Michael Loox, CFI named Director, Emergency Operations Center for L Brands
Michael was previously the Director of Loss Prevention & Safety for BLD Brands for over a year before taking this new role. Prior to that, he was the Director of Loss Prevention & Safety for the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for more than 7 years. Michael has held other loss prevention roles for retailers such as Z Gallerie, Prada and Gucci Group. He earned his Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Congratulations, Michael!

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Secret Service Warning of ATM 'Jackpotting' Attacks
Stand-Alone ATMs in Retail Stores Targeted
For some ATM thieves, swiping card data involves too much patience -- they'd rather just take the money and run. The US Secret Service has warned ATM makers Diebold Nixdorf and NCR that "jackpotting" hacks, where crooks force machine to cough up large sums of cash, have reached the US after years of creating problems in Asia, Europe and Mexico. The attacks have focused largely on Diebold's front-loading Opteva ATMs in stand-alone locations, such as retail stores and drive-thrus, and have relied on an combination of malware and hardware to pull off heists.

"The targeted stand-alone ATMs are routinely located in pharmacies, big box retailers, and drive-thru ATMs," reads a confidential Secret Service alert sent to multiple financial institutions and obtained by KrebsOnSecurity.

In previous attacks, the thieves disguised themselves as technicians to avoid drawing attention. After that, they hooked up a laptop with a mirror image of the ATM's operating system and malware (Diebold also mentioned replacing the hard drive outright). Security researcher Brian Krebs understands American ATMs have been hit with Ploutus.D, a variant of "jackpotting" malware that first launched in 2013. The mirror image needs to be paired with the ATM to work, but that's not as difficult as you might think -- the intruders used endoscopes to find and press the necessary reset button inside the machine. Once done, they attached keyboards and used activation codes to clean out ATMs within a matter of minutes.

NCR hasn't been explicitly targeted in these attacks, but it warned that this was an "industry-wide issue" and urged caution from companies using its ATMs.

It's definitely possible to thwart attacks like this. The Secret Service warned that ATMs still using Windows XP were particularly easy targets, and that updating to Windows 7 (let alone Windows 10) would protect against these specific attacks. Diebold also recommended updating to newer firmware and using the most secure configurations possible. And both organizations recommended physical security changes, such as using rear-loading ATMs, locking down physical access and closely watching for suspicious activity like opening the machine's top. engadget.com krebsonsecurity.com

Man who stabbed 2 at Mall of America tells court ISIS inspired him
The 20-year-old Minneapolis man who slashed two brothers inside Macy's at the Mall of America last fall declared that he was answering "the call for Jihad" on behalf of ISIS when he pleaded guilty. Mahad A. Abdiraham, 20, admitted last week in Hennepin County District Court to two counts of felony first-degree assault.

The charges stem from his stabbing of 19-year-old Alexander Sanchez and 25-year-old John Sanchez, both of Minneapolis. The younger brother suffered injuries to his head that will leave scars and cuts to his arms that went "to the bone," and he needed a blood transfusion, according to charges. His brother needed dozens of stitches to close his wounds, the court filing said.

During his guilty plea Abdiraham read a statement that explained devotion to ISIS was his inspiration: "I went to Mall of America to answer the call for Jihad by the Chief of the Believers, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi - may Allah protect him - and by the Mujahiden of the Islamic State [ISIS]. ... I am here reaffirming that it was indeed an act of Jihad in the way of Allah." startribune.com

Walmart Sued for Racial Discrimination
After African American Hair Products Put in Locked Case
A woman is suing Walmart for racial discrimination, alleging that one of its stores in Perris, California specifically moved its Black hair products in a glass case and forced them to be unlocked before being purchased, according to NBC Los Angeles.

She's being represented by high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, and the pair held a press conference on Friday. Allred introduced her client, Essie Grundy, and told the assembled press that a race discrimination lawsuit had been filed against Walmart. According to Grundy, hair products designed for Black customers were kept locked away behind glass while similar products for customers of other races were available unsecured on store shelves as usual.

"When I walked down the aisle and saw that Walmart had placed all of the African-American hair and skin products under lock and key, I had to pause," she said. "I had to step back. I was in shock. I realized that all the similar products for other races were freely available."

A Walmart spokesperson gave the following statement to Fox 11 Los Angeles, insisting that individual stores make decisions about which products to give additional security.

