Equifax CIO Cashes in Stock Before Data Breach
Announced Last August
'Former Equifax USIS Chief Information Officer indicted for insider trading'
ATLANTA - Jun Ying has been indicted on federal charges of insider trading
relating to his sales of Equifax Inc. securities in advance of its announcement
regarding a data breach.
Jun Ying was the Chief Information Officer of Equifax U.S. Information
Solutions in August 2017. In that role, he became aware of information that
resulted in him determining that Equifax had been the victim of that data breach
before that information was made public.
On Friday, August 25, 2017, Ying texted a co-worker that the breach they were
working on "Sounds bad. We may be the one breached." The following Monday,
Ying conducted web searches on the impact of Experian's 2015 data breach on its
stock price. Later that morning, Ying exercised all of his available stock
options held at UBS Financial Services, resulting in him receiving 6,815 shares
of Equifax stock, which he then sold. He received proceeds of over $950,000, and
realized a gain of over $480,000. On September 7, 2017, Equifax publicly
announced its data breach, which resulted in its stock price falling.
"The FBI and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are sending a strong
message to company insiders that they must follow the same rules that govern
regular investors. Otherwise, they face the severe consequences for failing to
do so."
justice.gov
Industry First - LP Hourly Population
134,000 Retail Loss Prevention Specialists in U.S.
Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics
Classifies Retail Loss Prevention Specialists Positions in U.S.
Updated 2017
Summary
Report for:
33-9099.02 - Retail Loss Prevention Specialists
Implement procedures and systems to prevent merchandise loss. Conduct audits and
investigations of employee activity. May assist in developing policies,
procedures, and systems for safeguarding assets.
Sample of reported job titles: Asset Protection Associate (APA), Asset
Protection Lead, Loss Prevention Agent, Loss Prevention Associate (LPA), Loss
Prevention Detective, Loss Prevention Investigator, Loss Prevention Leader, Loss
Prevention Officer, Loss Prevention Specialist, Retail Asset Protection
Specialist
Tasks - Technology Skills - Knowledge - Skills - Abilities - Work Activities
- Detailed Work Activities - Work Context - Job Zone - Education - Credentials -
Interests - Work Styles - Work Values - Wage & Employment Trends
Wages & Employment Trends
Median wages data collected from Protective Service Workers, All Other.
Employment data collected from Protective Service Workers, All Other.
Industry data collected from Protective Service Workers, All Other.
Median wages (2016): $13.81 hourly, $28,720 annual
State wages:
Local Salary Info
Employment (2016): 134,000 employees
Projected growth (2016-2026): Average (5% to 9%)
Projected job openings (2016-2026) 35,200
State trends:
Employment Trends
Top industries (2016)
Educational Services
Government
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
2016 wage data and
2016-2026 employment
projections. "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total
employment over the projections period (2016-2026). "Projected job openings"
represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Editor's Note: Finally, the DOL recognized the retail LP
specialists position and obviously covered the hourly jobs in the industry. The
issue is: Are there this many and how did they gather and who did they include
in this group?
onetonline.org
Baltimore Tops List For Use of Guards
America's Growing 'Guard Labor' Force
In 2017 There Were 2.9M Security Guards
Adding Guards Isn't the Answer to America's Violence Epidemic
Over the decade 2007 to 2017, the U.S. added more than twice as many guards as
teachers. During this time period, the number of guards grew by 5 percent and
private security guards alone increased by a whopping 11 percent.
Guard labor is concentrated in the country's large metros (of more than 1
million people), which are home to more than 60 percent of the nationwide
cohort. These 53 large metros have also seen a much faster rise in guard labor
over the past decade, an increase of 7.6 percent between 2007 and 2017, compared
to 2.8 percent for small and medium-sized metros. Large metros have an average
of 95.2 guards per 10,000 people, compared to 76.8 for small and medium-sized
metros.
