In Case You Missed It

February's Moving Ups

23 New Senior LP's - 11 Appointments - 12 Promotions

ADT Cybersecurity named Jimmy Treuting SVP Sales and Marketing
BJ's Wholesale Club promoted Nicholas Spiak to Director Field Asset Protection
CKE Restaurants named Paul Jones Director of Asset Protection & Risk Management in Nashville, TN
The Fresh Market promoted Katelyn Dube to Sr. Asset Protection and Loss Prevention Manager
The Fresh Market promoted Matt Palmer to Sr. Asset Protection and Loss Manager
Genetec named Karen Valladares Business Development Manager, Signature Brands
Intellicheck Appointed Bryan Lewis President and Chief Executive Officer
Jet.com named Brodrick Williams Head of Fraud & Risk Strategy
Kroger Company named Troy Harding Director of Asset Protection
Lucky's Market named Chris De Tray, CFI Director of Asset Protection
Macy's promoted Brian Stromberg, CFI to Vice President COE (Center of Expertise) Asset Protection
Macy's promoted Tim Huff to Director of Organized Retail Crime
Macy's promoted Steve Boarman to Director of AP Operations & Administration
Macy's promoted David Rogers to Vice President COE (Center of Expertise) Asset Protection
Michaels named Jennifer Kajzer Vice President of Loss Prevention
Nike promoted Corey May, CFI to Director, World Headquarters Business Continuity
Nordstrom promoted Mike Triesch to National Loss Prevention Director
Sargent And Greenleaf Appoints Keith Deaton As COO
Sears Holdings named Phil Stegge Senior Director, APP Operations & Safety
Verizon Wireless promoted Misty Strawn to Senior Manager Corporate Security/Investigations
Village Super Markets, a Co-Op of ShopRite/Wakefern promoted Michael Rubino to Director of Loss Prevention
XPO Logistics, Inc named Michael Wahl Director Safety and Health North American Supply Chain
7-Eleven promoted Davina Stevens to Director, Asset Protection Analytics and Inventory

Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions or New Position

LexisNexis® Risk Solutions today released its 2017 True Cost of Fraud for Financial Services
Digital channels increase the cost of fraud for financial services companies
The study shows that for every dollar of fraud, financial services companies incur $2.67 in costs, which includes chargebacks, fees, interest, and labor, according to the LexisNexis Fraud Multiplier.

Based on a comprehensive survey of 185 risk and fraud executives in financial services companies, including retail and commercial banks, credit unions, investments, trusts and wealth management, the study evaluates how to navigate the growing risks of fraud, while strengthening customer trust and loyalty.

Mid-to-large digital financial services companies, which earn a minimum of $10 million in annual revenues, 50 percent of which is through online and/or mobile channels, pay $3.04 for every dollar of fraud. Mid-to-large non-digital financial services companies with less than 50 percent of revenue from online or mobile channels, which pay $2.35 for every dollar of fraud.

Identity fraud, including synthetic identity fraud, for large banks with more than $50M in revenue - 62% of fraud losses are due to identity fraud.

3/4ths of mid-large digital firms indicate identity verification as a top online challenge.

Financial services firms that track fraud costs by both channel and payment method experience lower fraud costs: $2.49 per dollar of fraud, versus $3.04 per dollar of fraud. Large digital firms are most likely to track fraud costs by both channel and payment method, while mid-sized firms with revenues of $10 million to $50 million still lag behind.

Financial services firms that layer fraud prevention solutions to counteract both identity and transaction fraud experience fewer false-positives, manual reviews and a lower overall cost of fraud.

2017 True Cost of Fraud for Financial Services prnewswire.com

Two Months in 2018 - So Far: The Consumer & Trump Hit the Pause Button
Retail Jobs Cuts Down 63% & Announced Store Closures Down 37% YTD
With the number of publically reported retail job cuts and announced retail store closures drastically reduced in the first two months of 2018 what are we really seeing and what does it really mean?

The answers are all over the boards depending on what expert you're reading or listening to.

