidden security cameras are also employed, although a bit less than the visible cameras. Still, the retail loses are great with all the security devices, and employee security they provide for their stores.

Read more about the shoplifting in the retail industry by following the links below.

Kelly’s Stupid Criminals of the week!

Featuring this week a drunken, shirtless Maryland man was busted trying to steal candy from a Subway restaurant in Prince Frederick. He was wearing only shorts and a pair of white socks when Calvert County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived to investigate reports of a suspicious person. One of the deputies spotted tipsy suspect trying to slip some candy into his pocket, authorities said.

And a woman is facing charges for attacking a teenager who flew a quadcopter drone over the beach in Hammonasset Beach State Park, CT. Andrea Mears, 23, is accused of assaulting Austin Haughwout, 17, on May 12 after she noticed a flying drone with a camera attached on it flying over the Middle Beach at Hammonasset. She was charged with third degree assault and second degree breach of peace, police said. Mears told ABC News that she had called the police complaining about “a little remote-operated plane flying over the beach.” Before the police arrived, Mears tracked down Austin Haughwout, pilot of the drone, and confronted him at the park.

Dumbest thief ever logs into Facebook on victim’s computer during burglary, forgets to log out

The world is full of truly stupid would-be criminals but one Minnesota man might have just taken the crown for the title of World’s Stupidest Thief. CBS Minnesota reports that police arrested 26-year-old Nicholas Wig for allegedly burglarizing a home in South St. Paul on June 19th after his victim discovered that Wig had used his computer to log into his Facebook page and never logged out before leaving. When police arrived to arrest Wig, they also found that he was wearing his victim’s wrist watch, which obviously won’t help with any potential defense.

Parents Sue Walmart, Police Over Livonia Shoplifting Stop

The parents of a mentally disabled woman are suing Walmart and police after she was stopped for suspected shoplifting at a Detroit-area store.

Wendy Kozma of Novi tells the Detroit Free Press her 25-year-old daughter, Jodi, who has the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, now is terrified of police after being handcuffed and questioned at a Walmart in Livonia. Records show she didn’t steal anything.

Wendy and John Kozma want an apology along with unspecified financial damages and assurance that police and store security follow proper procedures when dealing with disabled people. They filed a complaint with police in August 2012, when their daughter was stopped, and recently sued.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart says it believes its associates acted appropriately. Livonia police sent a letter to the Kozmas denying wrongdoing.

Annapolis beauty shop employee pepper-sprayed during shoplifting incident

An Annapolis-area beauty shop employee was pepper-sprayed Saturday while attempting to stop a suspected shoplifter.

When Anne Arundel County police responded to the Ulta Beauty store in Annapolis Harbour Center shortly after 3:30 p.m., an employee told them that a woman had put about $1,000 worth of perfume into a bag and attempted to leave without paying.

An employee approached the woman and attempted to grab the bag, but a second woman waiting in front of the store pepper-sprayed the employee in the face, police said.

The suspects fled in a newer model white four-door car with the rear license plate covered by a plastic bag, police said. Officers searched the area but were unable to find the suspects or the car.

The employee who was pepper-sprayed was treated by Fire Department personnel at the scene and transported to a local hospital for further treatment, police said. The store manager also was exposed to the pepper spray, but declined medical treatment.

Police said the suspect who took the merchandise is a heavyset black woman, possibly in her 20s, and she was wearing a gray T-shirt and black pants. The suspect who used the pepper spray is black, possibly in her 20s, and she was wearing a black shirt and white shorts.

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Preventing Shoplifting In Your Business

June 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

law-3When a small business owner learns that an employee has been stealing from the business, many times they terminate the employee without prosecuting. Lawyer’s fee and other costs incurred by hiring an attorney sometimes do not make financial sense compared to the amount the employee has stolen. Prosecuting an employee who has been caught stealing can protect the company or small business owner against a civil law suit, and can help recover the company’s property, but most importantly it can serve as a deterrent to other employees.

Read more about this by following the links below.

10 ways to prevent theft, fraud by your employees

According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), an employee is 15 times more likely than a non-employee to steal from an employer, and employees account for an estimated 44 percent of theft losses at stores. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that nearly a third of business failures are related to employee theft or fraud.

Employee theft is one of the most serious problems facing small business owners in the U.S.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), an employee is 15 times more likely than a non-employee to steal from an employer, and employees account for an estimated 44 percent of theft losses at stores. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that nearly a third of business failures are related to employee theft or fraud.

Business owners are rightly concerned — or should be. Employee misdeeds take many forms:

• Larceny (outright theft).

• Skimming (diverting business funds).

• Fraudulent disbursements (billing schemes, inflated expense reports, check tampering).

Checkpoint Systems Launches Next Generation of EAS Solutions

New EVOLVE iRange Offers Complete Solution to Retailers’ Merchandise Availability and Customer Satisfaction Challenges.

Checkpoint Systems, Inc., CKP -0.39% a leading global supplier of merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry, today announced the launch of the next generation of intelligent electronic article surveillance (EAS) solutions.

