Magnet Detection Pioneer Alert Systems Selects CONTROLTEK as Exclusive Regional Partner for North America

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - CONTROLTEK, the second-largest RF EAS company in the U.S., has partnered with Danish technology innovator Alert Systems, to expand the availability of magnet detectors to U.S. retailers.

"Professional shoplifters, and especially organized retail crime (ORC) groups, have learned to use magnetic detachers to remove EAS tags," said Tom Meehan, CONTROLTEK's Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Information Security Officer. "Probably the best magnet detectors in the world made specifically for retail loss prevention are the Hyperguard and Apparelguard made by Alert Systems, which is why we are especially excited about this new partnership."

Meehan emphasized that the most appealing quality of Alert Systems booster bag and magnet detectors is that they allow store personnel to prevent theft before the attempt is even made, which is different from EAS systems which detect shoplifters on the way out. He also added that the detectors come in three flavors: as standalone pedestals at the store entrance, as add-on hardware built into EAS pedestals, and as wall-mounted detectors for fitting rooms (in Apparelguard's case).

"CONTROLTEK has a unique program for systems installations, called First Time Right," said Troels Garibaldi Falkenberg, CEO of Alert Systems. "Its success rate has been impressive, which is why we believe CONTROLTEK is an ideal partner to bring our technology to the wider audience in North America."

More information about Alert Systems' booster bag and magnet detectors is available on CONTROLTEK's website.

Retail Merchandiser Inadvertently Sent Worker W-2s To Identity Thieves
Employees Now Suing Company Over Phishing Scam
A Texas-based retail merchandising company was hit with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court Monday by employees saying the company sent copies of their information-laden W-2s to identity thieves in a "phishing" scam.

The suit claims that the Social Security numbers and other identifying information of Driveline Retail Merchandising Inc. employees were inadvertently disclosed last year after a Driveline worker sent workers' W-2s in response to an email that looked like it came from within the company.

The proposed class, which the suit claims could include around 10,000 Driveline employees, says the company is liable for failing to heed FBI warnings and news reports about the phishing scam seeking employee data. The suit requests an injunction requiring Driveline to implement new cybersecurity procedures and disclose the full extent of the breach to each employee, as well as damages and attorneys' fees.

"Despite all the publicly available knowledge of the continued compromises of PII, and alerts regarding the actual W-2 phishing email scam perpetrated, Driveline's approach to maintaining the privacy of its employees' [personally identifying information] was lackadaisical, cavalier, reckless, or in the very least, negligent," the suit says.

The suit doesn't say who sent the email or who they believed was requesting the W-2s from Driveline, which sets up product displays and shelves products at big box stores across the country.

The incident was revealed to employees in a letter in February 2017 that said the information sent out included employee names, addresses, wage information and Social Security numbers. law360.com

How Fake News Drives Corporates To Redirect Their Security Strategies
Mounting concerns over "fake news," are, in many ways, pushing corporate cybersecurity in a new direction.

"What's happened over the years is that the internet landscape has fundamentally changed," he said. "People are putting more of their digital identities online, and as a result, we've been hearing from companies that say, 'We have our chargebacks under control. However, we're now dealing with account takeovers, affiliate fraud and content abuse.' Fake news and misinformation are top of mind right now, especially in the U.S."

The multibillion-dollar losses incurred by Facebook "because of that breach in trust" are proof that content abuse and data breaches have clear financial impacts. But because those financial implications are difficult to precisely calculate, corporates today are struggling with their cybersecurity strategies. Fewer than half of companies surveyed by Marsh and Microsoft earlier this year say they estimate financial losses from cyberattacks.

"When it comes to content abuse and account takeovers, those affect your top line. They're attacking your customers directly. Eventually, that will get down to the bottom line, but it's not a one-to-one correlation, and therefore is not as easily assessed."

Compromise Security For Customer Experience

"Customers demand instant gratification and ease - thank you, Amazon, for delivering that customer experience," he said. "As a result of that really frictionless experience, there is more risk in terms of companies not wanting to turn away good users. It does expose them to more risk."

"Essentially," he continued, "the world has changed to where we have to up our game, up our customer service levels and experience. Sometimes that comes as a tradeoff with security."

The checkout experience, for example, can come riddled with hurdles for a customer passing through multiple layers of authentication and security. It creates additional friction for the end-user, Lee said, so as larger companies like Amazon offer a more streamlined and faster experience, smaller businesses are forced to play catch-up.

"If they don't," said Lee, "they're going to become dinosaurs."

Machine Learning Steps In

Sophisticated data analytics technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence can help SMBs and large enterprises alike in maintaining a positive customer experience without compromising security, according to Lee.