Let's start by looking at the large metros where guard labor has grown the
most over the past decade. Overall, a third of large metros and a quarter of
all metros have seen double-digit percent increases in guard-labor population
between 2007 and 2017. Only five large metros have seen net decreases. Guard
labor has grown by 25 percent in Orlando and Charlotte, and by more than 14
percent in all the metros in this top 10 (see chart below). In addition, there
are roughly 19 small and medium-sized metros where guard labor has grown by 25
to 50 percent.
The U.S. is unique in its massive guard-labor numbers, with a proportion of
guard labor four times as high as in Sweden, twice as high as in Germany, and
considerably higher than in the United Kingdom or Italy.
Let's look at places with the most guards per 10,000 residents. Baltimore
tops the list, followed by Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and New York. The
Miami metro, where the Parkland shooting took place, is eighth. Almost a fifth
of small and medium-sized metros have more than 100 guards per 10,000 people.
Even with its huge number of guards, America has by far the most gun deaths in
the developed world.
It's patently obvious that America's solution of adding more and more guards
does not address the root of the violence epidemic. The money we waste on
guards-or training school staff to be guards-could be much better spent
improving our schools, developing our young people, and enacting and enforcing
laws that are proven to prevent violence in the first place.
citylab.com
March for Our Lives protest scheduled March 24 in
Washington & other cities against gun violence and mass shootings
On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to
the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a
priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.
March with us in Washington DC or march in your own community. On March 24, the
collective voices of the March For Our Lives movement will be heard.
marchforourlives.com
LP Marketing Group Steps-Up to Help
Calibration Group Provides Free Hotline Posters for Schools To Prevent Future
Violence
In light of the tragic school shootings impacting communities across the nation,
the Calibration Group, LLC, had to act by providing schools with free hotline
posters designed to help students confidentially report information that may
help prevent future acts of violence.
Any school wishing to download the various hotline posters for free created by
The Calibration Group, LLC, can do so by visiting
http://www.calibrationgroup.com.
Read full press release
here.
calibrationgroup.com
Refund Tracking Hot Button
Continues - 4 More - Now 10 Media Articles in 3 Days
Best Buy Reacts to Media Coverage
Coast to Coast the Media Picks Up the Story
NBC News: Stores use secret shopper score to track & decline returns
Shoppers and consumer advocates are fuming at major retailers such as
Victoria's Secret, JCPenney, and Best Buy for keeping a secret database on
customers that determines who should be banned from making returns.
The database, created and maintained by third-party analysis firm The Retail
Equation, uses unknown thresholds to calculate whether a shopper is a risk by
returning too many items, returning a high-dollar item, returning an item that
is often stolen at the store, or returning items right when the store closes,
according to the company's website FAQ.
Retailers say they're just trying to clamp down on the $22.8 billion lost each
year in fraudulent returns -but consumers say they've been unfairly caught up
in the dragnet.
Carly Charlson of Best Buy told NBC News. "Fraud is a real problem in retail,
but if our systems aren't as good as they can be, we apologize to anyone
inappropriately affected."
nbcnews.com
Retailers are tracking how many items you return
- article on ConsumersAffairs.com
Retail stores crack down on customer returns with
new service - article on WILX TV, Lansing, MI
Retailers now rating customers to determine
whether to accept returns - article on WSBTV, Atlanta
Best Buy Reacts to Media Coverage
Best Buy opens hotline for customers denied returns
Best Buy has set up a hotline to field complaints from customers who believe
they have been unfairly banned from making returns.
The company took the action after the Wall Street Journal reported that some
customers were being denied the opportunity to return products for refunds.
Best Buy spokesperson Jeff Hayden said the retailer wants to set things right.
Best Buy said so far there have been few calls to the hotline - 866-764-6979 -
it set up to field complaints about denied returns.
University of Minnesota marketing professor George John said Best Buy could
better handle how it communicates with and treats people whose returns arouse
suspicion.