"No retailer is immune to the challenge of crime, and Walmart is not exempt," the spokesperson said. "The decisions about which items are subject to additional in-store security is made on a store-by-store basis, and often at the discretion of the store manager." dailydot.com

Pa. Justices Urged Not To Revive $2M Store Shooting Award
Giant Eagle Inc. urged the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a brief on Thursday to uphold a decision that the chain had properly challenged a $2.1 million verdict over a shooting outside one of its convenience stores that was thrown out on appeal.

The company argued that it did not forfeit its right to challenge whether the award, which included lost wages that far exceeded what either side in the case suggested was appropriate, was supported by the weight of the evidence despite not having raised an immediate objection when the verdict was read in court.

The award stems from negligence claims that John Stapas filed against Giant Eagle in the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas after he was shot multiple times following an altercation with a customer at a GetGo convenience store in Pittsburgh in July 2007. law360.com

Lewisville, TX: Boost Mobile provides conflicting reasons for termination of employee after armed robbery
A woman was traumatized by an armed robbery the night of Jan. 15 at the Boost Mobile store where she worked. Now she is also out of a job, and she and her employer give conflicting accounts of why.

The day after the robbery, Carol Newman posted on Facebook about it, sharing a still photo from the surveillance video and asking the public to help police identify the suspect. The day after that, she posted that she had been fired from the store, and they had not given her a reason.

A spokesperson for PairUp Wireless, which owns the Boost Mobile store, made a statement that implies Newman had decided to leave. lewisvilletexan.com

Payless sues former employees to force repayment of bonuses
Erik Fritzler received an excellent job offer in June 2016 from Payless ShoeSource outlining bonuses, vacation, salary, relocation reimbursement and benefits. He packed up his family of four and moved from the small town of Sidney, Neb., to northeast Kansas into a situation that a year later has become a nightmare.

Fritzler recently was served a court summons notifying him that Payless is suing him for just over $30,000 to repay the relocation costs of his Nebraska move, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus he received. He is angry and nervous about the future, and he created www.screwpayless.com to tell his story. cjonline.com

Spending Retail's Tax Windfall
'A once-in-a-generation chance to invest'
Don't blow it. That's the message to retailers as they look out into 2018 and ponder how to spend their once-in-a-generation tax windfall. The controversial $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, which was signed into law by President Trump just before Christmas, is expected to boost many retail bottom lines by 20 percent or more.

There is plenty of work to do as they right-size operations, connect digitally with customers, sharpen their stores and delivery mechanisms and figure out how to coexist with Amazon while desperately trying to get off the price-promotional wheel that they created. Meanwhile, the strongest might use some of the funds to make acquisitions, either to expand their digital operations or grab a weakening competitor to bolster their own market share.

But just as there is an opportunity for companies to use their tax windfall to supercharge their transformations, there is also an opportunity to squander the newly found money or to invest it poorly. For public companies in particular, shareholders looking for returns on their investments will be pushing for dividend payments or share buybacks. wwd.com

File Your Taxes Before Scammers Do It For You
Today, Jan. 29, is officially the first day of the 2018 tax-filing season, also known as the day fraudsters start requesting phony tax refunds in the names of identity theft victims. Want to minimize the chances of getting hit by tax refund fraud this year? File your taxes before the bad guys can! krebsonsecurity.com

The NYC-Newark slugfest in the battle for Amazon's $5 billion headquarters
Like the millennials it wants to attract to work at its new headquarters, 23-year-old Amazon faces a tough choice: It can move into the city, with all of its vibrancy, cachet and access. Or it can move to a suburb, with all of the city's attributes just a short drive or train ride away and have a little more money to take advantage of it all. As the competition for Amazon's HQ2 project moves to a second phase, New York and New Jersey are battling tooth-and-nail to sway the company's decision.

New York City and Newark, New Jersey, are on Amazon's shortlist of 20 potential locations for the $5 billion project, which Amazon says will ultimately employ 50,000 highly paid workers. cnbc.com

Side Benefit to Amazon's Headquarters Contest: Local Expertise
The other week, 218 cities and states lost in the sweepstakes to be the home of Amazon's second headquarters, failing to make the list of 20 finalists. But Amazon thanks them for playing.

That is because the hundreds of applications gave Amazon a hidden benefit: free research that the company can mine when picking spots for future warehouses and satellite offices. nytimes.com

Target launching same-day delivery
Target Corp. is moving quickly to leverage its $550 million acquisition of Shipt. The discounter announced that it will debut same-day delivery services via Shipt on Feb. 1 across 57 stores in South Florida and Birmingam, Alabama. It will move quickly to expand the service, making it available at nearly half its 1,834 stores by the end of the first quarter (February 12), and the majority of its stores in time for the 2018 holiday season. chainstoreage.com

A Shortage of Trucks Is Forcing Companies to Cut Shipments or Pay Up
A nationwide truck shortage is forcing thousands of shippers into a tough choice: postpone all but the most important deliveries, or pay dearly to jump to the front of the line.

