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 4/28/20

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GLPS 'Where Are They Now?' Series

Find Your Old Friend & Colleagues - Where Have They Gone?
Take a Look Down Memory Lane
1st Correct Answer Becomes Eligible to Win a Pizza Party!

Can you name these teams?

  
Team Pictures Submitted December 2015

Here's some hints:

Left Pic: They're all long gone now - But the name lives on.
Didn't know they were trained to cook on the real stuff.

Right Pic: Oh well, another one for the history books & they call that casual...
The horses are gone too - because someone left the door open.


Find out how your team can win a pizza party as we take a stroll down memory lane!
 


Show Your LP/AP Team Pride!

Send in your team's 'Group LP Selfie'



 


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Vector Security Networks Provides Re-Entry Solutions for Businesses
Preparing to Return After COVID-19


Security and network solutions support safety of employees, customers, workspaces

As multi-site businesses begin re-entry into a "new normal" stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Vector Security Networks, a division of Vector Security, Inc., provides solutions to help ensure the safety, security and wellness of employees, customers and workspaces, while adhering to government regulations and new requirements.

"The COVID-19 pandemic will drive short- and long-term disruption in our lives and in our organizations even after the initial outbreak has been contained," said Michael Grady, Executive Vice President for Vector Security Networks. "Preparing for re-entry into the 'new normal' will be an overwhelming task, with numerous decisions that businesses need to make along the way...but Vector Security Networks can help."

Vector Security Networks' re-entry solutions address three critical areas:

1. Ensuring buildings are safe, secure, and ready.
2. Creating and monitoring effective guidelines and adjustments to workspaces.
3. Promoting the health and wellness of employees and customers. vectorsecurity.com


Restoring Location Physical Security Before Reopening

Preparing for What Lies Ahead

If you are turning your focus toward a strategy to reopen locations, there are several challenges and adaptations that "non-essential" businesses will have to address and adopt in store environments as we emerge from this crisis. One important thing that can be easily overlooked is keyed access. Some employees have keys and may not be returning when the time to reopen comes. Losing employees due to the current crisis is difficult for everyone, but it also represents an exposure to additional loss for the business. Any missing key means a facility's security is in jeopardy and the potential for loss exists, especially if keys are not restricted.

Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight below.
 



There's More Webinars & Podcasts Than Ever Before


It's Like O'Hare Airport at 7:00 am Morning Rush Hour

In one week we counted 6 webinars and podcasts, and it's continuing. And rightfully so!

What a perfect time for the non-essential retail executives to learn and explore new technologies, new solution providers, and learn new interviewing techniques.

This is a great educational time during such a traumatic time this is. The question is; with all of the stress and being at home, how much are the participants learning and absorbing. Hopefully the same as in normal times. But that's not probably reality right now according to the experts. But the fact is we are learning and growing and that's one positive that can come out of all of this.

So get involved, listen in on the webinars and podcasts. Pick somewhere you don't know the technology, the organization or executives and expand your knowledge base. Because that will help you long term and you never know what piece of information may be the key to one of your challenges or issues in the future. And although the speakers didn't meet you, you certainly got to know them and you can connect later and expand your network.

If you're a solution provider and haven't done one or two you should seriously consider it. You'll never have a better time then right now. Even a simple company introduction and explanation of what you deliver to the market just may go over well. As we're hearing good numbers with attendees and with on-demand.

It's a great educational time and staying up to date is critical. Especially now!

Just a thought -Gus Downing

The D&D Daily is Launching a Webinar & Podcast Monthly Schedule for May
To be published and linked to the Daily each day. Let us know about yours and we'll post it for free!
 



Coronavirus Update: April 28

US: Over 1 Million Cases - 57K Dead - 140K Recovered
Worldwide: Over 3.1 Million Cases - 213K Dead - 938K Recovered

U.S. Law Enforcement Deaths | NYPD Deaths: 33
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 79+

Coronavirus Map: Infected - U.S. Leads the World


 



Nation's Biggest Mall Operator - 204 Locations Opening Next Week!
Simon plans mall re-openings with traffic limits, shorter hours & safety protocols
Simon Property Group plans to begin the "phased reopening" of its mall properties soon, contingent on state and regional closure orders and criteria issued by the federal government.

Simon plans to open five malls in Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina on May 1, with more malls to follow in the first weeks of May, per the memo.  Opening May 4th in 10 states.

As it opens malls, Simon is rolling out COVID-19 safety protocols, including limited hours, occupancy limits, spacing configurations to promote social distancing, employee screening for symptoms, employee training and face mask requirements for workers, among several other steps.

As it reopens properties, Simon is limiting foot traffic to 1 person per 50 square feet for properties as a whole. To enforce that, the mall operator will restrict how many entrances are open and create queues to enter.