For example, instead of adding multiple data entry fields and authentication measures at the time of checkout, integrated machine learning and analytics solutions can pre-assess a customer's risk level to the seller based on behavior.

These technologies can address issues of "fake news," too, said Lee, offering early warning signs to customers or highlighting questionable email addresses and URLs in the back-office - tactics that can help address fraud like the Business Email Compromise.

"Because of data breaches and other missteps, security is more at the forefront," he said. "In Silicon Valley, you're seeing the departure of high-profile folks because of security issues. Perception and mindset are slowly shifting, and there is a lot of inertia." pymnts.com

Over 1,000 Stores Using Magento E-Commerce Platform Have Been Hacked
Cybercriminals are using brute-force password attacks to gain administrative access to sites using Magento's open source e-commerce platform in order to steal credit card numbers and distribute cryptocurrency mining malware, Flashpoint warned this week.

In a report Monday, the security vendor said it is aware of at least 1,000 Magento sites that appear to have been recently compromised by attackers using common and default credentials to brute force their way into the content management system (CMS) admin panel. In many cases, their task appears to have been simplified by admins who had failed to change default credentials to the platform, Flashpoint said. According to the vendor, it is quite likely the 1,000 compromised panels that it is aware of are only a subset of a larger body of compromised Magento websites. darkreading.com

Dot-cm Typosquatting Sites Visited 12M Times So Far in 2018
A story published here last week warned readers about a vast network of potentially malicious Web sites ending in ".cm" that mimic some of the world's most popular Internet destinations (e.g. espn[dot]cm, aol[dot]cm and itunes[dot].cm) in a bid to bombard visitors with fake security alerts that can lock up one's computer. If that piece lacked one key detail it was insight into just how many people were mistyping .com and ending up at one of these so-called "typosquatting" domains. krebsonsecurity.com

Vitamin Shoppe - Director, IT Security & Compliance - job removed from website

Convenient Cardless Access to Cash Available at More Retail ATMs

ShopInsights:
Retail Council of Canada survey shows how businesses are preventing loss
ShopInsightsTM is a research initiative to survey the independent retailer community in Canada about various issues that affect your business and offer insights about how what you are doing and feeling compares to other independent retailers across the country.

See the full survey here

Special Alert
Jeweler associations issue warning after string of robberies
In response to a string of recent armed robberies, the Canadian Jewellers Association's (CJA's) Crime Prevention Program (CPP) and Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group have teamed up to inform retail jewellers about the threat. The organizations have released an alert written by insurance expert and frequent JB contributor David Sexton, offering tips to help jewellers prepare for, prevent, and safely endure such attacks.

According to the alert, Canadian retail jewellers have suffered seven armed robbery attacks since the beginning of 2018. Of these, five took place in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with the other two split between Windsor, Ont., and Québec.

The alert begins by covering precautions jewellers can take to help deter criminals from targeting their businesses. For instance, Sexton recommends following observable security procedures, personally greeting each visitor to the store, and creating a 'suspicious incidents log' to help ward off robbers and keep staff aware.

To read the full alert and get more details on protecting against armed robberies, click here.
jewellerybusiness.com

Nanaimo, BC: Shoppers Drug Mart staff stop elderly woman from being scammed out of $4,000
According to police, on March 8, an 82-year-old woman went into a Shoppers Drug Mart asking if she could buy $4,000 in gaming cards. Given the amount asked for, the employee thought the woman was being duped and asked her why she needed so many cards. The woman told the employee she had just received a phone call from her son who told her he was in financial trouble and the only way out of his mess was to buy $4,000 in gaming cards, called Steam Cards.

According to police, the employee told the woman it was a scam. However, the woman said she knew of the iTunes scam but this was real. Over the next few minutes, four different employees tried to tell her it was a scam but she wasn't convinced. Eventually, the woman said if they would not sell her the cards, she would buy them at Walmart.

The Shoppers Drug Mart employees immediately reported the incident to police and told them the woman would be driving to Walmart. The dispatch operator called Walmart and when the woman arrived, she was again prevented from making the purchase.

The dispatch centre and a Nanaimo RCMP officer followed up with the woman by phone. Police said it was only then that she realized it was a scam. cheknews.ca

Saks Fifth Avenue Credit Card Breach Likely Affected Stores In Canada
Hudson's Bay Co. is the latest Canadian company to be hit with a data breach, saying that customer payment card information may have been stolen from shoppers at certain Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth and Lord & Taylor stores in North America.