From retail is doing well, the economy is better now than in years, to the retail apocalypse was never here in the first place.

But the bottom line is retail lost a couple hundred thousand jobs and closed close to 10,000 stores in the last twelve months and surprisingly, as only a few predicted, the consumer came out and shopped in the fourth quarter and threw retail a life jacket.

Yes quarterly results look better now then they've looked in quite some time but the fact is the online onslaught is just getting started and what we all just experienced may have been merely phase one of a transitional process that has temporarily hit the pause button, but that will never end.

So the real question is when does phase two start? Just a thought Gus Downing

Securitas to Acquire Kratos Public Safety and Security
Securitas, No. 4 on SDM's Top Systems Integrators Report, has agreed to acquire the division Kratos Public Safety and Security, No. 5 on the Top Systems Integrators Report, from Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. The purchase price is approximately $69 million on a cash and debt-free basis. The acquisition is expected to be neutral to Securitas earnings per share in 2018 and 2019, and accretive as of 2020.
 
Kratos Public Safety and Security (KPSS) includes 400 employees. The primary focus is electronic security projects for commercial customers with special expertise in transportation, petrochemical, healthcare, and education vertical markets. sdmmag.com

Europe, Middle East and Africa 2017 Annual Cargo Theft Intelligence Report
● Cargo theft in 2017 increased from 2016
● U.K., Germany and Belgium experienced the most cargo thefts
● Curtain Slashing and Pilferage were most frequent M.O.'s
● Auto & Parts was the most frequent stolen product type
● Yearly and Q4-2017 overview of top five countries for cargo theft

SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Center (SCIC) reports and analyses are designed to provide security and logistics professionals with the information they need to make timely decisions for keeping their supply chains secure. (formerly known as Freightwatch International services). To register for full report click here

Authorities Hustle to Curb S.F.'s Smash and Grab Epidemic
In 2017, there were 30,000 car break-ins citywide. SFPD and the District Attorney's Office are frantically working to bust the crime rings. But will any of their new tactics actually work?

It's a problem that's plagued the city for decades, but it's getting worse: Last year's numbers were a 24 percent increase over 2016. And everyone - from the District Attorney's office to the San Francisco Police Department to city supervisors - has a plan to fix it. But will any of them work?

On the frontlines of this battle are the police, but their arrest history is not encouraging. Of the approximately 30,000 car break-ins that happened in 2017, only 481 resulted in arrests.

Eliminating those crime rings, as opposed to just jailing the individuals caught doing the work, may be key to making headway with the car break-in epidemic. A report released by the Civil Grand Jury in 2016 stated that "the vast majority of offenses are the work of organized career criminals comprising less than 20 percent of the pool of offenders. Many are gang members. Some are armed and violent. Most have prior felony convictions."

SFPD changed course in January, at the same time the shocking 2017 data was released. The next plan was to create dedicated teams of officers at each neighborhood police station to focus on property crimes like auto burglaries.

Editor's Note: Meanwhile the retailers are literally begging SFPD to do something about San Francisco's black market in the Tenderloin District or at least arrest some of the more prolific professional shoplifters. All the while we hear how low violent crime is nationwide and the most recent FBI Crime Index report shows decreasing crime trends in every major city, including in Chicago. Guess they skipped over the south side or the analyst simply didn't include that information. But at least the politicians can claim lowering crime rates at their re-election offices. My apologies for the sarcasm. sfweekly.com

Update: Parkland School Shooting - The Retail Impact

Walmart raising age restriction to 21 for gun purchases
Will remove items resembling assault-style rifles from website
Walmart announced Wednesday that it is raising its age restriction to 21 for firearm and ammunition purchases. The company said in its statement that it made the decision in light of recent events and will try to implement this change "as quickly as possible."

