Facial Recognition: High Accuracy & Causes Less Conflict with Customers 
UK age verification pilots boost case for check-out facial estimation systems
The use of biometrics and other technologies for age verification to control alcohol sales in the UK showed age estimation at self-scan checkouts had higher uptake than digital identity apps.

Innovative Technology's ICU biometric age verification-prompting technology, used at three Bestway Retail stores, was found to work in approximately 1 second. Fujitsu provided face biometric technology used for a mobile app in partnership with Nottingham Trent University.

Sthaler and FinGo technology was trialed at a pop-up bar in Manchester, with a combination of face biometrics to set up an account and vein recognition for verification at the venue. 1account's app with facial biometric authentication was also used at a nightclub.

Asda, Co-op, Morrisons and Tesco each used Yoti's facial age estimation technology, at self check outs and in the latter case grocery order collection lockers.

In a blog post, Yoti says that the trial showed support from participating supermarkets for using the technology, and for legislation to support its adoption. The company says its technology prevented the purchase of restricted items by underage customers, and that the majority of customers said they liked Yoti's digital age-proofing, and would use it again if they could. Yoti also says its facial age estimation is more accurate than human evaluation, and more inclusive.

The Age Verification Providers Association plans to publish further details from the pilots in the future.

"The comprehensive success of these trials adds great weight to the argument that the UK's Mandatory Licensing Conditions for the sale of alcohol are hopelessly outdated," says AVPA Executive Director Iain Corby in an email to Biometric Update. "Digital age checks are more comprehensively applied, more accurate than human estimates, cause less conflict between staff and customers, and mean the end to waiting at self-service tills with the yellow light above you to be approved." biometricupdate.com


Retail Union Effort to Slow This Year?
Unionization efforts may shift gears in 2023
Shoppers planning to visit Macy's Union Square flagship store in San Francisco for last-minute gifts on Christmas weekend were met with a picket line, as the store's union went on strike for the two days before the holiday.

Better pay, increased staffing level and affordable health care are what the United Food and Commercial Workers Union was asking for, according to a local NBC report. The store had only given its employees a $1 per hour raise in three years, and did not budge on other substantive issues, the union claims.

Led by younger workers, employees over the last year at Starbucks, Amazon, Trader Joe's, Apple, REI and Chipotle have organized for the first time. Starbucks has been affected the most, with reportedly over 250 locations across the U.S. voting to unionize.

A Wall Street Journal article this week, however, found unionization efforts have slowed in part due to improving pay and benefits. An Amazon warehouse in Staten Island unionized in April but similar efforts by other distribution centers have stalled due to high turnover, comparatively better pay versus other warehouse jobs and efforts by Amazon, according to the report.

While the job market remains tight, recessionary conditions may cause unionization to proceed at a slower pace in 2023.

"Workers are running into the intransigence of the companies," Charlotte Garden, a labor lawyer and professor at the University of Minnesota, told the WSJ. "The big question is if that will persist, or if something will change to make companies feel that unionization is the best scenario." retailwire.com


Holiday Retail Sales Exceeded Expectations - Up 7.6%
Retailers brace for tougher times and more frugal customers in 2023
Shoppers make returns and exchanges. They come to stores with gift cards in hand. And they may spring for workout clothes or other items to follow through on New Year's resolutions.

The next few weeks, which close out many retailers' fiscal year, could help determine whether the holiday quarter is a win or a bust. It's an important time for helping stores clear out excess inventory, too. January could also set the tone for 2023 - when some economists and retail industry watchers anticipate the U.S. will tip into a recession.

So far, early holiday results have been better than some economists and retailers feared. Sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 rose 7.6%, according to data from MasterCard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. The figure includes restaurants and is not adjusted for inflation, which rose 7.1% year over year in November. cnbc.com


LPF Announces LPC & LPQ Professionals for December
The Loss Prevention Foundation would like to recognize and congratulate the following individuals who successfully completed all of the requirements set forth by the board of directors to be LPQualified (LPQ) and/or LPCertified (LPC). View Full List Here


Salesforce laying off 10 percent of workforce in restructuring

A Look at OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program

Recession or soft landing? Five reasons to be cautiously optimistic about 2023

Bay Area Flood Risks Today: Rapidly intensifying 'bomb cyclone' to fuel extreme weather in the Bay Area
 

