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In Case You Missed It

January's Moving Ups

17 New Senior LP's - 7 Promotions - 10 Appointments


Amazon promoted Stephen Schmidt to Chief Security Officer
Amazon promoted Brent Cohen, CFI, LPC to Sr. Program Manager, ORC Investigations Liaison
Burlington Stores, Inc. named Adam Eaton Senior Director - Asset Protection Investigations
Chanel named Anton K. Williams Corporate Asset Protection Executive
Dollar General promoted Adam Zager to VP, Risk Management
Dollar General promoted Jennifer Fletcher to VP, Internal Audit
Dollar General named Matt Dorgan Asset Protection Operations Senior Analyst
Google named Christine Sampaio Country Lead - Security Operations & Resiliency (Canada)
H-E-B promoted Ben Thomas to Director of Loss Prevention/Security
Home Depot named Edward "Ted" Decker new CEO & President
Integritus Group named Mark Stinde Senior Vice President Operations, Retail and Compliance
Kittery Trading Post named Scott Pickrel, CFI Director of Loss Prevention
Rite Aid promoted Suzie Prebosnyak to Senior Leader of Investigations
Save Philly Stores, LP named Sean Finegan, C.F.I. Director of Loss Prevention
Southeastern Grocers named Chris Bitner Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer
TJX Companies promoted Chris O'Neil to Field Investigations Manager
Vector Security names Bryan P. Finney VP of Information Technology


See All the Executives 'Moving Up' Here   |   Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions or New Position
 
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Tally Retail Solutions Provides Real-Time ORC Theft Values

Tally Releases 2021 Smart Shelf Alerts Summary Report

Average incident $ amounts for four ORC categories

Longmont, CO - February 1, 2022 -- Tally Retail Solutions released its 2021 Summary Analysis of Store Alerts today.

The Smart Shelf provides retailers an effective proven on shelf inventory monitoring tool and case management platform to combat ORC, customer theft, manage inventory levels, and forecast customer demand based on real-time product movement. Incident reporting results for 2021 continued to prove the Tally Smart Shelf is a strong deterrent to all forms of customer theft especially ORC and provides on shelf availability status alerts.

This year's data was collected from six separate retail chains that deploy the Tally Smart Shelf in their most challenging stores. The alerts and incident details were categorized and recorded in the Tally Portal.

Read the full report in the latest D&D Daily V-Newsletter here
 



The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact


Stores Roll Out Facial Recognition to Fight Theft Wave
Retailers Quietly Deploying Controversial Technology To Combat Crime Spree
Macy's, Bloomingdale's and a dozen other large retailers are quietly using controversial facial-recognition technology to fight a rise in smash-and-grab robberies and other coordinated attacks.

It's part of a larger push to turn retailers' existing security cameras - those ubiquitous black gadgets that produce thousands of hours of mostly useless footage - into a more sophisticated artificial-intelligence surveillance system, capable of automatically identifying people, license plates and other information that can be used to alert store employees of unfolding threats and ultimately prosecute offenders.

"There's a big play to use AI right now," said Read Hayes, director of the Loss Prevention Research Council. "Retailers have got cameras all over the place anyways."

The technology has new appeal at a time when theft and violence is on the rise, particularly from organized crime groups that steal millions of dollars in merchandise and then sell the products online. Organized retail crime has risen by 60% since 2015, according to the National Retail Federation, with nearly 70% of retailers reporting an increase in 2021. As much as $69 billion worth of products are stolen from the nation's retailers each year, or 1.5% of sales, according to estimates from the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Buy Safe America Coalition. A record 523 people were killed during robberies and other violent retail incidents in the U.S. in 2020, including 256 customers and 139 employees.

"What retailers are really trying to do is give police more evidence of who is doing this," said Adrian Beck, a professor at the University of Leicester whose research focuses on ways to combat retail loss.

Facial-recognition technology is controversial because research has shown it's often inaccurate when identifying people of color and women. The worst technology has an error rate of up to 35% when scanning darker-skinned women, but less than 1% with lighter-skinned men, according to one research report. The reason? Early versions of the algorithms were trained using images of celebrities that skewed white and male.

Companies have been working to address the racial bias, and between 2014 and 2018, facial-recognition software got 20 times better at searching a database to find a matching photograph, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. However, as of 2019, the government found that some software still misidentified African-American and Asian people 10 to 100 times more often than white men.

There's been a push to curb the use of facial recognition by law enforcement, with cities like San Francisco, Minneapolis and Boston barring police officers from using it. Companies like Amazon and Microsoft have stopped selling the tech to police. forbes.com

Theft Boom Stands in the Way of NYC's Retail Comeback
Op-Ed: Shoplifting kills a Rite Aid - and maybe Manhattan's comeback chances
The pharmacy, on 8th Avenue and 50th Street, will close Feb. 8. Last week, it was effectively already shuttered, with most of the store cordoned off with gates. The reason the Rite Aid is closing is mass-scale shoplifting. As The Post reported last week, the shop lost $200,000 in goods in two months.

This store's workers have had a rough two years. In June 2020 - the summer of "peaceful protests" - the shop suffered looting. Since then, the store's workers - mostly people of color - have suffered the strain of constant disorder.