Several factors have converged to overwhelm the trucking market. Freight volumes in December hit near-record levels for that time of year, on the back of a strengthening economy. Retailers are replenishing stocks after one of the strongest holiday sales seasons in recent years. Manufacturers are also shipping more cargo; in December, industrial production had the largest year-over-year gain since 2010, according to the Federal Reserve. wsj.com

Edwardsville, IL: Walgreens donates $27,776 check to Got Your Six Dogs organization
Got Your Six Support Dogs, a non-profit organization that helps veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD with training and provides a specially trained PTSD dog at no charge, announces they have received a $27,776.00 donation from Walgreens in Edwardsville.

The funds were raised by the staff at the Walgreens Distribution Center 28 Gateway Commerce Drive West. All money will be used for general operations. riverbender.com

Home Depot hourly employees to receive up to $1,000 bonus due to tax reform

Casey's bids for Kroger convenience stores

Former Coke exec to lead Staples

IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad dies at 91

One last shift: After 45 years together, a Kmart cashier and her store are gone

NRF Big Show 2018 Recap


Last week's #1 article --

Bankruptcy fallout
Toys R Us closing up to 182 stores - About 20% of fleet
Toys R Us late Tuesday filed court documents outlining plans to close up to 182 stores as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plans. The company noted that some closings may be avoided if it is able to negotiate more favorable lease terms. But most of the stores listed in the documents are expected to close as Toys R Us tries to reinvent itself as a leaner, smarter retailer.

Going-out-of-business sales are scheduled to begin in February and be completed in April. Toys R Us will shrink its store fleet by about 20%, or some 6.9 million square feet, if all 182 stores are closed.

In addition to closing stores, the company intends to convert a number of locations into combined Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores. usatoday.com

Full list of Toys R Us closures

5 Questions You Should Ask Before
Installing A Door Lock System

The InstaKey Key Control Program can improve security, while helping to control costs and minimizing your business liability. In order to reap all these benefits, you will need to ensure you choose the right lock and key security system for your organization and use it correctly. Before you install a door lock system, ask yourself the following questions to clarify your organization's security needs and work out which solution is right for you.

1. What Is a Door Lock System?

Before you install a new system in your facility, you need to know how it works. Mechanical solutions for securing access to a property have existed for centuries and they haven't changed much because they are very effective. In just the past 30 years, small changes to traditional lock pinning practices have made a huge impact on locks making them more efficient and less costly to maintain. Click here to see the four critical components of a key control system.

2. Is It Easy to Control and Maintain?

Before you install any new system for managing locks and keys, you need to know how much time you can expect to spend maintaining it. Thankfully, these systems are easy to control and maintain. Online software provides compliance by allowing you to track keyholders and ensuring that you know who has the keys and that they are all present. When you need to reset a lock, you can quickly do this without needing to replace any physical components other than keys.

3. Can I Customize My Door Lock System?

You might worry that due to complexity, no product can meet the needs of your organization. However, you can customize InstaKey systems so they work just as you need them to. Rekeyable lock cylinders that retrofit into most existing hardware, online/mobile software and restricted keys all provide customization options even up to a great grandmaster key level of complexity, ensures that you give access to everyone who needs it, where they need it.

Read #4 and #5 here.

How Amazon's Convenience Store Uses Surveillance Cameras
for a Checkout-Free Experience
The Amazon Go store uses a combination of artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras to keep track of products taken off of store shelves. So how does it work? Amazon says it uses computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning, the same technology as self-driving cars.

TechCrunch reporter Devin Coldewey recently visited the store and described what he saw:

Amazon's approach wasn't as complex as I expected, or rather not in the way I expected. Mainly the system is made up of dozens and dozens of camera units mounted to the ceiling, covering and recovering every square inch of the store from multiple angles. I'd guess there are maybe a hundred or so in the store I visited, which was about the size of an ordinary bodega or gas station mart.

The cameras are custom made with boards in their enclosures that do all the computing. But how does it keep track of who picks up what? Coldewey explains:

The images captured from these cameras are sent to a central processing unit (for lack of a better term, not knowing exactly what it is), which does the real work of quickly and accurately identifying different people in the store and objects being picked up or held. Picking something up adds it to your "virtual shopping cart," and you can pop it in a tote or shopping bag as fast as you like. No need to hold it up for the system to see.