It's also reshaping traffic flow, rearranging furniture in food courts to space people further apart, shutting some sinks and urinals for the same reason, and closing down high traffic areas like drinking fountains and valet stations.

Along with all of those steps, to allow time for disinfecting the mall operator said it will limit mall hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Operations won't be returning to the pre-pandemic "normal" for the foreseeable future.

"As you can see, we have rigorously analyzed the shopping experience in our properties and have developed directions and safety measures and protocols to provide to our employees, shoppers and tenant employees to help prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus when we reopen and get back to business," Rulli said in the memo. For the protocols to work, he added, "we need the cooperation and participation of our tenants."

Simon Property Group owns 204 properties in the U.S., consisting of 106 malls, 69 Premium Outlets, 14 Mills, 4 lifestyle centers, and 11 other properties in 37 states and Puerto Rico. They closed all domestic properties on March 18th. cnbc.com retaildive.com

Retailers Announce Goal of 1,000 Testing Locations By End of May
President Donald Trump doubled down Monday on an effort to enlist major retailers to set up drive-through coronavirus testing locations around the country

"Testing is not going to be a problem at all," Trump said Monday, before inviting the CEOs of CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and Rite Aid to the podium to describe their plans to scale up the nasal-swabbing stations.

Since March 13th, the participating retail giants -- who boast a combined 28,903 store locations across the country -- have only launched 69 drive-thru testing sites.

The entire effort has had to move at a breakneck pace. Walmart Executive Vice President Dan Bartlett wrote in a blog Monday; "Because none of this was the traditional role of a retailer, we pieced together how to run a testing site in the middle of a pandemic using two main principles to guide us: make sure everyone on site is safe; and provide a quality test." abcnews.go.com

COVID-19 Creates 46,000 New Security Jobs
G4S Hiring 15,000 Employees in Response to COVID-19


When considering Allied Universal's hiring 30,000 and Securitas hiring 1,000 in California

G4S, a global integrated security company, today announced it is looking to hire more than 15,000 new team members across the U.S. over the next two months in response to increased demand from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Offering permanent, full-time positions with competitive salary and benefits, priority hiring markets for G4S include: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco/Sacramento, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Security officer and site supervisor positions span a variety of industries such as healthcare, government, finance, technology, commercial and private properties.

When possible - unless mandated by state licensing and screening requirements - G4S is leveraging a virtual interview process, including hiring and training. Following CDC guidelines, the company also provides employees with the necessary protective gear and training to ensure they are protected against COVID-19, plus free access to Doctor on Demand (a tele-medicine offering). sdmmag.com

Security Guards Say Their Companies Aren't Providing the PPE They Need

Security officer who tested positive for COVID-19 files lawsuit against employer

Carl Dawson a security officer said that he became ill in early April from the COVID-19 virus after his employer, a large contract security company in Illinois, refused to equip him and three other security officers working at a grocery store with personal protective equipment even though the company told the store manager that they would. Dawson said that he and at least one other security officer who was working at an office building prior to the start of the pandemic, tested positive for the virus and were hospitalized for more than a week. Both have recovered but say that they are filing a lawsuit against their former employer.

On April 11th, 143 security employees working on the frontline of the pandemic responded to a Private Officer International survey saying that they had not been issued PPE even though they are working within feet and sometimes inches of people, sometimes brushing up against each other as they stand in lines at the register or in the aisles.

Since that survey, Private Officer has heard from 647 other contract and proprietary security officers asking for assistance with protective gear, some saying that they were quitting if none was issued by the end of the week.

Our staff, association members and social media followers have been conducting dozens of cursory reviews of grocery stores, pharmacies, government buildings, courthouses and transit centers and have found only 1 in every 10 locations had equipped employees and security officers with some form of protective gear. privateofficer.com

Learning from the First Coronavirus Wave Will Be Critical
Former high-level public safety officials who took part in a webinar discussed the failures during the initial response of the coronavirus and the importance of correcting those errors during the summer.

State and local governments were caught off guard by the coronavirus, but need to ramp up with lessons learned from the last several weeks to be prepared for a second wave. That was a message shared by three former high-level public safety officials in a webinar last Thursday.

"This was not unforeseeable," said former U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff, during Flattening the Curve - Lessons Learned During COVID-19 and the Future of Public Safety, a webinar by Carbyne.

Chertoff said that while he was at DHS, the department - along with the Department of Health and Human Services and scientists - published a "very detailed" playbook about concerns of a spread of the H1N1 virus. The plan detailed who has what authority, roles people would assume and the need to have a stockpile of equipment that could be used for diagnostic or testing purposes. govtech.com

OSHA's 'Workers Exposure Risk to COVID-19'
Retail Workers Considered "Medium Exposure Risk"
Worker risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, during an outbreak may depend in part on the industry type and need for contact within 6 feet of people known to have, or suspected of having, COVID-19.