Shoplifting is traumatizing to employees not just because they must contend with the implied threat of violence that goes along with brazen all-day theft. Shoplifting without consequences also attracts people you don't want to spend time around.

Now the Midtown Rite Aid's chronic shoplifters have claimed collateral damage in people's livelihoods. Yes, Rite Aid says that employees at this store can work at another one. But as the company isn't opening any new store to replace this one, Manhattan is losing employment for people who don't have a job yet but might like one.

No, the culprit isn't online shopping. Until two years ago, this store was packed, and it retained its local customers during the pandemic. The store has lost tourist and office-worker customers, sure. But the city has made this surmountable challenge worse.

We all know by now that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will treat violent robberies as mere shoplifting - which means that shoplifting won't be prosecuted at all.

The Rite Aid's disappearance is a result of our urban failures, but it will also contribute to them. Now, potential tenants will see an empty hulk - one that will almost certainly be boarded up after vagrants smash the windows. nypost.com

'Everyone Stole Everything'
Op-Ed: Manhattan Retail Is Getting Destroyed by Shoplifting
I didn't realize yesterday, when I wrote about how a Rite Aid closed in the greater Times Square area, that (liberal) actor Michael Rapaport had gone viral with a pair of videos about how his neighborhood Rite Aid closed after "everyone stole everything." This is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, one of the wealthiest corners of the city.

"I can't believe I'm seeing this s**," Rapaport said. "This f***ing guy just filled his two bags up with everything in Rite Aid, right here on 80th and First Avenue is walking down the street like s**t is Gucci. I was watching him the whole time. . . . My man just went Christmas shopping in January," he added, noting that the thief walked right by a security guard. Rite Aid employees including security guards told the New York Post that they're under orders not to accost or try to stop shoplifters

In a followup video, Rapaport said, "Back in my Rite Aid and there's nothing to steal because this Rite Aid, like so many other Rite Aids, is closing down because everyone stole everything,"

Just an idea, but . . . maybe the liberals who created this situation through the ballot box should rethink how they vote? Leftist Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who has vowed to treat armed robbery like shoplifting unless a gun is involved, is rarely or never prosecuting nonviolent shoplifters. Reports of petit larceny are up 26 percent over the comparable period last year, but one has to suppose that many incidents of theft are simply not being reported. Why bother? Bragg has convened a special "task force" to consider the problem, with a report due in May. What is there to consider? Either shoplifting is treated as a crime, or it isn't. nationalreview.com

Another State, Another ORC Bill
Proposed bill would increase punishment for repeat shoplifters
Shoplifting is not new in Albuquerque many times Walgreens stores are targeted but they are not the only ones. One woman who's often a witness to these crimes says something needs to change.

This is something that State Rep. Bill Rehm (R) is focusing on this legislative session. In a statement, Rehm said that HB29, "Retail theft affects all New Mexicans and especially our small local businesses. The cost of retail crime is directly passed to each of us and will cause some businesses to fail, which is bad for our economy."

One Nob Hill business owner that did not want to be on camera says she's also experienced shoplifters. Smith said she would like to see harsher punishments for shoplifters. "I believe our laws need to change, I see that happen all the time and I know that these people are just let go the next day," Smith said.

House Bill 29 proposes that if there is a coordinated plan to steal from retailers more than two times can be charged anywhere from a petty misdemeanor to a second-degree felony if it's more than $20,000.

Rehm said he's been working with other Republican leaders to control organized retail crime since 2007. The organized crime retail bill is expected to be discussed during Tuesday's House Rules and Business Committee meeting. koat.com

White House Calls for 'Significant Increase' in Police Funding as Crime Surges
Biden press secretary pushes back on 'soft on crime' criticism from Fox News

Press secretary fires back at characterization of Biden as 'soft on crime'

The White House pushed back on right-leaning media organizations, including Fox News, over criticism of the president as "soft on crime".

Ms Psaki responded by noting that the mocking tone she took during the interview was in response to Fox News' coverage of the issue and "baseless" characterization of President Joe Biden as "soft on crime", and not general concerns about crime, which she called a "serious issue".

She went on to mention the president's support for community policing programs and budgetary efforts to increase federal funding for local law enforcement agencies, as well as the unified GOP opposition to the American Rescue Plan which included provisions for local law enforcement agencies to buy new equipment and hire more personnel.

"President Biden has proposed a significant increase for local cops' funding in his budget," she said, adding of the GOP opposition to a bill that provided funding to local law enforcement groups: "I know Republicans don't like it when we call that out. I'm going to keep calling that out."