HBC released little information on the breach itself on Sunday, but a New York-based cybersecurity firm said it had analyzed the available data and found that information from five-million credit cards had been compromised.

The firm found that three Canadian Saks locations were exposed to the breach: Sherway Gardens in Toronto, Bramalea City Centre in Brampton, Ont. and Pickering Town Centre in Pickering, Ont. huffingtonpost.ca



Security Insider: Security in sports venues
Kevin Kempcke, director of security for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, talks about some of the precautions facilities like Toronto's Air Canada Centre are taking to help mitigate security concerns while still maintaining a positive fan experience. canadiansecuritymag.com




Store Openings in Canada
● Hundreds flock to opening of H&M at Regina's Cornwall mall
● Muti Kitchen & Bath opens their new Flagship store in Toronto's Castlefield Design District
● Olive Garden and Starbucks set to open in Regina's Harbour Landing
● Farm Boy Fresh Market opens in Hamilton
● New grocery store in the works in North Bay, Ont.

Swedish retailer Lindex coming to Canada

Whole Foods hints at 10% discount for Amazon Prime members

Canadian producers fear U.S. will flood market after Chinese tariffs

A New Pat for Chargeback and Disputes Processing... Deadline April 2018
Rising e-commerce transactions, though definitely a boon for issuers and merchants is also turning out be a cause of great anxiety, due to the increasing number of chargebacks and online fraud incidences. Global Card Fraud losses have been skyrocketing and is expected to reach $50 billion by 2025 with 'Friendly Fraud' or 'Chargeback Fraud' accounting for the largest category of fraud losses (Source: The Nilson Report)

Chargebacks have always been a time consuming and costly affair for Merchant Acquirers and Issuers, and significantly affects the bottom line negatively, if not resolved in time.

Come April 2018, a rescuer, in the form of Visa Claims Resolution Rule (VCR), comes into effect with the aim of simplifying the dispute resolution processes and improving the efficiency of the Chargeback process.

One major change is the use of Visa's dispute platform Visa Resolve Online (VROL) to upfront categorize and submit disputes. VCR will definitely bring down the number of disputes but Acquirers and Merchants will need to start preparing to adapt to some of the new changes that VCR brings along with it. paymentsjournal.com

Facebook's Data Scandal Affects Ecommerce Companies
A Cambridge professor used a Facebook survey app to obtain profile information from the 300,000 people who participated. He also was able to gather profile information of an additional 49 million users because Facebook had a setting to pull friends' information, too. That got into the hands of a marketing company called Cambridge Analytica, which famously helped Donald Trump with online advertising during the presidential campaign.

This has created much discussion about how much data is being collected by websites and online services and how marketers use that data. It's also causing many internet users to consider the cost of "free" services, such as Facebook.

But how is this affecting advertising for ecommerce companies?

The biggest impact so far is the announcement from Facebook that it will shut down "Partner Categories," which enable third-party data providers to offer targeting directly on Facebook. The announcement is quite broad. Since 2012, Facebook, to improve its targeting, has been integrating data from major information providers.

Which targeting criteria will Facebook eliminate?

● In-market audiences, such as someone looking to buy a new car.
● Automobile ownership.
● Credit card holders.
● Likely investors.
● Buyers of certain brands.
● Buyers of certain product categories, such as hair car or cleaning supplies.
● Household income.

Facebook is moving quickly to simplify privacy settings and data collection. What most affects advertisers is the area Facebook has named "Your ad preferences." Any Facebook user can go to this page while logged in and identify what influences the ads she sees. practicalecommerce.com

Amazon's Impact On Small Biz More Beneficial Than Harmful, Survey Suggests

Etsy to Collect Sales Tax for Washington and Pennsylvania

West Chester, OH: Police dept. hosting local ORC meeting
West Chester Police Department is hosting their monthly local ORC meeting on Friday April 20th, 2018 at 9:30AM. All local retailers and Law Enforcement agencies are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held every 3rd Friday of the month at 9:30AM at West Chester Police Department. The meeting will be led by Detective Burger of West Chester Police. Please bring printed copies or USB to share information and/or pictures. Click here for more information.