OSHA has divided job tasks into four risk exposure levels, as shown below. Most American workers will likely fall in the lower exposure risk (caution) or medium exposure risk levels.

MEDIUM EXPOSURE RISK
Jobs that require frequent/close contact with people who may be infected, but who are not known or suspected patients. Workers in this category include:

 Those who may have contact with the general public (e.g., schools, high-population-density work environments, some high-volume retail settings), including individuals returning from locations with widespread COVID-19 transmission.

For more information, see the Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.

Retailers' $20 Billion Monthly Rental Tab

Retail Tenants, Landlords Clash Over Proposed Pandemic Rent Clauses

Tenants are asking for clauses that give them rent relief during a pandemic, landlords and tenant lawyers say

AdvertisementSome retail tenants are aiming to rewrite their leases to include pandemic escape clauses and other additional forms of relief, setting up a showdown with landlords who oppose these measures.

Most retail leases limit a tenant's ability to claim a rent abatement based on business interruption or force majeure clauses, which either exclude pandemics or don't relieve a tenant from paying rent. Tenant lawyers say they are insisting these clauses become a part of new leases.

"If I'm representing a tenant, I'm going to ask for a clause that says the tenant doesn't have to pay rent if the government orders a shutdown due to a health crisis," said Ross Yustein, chair of law firm Kleinberg Kaplan's real estate group.

Discount retailer Five Below Inc., for one, sent letters to landlords saying it will withhold rent as long as its stores remain closed.

"Until all applicable orders are lifted, the country is no longer in a National Emergency, and it is safe for Five Below to reopen to its customers, associates and communities, Five Below will not be paying its monthly rent," an April letter said. wsj.com

Kohl's, Macy's, Gap, Belk Are Among The Retailers Delaying Payments To Their Suppliers
Landlords and employees are not the only people getting stiffed by retailers desperate to conserve whatever cash they can get their hands on.

They are now also telling their suppliers the check is most certainly not in the mail.

And now, they've dropped the third shoe: They are simply not paying for goods already delivered and accepted, telling their vendors they have unilaterally extended the payment terms out from the standard net-30 days to 60 or 90 days. Some are now going even further, with reports saying they won't pay their bills for as long as 120 or even 180 days. For those who are calendar-challenged, that's half a year-and counting. forbes.com

"Retail-To-Go" New Catch Phrase
Texas malls open for curbside pick-up
North Star Mall in San Antonio, where each retailer was assigned a dedicated number of spaces in the parking lot.

California Gov Says State "Weeks, Not Months" Away From Modifying Stay-At-Home


The DOJ's Task Force Warned About This: 1st Hoarding Charge
Tons of sanitizer: New York retailer charged with hoarding

disposable masks, gowns
Federal prosecutors charged a New York retailer Friday with hoarding tons of disposable masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer in a Long Island warehouse and selling the items at huge markups.

Amardeep "Bobby" Singh, 45, was charged with violating the Defense Production Act of 1950 in what authorities described as the first such prosecution during the coronavirus pandemic.

Singh sells sneakers and apparel at his Plainview store, prosecutors said, but dedicated a new section last month to "COVID-19 Essentials," including N95 masks, face shields, gloves and disinfecting products.

In late March and early April, authorities said, Singh stockpiled more than 1.6 tons of disposable masks; 2.2 tons of surgical gowns; 1.8 tons of hand sanitizer and seven shipments of digital thermometers.

Authorities said Singh marketed the products on social media and continued selling them even after he received a cease-and-desist letter from the New York Attorney General's Office, which called his pricing "unconscionably excessive."  usatoday.com

Malls Rank Lowest in Consumers Feeling Safe Shopping
Study: Consumers Feel Safer Shopping In Grocery And Drug Stores

A recent study by First Insight unveils consumer sentiment around feelings of safety when visiting several store formats during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to First Insight, the majority of consumers surveyed would feel safest shopping in grocery stores (54 percent) and drug store chains (50 percent). Forty-five percent of consumers would feel safe shopping at big box retailers, and 43 percent saying the same when shopping at local small businesses and warehouse clubs, respectively. Malls were ranked lowest with only 33 percent of respondents saying they would feel safe shopping in these locations.

"As retail visits expand past essential retail like grocery and drug stores, other retailers, and malls in particular, need to be thinking of ways to inspire a sense of safety for consumers, and it will need to go beyond offering gloves and masks at the door. It's also likely that retailers will see more men in-store than women, and they should consider adjusting inventory to target these shoppers." theshelbyreport.com

Green Bay: JBS Meat Packing Plant Closed Indefinitely
Wisconsin's Largest COVID-19 Outbreak - 189 Workers

OSHA investigating the outbreaks at the JBS and American Foods Group plants after worker rights group filed complaints. Voces asked for both companies to provide masks, ensure employees can practice social distancing and inform workers about positive cases.  greenbaypressgazette.com

From SHRM: Guidelines to Set for Video Meetings

Daily use of Webex has jumped 500%

How to dress, what makes the best background for virtual meetings and how to overcome meeting fatigue.