Walmart also pointed out that in 2015 it ended sales of certain sporting rifles like the AR-15. The company also said it doesn't sell accessories like bump stocks or high-capacity magazines. It also said it is removing items resembling assault-style rifles like toys from its website. cnbc.com

Kroger joins Walmart & Dick's Sporting Goods in gun sale changes
Fred Meyer locations to stop selling firearms, ammunition to buyers under age 21
Kroger Co. said it would stop selling guns and ammunition to buyers under 21 years old through its Fred Meyer locations, the third major retailer to tighten its policies while lawmakers continue to debate how to respond to the latest school shooting in America. Kroger currently sells firearms at 43 Fred Meyer locations in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon. wsj.com

Traffic to online retailers marketing firearms is growing

Can Employers Give a Bad Reference for a Former Employee?
There are no federal laws that address what an employer can or can't say about a worker. Many states, however, have enacted legislation that gives employers a qualified immunity when providing information for a reference check. These statutes generally provide that an employer is immune from civil liability when it responds to a reference check in good faith, explained Molly Lee Kaban, an attorney with Hanson Bridgett in San Francisco. The immunity is lost, however, if it can be shown that the employer knowingly or recklessly provided false or misleading information or acted with malicious intent.

None of these statutes provides the employer with complete immunity. The employer still could face a defamation (libel or slander) lawsuit from the employee or a negligent referral lawsuit from the prospective employer if care was not taken in limiting the type of information provided and making sure that the information was given to the correct person.

States that do not have an immunity statute, including New York and Massachusetts, make it more difficult for the employer to provide reference information to prospective employers, he added. shrm.org

Top Reported Frauds of 2017
2.7M People Reported Fraud to the FTC in 2017
There were fewer debt collection reports in 2017 (23% of all reports), but it's still the top category by a wide margin, followed by identity theft (14%), which overtook imposter scams (13%) for the number two slot in 2017.

For everyone who reported identity theft, credit card fraud tops the list, and continues to grow.

Of the more than 1.1 million people who reported fraud, 21% told us they lost a total of more than $905 million. That's an increase of $63 million from 2016.

The median loss was $429. Compare that to a $500 median loss to imposters, a $720 median fraud loss to scams that come in by phone, a $1,710 median loss related to travel, vacations and timeshares.

The top states for fraud reports were Florida, Georgia and Nevada. For identity theft, it's Michigan, Florida and California. ftc.gov

Shoreline, WA: Grocers call for Shoplifting Law Change to 'Concealment' instead of out the door
Some grocers are trying to change a law that would make it easier to apprehend someone who steals from them. The idea is to catch shoplifters before they even leave the store. "It's getting worse and worse. If I just walked around the store, I could catch several people every day," said Adam Farevaag who is the manager of Village Market Thriftway in Shoreline. Theft is an ongoing problem for many in the grocery industry, but Farevaag said there's not a whole lot that retailers can do.

That's why some lawmakers want to change the definition of theft to include intent to conceal. "We want to make sure that people who intend to shoplift are intercepted before they even leave the store. This is a common practice in many other states -- commonly called concealment," said Democratic Rep. Roger Goodman during the House Public Safety Committee meeting on Feb. 20. Under the current law, retailers can't prove intent unless the person has gone out the door. Often, those suspects have getaway drivers or weapons. komonews.com

Chicago, IL: Uptick in Retail Crime on State Street, Retailers paying for Armed Guards to Patrol the area
Two armed security guards will patrol State Street in the Loop beginning Thursday, a service provided by the Chicago Loop Alliance. The armed guards will be a show of force to stop an uptick in crime like retail theft. According to the Chicago Loop Alliance, two million people per week visit State Street alone. "We felt like we needed a little more authority on State to deal with some of the problems police just can't get to, because they're so busy in the Loop with so many things," said Michael Edwards, CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance. The two guards will patrol State Street and parts of Wabash during peak hours. They will have badges and will be able to arrest people. abc7chicago.com