In addition to the cameras, there are weight sensors in the shelves, and the system is aware of every item's exact weight - so no trying to grab two yogurts at once and palm the second, as I considered trying.

What's really impressive is no facial recognition is used during the process. Considering the increase of privacy concerns and fear of data leaks, that's probably for the best. securitysales.com

Seasonal workers could be a security challenge
Long after they depart, valid login information or other sensitive material may remain in their possession.

Retail associates - even seasonal workers - increasingly use a variety of online apps to perform their jobs.

Companies must implement an effective identity- and access-management program throughout the organization to centralize and automate onboarding and offboarding tasks in real time. Gartner Research calls such a program "the security discipline that enables the right individuals to access the right resources at the right times for the right reasons." stores.org

Endpoint and Mobile Top Security Spending at 57% of Businesses
There is a disconnect between businesses' ideal security practices and their actual strategies. Some 77% of companies cite data-at-rest security tools as the most effective for preventing breaches but fall toward the bottom (40%) of security spending priorities, new data shows.

For 57% of businesses, the bulk of security budgets goes toward endpoint and mobile security technologies, followed by analysis and correlation tools (50%). The disconnect extends to encryption, which many cite as important but don't allocate spending toward encryption tech.

Forty-two percent of respondents use more than 50 SaaS applications, 57% use three or more IaaS vendors, and 53% use three or more PaaS environments. Nearly half (44%) cite encryption as the top tool for increased cloud usage; 35% say it's a necessary part of big data adoption. Encryption is also cited as the top tool for securing IoT (48%) and container (41%) deployments. darkreading.com

FBI: Cyber investigations no different from real world
Despite a loud group claiming the burden of proof is harder to meet with digital evidence, an agent says FBI cyber investigations are not much different from traditional cases.

According to West, FBI Cyber Division operational section four is one of the five operational sections in the Cyber Division that focuses on the FBI's:

● extraterritorial cyber ALAT (assistant legal attaches) program;
● rapid response cyber action team;
● advanced digital forensics and malware investigators; and
● undercover programs, confidential human sources and operations that are threat-agnostic.

The question I often get is, 'What level of case do you work?' What is the monetary loss?' it really is dependent on where the case is initiated where the venue exists.

In a criminal case, you may have a half million-dollar threshold in a larger city or a $50,000 threshold in a smaller city. That's all dependent upon what the local U.S. Attorney's Office has decided. Read on about how the FBI handles a computer intrusion - not cyber crime per say. techtarget.com

Trying to Win Back Creditability,
Experian Hires Rudy Giuliani
for Nationwide Advertising Campaign

1-800-Flowers.com turns 'AI conversations' into sales

The CSO guide to top cybersecurity security conferences

Solution Providers: Have a video or commercial you want to publish? Contact us 

Voice Commerce, Fraud are Top 2018 Trends in Payments
The of the top three top payments trends in 2018 according to the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), two of them are top of mind for CardNotPresent.com readers: the emergence of voice and IoT as sales channels and e-commerce fraud as part of a larger emphasis on security.

Research firm IDC, which performed the analysis for the ETA, predicts that 30 billion devices will be connected to the Internet in the next two years. And, with digital home assistants from Amazon and Google popularizing voice as a user interface, the research found that in 2018, connected voice-enabled devices will initiate $150 billion in transactions.

"Voice is a natural way to communicate and it will become a very important part of commerce as we move forward," said James Wester, research director for IDC. "2018 will be the year we see voice commerce provide a seamless and easier way to make a payment."

And, as the new sales channels quickly expand the number of transactions being performed, card-not-present fraud and other attacks on online commerce will continue to grow quickly. cardnotpresent.com

Study: E-retailers that overstep 'data boundaries' drive away customers
Online brands must respect consumers' data privacy if they want to build strong customer relationships - and retain customers.

While 71% of U.S.-based shoppers said they are willing to part with information, such as e-mail addresses and shopping history, in return, they expect retailers to protect their interests (72%); be transparent in how they use personal data (66%), and protect their privacy in the event of criminal investigations (60%), according to "The Global 2017 SAP Hybris Consumer Insights Report," from SAP SE.