"I think we all agree or should agree that violent crime is a serious problem. We actually saw a record jump in murders in 2020, under the former president," she said. "Our view is rather than turn this into a political football...we need to be focused on keeping our communities safe." independent.co.uk

Largest U.S. Police Advocacy Org Accuses Psaki of 'Laughing Off' Crime Concerns


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COVID Update

539.3M Vaccinations Given

US: 76.2M Cases - 910.1K Dead - 46.2M Recovered
Worldwide: 379.4M Cases - 5.6M Dead - 299.4M Recovered


Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 344   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 624
*Red indicates change in total deaths


Cases Have Peaked, But Death Are Surging
U.S. Covid-19 Hospitalizations Retreat, but Deaths Keep Rising

Gradual decline in patient numbers fuels hope that Omicron wave has peaked

Hospitalizations for Covid-19 continue to slow in the U.S., with the seven-day average of hospital patients with confirmed or suspected infections dropping to 146,769 on Saturday, about 8% down from a peak on Jan. 20, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The rolling seven-day average of daily deaths with Covid-19, a lagging indicator, continues to rise, however, reaching 2,379 on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. are running at their highest level since February last year. Even though the evidence suggests the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus is less likely to cause severe illness and death than previous variants, the sheer number of Omicron infections is leading to a heavy toll.

The gradual decline in hospitalizations is making health experts cautiously optimistic that the current wave of Omicron may have peaked, and that deaths might trend downward in the coming weeks too. However, while the Omicron tide appears to be receding in heavily populated coastal states such as California and New York, epidemiologists warn that it hasn't yet peaked in some less-vaccinated parts of the U.S. wsj.com

Thousands of Front-Line Workers Have Died from COVID
One Million Deaths: The Hole the Pandemic Made in U.S. Society

Covid-19 has been directly responsible for most of the fatalities, but the disease is also unraveling families and communities in subtler ways

Federal authorities estimate that 987,456 more people have died since early 2020 than would have otherwise been expected, based on long-term trends. People killed by coronavirus infections account for the overwhelming majority of cases. Thousands more died from derivative causes, like disruptions in their healthcare and a spike in overdoses.

Covid-19 has left the same proportion of the population dead-about 0.3%-as did World War II, and in less time. Unlike the 1918 flu pandemic or major wars, which hit younger people, Covid-19 has been particularly hard on vulnerable seniors. It has also killed thousands of front-line workers and disproportionately affected minority populations.

It could take years to fully realize the lasting social changes the pandemic and its human toll will yield. Major wars can redraw maps, shift the balance of global power and leave memorials in the nation's capital. The pandemic is a reminder our biggest enemies are often too small to see.

In 2019, the U.S. recorded 2.85 million deaths, following a climb of about 1.6% a year over the decade as the population grew and aged. In 2020, the number ballooned by 18.5% to 3.38 million deaths. Last year, provisional data show 3.42 million deaths. wsj.com
 
Comparing U.S. COVID Deaths to Murder Deaths
More Americans have died of COVID in the past 11 days than have died of murder in any year in U.S. history
There was an interesting tweet over the weekend that drew an analogy I hadn't considered: "More Americans have died of COVID in the past 11 days than have died of murder in any year ever," attorney David Menschel wrote.

Yes: the country saw more new covid deaths from Jan. 18 to 30 than the number of murders in 1991, 24,700. (If you're about to start typing "dying with!!!!!!" in an email or a tweet, please read this.) Those days were deadlier for Americans than the deadliest year for homicides in our country's history.

We can take this further. The current covid-19 death toll - a toll that began less than two years ago - is about the same as the number of people who have been murdered since 1975. We've seen as many covid deaths since Jan. 21 as we did murders in 2020 - a year in which murder spiked. We've seen as many deaths from covid-19 since early October of last year as the number of recorded murders since the beginning of 2010.

Overlaying the daily death toll with the country's historic murder toll shows how the two figures compare. About a year ago, we were losing more people to covid in eight days than were murdered in 1991.

There are obvious differences between murder and covid-19, of course. One is that covid-19 deaths are almost entirely preventable. While there have been concerted efforts to tamp down on homicides and on deaths from the coronavirus, only the latter can be largely eliminated by a simple vaccine. washingtonpost.com

Emergency Retail & Restaurant Fund
NH Senator seeks COVID pay for retail, restaurant workers
State Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, is proposing help, requesting that ailing or temporarily jobless state restaurant and retail workers become eligible for assistance during COVID-19-related absences.

Perkins Kwoka penned a letter last week to Taylor Caswell, executive director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Relief and Recovery, requesting an emergency fund for restaurant and retail sector employees who miss time due to COVID-19 isolation and quarantine.

"Such workers are not eligible for unemployment benefits, as they are still employed," she wrote. "As these workers are the ones who continued to show up and keep our society functioning during the darkest days of the pandemic, we should have some fund or programs in place to help them during their temporary period of inability to work."

Eight to 10 businesses, Perkins Kwoka estimated, have contacted her to inquire about financial assistance, though she's sure more are buckling from the same circumstances. When she tested positive for COVID-19, Corlin-Haugh emailed Perkins Kwoka, Gov. Chris Sununu's office and the state's congressional delegation to explain her situation.

The Portsmouth lawmaker also proposed a separate fund for businesses to apply for a "short infusion of funds - on a grant or loan basis - which would allow them to weather this tough stretch." seacoastonline.com

COVID's Impact on Work
Remote work in your PJs adds three hours to your work week

Working from home may mean less time in the shower-but also more time at your desk.

Forgoing grooming and commuting gives at-home workers in the US an extra six hours compared to when they went into the office, according to a monthly survey of nearly 4,000 respondents put together by a group of economists. Half of that extra time goes to more recreational activities, but they spend the other half working.