West Palm Beach, FL: Police track down $500,000 worth of Stolen Goods
at a Pawn Shop
More than $500,000 worth of rare guitars, watches and firearms were burglarized from a West Palm Beach home in March 2016. The homeowner was out of town at the time of the break-in. Detectives came across advertisements showing more than three dozen of the stolen instruments for sale at a Weston guitar shop. The store's owner told police two men from Delray Beach had come in with about 40 guitars for sale and he bought them for more than $29,000, according to Police. sun-sentinel.com

Sarasota, FL: Jewelry heist: $100K in jewelry, coins stolen in 60 seconds
Sarasota Police need your help to catch two thieves who took off with nearly $100,000 in jewelry and rare coins. On Thursday, March 29 at 1:30 a.m., two people broke into the back door of Estate Coin & Jewelry Galleria at 1650 Main Street. "We do believe these two people knew exactly what they were going for. We believe they are professionals," said Sarasota police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge. They entered the store wearing hooded sweatshirts and within 60 seconds they smashed the glass jewelry cabinets with a crowbar and swiped the jewelry and coins into bags. Employees at nearby Milan's Jewelry recognized the suspect. wfla.com

Chandler, AZ: Man arrested in $86,000 Home Depot scheme
Antoine Elkik, 57 was arrested on suspicion of stealing $86,000 worth of merchandise from Home Depot stores around the Phoenix area in a scheme involving duplicate store items. According to Chandler Police, Elkik conducted his scheme between February 2012 to February of this year, the documents say. He would make legitimate purchases of items with his credit card, put the items in his car, then return to the store with his receipt, grab the same products, and exit the store without paying, the records state. "(He) was identified through analytical reporting in which he was showing a high amount of refunds." Elkik is facing 30 counts of retail theft, according to court records. azcentral.com

Holton, KS: Two Missouri men arrested for theft of TV's from Walmart; one suspect wearing Ankle Monitor
Two men have been arrested on charges they stole televisions from the Walmart in Holton, said Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse. Morse said Jason Allen Aubrey, 30, and Kevin Lee Parker, 31, were arrested Monday night east of Holton after a traffic stop by deputies. Morse said three TVs were recovered and a sound bar believed to have been stolen from the store was found in Atchison County. Theft detection devices had been removed from the products when they were stolen from the store. Parker was wearing an ankle monitoring device when he was arrested. cjonline.com



Lehigh Acres, FL: Three women take off with $1,500 worth of Baby Formula from Winn Dixie and Walgreens
Deputies said the three hit two Winn Dixies and a Walgreens in Lehigh Acres on Saturday. The three are seen in surveillance video putting baby formula in a cart, taking the cart to the end of the aisle, and stuffing the formula in their purses. nbc-2.com

Shootings, Standoff & Deaths

Update: Memphis, TN: Clerk charged with shooting, killing teen shoplifter
Police in Tennessee say a convenience store clerk has been charged in the fatal shooting of a suspected shoplifter whose body was found near the store. The Commercial Appeal reports Memphis police charged 28-year-old Anwar Ghazali with first-degree murder on Saturday. The shooting happened Thursday, but police said Ghazali never reported the incident. According to WMC-TV, the body of 17-year-old Dorian Harris was found beside a home near the store Saturday. Police spokesman Louis Brownlee said the teen was suspected of leaving the store without paying for a beer, and Ghazali followed him and allegedly shot him. cbs17.com

Gwinnett, GA: SWAT activated after man barricades self in McDonald's bathroom with knife; ends peacefully
A SWAT call-out to a Lawrenceville McDonald's ended peacefully Tuesday morning with a man in custody. Around 4:30 a.m., Gwinnett police received reports that the suspect, later identified as Derrick Hall, had barricaded himself inside a restroom with a knife at the Sugarloaf Parkway McDonald's after being asked to leave the restaurant. The 911 caller told dispatch that they believed Hall was doing drugs and that when he was asked to leave, he fled into the men's restroom. gwinnettdailypost.com

Robberies & Thefts

Chico, CA: Kmart reports $12,000 jewelry Armed Robbery, suspect arrested
According to Chico Police, Monday April 2nd around 5:30 p.m. they received a report from K-Mart that there had been a robbery. K-Mart Loss Prevention employees confronted a suspect they said shoplifted $12,000 in jewelry. When confronted the suspect who was later identified as Philip Walton, 29 years old from Magalia took out a gun and fled the store. Butte County Deputies later arrested Walton at his home in Magalia. A Chico Police Officer locate the handgun used in the robbery, and determined that it was a replica bb gun. actionnewsnow.com

NY /NJ: Masked Men Linked to String of Pharmacy Robberies Across Tri-State
Police said they're looking for three masked gunmen linked to at least seven robberies at pharmacies in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island in the last few months. Suffolk County Police said this robbers have hit stores across the region since mid-February, and nearly all of them involved three armed men, striking before dawn and taking drugs and money. Most recently, the robbers hit a CVS pharmacy in Port Jefferson Station early Tuesday. The gunmen made off with drugs and money after tying up one of the four employees that were inside. nbcnewyork.com