Set Expectations for Employees' Appearances
"If you have virtual client meetings with people from outside your company, go with something more professional at least from the waist up." (Editor's Note: Just don't let them see your PJs.)

Check Out What's in Your Background
Avoid high-traffic areas frequented by family members. Dogs barking is really bad - so set up your pets for success.

Fight Fatigue
Time boxing, a theory from the agile methodology to break up the day. Set a specific period of time to work toward a goal. Stop and evaluate your work at the end of the time limit; don't push on to finish the task. This creates a natural break to pause a meeting, take a walk (especially after lunch), or just get up and move around. shrm.org

Editor's Suggestions: In my opinion, web meetings will become the preferred way to have meetings internally and to meet external executives and partners.

- See Amazon Marketplace's new requirement in e-commerce column today by the way.


- Keep your cam at eye level. No peering down or up - as both send opposite messages, both of which are not good.

- Yawning is the absolute worst thing you can ever do on cam. If you feel one coming, drop like a rock and don't let them see you sweat.

- Make great eye contact, even on cam, and pretend you're only talking to one person - only one person. It just makes it easier on your nerves and on your presentation.

- Most of all - be sincere and connect with people - that's right, connect with people online over your cam.

- Be seen occasionally taking notes. As it's actually a compliment to the speaker. Not a lot of them - just an occasional interesting note. Something that will remind you of the speaker and the topic.

Quite frankly this form of meeting is going to skyrocket and will eventually replace most face to face meetings of external partners and internal commuters. I know one CEO who ran his multi-billion dollar retailer this way. You need to develop these skills to be very effective at it. It will end up being the preferred and or forced method of meeting. Just some thoughts. -Gus Downing


NYPD Burglaries Up 25% (936/749), Murders Up 55.6% Last 28 Days

Labor Department Is Now Enforcing Coronavirus Paid-Leave Rules

JetBlue Will Require All Customers to Wear Face Masks
 


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Restoring Location Physical Security Before Reopening

Preparing for What Lies Ahead
 

If you are turning your focus toward a strategy to reopen locations, there are several challenges and adaptations that "non-essential" businesses will have to address and adopt in store environments as we emerge from this crisis. One important thing that can be easily overlooked is keyed access. Some employees have keys and may not be returning when the time to reopen comes. Losing employees due to the current crisis is difficult for everyone, but it also represents an exposure to additional loss for the business. Any missing key means a facility's security is in jeopardy and the potential for loss exists, especially if keys are not restricted.

Before you call a locksmith to change your locks, look to the experts who provide products and services that can help you better prepare for the future. InstaKey Security Systems provides lock change solutions that help reduce expenses for every lock change. With this Key Control program, you can instantly improve your security through restricted, non-duplicable keys, and be able to change your locks in the future with a single key turn.

All you need to do to get started is provide our team with photos of your doors (a site survey). We'll provide an estimate to convert and we can schedule your lock changes upon reopenings. We also have a Digital Site Survey tool that you might find helpful in the process of taking and sending photos to us.

Contact us today to get reopens started on the right foot and set up for a successful, secure future.


 

 

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EU and UK regulators express privacy concerns over Silicon Valley contact tracing
Less than two days after Apple and Google announced a partnership to accelerate contact-tracing technology to control the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, and in a huge boost to their efforts, the Silicon Valley giants have fallen foul of regulations form the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and the European Union. computerweekly.com

1st Step in Law Enforcement Being Included
Contact Tracing for Serious Crimes

UK: Public authorities set to receive expanded surveillance powers
The UK government wants to extend the number of public authorities able to obtain communications data using mass surveillance. According to a memorandum explaining the purpose and effect of the Investigatory Powers Regulations 2020, public authorities will gain these powers "as they are increasingly unable to rely on local police forces to investigate crimes on their behalf". computerweekly.com

Showdown looms between Silicon Valley, U.S. states over contact tracing apps
U.S. states promoting apps that could prove essential to ending the coronavirus lockdown may be headed for a showdown with the two Silicon Valley companies that control key software on 99% of smartphones over the collection of sensitive GPS location data.

Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google plan to release technology jointly in the coming weeks for digital contact tracing through Bluetooth sensors on phones. Public health authorities have determined that the technology is crucial to apps that will alert people when they have been close to people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

For contact tracing apps to work, however, millions of people must be willing to use them without fear their locations and other personal data is being tracked and stored.

Google and Apple have sought to build public trust by emphasizing that the changes they are making to Bluetooth to allow the tracing apps to work will not tap phones' GPS sensors, which privacy activists see as too intrusive.

The states pioneering the apps - North and South Dakota, and Utah - say allowing public health authorities to use GPS in tandem with Bluetooth is key to making the system viable.