In January, they found workers saved about 60 minutes a day from not commuting, and 10 minutes from skipping daily grooming tasks like showering, shaving, putting on clean clothes, or putting on makeup. Overall, remote workers report that they've become more efficient at working from home than in the office. Despite the extra work hours, many workers are reluctant to go back to the office full-time.

On average, the 42,000 remote workers polled since July 2020 have said they plan to work from home two days a week even after the pandemic subsidies. Employers are also warming up to a hybrid model in a post-pandemic world. qz.com

US gives full approval to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Remote working new normal; 82% employees prefer working from home: Study

German Retail Slump Highlights COVID Roadblocks to Recovery


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Store Openings Up 3% - Closures Down 65%
As 2022 kicks off, store closures are down 65%: Coresight
By the fourth week of January, announced store closures across the retail industry - at 742 total - were down 65% compared to the same time last year, according to the latest counts by Coresight Research. CVS accounts for 300 of those closures.

Store openings, meanwhile, stood at 1,910, a 3% increase from last year. Coresight's tallies for the full year 2021 showed that openings (5,048) outpaced closures (4,975) in a year marked by strong consumer demand and few retail bankruptcies.

So far this year, Dollar General has more planned store openings (1,102) than every other retailer combined, according to Coresight data.

Bankruptcies in the industry slowed dramatically last year, thanks to strong consumer spending and government support of the financial industry, which helped funnel capital and boost liquidity for players that needed some.

But a tapering in closures is only half the story. The thousands of openings last year and on deck for this year show the resilience of brick-and-mortar retail, especially in discount sectors, which have accounted for an outsized share of openings in recent years.

Among others with the largest opening plans this year are, according to Coresight, Burlington Stores, Signet Jewelers, Windsor Fashions, Aerie, Big Lots and Citi Trends. retaildive.com

Retail Among Industries with Highest Quit Rate
'The Great Resignation': A record number of Americans quit their jobs in 2021
Some 4.3 million people quit or changed jobs in December - down from last month's all-time high but still near record levels, as the labor market remained unsettled and the omicron variant swept through the United States.

Employers reported some 10.9 million job openings in the survey, well above pre-pandemic averages. December proved to be an incredibly disruptive month for the U.S. labor market. Employees grappled with sudden outbreaks at work, with little of the social safety net protections or pandemic-controlling measures that helped cushion the blow from earlier waves. And a vaccine-evading variant shook the nation's confidence that a future without the virus was on the near horizon.

The elevated quitting data, which represented nearly three percent of the country's employed population, is another window into how the labor market's patterns have been upended by the pandemic.

While the crisis was originally marked by mass joblessness - more than 20 million people lost their jobs in the earliest days of the pandemic, many temporarily - 2021 was defined by a strong labor market recovery as well as complaints by employers about difficulty finding available workers.

That shortage has meant that many companies have been racing to compete with each other for workers, raising wages, adding cash bonuses and sweetening the pot in other ways to try to attract applicants. And that in turn has created a climate for workers to have more leverage and options than perhaps any other time in recent history.

Industries with the highest levels of workers quitting or leaving for other jobs were accommodation and food services, with 6.1 percent of workers quitting, retail, with 4.9 percent of workers quitting, trade, transportation and utilities, with 3.8 percent of workers quitting, and professional and business services, with 3.7 percent of workers quitting. washingtonpost.com

Union Push at 54 Starbucks Locations in 19 States
More than 50 Starbucks stores petition to unionize
Employees at more than 50 Starbucks locations have petitioned to unionize shortly after workers at a Buffalo, New York, store first voted to do so last month.

Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union that is organizing the Starbucks push, said Monday that an additional 15 locations filed for union elections with the National Labor Relations Board.

With the most recent announcement, 54 Starbucks locations in 19 states have petitioned to unionize, indicating that the organizing effort is spreading rapidly.

Starbucks has urged its employees to push back on the unionization effort. The coffee chain said last month that it did not want unions to come between the company and its workers, but pledged to "respect the legal process" and "bargain in good faith" with the Buffalo store that voted 19-8 to unionize.

Earlier this month, a separate Buffalo location became the second Starbucks store to unionize following a 15-9 vote. Another store is awaiting vote results and a fourth store in Arizona will count votes on Feb. 16, according to Workers United. wjbf.com

100,000 New Hires at Home Depot
Home Depot is seeking to beat the tight labor market and hire a record-breaking 100,000 for its busy spring season

Executive Eric Schelling said that the hiring push is meant to meet a "spike" in consumer demand.

Home Depot is aiming to hire 100,000 new employees for its springtime rush.

For the past two years, Home Depot has met its hiring goal of 80,000 in the run-up to its busy spring season, when warmer weather and an urge to tackle springtime projects tend to boost home improvement sales. This year, despite the tight labor market, the big box chain is increasing its latest hiring goal to a new high.