East Haven, CT: Shop-Rite Worker Credited With Preventing Suicide
of fellow employee
East Haven police are crediting a Shop-Rite employee for intervening and saving the life of someone who was planning on committing suicide on Wednesday. East Haven police, on their Facebook page, said that Officer Wahib and Officer Adams were dispatched to assist the fire department at Shop Rite with a possible overdose. The police's Facebook page tells the story. "Upon arrival it was determined a loss prevention associate, identified as Antonio Collins, observed via CCTV an employee on break select a bottle of Zzzquil sleep aid and a bottle of sleeping pills and then purchase them at the registers in the front of the store. "Collins had seen this employee in passing earlier in his shift and noticed cuts on his forearms as well. Collins continued to conduct surveillance on the employee and observed him drink the entire bottle of Zzzquil and most or all of the sleeping pills, then walk towards the public bathroom in the rear of the store. "Collins dialed 911 and requested assistance, knowing the employee needed medical attention. patch.com

Corporate Loss Prevention Manager - Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores,
Hoffman Est, IL
The Corporate Loss Prevention Manager will support the established goals and objectives by being responsible for and holding the team accountable for actionable results. Responsible for assisting the Director of Loss Prevention in building and developing programs and initiatives to reduce shrink and safety expense along with supporting the field. ultipro.com

Director - Internal Control FSS, L'Oreal USA, New York, NY
Mission of the Director - Internal Control FSS, L'Oreal Corporate Retail Team:
Make sure of the proper implementation of the Internal Control framework defined by General Management to strengthen the processes efficiency and prevent risks to which Brand/Country /Entity is exposed, thus contributing to healthy business development: Raise managers' awareness to Internal Control fundamental principles. Assist managers in formalizing procedures. Assess right application of procedures and quality of controls. loreal.com

Barnes & Noble implements aggressive expense reduction plan

Best Buy to close all 257 stand-alone mobile stores

West Seneca Police Department honors Officer who saved a Topps shoplifter from drowning; Medal of Valor


Quarterly Results

Best Buy Q4 enterprise comp's up 9%, domestic comp's up 9%, domestic comp's online up 17.9%, Inter. comp's up 9.9%, sales up 14%
Best Buy 2018 full yr. enterprise comp's up 5.6%, domestic comp's up 5.6%, domestic online comp's up 21.8, Inter comp's up 6.3%,

Kohl's Q4 comp's up 6.3%, sales up 9.2%, full yr comp's up 1.5%, sales up 2.2%

Office Depot Q4 retail comp's down 4%, business services down 3%, Q4 sales down 5%, full yr. retail comp's down 5%, business services down 4%, sales down 7%

Barnes & Noble Q3 comp's down 5.8%, sales down 5.3%

From Spotting Terrorists to Preventing Shrink

StopLift Founder Shows How Artificial Intelligence Helps Stop Shoplifters

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Theft is a huge problem for retailers, particularly in grocery stores where customers use self-checkout lanes. According to the Loss Prevention Foundation, stores that operate on a thin margin, have to sell dozens of items to make up for just one that was stolen.

In an effort to solve that problem, Malay Kundu tapped into his knowledge of visual technologies. "I used to develop facial recognition systems to look for terrorists in airports," he told WBZ-TV.

But instead of terrorists, Kundu is now looking for un-scanned items at grocery checkouts and other retail stores. His Cambridge Company is called StopLift and the owner of Vicente's grocery store in Brockton is a big fan.

"It has saved us a good amount of money," said Brian Vincente. Vicente's store has a loss prevention room filled with dozens of cameras watching every checkout aisle and the entire store. It would be impossible for the human eye to keep a close eye on all of them at once. That's where the computers come in.

"Our software is analyzing the video and it is also looking at what's actually being rung up on the checkout. It's comparing those and it can tell when you are trying to give yourself a deal," Kundu said.

The program can catch a number of different ways both self-checkout customers and cashiers cheat the system. Kundu pointed to video of a woman ringing up bags of potato chips using the produce lookout system, paying just the price of loose carrots, which is considerably cheaper than the chips.

According to Kundu, when stores spot an issue they will approach the customer and politely ask if they need help using the self-checkout system. StopLift is used at hundreds of checkouts in stores across Massachusetts and thousands around the world.

Read the full story by WBZ-TV (CBS Boston) here.