The Bluetooth technology will enable users to be notified if they crossed paths with a coronavirus carrier, but will not specify where the encounter happened, information crucial to authorities who want to identify hotspots for virus transmission and move fast to stop outbreaks.

Apple and Google said on Friday that they still have not decided how to proceed. reuters.com

COVID-19: Stages of Re-Entry Planning

Pandemic Expert Regina Phelps on How to Strategize for Life After Quarantine

As politicians and protesters argue about the merits and timing of emerging from COVID-19 quarantine, crisis management expert Regina Phelps lays out a 10-step re-entry plan. Her word of counsel: "Caution."

"The pandemic is the planner, and we're going to have to learn to dance with it," says Phelps, founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions.

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group, Phelps discusses:

  How to interpret the latest pandemic statistics;
  Recommended stages of re-entry planning;
  Potential long-term impacts - including a second wave - of COVID-19.

Phelps, RN, BSN, MPA, CEM, is an internationally recognized expert in the field of emergency management and continuity planning. Since 1982, she has provided consultation and speaking services to clients on four continents. She is founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions, a consulting company specializing in emergency management, continuity planning and safety. Among the company's clients are McAfee, IMF, Microsoft, American Express, Northern Trust, VISA, Triton Container, Intuit, Stanford University, Caltech Institute, JPL, Merck, MasterCard and the World Bank. govinfosecurity.com

SOC Teams Overworked & Understaffed
Not only are doctors and nurses understaffed and overworked in hard-hit areas, so are SOC and IT teams. SOC rooms are now "distributed SOC rooms" and some SOC employees are ill or quarantined. Teams already strapped for staff are making do with even less and in difficult circumstances.

In our IT organizations, we need to adopt the more disciplined, centralized approach. Steps we should take:

 Act quickly. Identifying our vulnerabilities (vulnerable, untrained for security, employees working from home, stressed out SOC teams) and putting protections in place before attacks get out of control. Don't look backwards on what happened, but rather, look forward to prevent issues before they can occur.

 Centralized, disciplined security monitoring and controls over distributed environments with focus on the sensitive assets and employees.

 Find and isolate the infected hosts early - automated security investigation and response actions with focus on phishing, spear phishing, and other credential theft and account takeover activities. Quarantine and quick remediation prevent the spread and keep the majority of users healthy and happy.

Advanced AI such as natural language processing (NLP), which automates incident investigations, can lower the burden on our security teams and enable them to fight the big fight against cyber attackers triumphantly. darkreading.com

COVID-19 Quarantine: A Unique Learning Opportunity for Defenders
During these unprecedented times, where social distancing is the required norm, cybercriminals around the world look for ways to capitalize on this crisis. From selling fake COVID-19 cures to phishing scams, criminals have ramped up their attacks. Hospitals, banks, government agencies - no one is immune to their attempts.

AdvertisementEvery day, several thousand new suspicious domains are registered using COVID-19-related keywords, as reported by the handlers with the SANS Internet Storm Center.

Attacks aren't limited to COVID-19 though. Researchers with FireEye report that Chinese-based threat group APT41 has sharply ramped up its activities after a lull.

Let's face it, pandemic or not, evil attackers have proven time and again that they aren't going to stop. Yes: Threats, system compromises, and even vulnerabilities ramp up during times of crises, but they will always be part of the world we live in. Even with travel restrictions and shelter-in-place orders, defenders must continue to build their skill sets. Figuring out where to begin is often the hardest part.

With the extra time you're saving in your commute or focusing on at-home activities, you can turn some spare moments into precious skills for defending your organization and enhancing your career. The following tips will help get you started on a continuous path of learning.

Tip 1: Make a date with yourself. Carve out time every week, one or two nights, two to three hours each time, and commit to learning. Once you have a schedule in place, stick to it. A commitment to learning should be an ongoing investment in yourself over the span of your cybersecurity career.

Tip 2: Don't limit your learning to just theory. While knowledge certainly is power, hands-on experiences that allow you to build real-world technical skills are an absolute must to be successful in cybersecurity. Pick a technical problem and start working on it. Teach yourself how to code in Python. Challenge yourself in the area of the Internet of Things. Or find some other technical area you've always wanted to explore and start learning, hands-on.

Tip 3: Don't overlook the importance of the community. This is particularly important during this time of social distancing. Coming together and interacting in a virtual environment, while learning and improving cyber skills in the process, is one of the best ways to learn. Capture the flag (CTF) events are a fun way to learn how to thwart attacks - and they are based on the actual skills that people need to know. What's great about many CTF virtual events is people can play as individuals or part of a team, regardless of their location. CTF assets such as packet captures or malware files can also be saved and worked on at a later date for continuous learning.