"That's the PR disaster that Best Buy is facing, not so much what they're doing,
[but] how they're doing it," he said. "All they have to do is basically say,
'Look, these are our return policies but we can suspend these polices at any
time if you're in violation of XYZ.' And that's the problem."
mprnews.org
Anti-Bribery & Corruption Benchmarking Report -
2018
Converging Third Party Risks: Regulation, Reputation, Information
Kroll and Ethisphere once again partnered to create this free report.
For the second year in a row, third party violations top the list of
perceived risks to an organizations ABC programs.
Learn more about the perceived strengths and weaknesses of ABC programs, the
focus of compliance experts going forward, and whether your business is keeping
pace. Get
your free report.
Toys "R" Us liquidation could cost 33,000 jobs
Biggest Since Circuit City's 34K Jobs Cut
Toys "R" Us is expected to start court proceedings to liquidate as soon as
Thursday. That's a first legal step in moving to close all of its 850
brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. -- and to lay off up to 33,000 workers.
Liquidating Toys "R" Us would to the largest layoff in the retail sector since
at least 2015 and would be 12th-largest job cut announcement since 1993,
trailing the 34,000 people who lost their jobs when Circuit City went out of
business in 2009, according to Challenger, Grey & Christmas, an executive
outplacement firm. Last year alone, retailers cut 76,000 jobs as 7,000 stores
closed.
"It would be a tough market for those folks to go into with their
specific skills," said Andy Challenger, a vice president at Challenger Grey.
The retailer's sprawling warehouse-like stores also were a turn-off to consumers
who are looking for "experiences" while they shop. The stores may have a
difficult time finding buyers given their size, according to Portell.
"Consumers aren't turning to a store like Toys "R" Us for convenience,"
he said, "because that's something that a Walmart or an Amazon or a Target can
do online."
cbsnews.com
NRF/Forrester survey shows merging of physical
and digital retail
Traditional and online retailing are increasingly intertwined as customers
seamlessly shop across touchpoints and the industry uses both platforms to
better serve them, according to the annual
State of Retail Online study released today by the National Retail
Federation and Forrester.
"This report shows more than ever that retail is retail regardless of where a
sale is made or how the product is delivered," NRF Vice President for Research
Development and Industry Analysis Mark Mathews said. "Products ordered online
are increasingly picked up in-store or shipped from a nearby store, and digital
technology being used at bricks-and-mortar locations lets retailers help
customers find what they want or make the sale even if the product is out of
stock.
nrf.com
How to Revamp Your Harassment Prevention Program
Workplace sexual harassment has been a serious issue since
long before the recent national dialogue-but the spotlight on the issue has
caused many organizations to take a fresh look at their
anti-harassment training, policies and practices.
"This is a problem and remains a problem in many workplaces across the country,"
said Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Acting Chair Victoria Lipnic.
When considering best practices for anti-harassment measures, the focus should
be on prevention. "Waiting around until something rises to legally actionable is
going to be a problem for your organization," Lipnic said.
In June 2016, Lipnic and EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum
released a report from the EEOC Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment
in the Workplace. Taskforce members included management attorneys, plaintiffs'
attorneys, professors and others.
Here are some strategies for creating an environment where workers feel
comfortable discussing their concerns.
Start at the Top
It may seem obvious but leadership and accountability are critical to making
organizational changes, Lipnic said. Harassment prevention can't just be an HR
Issue or a training issue. If the leadership of the organization isn't invested
in making sure harassment isn't tolerated, other efforts probably won't work.
Go Beyond Legal Compliance
Robust anti-harassment policies and compliant procedures are critical, but they
have to do more than focus on legal violations. Don't simply define sexual
harassment in a policy, Segal said. Instead, policies should say, "Consistent
with our culture of respect, the following behaviors are unacceptable ... even if
any one of them, in and of itself, doesn't violate the law."
Training Must Change
Businesses need to consider new and effective approaches to training, Segal
said. Anti-harassment training is an important tool, but if it's simply
conducted to meet legal requirements, it isn't going to affect organizational
culture.