Financial Cyber Threat Sharing Group Phished
The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), an industry forum for sharing data about critical cybersecurity threats facing the banking and finance industries, said today that a successful phishing attack on one of its employees was used to launch additional phishing attacks against FS-ISAC members.  krebsonsecurity.com

Threat Breakdown - 75% Insiders vs. 25% External
Mounting Evidence Suggests The Real Threats Are Insiders
Phishing Scams & Malware Attacks Up 40% in One Quarter Alone
New report from NTT Security suggests that as many as 75 percent of all cyber security threats may be internal in nature. Only 25 percent of threats are from what the researchers deem to be "hostile" sources. Yes, that's right, the "real" cyber threats for organizations today are insider threats, which can put organizations at risk without employees even realizing it.

However, according to the new report from NTT Security ("2017 Global Threat Intelligence Center Quarterly Threat Intelligence Report"), far more prevalent are accidental and negligent activities that unwittingly lead to security breaches, data loss and sensitive information being shared with the wrong people.

Most disturbingly, the scale of these attacks appears to be increasing over time. For example from Q2 2017 to Q3 2017, the number of insider threats increased by 24 percent. The greatest culprit were phishing scams and malware attacks, both of which saw a 40 percent increase from Q2 2017 to Q3 2017.

Three common insider threats and how to prevent them

Users that bypass controls for convenience or efficiency: Examples of this problem include employees who use cloud storage solutions for sensitive corporate data instead of official corporate data storage solutions. These examples can also include the sharing of user accounts. In both cases, employees think that they have discovered a clever "workaround" that makes their daily life easier. What's needed here is stronger network-level controls to ensure this behavior doesn't happen in the first place.

Users that bring their own devices and connect to the corporate network: In the BYOD era, employees are increasingly emboldened to connect each and every mobile device they use to the main corporate network.

Users that get phished: It's all too common that employees get an email from an authoritative-looking source, and assume it's OK to open. But employees need to be educated about these scams and how they work, and that usually involves realistic user training. In addition, organizations can contact their security vendors for anti-phishing solutions.

The good news is that organizations are getting smarter about information security and insider threats, including those related to the physical security of office environments. And knowledge that once resided only with the CSO or CISO is now being pushed out to the broader organization, thanks to advanced employee training programs. For example, Carnegie Mellon University now offers a Cert Insider Threat Program Manager Certificate. It also runs an Insider Threat blog that explains some of the current threats and trends in the workforce, based on research conducted at the National Insider Threat Center (NITC) that is part of the university's Software Engineering Institute. cpomagazine.com

Deception Technology: Worth the Investment?
Interest in deception technology is growing because it can play a valuable role in improving intrusion detection, says Anton Chuvakin, a research vice president at Gartner.

The technology is "a bit of a niche," Chuvakin says in an interview with Information Security Media Group. "It isn't something that's going to be adopted at the same scale as anti-virus and firewalls or even log analysis or SIEM. But it's a growing niche with a lot of very avid fans."

Some organizations see deception technology as an alternative to analyzing big data to identify threats. And it can play an important role in detecting intruders' lateral movements, he says.

"Deception gives us a very crisp signal ... with low noise ... for detecting lateral movement by an attacker, and that's where it shines," Chuvakin says.

In the interview (see audio link below photo), Chuvakin discusses:

● The role machine learning plays in deception technology;
● How deception technology can help in the fight against ransomware;
● What special skills are needed to roll out the most advanced applications of deception technology. careersinfosecurity.com

81 Percent of Retail Organizations Lack Comprehensive Management of SSH Keys
Back to Basics - SSH Key Security Controls - Rotation - Auditing - Lacking in Retail
Venafi, the leading provider of machine identity protection, today announced the results of a study of how retail organizations manage and implement Secure Shell (SSH). Over one hundred IT security professionals from the retail industry participated in the study, which reveals a widespread lack of SSH security controls.

According to Venafi's research, even though SSH keys provide the highest levels of administrative access, they are routinely untracked, unmanaged and poorly secured. For example, eighty-one percent of respondents acknowledge they do not have a complete and accurate inventory of all SSH keys. If retailers do not know where and how they are managing their SSH keys, they cannot determine if any have been stolen, misused or should not be trusted.