The new hires will fill a mix of permanent full-time and part-time roles. Home Depot did not provide Insider with specific details on its average wages, but Schelling said that new hires will receive a "competitive" offering that is dependent on factors like location and employee experience. He said that the home improvement retailer is hoping to attract talent by touting efficient "same-day" hiring, thus reducing wait time for job candidates. businessinsider.com

Transforming Brick & Mortar
Retailers Use Digital Blueprints to Reinvent the Physical Store Experience
Not long ago - call it two years - eCommerce and digital were being used primarily to inform consumers' in-store journeys, but that has flipped. Now, digital is in the driver's seat, leaving brick-and-mortar operators to learn how to complement shopping excursions that begin online.

At the core, it's a design challenge for physical retailers that have been jumping from one foot to the other throughout the pandemic, coping with the latest variant while piloting new tech.

With the great digital shift commanding most of the headlines these past 21 months or so, the great physical transformation will steal some of that thunder with new ideas for 2022.

Formats are getting an overhaul, for example. "Another thing that we're seeing is retailers have more smaller-footprint stores, and that's because you can't compete with the availability of product online. It's smaller-footprint stores that are more experiential based," Murphy said.

With connected platforms and ecosystems bridging eCommerce and brick-and-mortar, companies have to be smart - and have smart partners - to make the most of both. pymnts.com

Domino's will slice $3 off your pizza's price if you skip delivery

These 10 brands are proving physical stores still matter in 2022



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Retailers Among Top Targets for Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware: Over half of attacks are targeting these three industries

Three sectors have been the most common target for ransomware attacks, but researchers warn "no business or industry is safe".

Over half of ransomware attacks are targeting one of three industries; banking, utilities and retail, according to analysis by cybersecurity researchers - but they've also warned that all industries are at risk from attacks.

The data has been gathered by Trellix - formerly McAfee Enterprise and FireEye - from detected attacks between July and September 2021, a period when some of the most high profile ransomware attacks of the last year happened.

According to detections by Trellix, banking and finance was the most common target for ransomware during the reporting period, accounting for 22% of detected attacks. That's followed by 20% of attacks targeting the utilities sector and 16% of attacks targeting retailers. Attacks against the three sectors alone account for 58% of all of those detected.

Ransomware attacks against retailers can have a significant impact, forcing shops to be restricted to taking cash payments, or even forcing them to close all together while the issue is resolved, preventing people from buying everyday items they need.

Other sectors which were significant targets for ransomware include education, government and industrial services, serving as a warning that no matter which sector they operate in, all organisations could be a potential target for ransomware.

"Despite the financial, utilities and retail sectors accounting for nearly 60% of all ransomware detections - no business or industry is safe from attack, and these findings should act as a reminder of this," said Fabien Rech, VP EMEA for Trellix. zdnet.com

More Than a Dozen Companies Targeted
Aggressive BlackCat Ransomware on the Rise

The cybercriminals behind the malware claim to have compromised more than a dozen companies; they have aggressively outed victims and purportedly paid a significant share of ransoms back to affiliates.

AdvertisementBlackCat, the latest ransomware threat touted on underground forums, has quickly made inroads into the ransomware-as-a-service cybercriminal marketplace by offering 80% to 90% of ransoms to "affiliates" and aggressively outing victims on a name-and-shame blog.

In less than a month, the BlackCat group has purportedly compromised more than a dozen victims, named those victims on its blog, and broken into the top 10 threats as measured by victim count, according to recent analysis of the malware by researchers at Palo Alto Networks. The ransomware program seems well-designed and is written in Rust, an efficient programming language that has gained popularity over the past decade.

Currently, five victims are in the United States, two in Germany, and one each in France, Netherlands, the Philippines, and Spain, with the final victim's location unknown.

The ransomware platform makes extensive use of configuration files to allow the operator to customize the attack to certain victims, determine what processes to shut down, and even use a customized list of credentials to move laterally within a company, says Doel Santos, a threat intelligence analyst with Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 team. darkreading.com

The Fine Line Between Cyber and Physical Warfare
Conversation with a top Ukrainian cyber official: What we know, what we don't, what it means
Cybersecurity officials in Ukraine issued a warning Monday about yet another phishing attack using either compromised or spoofed government email addresses, the second such warning since Saturday.

Monday's alert warned of attackers targeting government institutions with malware-laced bait documents hosted on Discord that come to targets within emails from the National Health Service of Ukraine. The malware deploys a program called OutSteel that looks for certain file extensions and steals them, and also deploys a second malicious program called SaintBot.

Monday's bulletin comes two days after government officials there warned of compromised email accounts from the Ukrainian judiciary being used to target mostly Ukrainian government targets with malware hidden within phony court inquiries.

Both operations come roughly two weeks after a cyberattack targeting Ukrainian government systems that wiped some computers and defaced the websites of dozens of agencies' sites.

All of the attacks are linked as part of "hybrid aggression, cyber aggression against Ukraine," said Victor Zhora, the deputy chairman of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, but not as a single operation.

The operations play out against the backdrop of ongoing tension between the government of Russia and a host of western governments, as the Russian government accused the U.S. of wanting war in Ukraine, and the U.S. continuing to insist that a Russian military attack on Ukraine is possible at any time. cyberscoop.com

The Zero-Trust Timer Is on for Federal Agencies - How Ready Are They?