Training needs to explore civility in general and how to have a respectful
workplace. It shouldn't just focus on workers who experience harassment
themselves. It needs to empower bystanders to speak up when they witness
harassment and teach them how to intervene, Lipnic said.
shrm.org
Global Risk and Control Director for Nike in
Beaverton, OR Posted
As our Nike Direct Risk & Control Operations Director you will be responsible
for aligning our resources and plans to the global strategy. In this role you
will support teams in Stores, Digital and Operational Excellence to influence
how we develop and deliver core programs in support of the Risk & Control
mission around the globe, and help our teams to cut shrink, fight fraud and
manage risk in Nike Direct. In this role you will be responsible for
maintaining the global vendor relationships, performance requirements and
measuring business results.
Serve as the COE leader for the LP Operations function.
nike.com
U.S. retail sales continue to disappoint in early
2018 - third month in a row this has occurred
Signet Jewelers to close 200 stores
Walmart to Expand Online Grocery Delivery Coast
to Coast
Duff & Phelps to Buy Corporate-Investigations
Firm Kroll
Quarterly Results
Caleres Q4 consolidated sales up 9.8%, full yr consolidated sales up 8%
Famous Footwear Q4 comp's up 2.8%, sales up 7%, full yr. comp's up
1.4%, sales up 3%
Brand Portfolio Q4 sales up 13.8%, full yr. sales up 16%
Express Q4 comp's down 1%, sales up 2%, full yr. comp's down 3%, net6 sales down
2%
Signet Jewelers Q4 comp's down 5.2%, total sales up 1%, full yr. comp's down
5.3%, total sales down 2.4%
Sterling Jewelers Q4 comp's down 8.6%, full yr comp's down 7%, full
yr sales down 2.8%
Zale Jewelry's Q4 comp's up 4.3%, full yr comp's down 1.9%, full yr
sales down 2.2%
Piercing Pagoda Q4 comp's up 4.6%, full yr comp's up 3%, full yr
sales up 5.9%
UK Jewelry's Q4 comp's down 9.2%, full yr. comp's down 6%, full yr
sales down 4.7%
|
Warning from Former Competition Bureau head
Bread could be 'first cut' to revealing more price-fixing schemes
The former head of Canada's Competition Bureau says makers of other consumer
products could be engaging in similar price-fixing conspiracies similar to the
bread scandal that has ensnared the country's grocery sector.
"Maybe this was just the first cut," Melanie Aitken, former head of Canada's
Competition Bureau Commissioner, told BNN in an interview Wednesday. "It's not
hard to imagine that there are other products out there - or groups of
products - that you and I use every day - like bread... where this is going on."
While Canada's concentrated grocery sector and small number of producers make it
easier for competitors to collude and drive up price, the Competition Bureau
lacks the resources to expose those conspiracies, said Aitken.
Loblaw and George Weston Ltd. have received immunity from prosecution after
admitting to involvement in what companies say was an industry-wide price-fixing
arrangement that took place between 2001 and 2015, affecting popular bread
products in Canada. The companies received immunity from criminal prosecution
after reporting the activity to the Competition Bureau.
bnn.ca
'I'm not a criminal': Customers upset Loblaw demanding proof of ID
for $25 gift card
Loblaw
gift cards promised by the company in the wake of an industry-wide bread
price-fixing scheme have unexpected strings attached for some customers.
The grocer sent emails to a number of individuals who applied for the $25
voucher, saying they will be denied the card unless they provide more personal
information such as a scanned copy of their driver's licence or utility bill,
within 30 days to verify their address
The request is not sitting well with some customers whose trust has already been
tested by the scandal that prompted the apology offer in the first place.
ctvnews.ca
55% of Canadian companies say they've been victims of fraud
Businesses in Canada more likely to experience cybercrime
More than half of Canadian companies have experienced fraud in the past two
years - that's up 18 per cent from 2016. The findings, presented in the
"Economic Crime and Fraud Survey" by accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers,
suggest that Canadian businesses may be lagging in the fight against cybercrime.