Check out these free resources available from SANS, which include biweekly Mini-NetWars events. darkreading.com

COVID-19 Fraud Cases Off & Running
DOJ Files Multiple Charges Against Fraudsters

Georgia Man Arrested for Attempting to Defraud Department of Veterans Affairs in $750 Million COVID-19 Scam
Christopher Parris, a 39-year-old Atlanta, Georgia made and caused to be made a series of fraudulent misrepresentations in an attempt to secure orders from the Department of Veterans Affairs for 125 million face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) that would have totaled over $750 million. justice.gov

Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to $900,000 in Business Email Compromise Schemes


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Exploitation of Remote Work Tools and Software

Scammers are taking advantage of the increase in people working from home and the use of video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Team and Blue Jeans. The NCSC and CISA have reported phishing emails with attachments using these remote work platform names to trick users into downloading malicious files. Some examples of reported phishing emails include 'microsoft-teams_V#mu#D_##########.exe' and 'zoom-us-zoom_##########.exe'. It is important to remain vigilant when clicking links and downloading files. Be wary of file names that include strange character stings and investigate the legitimacy of a link by hovering your cursor over it to reveal the URL destination without clicking on it.


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Filmed in January 2017 at the Daily's 'Live in NYC at the NRF Big Show 2017' event

ALTO US is a new venture in the United States for South America's powerhouse Asset Protection solution provider ALTO. Starting back in 2003 in one of Chile's biggest retail stores, where they reduced shrinkage by 23% in the first year, they're now supporting nearly 7,000 stores in more than 100 cities in Latin America, Europe and now the U.S. Karl Langhorst, Senior Advisor for ALTO US, explains how their programs help bridge the gap between retail and law enforcement, creating an effective and productive partnership, while managing the prosecution processes for a retailer's external and internal theft cases.

 



Stay tuned as we continue to count down LPNN's All-Time Top 10 LP Leader
and Top 10 Solution Provider videos. See who's made the list so far here.

 


 

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"Matter of Life and Death"
Amazon's Inadequate Protections & Firing a Whistleblower

Amazon Warehouse Safety 'Inadequate,' N.Y. AG's Office Says

Amazon may have violated federal safety standards for providing "inadequate" protections to warehouse workers in New York, the state attorney general's office says.

In a letter to Amazon obtained by NPR, the office of New York's top lawyer Letitia James says the company may have also broken the state's whistleblower laws for firing a warehouse worker who helped organize a protest in Staten Island.

"While we continue to investigate, the information so far available to us raises concerns that Amazon's health and safety measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are so inadequate that they may violate several provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act" and other federal and state guidelines, James's staff wrote in the letter, dated April 22.

Amazon's New York warehouses have been under extra scrutiny since the company fired Staten Island worker Christian Smalls, who helped stage a protest demanding that the facility be closed following several confirmed cases of the coronavirus among staff. Amazon has said Smalls was fired for violating quarantine and safety measures.

New York officials write that their preliminary findings "raise serious concern that Amazon may have discharged [Smalls] in order to silence his complaints and send a threatening message to other employees that they should also keep quiet about any health and safety concerns."

Notably, the letter says New York's attorney general is also investigating "other cases of potential illegal retaliation."

"This Office has learned that many workers are fearful about speaking out about their concerns following the termination of Mr. Smalls' employment," the letter said. "This is a particularly dangerous message to send during a pandemic, when chilling worker speech about health and safety practices could literally be a matter of life and death." npr.org

Senator Pushes DOJ to Open Criminal Investigation Into Amazon

Sen. Josh Hawley requests antitrust probe of Amazon's use of third-party seller data

A senator is pushing the Justice Department to open a criminal antitrust investigation into Amazon after a Wall Street Journal report detailed the company's use of third-party seller data to develop its products. Mr. Hawley said the department should look at Amazon's position as an online platform that also creates products that compete with its third-party sellers.

The Journal found that Amazon employees accessed proprietary data about individual sellers on its site to research and develop competing Amazon-branded products, according to documents and interviews with more than 20 employees of the company's private-label business. wsj.com

Screening for Fraudsters
Amazon Marketplace Wants to 'See' 3rd Party Sellers - Literally
Amazon tests screening new merchants for fraud via video calls in pandemic

Amazon.com is piloting the use of video conference calls to verify the identity of merchants who wish to sell goods on its websites, in a new plan to counter fraud without in-person meetings in the pandemic, the company said on Sunday.

The world's largest online retailer has long faced scrutiny over how it polices counterfeits and allegedly unsafe products on its platform. Fakes have frustrated top labels like Apple and Nike and discouraged some from selling via Amazon at all.

It switched exclusively to video conferencing in February because of social distancing requirements related to the highly contagious coronavirus.

The interview vetting, on top of other risk-screening performed by Amazon, has been piloted with more than 1,000 merchant applicants based in China, the United States, United Kingdom and Japan, Amazon said.