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director of AP job posted for Sportsman's Warehouse in West Jordan, UT
The Director of Asset Protection is responsible for developing, managing, and maintaining all aspects of the Loss Prevention and Asset Protection within the Company. They will direct all Loss Prevention and Asset Protection activities for the Retail Stores, Distribution Center, eCommerce, and Corporate Office, responsible for strategy, policy, and all related initiatives to protect the human, financial and physical assets of the Company. indeed.com

Director of Asset Protection job posted for Ridley's Family Markets in Idaho
Promote the adherence to company policies and procedures. Conduct regular store inspection checks ensuring compliance of all operational processes related to shrink reduction, loss controls and physical security; assist in follow-up action plans or maintenance calls as needed. Develop business goals, team strategies, and recommend new approaches, processes, policies and procedures to drive continuous improvement mitigating internal and external theft. Investigate both internal and external theft, misappropriation, and fraud issues. indeed.com
 

From Russia With Love - Whack-A-Mole Will Continue
Three of the Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2022

DeSnake - Located in Soviet Union

When the dark-web market for drugs and hacked data known as AlphaBay was shut down in 2017 and its creator Alexandre Cazes was found dead in a Thai jail cell, it seemed the story of AlphaBay was over. Then, in the summer of last year, fully four years after that massive bust, AlphaBay relaunched under the command of its cofounder and Cazes' top lieutenant, known only as DeSnake. In the year-plus since then, DeSnake has dragged AlphaBay back to the top of the dark web's competing scrum of criminal markets. To his credit, he's set more rules for what can be sold on his black market than Cazes ever did, banning the sale of fentanyl and ransomware tools, for instance. But AlphaBay remains a bustling criminal bazaar for hard drugs and stolen data, and it may be harder to shut down than ever. DeSnake has implemented security upgrades to the site, such as allowing only the harder-to-trace cryptocurrency Monero instead of Bitcoin. And he also claims to be located in the former Soviet Union-potentially putting him far farther beyond the reach of law enforcement than his unlucky predecessor. Editor's Note: By banning fentanyl and ransomware tools he evades the DEA and FBI for the most part. All he has to do is go on vacation like so many of his fellow hackers.

Conti - Russian as well

The scourge of ransomware continued to plague the world in 2022, and no group illustrated that threat better than Conti. In the first months of the year, the group hit dozens of corporate and government targets. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Conti declared its full support for that war-a decision that led to one of its disgruntled members leaking a vast trove of the group's internal communications online. Conti has subsequently shut down, but likely only in name. Its hackers may have rebranded and splintered, but the chaos that is their business model will no doubt persist.

Lapsus$ - Run by a 16-year-old "Mastermind"

The only thing more dangerous than a group of ruthless ransomware hackers is a group of ruthless ransomware hackers who are also teenagers. In December of 2021, Lapsus$ made its entrance onto the hacking scene with a cyberattack on the Brazilian Ministry of Health in the midst of its Covid-19 response. It's since carried out a spree of splashy, often nihilistic breaches of major tech firms including Uber, Okta, Rockstar Games, Nvidia, Microsoft, Samsung, and Vodafone. Last spring, British law enforcement arrested seven people suspected of being members of the group, all ages 16 to 21. Those arrests included Lapsus$'s alleged 16-year-old "mastermind." But inexplicably, those suspects were released without charges, and the group's "hacker joyride" rolls on. wired.com


Bad Bots Siphoning Retail Profits
2023: Ring in Retail Profits by Stopping Automated Threats

With shrinking margins, economic uncertainty, and growing cyber risks from automated threats, retailers face continued challenges in 2023.

Bad Bots are Siphoning Profits

Bot operators continue to siphon retailer profits with increasingly sophisticated automated threats - including account takeover, web and API scraping and more. According to the 2022 State of Bot Mitigation Report, nearly 70% of companies using anti-bot solutions lost revenue to bot-driven account fraud. Furthermore, 40% of respondents lost more than 10% of their revenue. Even the biggest retailers are losing significant amounts of money due to modern automated threats, which damages their brand and consumer trust.

More Profits or Improved Cybersecurity? Why Not Both?