"Retail companies rely on an assortment of connected machines that most other industries don't use," said Nick Hunter, senior digital trust researcher for Venafi. "These machines house lucrative financial information, which makes retailers, and their transactions, prime targets for cyber criminals. Simply put, retailers face unique and significant machine identity threats. To protect their customers and their critical business data, retailers need a strong SSH governance program that provides them with complete visibility of all their SSH keys."

35% don't actively rotate keys, even when administrators leave their organizations

38% don't restrict number of SSH administrators

32% don't enforce "no porting forwarding" for SSH

35% - SSH entitlements not part of Privileged Access Management (PAM) policies & rarely audited businesswire.com

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Cyber Fraud Spurs Creative Solutions to Safeguard Shoppers
To mitigate the risks for consumers and stores, creative solutions have been cropping up to secure payments and more.

Hypr uses blockchain as a decentralized way to safeguard authentication or customer logins, ensuring that no single organization acts a single target for hacking.

What is the common theme across all of these companies and all these security breaches?' It's centralization. All these enterprises are centralizing the storage of personal data like biometrics, pins, passwords, credit card numbers - and when you centralize that data, you create a really high-risk, juicy target for hackers."

With blockchain, every member or participating organization in a network holds everyone's data, but only the user has the key to unlock it.

Avetisov's company just revealed a new partnership with Samsung Pass, the tech giant's identity management arm. The deal brings biometric authentication - think eye-scanning features on phones - to employee logins for workstations.

Shopin also uses blockchain to create decentralized universal shopper and payment profiles. Its concept: If no single company owns the data, then an e-commerce giant can't have the competitive edge over other retailers.

Token's decentralized approach differs. The company safeguards payment info by creating fake alter egos for credit card numbers that can be used online or over the phone. But the tokens must be accepted and authenticated through the company itself, as well as the merchant services or credit card processor, and ultimately the main financial institution. In this way, no single company, not even Token itself, can unlock the payment data on their own.

The principle philosophy behind Token is "if you don't want your data stolen, don't share it to begin with," said Zohar Steinberg, the company's founder and chief executive officer. "It's not just security - it's also quality of life. Consumers don't have to be concerned anymore." wwd.com

E-commerce counterfeiters flourish despite CPB, ICE efforts
Limited Information Sharing & Lack of Data-Sharing Tools
In a test conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), at least 20 of 47 products sold by third party sellers online were proven to be counterfeit, according to a review of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The seizure of counterfeit goods increased 38% between 2012 and 2016.

Despite that disturbing statistic, the CBP has taken "limited steps" to protect intellectual property rights. According to the GAO's report, most of the counterfeit goods seized between 2012 and 2016 were shipped from China and Hong Kong, marking those two locations as high-risk for counterfeits.

Part of the problem is a lack of sharing information. "According to private sector representatives, restrictions on CBP's information sharing limit private sector enforcement efforts," and "CBP officials said they share information to the extent allowed under current regulations."

E-commerce has accelerated supply chains but also heightened the risk of counterfeits, and now the lack of reliable data-sharing tools to oversee supply chains are pinching manufacturers. supplychaindive.com

As Amazon Mulls HQ2, It's Hiring Big in Boston
The retailer is in talks to lease an 18-story building in the Boston Seaport giving it enough space for 2,000 or more employees. Ultimately, that could expand to a 1 million square-foot lease and 4,000 jobs by 2025. The deal is unrelated to the search for HQ2, say officials, but it does show a growing interest in the area by Amazon. News of the company's search for extra office space in Boston first surfaced in January.