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How to Reopen a Closed Browser Tab

It is a common occurrence - you have various tabs open in your browser and then accidentally close the wrong one. To reopen quickly, on your keyboard, you can hit Command+Shift+T (on Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+T (on Windows). Doing this once will bring up your most recently closed tab. You can repeat this process to bring up concurrent sessions as well. Super simple and very helpful!


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Tortured at Amazon Alexa Factory
Alexa whistleblower demands Amazon apology after being jailed and tortured
A whistleblower who exposed illegal working conditions in a factory making Amazon's Alexa devices says he was tortured before being jailed by Chinese authorities.

Tang Mingfang, 43, was jailed after he revealed how the Foxconn factory in the southern Chinese city of Hengyang used schoolchildren working illegally long hours to manufacture Amazon's popular Echo, Echo Dot and Kindle devices.

Now, after spending two years in prison, he is appealing to the higher courts to clear his name. He has taken the difficult decision to talk publicly, despite being aware of the risks of reprisals, because he believes Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, have a responsibility to support his appeal and that the Observer also has a responsibility to highlight his case.

Tang, who is married with a nine-year-old son, said his father - who died while he was in prison - would have wanted him to speak up when he saw young workers being abused.

He described how he was beaten by his interrogators, handcuffed in stress positions until he could take no more and signed a confession to the crime of infringing trade secrets.

"I think Amazon should give me an explanation, tell me if I really deserve to be sent to jail? If not, Amazon should give me an apology, along with its partner, Foxconn, to assist me to appeal for a redress, and provide compensation."

Amazon did not answer specific questions put by the Observer, but a spokesperson said: "We do not tolerate violations of our supply chain standards. We regularly assess suppliers, using independent auditors as appropriate, to monitor continued compliance and improvement - if we find violations, we take appropriate steps, including requesting immediate corrective action."

Illegal working practices at the factory were first revealed in an investigation by the Observer and the US-based China Labor Watch in 2018. A year later, a second investigation found that Foxconn had tried to solve its subsequent recruitment problems by drafting in schoolchildren to work illegal overtime. theguardian.com

6 Billion Pounds of Online Returns Each Year
What really happens to Amazon returns
Sending back an online order has never been easier. It's often free for the customer, with some retailers even allowing customers to keep the item while offering a full refund.

Amazon returns can be dropped off at Kohl's, UPS or Whole Foods without boxing it up or even printing a label. But there's a darker side to the record number of returns flooding warehouses after the holidays.

"From all those returns, there's now nearly 6 billion pounds of landfill waste generated a year and 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions as well," said Tobin Moore, CEO of returns solution provider Optoro. "That's the equivalent of the waste produced by 3.3 million Americans in a year."

Moore says online purchases are at least three times more likely to be returned than items bought in a store. In 2021, a record $761 billion of merchandise was returned, according to estimates in a new report from the National Retail Federation.

That report says 10.3% of those returns were fraudulent. Meanwhile, Amazon third-party sellers told CNBC they end up throwing away about a third of returned items. cnbc.com

Roundy's supermarket hiring for 300 e-commerce jobs


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Charlotte, NC: Amazon warehouse manager pleads guilty to stealing $273K of computer parts
A Charlotte, North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud after stealing and reselling merchandise from an Amazon warehouse, the Department of Justice said in a news release. Between June 2020 and September 2021, Douglas Wright, Jr., an operations manager at Amazon's Charlotte warehouse, allegedly stole products with a total value of more than $273,000, using his access to get computer parts like internal hard drives and processors, according to the DOJ. Wright said in court on Friday that he shipped the products to his home, then sold them to a computer wholesale company in California. Wright faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set. theverge.com

Maplewood, MN: Mass Theft At Best Buy Leads To Charges For 6
Six people are facing theft charges after police alleged they participated in a mass "grab and run" theft in Maplewood on Black Friday 2021. Ramsey County prosecutors on Friday charged Raymone Wright, 22; Nathaniel Spears, 27; Na'Touri Ross, 19; Shaimee Robinson-Love, 18; and two 17-year-olds with a felony count of theft. Police allege they were part of a group of about a dozen people who entered the store around 8:10 p.m. Nov. 26 and stole $7,300 worth of high-value items, including TVs, tablets, hoverboards and other electronics. Members of that group then "jumped into waiting cars, suggesting that the heist was organized and not random," prosecutors said. Wright, Spears and Robinson-Love entered the store without wearing masks, while others were wearing clothing that matched what they were seen wearing in photos on social media, prosecutors allege. patch.com

Olympia, WA: Two arrested after allegedly robbing JC Penney, pepper spraying employee
Two people were arrested after they allegedly robbed a store of items worth about $1,000, pepper-sprayed a loss prevention officer who attempted to stop them, and later gave chase to police. According to reports by several Olympia police officers, Daniel J. Ditlow, 40, identified by police as a transient of Tumwater, and Taylor Ann Janet Tidrick, 24, also a transient, of Olympia, were arrested at around 7:30 p.m., Sun., Jan. 23, after a reported robbery at the JC Penney department store in Capitol Mall. The loss prevention officer told police that he was monitoring the store when the suspects entered and started loading a cart with merchandise such as makeup and clothes. thejoltnews.com