According to the survey, 46 per cent of companies said they experienced
cybercrime, 38 per cent reported asset misappropriation, and 36 per cent
experienced consumer fraud. The survey noted that cybercrime is the "most
disruptive" for businesses, and can lead to compromised security, lawsuits
and more.
One concerning factor, the survey pointed out, was Canadian companies were
more likely to experience cybercrimes, at 46 per cent, than their global
counterparts, at 31 per cent.
Consumer fraud - which encompasses things like credit card, insurance and
mortgage fraud - is becoming more prevalent with new technologies, the PwC
report says.
globalnews.ca
Majority of Canadians still worried about identity theft: poll
While half of Canadians are confident shopping online, a strong majority still
fear thieves might steal their personal information. Those are the findings of
the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada's annual fraud survey, which
found 71 per cent of Canadians are concerned about identity theft, up from 66
per cent last year.
vancouversun.com
Uber to inform all 815,00 Canadians affected by 2016 data breach
Stolen info could be used for identity theft, fraud
There is a real risk of significant harm to the affected individuals as a result
of an Oct. 2016 breach that saw the theft of information - including names,
email addresses and mobile numbers - from some 57 million accounts globally.
The personal information of drivers, such as their driver's license numbers,
could be used for identity theft or fraud.
citynews.ca
E-commerce not the only cause of death for Canadian malls
Beleaguered retailers have been quick to blame online shopping for their
decline. But retail experts say scapegoating e-commerce is an oversimplification
of a multifaceted problem: changing consumer tastes, demographic shifts,
technological advances and other forces also add to their woes.
Retailers fret over e-commerce's growth, even though it actually constitutes
a small percentage of shopping in Canada. In December 2017, e-commerce
accounted for nearly $1.9 billion or 3.4 per cent of total retail sales in the
country, according to Statistic Canada, suggesting annual growth of about four
per cent from 2016.
While the online phenomenon has eaten into the bottom line of brick-and-mortar
store chains, the rise of specialty retailers - such as stand alone stores for
brands such as Hunter boots and Canada Goose jackets - and discount stores,
including Walmart and Dollarama, are also luring shoppers away from former
Canadian mall stalwarts like Sears.
news1130.com
Store openings in Canada
•
Japanese Retailers Uniqlo & Muji Continue Canadian Expansion with Store Openings
•
Israel-Based Bath and Body Retailer to Enter Canada with First Store
•
ASICS Opens 1st Canadian Flagship
•
The Detox Market expands its Retail Footprint with Third Store
•
Judith & Charles Embraces Street-Front Retail with 2 Spring 2018 Openings
•
FAO Schwarz to Land in Canada, Shanghai Stationery to Open 1st Location
•
Orangetheory Fitness Launches Aggressive Expansion; Minimum of 170 openings
before 2021
Secret probe reveals widespread body-shop fraud; Nine of 10 shops pulled scams
Could Toys R Us Canada survive apart from its US parent?
Costco eyes fresh grocery delivery in Canada
Nordstrom looks to its Rack stores and Canada for Growth
Amazon Canada says 'secret sauce' to success is a customer-first focus
Costco quarterly results: Canadian sales up 8.7%
|
Montreal, QC: Attempted murder with 'long gun' at luxury clothing store
Montreal police are searching for a man after a shooting Monday at a luxury
clothing store in downtown Montreal. The suspect entered the Giorgio Gruppo Roma
clothing store on Peel Street and shot a store worker. The assailant left the
weapon at the scene and escaped through one of the nearby stores. Sources tell
Global News that the weapon used in the shooting was a long gun. Chèvrefils said
the alleged shooter was wearing a fluorescent work vest and a mask. The victim,
a man in his sixties, was shot in the lower body and is in stable condition in
hospital.
globalnews.ca
GTA violent robbery spree: 3 pharmacies, 5 banks & McDonald's targeted
'The SKS Bandits' face total of 14 charges
Two men have been charged in connection with a series of violent retail and bank
robberies throughout the Greater Toronto Area. A group who police have
identified as "The SKS Bandits," are allegedly responsible for the robberies,
police said.