Amazon is asking Boston for a $5 million property tax break for the lease and option to expand. In return, it says, the company will hire at least 2,000 employees within the Greater Boston area. fortune.com

Publisher NIS America online stores hacked & user information - credit card details stolen

129 Sellers Convicted for Selling Counterfeits on Alibaba
104 Given Suspended Penalties - China's Courts "Too Lenient"

Montreal: Quebec couple charged with stealing about $2M worth of goods from Best Buy and other retailers
Police say a Quebec couple has been charged after allegedly stealing roughly $2 million worth of merchandise from large retail stores in six cities across the province. Police from Laval, Que., just north of Montreal, say they arrested Evens Riodin, 38, and Gabrielle De Morasse, 30, last Thursday.
The couple from Saint-Lin-Laurentides, about 50 kilometres north of Montreal, appeared in court Thursday and were charged with 11 counts of breaking and entering, one count of conspiracy and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime.

Police say the couple were allegedly involved in break-ins since 2016 at stores such as Best Buy, Bureau en gros and the SAQ, which is the name for Quebec's government-owned liquor stores. Evelyne Boudreau, spokesperson for Laval police, says the couple allegedly entered the stores at night and stole items such as electronics, alcohol, perfumes and watches. She says some of the stolen objects were found in a Montreal warehouse. thestar.com

Pawn shops bought stolen goods, funded thieves' addictions in Bucks County; $700,000 in seized stolen merchandise
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced criminal charges against multiple people in a theft ring. Shapiro, joined by Falls Township Police officials, announced arrests in a large pawn shop theft ring that has allegedly been running out of Bucks County.

The owner of 2 Bucks County pawnshops and 4 of his employees have been arrested for their roles in a scheme to buy and re-sell nearly $700,000 worth of stolen merchandise from national chain stores. Officials are also charging 27 other "professional retail thieves" for stealing thousands of retail items which they say were continuously sold to a number of area pawn shops. The thieves operated from January 2014 until October 2017, officials said. fox29.com

Colonial Heights, VA: ORC Crew ran pet supply business by stealing inventory from PetSmart locations; nearly $100,000 of merchandise
The first heist happened in Colonial Heights, near Petersburg, according to court documents. From there, the seven-person crew went on to strike stores in North Chesterfield, Midlotian, Richmond and Mechanicsville before heading east towards Hampton Roads. By the end of the day, they'd hit at least nine businesses. Joseph Heim Jr., and Timothy B. Erb Jr, were indicted last week in connection with a shoplifting ring that targeted PetSmart locations across Virginia and North Carolina. It ended May 6, 2016, in Suffolk, where they were caught. In all, the conspiracy netted at least $38,000 worth of stolen pet supplies and possibly more than $100,000, according to court documents.

"This is very, very profitable," said Robert Moraca, a vice president with the National Retail Federation. He referred to it as "organized retail crime," and said it, along with shoplifting in general, is a growing problem. He said the industry now views it as more serious to their profits than internal theft, administrative errors and vendor fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Stoker declined to comment on the indictment, which charges the men with conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen property. pilotonline.com


Knox County, TN: Two men arrested for buying $12,000 and 4 EBT cards
An undercover deputy sold the men more than $12,000 in beer, champagne, meat, seafood, dog food and EBT cards, which were then used to rack up more than $1,700 in charges, Tramel said. The deputy told the men the items were stolen, and the men told the deputy which items they wanted to buy, said KCSO spokeswoman Martha Dooley. Authorities seized the goods sold to the men by the undercover deputy, as well as one vehicle and $8,000 in cash, Tramel said. knoxnews.com

Chicago, IL: Northbrook woman pleads guilty to Organized Retail Thefts
in Cook, Lake and DuPage
The third member of an organized retail theft ring that targeted stores across the suburbs pleaded guilty to retail theft. In exchange for her guilty plea, Natsasa Petrov, 37, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 24 months of probation Monday. She was also ordered to pay $759 in fines. Authorities say the four-person ring targeted department and specialty stores in Arlington Heights, Bloomingdale, Downers Grove, Gurnee, Schaumburg, Vernon Hills and other suburbs. According to Arlington Heights police, who led a joint investigation into the thefts, some defendants distracted loss prevention officers and employees while others took Apple, Samsung and Lego products from a variety of stores, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot and Toys R Us. The four, who authorities say lived in Northbrook, subsequently sold the items on an online auction site, police said. Dragan Moro Owens, 39, pleaded guilty in November 2017 to retail theft in exchange for a 4.5 year sentence. Zvanko Dobobrov, 24, pleaded guilty in 2016 in exchange for two years probation. Charges are still pending against Kochak Owens, 31. He next appears in court on April 2. dailyherald.com