Cybersecurity is typically viewed as a cost center to the business. When it comes to bots, however, effectively mitigating them instantly improves a retailer's profit margins. Now retailers are rethinking their cybersecurity defenses for websites, mobile apps and APIs. Some of the key strategies include:

1. Invisible protection for optimal customer experience.
CAPTCHAs have a negative result on conversions, often by as much as 5%. Most CAPTCHAs and "visual challenges" can be easily bypassed using machine learning (ML) or human CAPTCHA farms. So the fraudsters win, and your customers lose. New bot detection approaches rely only on invisible challenges that never impact the customer experience while achieving orders of magnitude reduction in false positives.

2. Maximize offload for cost savings and site performance.
The more that can be done to stop fraud upfront, the more the cost of managing it downstream is reduced. New proactive defenses are available to achieve even higher levels of efficacy, reducing false negatives to provide maximum infrastructure offload and cost savings. Large retailers can save millions of dollars by improving the accuracy of their bot detection when compared to the status quo.

3. Let someone else take the fight to bots for you.
Companies are embracing a "no management" approach to stopping cyberattacks. Such an approach allows retailers to focus on their business rather than defending it from bots. This dramatically reduces the total cost of ownership - increasing retailers' profits without sacrificing protection or compromising brand integrity. retailtouchpoints.com


In-Demand Cybersecurity Jobs & Salaries
Top 8 in-demand cybersecurity jobs for 2023 and beyond

Cybersecurity is a challenging career path, filled with professional opportunities. Learn about the top cybersecurity jobs and the training and background they require.

1. Cybersecurity engineer - Average salary: $98,497/year
2. Infosec analyst/Cybersecurity analyst - Average salary: $77,474/year
3. Network security architect - Average salary: $126,166/year
4. Security software developer - Average salary: $73,980/year
5. Penetration tester/Ethical hacker - Average salary: $87,925/year
6. Application security engineer - Average salary: $127,327
7. Malware analyst - Average salary: $165,000
8. Computer forensics analyst/Digital forensics examiner - Average salary: $75,018 techtarget.com


Attackers Targeting Satellite Systems
Can these researchers help defend satellite systems targeted by hackers?
The Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded nonprofit research and development center, has launched new framework outlining how attackers could compromise satellite technology, an effort to bridge the knowledge gap between aerospace engineers and cybersecurity defenders and bolster efforts to secure space.

First launched in October, the Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis (SPARTA) framework aims to describe the unique threats hackers may pose to systems in space.

Current frameworks - MITRE's ATT&CK framework and Microsoft's Kubernetes - represent the industry standard for describing attacks on on-the-ground devices, but as one moves higher up (and out of) the atmosphere, these frameworks are less useful in describing attacks on spacecraft, said Brandon Bailey, a senior project leader for the Cyber Assessments and Research Department at Aerospace Corporation. cyberscoop.com


Tech roles in demand with rise of 5G, Metaverse
Demand for networking engineers, user experience designers and testers, cloud computing experts, data scientists and cyber security specialists is expected to hit a new record with 25-30% rise expected in 2023.


From cybersecurity to layoffs, these business tech trends will dominate in 2023

WordPress Sites Under Attack from Newly Found Linux Trojan

Canada Facing Same Shoplifting Surge as U.S.
Grocery shoplifting on the rise in Canada amid inflation, industry insiders say
Shoplifting has surged to an alarming level across Canada, industry insiders say, with inflation and labour shortages cited as major factors behind the increase.

The uptick has triggered concern among Canadian grocers even as the rise in food prices helps pad their bottom lines. Grocery prices were up 11 per cent year-over-year in October and they're not expected to ease any time soon. The total cost of groceries for a family of four is expected to be $1,065 more than it was this year, according to the most recent edition of Canada's Food Price Report.

Inflation in food prices is one of the main drivers pushing more people to steal, says Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

"There is a correlation between the two, absolutely. Theft is an ongoing issue. But the intensity actually does increase when food prices go up," he said, noting that meat and dairy products are the top two stolen items.

He warned the problem may grow if the economy slows down next year as some economists suggest. "If you see both food prices go up and ... the economy slows down, jointly that is when you basically see even more stuff."