The spree began on Dec. 17 at a McDonald's. Two men entered the
restaurant and ordered everyone to the ground. They then jumped over the counter
and cleaned out the cash in the registers.
Between January and February, three pharmacies and five banks were robbed,
four in Toronto and one in York region. In a news release issued Friday,
police described the robberies as "takeover style, with the men wearing
balaclavas and ordering the employees and customers to the floor." There were no
injuries reported at any of these incidents.
ctvnews.ca
Winnipeg, MB: Customer stabbed at convenience store during robbery
Tsawwassen, BC: Three face 58 charges in credit card-making operation
Hamilton,
ON: $7,000 in merchandise swiped from hobby shop
Toronto, ON: Man arrested after shooting near convenience store injures woman
Halton, ON: Man sought in $171 Superstore theft
Oceanside, BC: RCMP stop alleged garden-store theft thanks to witness
Nanaimo, BC: Teen arrested after shooting pellet gun at cars, dealership
Robberies and Burglaries
•
C-Store - Winnipeg, MB - Armed Robbery
•
C-Store - Windsor, ON - Robbery
•
Circle K - Mississauga, ON - Armed Robbery
•
Hobby Shop - Hamilton, ON - Burglary
•
Mariani Jewellers & Watch Boutique - Oakville, ON - Armed Robbery
•
Shoppers Drug Mart - Hamilton, ON - Armed Robbery (2x in a week)
•
Weeds Glass & Gifts - Chilliwack, BC - Robbery |
Chandler, AZ: Son continues father's Baby Formula
theft spree after arrest; $48,000 in merchandise
A
man, who was caught stealing $48,000 in baby products around the Valley, was
nearly five times more successful at it than his father, who was arrested in
August for the same crimes. Chandler police report that on February 27 they
arrested 18-year-old Robert Elijah Illa at his home.
Illa is accused of stealing $48,000 worth of baby formula, diapers and laundry
detergent from Fry's stores in nine Valley cities. Police say Illa would place
items in a large tote with dog food or other items covering the stolen goods.
Illa allegedly committed three thefts last summer, then picked up his crime
spree in January. You may remember his father Robert Thomas Illa, 39, who was
arrested in August for allegedly committing 24 thefts of baby products from
Fry's stores, worth about $10,000.
abc15.com
3 arrested in 'elaborate' $16,000 interstate Yeti Cooler
theft ring
Demetrius Johnson, Anthony Jackson, and Leon Gamble, are suspected in two thefts
in Louisiana and more than a dozen thefts in Texas, police said. Detectives
believe the trio was in the process of hitting another New Orleans area business
when captured at a hotel. NOPD detectives recovered more than $16,000 in stolen
property during the arrests, including 52 "high-end" coolers, 32 of them stolen
in Louisiana, the NOPD said. The other 20 Yeti coolers were stolen in Texas.
nola.com
Lufkin, TX: Authorities identify man who stole
$3k in 'returned merchandise' scheme at Sam's Club
Thanks to an anonymous tip, authorities were able to identify the suspect
involved in the scheme at Sam's Club in Lufkin. The suspect entered the Sam's
Club in Lufkin and loaded merchandise in a cart, then attempted to leave. An
employee's question stopped him at first, but he convinced another employee he
was returning the items. The second employee marked the items for return and
directed him to the customer service desk. Instead, he was able to leave with
the merchandise after telling another employee he had 'changed his mind.' The
two employees realized too late what happened, and were not able to stop him.
cbs19.tv
Wilkes-Barre Township, PA: More than $2.6K in panties
stolen from Victoria's Secret
|