The EVOLVE iRange , developed alongside global retailers, comprises six different state-of-the-art EAS antennas, a broad range of EAS labels designed for visible and source-tagging application to various types of merchandise, and the Counterpoint iD deactivation unit for faster and consistent deactivation at point-of-sale (POS).

Together, the portfolio promises to deter theft from potential shoplifters, a high degree of confidence that protected merchandise has been deactivated efficiently to avoid unpleasant false alarms for honest shoppers, and security that the antenna alarms are indeed shoplifting attempts so store personnel can respond appropriately. Initial tests have resulted in increased product availability at test stores, improved in-store efficiency at the POS and an increase in positive attitudes towards the shopping experience for consumers.

Lakewood shoplifting gunman who fled with child in car identified

A man suspected of shoplifting, pointing a gun at a security guard and fleeing with a 2-year-old child in a Jeep SUV has been identified.

Angelo Erin Arellano, 29, was tracked and bitten by a police dog in Denver where officers found the suspect hiding, according to police.

The incident started in Lakewood about 11:10 a.m. Tuesday, when police were called about a pair of shoplifters at the Walmart at 7455 W. Colfax Ave., according to a Lakewood Police Department news release.

A store security guard who tried to stop the man and a woman told officers that the man pointed a gun and the couple fled in a Jeep.

Officers spotted the vehicle, leading to a chase into west Denver.

The Jeep stopped, and the driver, a man, bolted on foot.

Left behind in the SUV was 28-year-old Jamie Lee Carrillo and her 2-year-old child.

Arellano, found a short time later hiding in a nearby area, was taken into custody, police said.

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The Last Four Digits

June 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (10)There have been several well-publicized security breaches lately of some major national retailers. The breaches have been in their credit and debit card payment processing servers. Unknown hackers have been able to extract data that should have been encrypted to prevent unauthorized usage of this credit card data.

Anytime a credit or debit card is used at a cash register, the card machine captures the information on the magnetic strip. From there the information is scrambled about (encrypted) as it is sent to the respective banks to make the actual charge on the payment cards.

It was during the transmission of this encrypted information that hackers were able to capture the actual data, not the encrypted version. This left millions of consumers with compromised credit/ debit card information.

Now that this information is out there, the criminal element has access to it. Many underground websites will offer batches of credit card numbers, expiration dates, and often the verification codes on the backs of the cards. All of this information is sold for the right price.

Once the information is in hand, the criminals can make a new credit card. A typical process is to take a blank credit card and emboss the name (or alias) of the person going to use the card. If a cashier were to check the ID, it would then match.
The stolen information is put onto new magnetic strips, and these strips are put onto the card blank. Since the criminals will use the same card blank with multiple stolen card numbers, a generic credit card number is embossed on the card blank. The magnetic strip is the only thing changed out for each new stolen card number.

Since larger retailers are keeping a more watchful eye out for stolen cards, many criminals are going to smaller business that may not have the same level of security in place, but might carry just as desirable merchandise. To protect your business, the easiest way to verify a legitimate credit card vs. a criminal made stolen card is to verify the last four digits of the card being used.

The actual credit card (the stolen card) information is what your cash register will capture. It is extremely unlikely that the last four digits of the stolen card information will match the last four digits of the credit card number embossed into the card being presented. Any discrepancy in the two numbers should immediately be declined.

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Working On The Ground Level

May 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment

theft (8)In spite of all of my years of experience in catching shoplifters, I am always worried that they will spot me watching them. It’s not that it would be the worst thing that could possibly happen, mind you. More than likely the shoplifter will discard the merchandise before they make any attempts to walk out the door with it. It prevents the loss of product, which is ultimately what retail theft prevention is about.

What I personally don’t like is feeling like I have wasted all the time watching them, and the potential shoplifter leaves without any recourse. That means that they will probably come back in and make another attempt at stealing from my stores.

I spoke with one of my mentors about the concern and he gave me an interesting piece of advice- Get down on the ground to avoid detection. Now he wasn’t talking about sprawling down on the floor and staying there. He was talking about lowering down to avoid being in the shoplifters line of sight.

A shoplifter is trying to avoid detection at all costs. They are maintaining constant vigilance and eyesight towards anyone that comes within their line of sight. As such, they are focused primarily on the movements that are straight ahead, at their eye level.

A shoplifter is not looking down, to see if someone is kneeling down, spying on them. I have since developed my own trick to watching shoplifters closer up. I kneel down beside a table, or a rounder of clothing. So I don’t look suspicious to the shoplifter, or any other customers, I pretend to be tying my shoe. Even if my shoe doesn’t have actual laces on it, if I am fiddling with my shoe, no one is suspicious, and I am below the shoplifter’s line of sight.

Of all the cases I have watched that I have used this trick, not one shoplifter has known that I was watching them from a few feet away. I still feel like I could be noticed at any time, and I guess that feeling will never go away. I do know that my trick has been proven to work for me in the past, and will stay successful in the future.

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