Charlebois said inflation and grocery theft are affecting one another, meaning when prices go up, shoplifting surges, and to offset the loss, businesses have no other option but to further increase the prices. ctvnews.ca
 

Canada's Cargo Theft Surge
Recent theft of 32 empty semi-trailers from a Kitchener lot highlights rise in crimes targeting transportation industry

Police have since recovered 12 of the stolen trailers

A trucking industry veteran says he's never heard of anything quite like the recent theft of 32 empty semi-trailers from a Kitchener business.

"That's pretty bold," said Tom Boehler, senior director of safety and compliance at New Hamburg-based Erb Group of Companies, where he's worked since 1997. "That's a very unusual one, especially that magnitude of empty trailers."

Waterloo Regional Police said the crime occurred sometime between 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 and 6 a.m. on Dec. 12 at a business parking lot in the Victoria Street North and Forwell Road area.

Police haven't identified the targeted business. A message left with the company where the theft is believed to have occurred wasn't returned.

On Wednesday, police said 12 of the trailers have since been recovered from industrial areas in North Dumfries and Brant County.

The logistics involved in such a theft would have required multiple tractor units to hook up and haul away the trailers, or one tractor making almost three dozen trips. Stolen or rental tractors are often used in trailer thefts.

Boehler thinks a relay system was probably used, with a thief or thieves shuttling trailers to accomplices waiting to drive them further away. waterloochronicle.ca
 

Police Shootings Surge 25% in Canada
Expert warns of 'perfect storm' as number of police shootings increases in 2022
A tally compiled by The Canadian Press has found police shot 87 people in Canada between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 -- 46 fatally. It was based on available information from police, independent investigative units and reporting from The Canadian Press.

It marks a nearly 25 per cent increase from 2021, when officers fired on 70 people and 37 were killed. Sixty people were shot at in 2020 and 36 of those were killed.

Temitope Oriola, a professor of criminology and associate dean at the University of Alberta, said it's concerning to see the number of fatal encounters with police grow. Several variables contribute to the increase, he said, including inadequate training, an over-reliance on force and a lack of accountability.

"We have essentially the perfect storm, a breeding ground for these kinds of incidents."

The resulting snapshot shows annual increases in officers firing their guns every year since 2020, when global movements called for more police accountability and transparency.

There have been at least five shootings this month that were not included in the tally, including that of the man police say shot six people at a Toronto-area condo and one at a gas station east of Calgary on Christmas morning.

Young men continue to make up the vast majority of people shot by police. ctvnews.ca
 

As tech improves, shoppers more likely to choose self-checkout at grocery stores
More grocers and consumers are turning to self-checkout stations, but challenges stand in the way of widespread adoption

Intuitive scanning, smart carts and more next-gen checkout technology to watch
 

Hitting Retailers with Fraudulent CC's For $422,000 - Kept it up even after Federal charges & bond
Serial Fraudster Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Identity Theft and Bank Fraud
FLINT - A 37-year-old Flint Man, Michael Johnson-Brown was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for using the stolen identities of dozens of victims to commit identity theft and bank fraud.

From 2017 to 2021, Johnson-Brown used stolen social security numbers and other personal information to open lines of credit, provided by banks for retail stores, in his victims' names. Over four years, Johnson-Brown used the fraudulent credit accounts at retail stores to steal more than $422,000 worth of merchandise. He launched his scheme while on parole for identity theft and even continued doing it after he was arraigned on federal charges and released on bond.

Johnson-Brown had a long history of cheating and deceiving people, having previously been convicted of eight fraud crimes between 2008 and 2016. He has three prior federal convictions for bank fraud and two state-court convictions for identity theft. justice.gov


Lauderdale Lakes, FL: Footage captures shoplifter raiding store, tackling employee to the ground in Broward
Surveillance footage captured an unhinged shoplifter attempting to kick down the locked doors of a closed clothing store in Broward. A man entered the Rainbow clothing store in Lauderdale Lakes at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 7, and began browsing the area for half an hour, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office. The shoplifter then attempted to flee the scene minutes before the store was closing with his hands packed with merchandise, only to discover the doors were locked. Footage captured the man attempting to kick down the doors, screaming at the store's employees to open them. Authorities say the thief realized he was able to unlock the door himself, and before making his escape, he tackled one of the employees to the ground and fled in a red truck with $200 worth in merchandise. None of the employees were seriously injured. 850wftl.com