If a retailer breaches the mutual trust and respect it has built with a shopper, the relationship will be immediately damaged. Consumers often will leave a brand if their personal data is used without their knowledge (79%). Just as harmful to the relationship is unresponsiveness to customer service queries and requests and receiving messages that are not relevant to the customer, the report said. chainstoreage.com

Amazon's ad business rises 23% in Q4

Apple readies a revamped e‑books push against Amazon

Canadian e‑commerce sales increased 25% YOY in November

SwimOutlet hires an L.L. Bean e‑commerce exec as its president

(Update) North Londonderry, NH:
How an Human Resources Manager defrauded Lowe's of $130,000
On Dec. 8, Lowe's Home Improvement reported the theft to N. Londonderry police. Police were advised the company funds that were taken totaled in excess of $80,000. Over several weeks, police worked with Lowe's loss prevention and other government agencies to uncover an "elaborate scheme," involving stolen identities of 46 former employees committed by Keynan Kinard, a 25-year-old Harrisburg resident and human resources manager at Lowe's.

When Keynan Kinard hit upon a white-collar crime scheme so successful he was able to steal $130,000 from Lowe's, he perhaps could have used the money to pay down restitution costs from a previous act of insurance fraud. Instead, he spent almost as much money as he took in on "lavish vacations." For more than five months, Kinard managed to avoid detection in a complicated endeavor that involved signing former employees up for debit cards, clocking into work as other employees, and making ATM withdraws in Harrisburg, the affidavit says. Here's how he allegedly did it - and how police caught on to the scheme. ldnews.com



Geneseo, NY: I.D. Left at Walmart During $2K Ink Theft Leads to Inmate's Arrest
The Geneva resident who apparently left her I.D. at Walmart after taking off with over $2,000 in ink cartridges is now in police custody. According to Geneseo Police Chief Eric Osganian, Patricia Smith, 32, was charged with felony Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree; Dec 28 the suspect fled Walmart with$2,062.59 in ink cartridges. geneseesun.com



Snohomish County, WA: Jewelry Store Burglars flee from Police; ends in Crash and 30 pieces recovered
The burglary happened at about 7:30 a.m. at Mill Creek Jewelers in Mill Creek. Officials said the male suspect, was chased down by authorities until he crashed his car. Police are awaiting a warrant to search the suspect's vehicle to find out exactly how much merchandise was stolen from the jewelry store. q13fox.com

Hanover, PA: Former employee, wife charged for stealing $5,100 and using Walmart gift cards

Flint, MI: Woman attempted to steal $970 in groceries from Meijer in Genoa Twp.

Troy, MI: Man accused of stealing more than $400 worth of items from Victoria's Secret

Shootings & Deaths

Melcroft, NC: Four shot and killed outside Car Wash
Authorities confirmed that four people were killed in a shooting in Melcroft, Fayette County, early Sunday, and said the man who shot them is in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. Police identified the shooter as Timothy O'Brien Smith, 28, and said he fatally shot 4 victims just before 3 a.m. outside of a car wash on Indian Creek Valley Road. District Attorney Rich Bower said Smith, wearing body armor without the ballistic inserts, shot the four in their vehicles after they arrived at the car wash. Police said Smith was armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, a 9mm handgun and also possessed a 308-caliber rifle. heraldstandard.com

Las Vegas, NV: Police investigation two early-morning murders
The second murder happened outside a strip mall at Rancho Dr. and Washington Ave. Detectives say a homeless man was shot near the Rancho Discount Mall and died at the scene. lasvegasnow.com
 

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Starting Out as a New Leader
 

What Every New Leader Needs to Hear (And Do)  As a new leader, or a leader going into a new role, starting out on the right foot can make all the difference, but it's not easy. How can you approach your team's already set role in a way that will help you implement your own leadership style? Walk the walk

5 Key Strategies for New Leaders
Nothing can set us back more than fear of the unknown. If you're starting out in a new leadership role, don't let fear hold you back: get excited, see the possibilities and engage everyone with your enthusiasm! Here's how to begin. Listen first to learn

Worried About Becoming a Leader? 10 Things You Should Know  While it's very exciting to go into a leadership role, it can be very daunting for someone new to the position, especially leading a new team. Here's advice for all new leaders to help you manage a team and get started off on the right foot. Culture of Meritocracy

How to Groom Next Gen Employees to Be Great Leaders  Millennials will make up over 50% of the American workforce by 2020. They are the next to fill leadership roles, so empowering them to grow and develop in their leadership abilities is crucial. Here's how you can help. Bridge the gap

Education is a broad term, usually defined by an individual as a singular focus with an end result that oftentimes stagnates the brain and limits horizons. Reaching milestones is incredibly important, but keeping your curiosity and wonderment is the key to reaching beyond. No singular degree or certification will bring you the success - it merely opens the door to more learning and the realization that if you don't know something, you go find someone who does and learn it from them.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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