Canberra, Australia: Teenager arrested for stealing $42,000 in gear from Apple Store
A teenager has been arrested after stealing more than $42,000 worth of Apple gear from an Apple Store in Canberra, Australia. Police allege that about 4 am on Wednesday, the 16-year-old boy and another man broke into the Canberra Centre and a short time later gained entry to the Apple Store. A 16-year-old teenager and another man broke into the Canberra Centre Apple Store and made off with AU$60,000 in hardware according to local reports. After security staff saw the pair fleeing one dropped a bag carrying Apple products. Later, police were able to identify one of the men using CCTV footage and they were later arrested. The 16-year-old was due to face a local court last week after being charged with two counts of aggravated burglary, theft, and damage to property. imore.com

Clarksburg, WV: Man arrested for allegedly breaking into grocery store, selling stolen cigarettes on Facebook

Columbus, OH: Police investigating large quantity of merchandise stolen from Macy's Easton Town Center

Honolulu, HI: Thief targets local trading card shop, gets away with thousands of dollars in merchandise



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Shootings & Deaths

Nashville, TN: Attorney: Waffle House shooter believed God commanded him
Attorneys for a man who killed four people in a shooting at a Nashville Waffle House said Monday that Travis Reinking believed the restaurant patrons and employees were government agents whom he had been commanded by God to kill. Reinking, 32, was naked save for a green jacket when he opened fire inside the restaurant on April 22, 2018. He fled, triggering a two-day manhunt, after a restaurant patron wrestled his assault-style rifle away from him. In opening arguments, defense attorney Luke Evans said Reinking was suffering from severe schizophrenia that had grown worse over a period of years. "Mr. Reinking was driven by delusions, paranoid thinking and auditory illusions," he said. That included the belief that he was Taylor Swift's boyfriend and the star was stalking him, had broken into his house and sexually assaulted him. He had moved from his home in Illinois to try to leave the persecution behind, Evans said. By the time he moved to Nashville a couple of months before the shooting, he was "completely untethered from reality." Reinking is charged with first degree murder in the shooting deaths of Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29; Joe R. Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva, 23; and DeEbony Groves, 21. He also faces several counts of attempted first degree murder. On Monday, Reinking pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.  johnsoncitypress.com

Charlotte NC: Charlotte Security Guard Charged in Fatal Shooting
A security guard on duty at a hotel is accused of shooting and killing a man Saturday night. Malik Whitney, 50, was shot and killed on January 29, 2022, at a motel on North Tryon Street according to police. The security guard was identified as Darrell McKinley, 53. The shooting was around 11:30 p.m. Malik was shot at the motel during some type of incident and then transported to Atrium Main Hospital by paramedics where he was later pronounced deceased by hospital staff. Initial responding officers detained Darrell and arrested him on a charge of voluntary manslaughter. There is no word on what led to the shooting. newsmaven.io

San Antonio, TX: Shots Fired During Armored Truck Robbery
An attempted robbery of an armored truck turned into a shootout on the West Side on Saturday morning. According to police, the security officers were unloading the ATM when one of them noticed two men were approaching, armed with guns. The security officers said they felt threatened and fired gunshots first. The suspects then returned fire at least twice before taking off on foot. The men left empty-handed, and no injuries were reported. Police officers were searching for the suspects in a nearby area with a K9 unit and helicopter; however, they still have not been located. The investigation continues. ksat.com

Waco, TX: Bystander shoots man who attacked woman with knife
A man who stabbed a woman at a Waco convenience store Friday night has been hospitalized after a bystander at the store shot him with a handgun, Waco police said. Police responded at 7:40 p.m. to the QuikTrip at 2350 S. New Road after a report that the man was chasing the woman into the store and continuing to attack her, Officer Garen Bynum said in a press release. During the response, police learned a "separate third-party individual had intervened in an attempt to defend the female victim by shooting the suspect with a handgun," Bynum said in the press release. Both the alleged attacker and victim were transported to a local hospital with severe injuries, Bynum said. The bystander with the gun remained at the scene to speak to officers and is cooperating with the investigation, Bynum said. The bystander has not been charged with a crime. The stabbing suspect is in the custody of Waco police as he receives medical care, Bynum said. wacotrib.com

Milwaukee, WI: Family Dollar armed robbery, shots fired; suspects sought
Police are investigating an armed robbery of a Family Dollar near 60th and Silver Spring around 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30. Unknown suspects entered the business fired shots, demanded and obtained property. Police continue to seek unknown suspects. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips App.  fox6now.com

Dallas, TX: Police Searching For Answers About A Man Who Died In A Liquor Store After Being Shot Several Times

Chicago, IL: Man found shot to death inside West Pullman store

New Orleans, LA: 2 women shot in car Friday night outside CVS drug store

 



Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Campbell River, BC, Canada: Video shows elderly woman stopping suspected Walmart shoplifter, rips off his balaclava
According to a video posted online, a brave elderly woman managed to stop a suspected shoplifter from leaving a Walmart store by tearing off his balaclava. A man wearing a balaclava pulled a shopping cart full of goods towards the exit of a Canadian Walmart in a video posted on Facebook. When a person recording inside the Campbell River Walmart asked a man in the ski mask whether he intends to pay for his purchases, the suspected shoplifter replied, 'ye'.