Memphis, TN: Pair charged with stealing $60K worth of Nike shoes from train
A man and woman are behind bars after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in Nike shoes from boxcars. On Jan. 2, officers responded to a boxcar burglary at Hernando Road and Effie Road. According to an affidavit, officers received a call from a concerned citizen who said multiple people were breaking into train cars and moving boxes. Multiple suspects were seen moving the boxes into multiple vehicles. Police said some ran away and some fled in the vehicles when officers arrived. According to the affidavit, Devonta Lipscomb was taken into custody after a foot chase. Another woman leaving the scene in Chevrolet Malibu with temporary tags was stopped by an officer. She was identified as Shekeva Taylor, 22, records show. Taylor's vehicle contained boxes matching the ones at the boxcar. The boxes contained multiple Nike products. Five boxcars were broken into on the railroad, police said. The boxes each contained six pairs of shoes, and each box was valued at $600. A total of 100 boxes were recovered, totaling $60,000. fox13memphis.com


Mayfield Height, OH: 3 Shoplifters wanted for $28,000 theft from Ulta
An Ulta Beauty manager reported Dec. 23 that surveillance video showed three shoplifters exit the store the previous night with four baskets full of unpaid merchandise. She said they walked right past the shift manager, who moved out of their way without questioning them and watched as they stole more merchandise. She valued the merchandise taken by the man and two women at $28,824. cleveland.com


Beachwood, OH: Two suspects get hold of cash register at Nordstrom, give themselves gift cards totaling more than $10,000
At 11:40 a.m. Jan. 2, two men went to the cash register at Nordstrom at Beachwood Place to ostensibly purchase a pair of shoes and gift cards. While the clerk was distracted and away from the register, the two suspects manipulated the machine and awarded themselves gift cards totaling $10,179.60. The suspects were captured on surveillance video, but could not be identified. cleveland.com


Portland, OR: Man arrested for stealing over $4000 in Vans merch across month-long shoplifting spree
A man has been arrested for stealing thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from a Vans store across a month-long shoplifting spree. On December 20 a Portland Police Bureau officer received a call around 2:10 p.m. from a manager at the Vans retailer. The manager said that a known chronic shoplifter was stealing from them. While en route the officer and her partner spotted the suspect riding away on a bicycle. The suspect refused police orders to stop and rode away, but was eventually arrested. The officers recovered over $400 worth of merchandise and returned it to the store. The suspect was identified as John Edward Cox III, 34. Court documents show that Cox is connected to multiple theft incidents at Vans going back to September, as well as having 2 outstanding warrants. Cox had previously entered the same Vans location on November 25, November 28, December 3, December 10, December 26, and December 28, stealing over $4000 worth of merchandise. Cox consistently targeted the Harvey Milk St. location, and stole shoes, hoodies, hats. and jackets. ktvl.com


Update: Commack, NY: Thief stole 60 pairs of jeans from Old Navy store on Long Island
Police are asking for the public's help finding a thief who swiped 60 pairs of jeans from an Old Navy store on Long Island, releasing a photo of the suspect early Monday. On Nov. 1, 2022, the man grabbed five dozen pairs of jeans at the store on Jericho Turnpike near Calvert Avenue in Commack, then left without paying, police said. The pilfered pants are cumulatively valued at approximately $1,650, according to authorities. Investigators on Monday released a surveillance image of the suspect - wearing what appears to be a denim jacket - and asked anyone with information to get in touch. pix11.com


Louisville, KY: Police Arrests Man Believed To Be Part Of Diesel Fuel Theft Ring
A Louisville, Kentucky man, thought to be involved with a theft ring, was caught allegedly stealing diesel fuel from an Evansville gas station Sunday night. An employee called 9-1-1 to report that the Ford F-350 truck involved in many of the thefts, had returned. 31 year old Lazaro Gonzalez was detained by officers and brought back to headquarters for questioning. Gonzalez is charged with theft, fraud, forgery and conspiracy. Detectives found a large bladder under the bed of the truck that could hold hundreds of gallons of fuel. The fuel was then transported to another cities to sell. wiky.com