Allentown, PA: Police allege Popeyes employee in on stickup; gunman fled with $2,000
Authorities charged Eduardo Caban with robbery, conspiracy and theft by deception in connection to the Monday morning robbery of a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Police were dispatched to the Popeyes about 8:30 a.m. Monday to investigate a reported armed robbery. After heading outside to smoke a cigarette, Caban was accompanied back into the store by a man wearing a bandana and brandishing a handgun. wfmz.com

Wilkesboro, NC: Dollar General Employee and 3 others charged with Burglary and Safe Cracking
The Wilkes Sheriff's Office charged four people in connection with a break-in and theft of $1,500 in cash from the Dollar General store in Ronda early Tuesday morning. A listing of specific charges filed against Krystal Mari Wood wasn't immediately available. She is an employee of the Dollar General that was broken into, The Deputy reported that confessions were obtained from each of the suspects and that cash register tills (trays) and part of the cash taken from the Dollar General were recovered. journalpatriot.com

Pelzer, SC: Power of social media helps deputies in Anderson County Burglary
Deputies in three separate counties are now looking for a man involved in an Easter Sunday burglary in Pelzer. Surveillance video captured images of this suspect cutting the lock at Rogers Feed and stealing dog kennels and plants. The store posted images to their Facebook page and within hours, the suspect was identified and spotted in Greenville County. But deputies were unable to arrest him that day and a warrant is now out for his arrest in Anderson County. wspa.com


Nigerian gangs make millions from stolen phones in UK
Nigerian crime lords are making millions from mobile phones stolen on the streets of Britain by gangs. Mobile phones snatched from pedestrians are advertised as 'UK used' iPhones for sale in Lagos, where they are sold at knockdown prices. Nigeria has not signed up to a global deal blacklisting stolen phones so gangs are continuing to supply tens of thousands of phones to crime bosses in Nigeria. guardian.ng



Petersburg, AK: Electronic Store Employee charged with Burglary; Criminal record of 12 arrests in last year

Medford, OR: Pawn Shop Burglary, $260,000 in Diamonds and colored stones

Sentencings

Raleigh, NC: Getaway driver sentenced to Life in Johnston County store clerk's 2016 murder
Raleigh resident Julien Allen, who was 19 when Esmail Al-Shami, 29, was shot to death inside a Zebulon convenience store on Oct. 27, 2016, was found guilty of murder March 29 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. cbs17.com

Madison, WI: Florida man who planted gas pump skimmers gets 9 years in Federal Prison
In all, federal authorities said, Arias-Perez, 29, of Miami, had gathered about 50,000 stolen credit card numbers from which he created cards that were used to methodically make fraudulent purchases at stores in a number of states of items that were eventually sold for cash. madison.com

Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position

Featured Job Spotlights

 

Featured Jobs

To apply to any of today's Featured Jobs, Click Here

Sponsor Today's Internet Jobs 

Stay Motivation: Seek Feedback, Experiment and Remain Flexible
 

To Stay Motivated, Seek Positive and Negative Feedback
Sometimes negative feedback can slow us down, but it can also point us into a new direction, give us a renewed motivation to do even better. Here's how hard feedback can help fuel your motivation. Seek a balance

3 Simple Ways to Make Your Employees Excited to Come to Work Every Day
If you're trying to make your team engaged, it doesn't work that way. Employee engagement isn't something that can be forced, but you can help motivate and get your team excited about work with these three things. Appreciate and recognize

Why People Lose Motivation - and What Managers Can Do to Help
At some point, every leader has dealt with someone who has lost motivation. While it's frustrating to deal with, leaders can get a the crux of the problem by making sure they are activating their employees' seeking systems. Experimental 'safe zone'

This Toxic Leadership Trait is Killing Your Motivation
Toxic behaviors are a drain on organizations, but there's a quiet toxic trait that can go unnoticed to many: perfectionism. It can impact your team and your performance as a leader. Here's how you can keep it from slowing you down. Be kind to yourself

Show us your Team Pride!

Managing your career upwards sometimes has to do with the exposure you get to new executives and new responsibilities. The easiest way to get that exposure is to volunteer for projects, assignments, or new rollouts. Going above and beyond your current job description is always a way to gain respect and be noticed. The only issue there is, is that you've got to perform at a high level and deliver results because the worst thing one can do is volunteer and not pull it off.

Just a Thought,
Gus

Not getting the Daily? Is it ending up in your spam folder?
Please make sure to add d-ddaily@downing-downing.com to your contact list, address book, trusted sender list, and/or company whitelist to ensure you receive our newsletter. 
Want to know how? Read Here