However, when the suspected shoplifter approached the exit, an elderly woman got suspicious of his intentions and blocked his escape, ripping off his black ski mask. With his face exposed, the man exited the store without the shopping cart and rode his bicycle out of the supermarket parking lot. Darrell Johansen, who shared the video on Facebook, said he reported the incident to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and alleged that even more thefts had occurred at the Campbell River Walmart.

Johansen wrote in his Facebook post, "There's nothing preventing private citizens from jumping in but it's probably not recommended given the unfortunate incident that happened at our Walmart here a few months ago with that security guard getting stabbed. But I've just had it with this ****." Revealing his suspicions about the individual, he said, "I spotted this guy within five seconds of entering the store and knew he was about to run, and this is the result. Whoever this lady is that ripped his mask off, I'll take you as my partner in crime-fighting anytime. I called the emergency RCMP line and reported the incident but I was told that unless Walmart calls to file a claim nothing would be done." meaww.com

Houston, TX: Armed robbers seen on video kicking smoke shop employee,
dragging customer
Two armed robbers terrorized customers and kicked an employee in the head several times at a northeast Houston smoke shop and police are asking for help identifying one of them. The robbery happened on Dec. 15, 2021, at about 4:10 a.m. at the Maxey Smoke and Vape shop on Maxey Road. Surveillance video shows the two men burst in with guns drawn. One of the men was seen dragging a 62-year-old customer by her shirt. They then focused on the employee. Armed robbers seen on video kicking smoke shop employee, dragging customer. Two armed robbers terrorized customers and kicked an employee in the head several times at a northeast Houston smoke shop and police are asking for help identifying one of them.

The robbery happened on Dec. 15, 2021, at about 4:10 a.m. at the Maxey Smoke and Vape shop on Maxey Road. Surveillance video shows the two men burst in with guns drawn. One of the men was seen dragging a 62-year-old customer by her shirt. They then focused on the employee. "I don't know how many times, but he kicked me many times," said the employee, who asked not to be identified. The kicks, caught on video, were hard and to the head. Customers in the back of the shop were forced to drop to the floor. The robbers got away with cash and merchandise. Neither one covered their faces, and Houston police are still trying to identify one of them. The 22-year-old victim said he suffered a head injury from the kicks and was traumatized from having guns in his face. "I deserve justice and I want my memory back," the 22-year-old victim said. "Someone has to put a stop to it, even if I don't want to show my face." abc13.com

Las Vegas, NV: Man sentenced to over 10 years in prison for pawn shop robberies in 2016

Jacksboro, TN: Walgreens Armed Robber with a knife sentenced to 15 years

Suffolk County, NY: Another string of robberies catch Suffolk businesses off guard


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Auto - Rome, NY - Armed Robbery
C-Store- New Castle, DE - Armed Robbery
Collectables - Honolulu, HI - Armed Robbery
Dollar General - Decatur, IL - Robbery
Electronics - Medford, OR - Burglary
Electronics - Avon, OH - Burglary
Family Dollar - Milwaukee, WI - Armed Robbery / Shots Fired
Gas Station - Mount Sterling, OH - Armed Robbery
Grocery - Columbus, OH - Armed Robbery
Grocery - Norwalk, CT - Burglary
JC Penney - Olympia, WA - Robbery
Jewelry - Holyoke, MA - Burglary
Jewelry - Kent, WA - Robbery
Jewelry - Portland, OR - Robbery
Jewelry - Valencia, CA - Robbery
Liquor - Jacksonville, FL - Robbery
Macy's - Columbus, OH - Robbery
Motel - State College, PA - Armed Robbery
Motel - Denver, CO - Armed Robbery
Tobacco - Houston, TX - Armed Robbery

 

Daily Totals:
• 16 robberies
• 4 burglaries
• 1 shooting
• 0 killed



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Sarah Lillard named Regional Asset Protection Manager for Gap Inc.


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Loss Prevention Auditor
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Legends


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Safety Director (Retail Background Preferred)
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Director, Loss Prevention & Safety
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The Director of Loss Prevention & Environmental, Health and Safety plans, organizes, implements, and directs HERBL's programs, procedures, and practices to ensure the safety and security of company employees and property...




Corporate Risk Manager
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Summary of Role and Responsibilities: A proactive approach to preventing losses/injuries, whether to our employees, third parties, or customer's valuables. They include but are not limited to cash in transit, auto losses, or injuries...



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Stagnation is the key to failing. Every CEO at failing retailers I've ever spoken to has told me that the number 1 reason for the company's problems was because the employee population had become stagnate and complacent in their jobs and performance. So many complain when new CEO's bring in their new teams and reorganize their companies, but in essence that's the key to reinventing the organization and rebirthing the company. All teams need to be reinvented from time to time merely to give them new energy, new focus, new opportunities. The human condition always forces us to take the easiest path when in reality that path will ultimately lead us to stagnation. Sometimes it's best to take a new path, one that appears to be the hardest, and maybe the most difficult. Because it's always the darkest path where we find the most rewards. Reinvent-Rebirth-Rethink. It begins every Monday!


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