The extra scrutiny by Amazon could make it harder for some China-based sellers, who have registered multiple accounts using private internet networks or fake utility bills. China-based merchants accounted for 40% of the top 10,000 Amazon sellers in Europe, according to 2019 research from firm Marketplace Pulse. reuters.com

Amazon extends wage increases for warehouse workers during coronavirus pandemic


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Special Report Coming Tomorrow
Post COVID-19 ORC - What's Going to Happen?

In a Special Report coming tomorrow, the D&D Daily will be seeking your thoughts as the nation prepares to reopen the world of retail following weeks of mass store closures.

Given the past seven weeks, we've all had a chance to think about what is going to happen as we reopen the doors, but are we prepared for the impact the pandemic will have on Loss Prevention and Organized Retail Crime? What does ORC look like in the coming months?

We look forward to hearing your feedback in a two-minute survey that was developed with the help of industry leaders in our advisory board. Don't miss it tomorrow!
 



Top ORC Cases from 2018 - By Dollar Amount


5. $5M - Mt. Pleasant Township, PA: Small Mt. Pleasant Twp. grocer allegedly banked millions by selling stolen goods
The proprietor of a tiny Mt. Pleasant Township grocery store netted big profits for years - largely by selling Red Bull, Tide and other items shoplifted from area businesses, sometimes with the owner providing lists of what he needed, state police said. Melvin "Beanie" R. McCloy, 60, who runs McCloy's Store at 333 Buckeye Road in the tiny village of Bridgeport, bought stolen items that people brought to his business and then resold them for profit for at least three years, according to court documents filed Thursday. A forensic analysis of McCloy's business records showed that in 2016 McCloy "deposited $3.9 million into his business account," investigators reported. "In the year of 2017 up to July, he deposited $1.7 million." triblive.com


6. $3.6M - Worchester, MA: Man held on ID theft charges worked at store tied to $3.6M food stamp fraud
Authorities allege in court documents that Mr. Okyere had intermediaries bring the ill-gotten goods to his day job at J&W Aseda Plaza, the same Worcester store where $3.6 million in food stamp fraud was perpetrated several years ago. Seized in the raid were six computers, tablets, high-end women's clothing, eight wristwatches, five or six pocketbooks and luggage, authorities said, all of which was in original packaging. telegram.com

7. $2M - Houston, TX: Thieves smash display cases, make off with $2M in jewelry
Police in suburban Houston are looking for two bandits who got away with more than $2 million worth of jewelry. The brazen smash-and-grab robbery on Jan. 10 was all captured on the store's surveillance video. In the video from Hutton's Jewelry & Gifts, a man is seen asking a clerk about an engagement ring in a glass display case. The man next to him pulls out a hammer and quickly shatters the glass while the employee tries to avoid glass fragments. The first man grabs jewelry from the case as the other starts heading toward the door. Before leaving, he smashes a second display case with the hammer. His accomplice is seen taking items from that one too before fleeing. abcnews.go.com

8. $2M - Detroit, MI: Store Owner Pleads Guilty To $2M Food Fraud

9. $2M - Pasco County, FL: Suspect in Multi-Million Dollar CC Fraud Ring Arrested for Organized Fraud

10. $1.5M - Marine Corps First Sergeant at Parris Island led $1.5 million razor theft


Click here to see the Top 4 cases of 2018 published yesterday
 



Slidell, LA: 5 teens arrested by Slidell PD after Gun store burglaries and high-speed chase
The teens, who are all from New Orleans, are believed to be a part of a larger group responsible for multiple burglaries, robberies and carjacking in St. Tammany Parish, Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. According to police, Slidell Police were dispatched to Paulie's Pistols after the security alarm was triggered around 3 a.m. They later spotted a suspicious Mercedes sedan in the area. When they attempted to pull the vehicle over, the vehicle fled and led officers on a high-speed chase. During the pursuit, the suspects inside of the vehicle began throwing several guns out of the windows and on the side of the interstate. fox8live.com

Orem, UT: Repeat Offender apprehended again at Walmart, Police search turns up more problems
When Police arrived at Walmart, they identified the man as 26-year-old Devin Anderson. Loss prevention employees told officials Anderson had come into the store and purchased several items in the electronic section before gathering more items to purchase at the front of the store. Anderson went through the self-checkout stations and scanned several of the newly gathered items but omitted three pieces of merchandise that totaled over $150. Anderson has been convicted of theft a dozen times since 2013, with four of the 12 convictions ending in felony charges as recent as January 2019. Additionally, Anderson had been banned from all Walmarts across the nation. Authorities conducted a search of Anderson's person before leaving the store and found nothing. When Anderson was transported to the Jail, he was scanned, Officials discovered a bag containing a glass pipe and a white, crystal substance. in Anderson's underwear. heraldextra.com