Racine County, WI: Man facing charges for multiple theft in 1 hour at CVS and Walgreens; over $1,000 of merchandise stolen
A Milwaukee man is now facing several charges after police say he stole from several different pharmacies in Racine County. Police say that Joseph Cotton was arrested in connection with thefts made at CVS and Walgreens on October 22, 2017. Walgreens reported thefts from 2 store locations in Mount Pleasant. On the same day, police were also called to the CVS store in Racine for a report of a theft who stole multiple packages of allergy relief medication and Breathe Right Nasal Strips. cbs58.com



Forsyth, IL: Two people wanted for a $400 Felony Theft
from Menards
The Macon County Sheriff's Office says the manhunt involves the two people seen in the surveillance photo. They say Menards workers discovered a $400 air nailer was missing from their shelves. They notified deputies, who say security video showed the man in the photo stealing the nailer. Deputies say it happened on Feb. 24. wandtv.com


St. George, UT: Pawn shop loses $7,000 in Credit Card Fraud scheme; 2 Indiana men arrested

Arlington, TX: Arlington Police attempting to ID suspect in $1,000 the from Ulta in The Arlington Highlands last week

Shootings & Deaths

Orlando, FL: Police ID armed man fatally shot by cops near downtown Wahlburgers
Police fatally shot an armed man who came into a downtown Orlando Wahlburgers restaurant Wednesday morning, the Orlando Police Department said. Officers identified him as Qawi A. Muhammad, 48. A person in the Wahlburgers had a domestic violence injunction against him, Orlando Police Deputy Chief Eric Smith said. Muhammad came into Wahlburgers on Orange Ave. just after the restaurant opened at 11 a.m.. Witnesses said the man showed he had a handgun at the restaurant, but did not reveal any other details about his interaction with employees at the store. Patrons called 911, and employees called police as they followed Muhammad out of the restaurant. Several officers surrounded him at Hughey Avenue and told him to drop his weapon. He did not, and officers fired at him. orlandosentinel.com

Greenwood, SC: 17-year-old dead after shooting at convenience store

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To Be a Better Leader Stay Quiet, Be Yourself, Use Compassion
 

Want to Be a Better Leader? Try Staying Quiet
When you say too much, much of what you're saying gets tuned out. When you take time to actively listen to others, and thoughtfully speak afterwards, your words hold more power. Here's how you can be a better leader through just listening. Ask questions

The 5 Communication Tactics that Helped Me Become a Better Leader
Having a strong goal and vision for your organization is one thing, but effectively communicating that journey is another. As a leader, effective communication is one of your most essential and impactful skills. Here are some tricks that can help you deliver clear messages. Don't want to talk, listen instead

Want to Be a Great Leader? Be More of Who You Really Are, Not Less
Many people adopt a leadership persona, acting the way they think leaders should behave. But if you want to be a truly great leader, you need to have the courage to just be yourself. That's how you can really make an impact. Your best lies in who you really are

5 Rare Habits of Managers Everyone Would Die to Work For
Good bosses aren't hard to find. They aspire to the servant leadership model, value employees and put people ahead of profits. They also do these five things to make everyone who works for them inspired, happy and productive. If you want to be a great boss, do these things. Compassionate management

Submit Your Group LP Selfie Today!

Interacting in large networking groups can be very challenging even for the most seasoned of executives. The speed, the number of people, and the amount of information shared can be overwhelming. However, the one basic principle you can rely on is keep it simple, one person at a time and focus on that person both mentally and visually. Slow it down in your head and make sure you communicate clearly and sincerely regardless of the background you have with anyone or any group. Because at the end of the day, you're all part of the same industry, the same community, and everyone has the same objective; to help develop and represent the industry as professionals.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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