Thomasville, GA: AFT, GBI, Thomas County and Thomasville Police Task force track down suspects, stolen firearms
The Task Force found suspect Derontae Kerbo, 18, at a residence. A firearm reported stolen from the Tallahassee, FL Gun store was recovered in the arrest. "We were able to identify him through social media," said Lt. Tim Watkins, sheriff's office chief investigator. Kerbo named several Thomasville juveniles involved. Three juveniles, ages 15 and 16, have been arrested. On Monday morning, Xzavier Bryant, 20, was arrested at a residence in Thomasville. Watkins said Bryant also was in possession of a firearm reported taken in the Tallahassee burglary, as well as a gun reported stolen in Thomasville in 2019. The suspects are members of the Rolling Sixties Crips gang, the investigator said. timesenterprise.com
 


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Shootings & Deaths

King County, WA: 16-year-old arrested on investigation of homicide, accused of shooting man outside 7-Eleven
An argument inside a SeaTac convenience store early Friday spilled outside and ended with the shooting death of a 22-year-old man, who was seated inside his parked car behind the store. A 16-year-old SeaTac boy was arrested Saturday afternoon at his apartment less than a half mile from the 7-Eleven store, where the shooting happened. The teen remains in custody at the King County Youth Services Center. Criminal charges are expected to be filed Wednesday. The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Fernando Arias and determined he died from multiple gunshot wounds. www.seattletimes.com


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Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Houston, TX: Smash and grab suspects still at large
On Monday, September 2, 2019 at 3:32 am, the complainant was working as a clerk at the Shell Gas Station, located at 11502 Southwest Freeway, in Houston, Texas. The complainant stated that a truck suddenly crashed into the front of the store, breaking the several panels of glass and the front doors leading into the business. The complainant stated that three unknown males suddenly entered the business and unsuccessfully attempted to take the ATM machine located inside the business. One of the suspects then opened to the door leading to the clerk and cash registers and threatened the clerk by telling him that he would kill him if he moved. cw39.com

Victorville, CA: Man arrested for Robbery, Burglary and possession; tied to 7 Stores
31-year-old Victorville man was arrested for robbery, burglary, and possession of a controlled substance for sale, officials said. The suspect, Jeremy Thomas Stephens, was arrested in connection to the following burglaries: CVS Pharmacy, Circle K, Dollar General, Lowe's, O'Reilly, Luna Market, Igles De Restoration, Confidential Male Adult.  vvng.com

Wichita Falls, TX: Man with 7 prior Theft Convictions busted again with $6.50 of merchandise from grocery store
 



Credit Card

Columbus, GA: Two Suspects wanted in Columbus for questioning in credit card fraud cases

Hoboken, NJ: Police charge three men with alleged credit card theft
 


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Daily Totals:
• 9 robberies
• 7 burglaries
• 0 shooting
• 0 killed


 



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None to report.


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Featured Job Spotlights

 



 
District Loss Prevention Manager
Roanoke, VA
The District Loss Prevention Manager ensures shrinkage control and improves safety in the stores through proper investigation and training. This position is responsible to provide feedback, guidance and protection for our Team Leaders and Associates. This role has oversight and responsibility for approximately 8 to 10 store locations...
 


 
District Loss Prevention Manager
Knoxville, TN
Investigate reports of asset losses, injuries, or harassment to determine proper facts and execute proper disciplinary actions. Conduct physical security checks to minimize asset loss and maintain CCTV and Alarm systems. Train new associates in the areas of Asset Protection and safety. Create and recommend ideas for increased shortage control and fewer accidents...
 
Area Loss Prevention Manager - Central Valley
Fresno, CA

Our Area Loss Prevention Managers ensure safe and secure stores through the objective identification of loss and risk opportunities. Our Area Loss Prevention Managers plan and prioritize to provide an optimal customer experience to their portfolio of stores. They thrive on supporting and building high performance teams that execute with excellence...

 

 
Physical Security Leader
Corte Madera, CA
Responsible for leading and execution of the Protection and Prevention tiers of the Profit Protection strategy for all RH locations including our Corporate Campus in Corte Madera, CA - PROTECTION - Access Control | Alarms | CCTV | Guards - PREVENTION - Awareness | Audits | P&P | Training...
 

 
Loss Prevention Manager
Las Vegas, NV
Demonstrate management leadership skill to achieve the goals of the Company. Experienced with and has knowledge of regulatory agencies to include: TSA, DOT and OSHA. Establishes and communicates a risk business plan consistent with the objectives of the Company that pro-actively identifies and corrects poor behaviors...
 


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Speed Kills! As the old expression goes, so does the pace of today's world. With technology leashing us forward and mobile coming at the speed of light, no one can slow down. The problem then becomes focus and concentration. Multitasking, while impossible to avoid, leads to a reduction in quality and quality is what every senior executive must be focused on. So the next time you're running fast, just take one second and think about was the service you just delivered quality service.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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