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Doug Barnes named Director of Loss Prevention for Beauty Brands
Doug was previously the Regional Loss Prevention Manager for Westlake Ace Hardware, and had been working for the retailer for over four years. He's held other loss prevention and security roles including Director of Security for Valor Security Services and District Loss Prevention Supervisor for Walgreens. Congratulations Doug!

 

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Russia-linked Canadian hacker gets 5 years in Yahoo security breach
A hacker who worked for a Russian spy agency was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison for using data stolen in a massive Yahoo data breach to gain access to private emails.

Karim Baratov, 23, also agreed to pay restitution to his victims and a fine of up to $2.25 million, the Department of Justice said in a statement. Baratov pleaded guilty in November to aggravated identity theft and conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse.

Working with agents from the Russian intelligence agency called FSB, Baratov hacked into email accounts hosted by Google and Yandex. The same agents were also allegedly responsible for the 2014 hack of Yahoo that compromised 500 million user accounts.

Prosecutors called Baratov, a Canadian national, an "international hacker-for-hire" who hacked without discussion or hesitation for Dmitry Dokuchaev, an officer for the FSB.

Baratov was accused of sending phishing emails to specific email accounts, tricking users into handing over their usernames and passwords, and then sending the login information to Russian agents. cnet.com

Fraud Drops 76% for Merchants Using EMV, Says Visa
Chip cards are paying off in terms of reduced fraud. That's the conclusion of a new Visa report on transactions since the shift to EMV (named after original developers Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) cards in 2015.

According to Visa, merchants that have completed the shift to EMV cards have seen their fraud level drop by 76% from December 2015 through December 2017. Of particular note, Visa says that EMV cards have been very effective in reducing counterfeit fraud, which it calls the most common type of credit card fraud committed in the US.

By March of 2018, 97% of total credit card transactions took place using EMV cards. Since the formal shift to EMV cards, the number of cards with chips has risen from 159 million in September 2015 to 483.6 million in March 2018.

Visa says that more than 2.9 million merchant locations are now accepting EMV cards. darkreading.com

Is GDPR an opportunity or a threat to retailers?
A new study from IBM reveals that 59 percent of organizations surveyed are embracing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as an opportunity to improve privacy, security and data management.

Another key finding of the study is that organizations are using GDPR as an opportunity to streamline their approach to data and reduce the overall amount of data they are managing. According to the new study:

● Eighty percent say they are cutting down on the amount of personal data they keep;
● Seventy-eight percent are reducing the number of people who have access to personal data;
● Seventy percent are disposing of data that is no longer needed. retailwire.com

Walmart's future may include in-store drone assistants and smart shopping carts
Walmart has been churning out a lot of ideas behind the scenes. The big box retailer recently published a slew of patent filings that could reshape the shopping experience as we know it. While there's no guarantee any of these ideas will actually be brought to life, they offer a glimpse into Walmart's vision for the future of retail.

Here are six of Walmart's recently published patent filings:

1. Smart shopping carts
2. Wearable tracking devices
3. In-store inventory trackers
4. In-store drone assistance
5. A blockchain ledger
6. Blockchain-powered delivery truck fleets  cnbc.com

Hackers Impersonating Popular Carding Website
"Joker's Stash" offers millions of credit cards stolen in retail data breaches
For as long as scam artists have been around so too have opportunistic thieves who specialize in ripping off other scam artists. This is the story about a group of Pakistani Web site designers who apparently have made an impressive living impersonating some of the most popular and well known "carding" markets, or online stores that sell stolen credit cards.

One wildly popular carding site that has been featured in-depth at KrebsOnSecurity - Joker's Stash - brags that the millions of credit and debit card accounts for sale via their service were stolen from merchants firsthand.

That is, the people running Joker's Stash say they are hacking merchants and directly selling card data stolen from those merchants. Joker's Stash has been tied to several recent retail breaches, including those at Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Bebe Stores, Hilton Hotels, Jason's Deli, Whole Foods, Chipotle and Sonic. Indeed, with most of these breaches, the first signs that any of the companies were hacked was when their customers' credit cards started showing up for sale on Joker's Stash. krebsonsecurity.com

Lord & Taylor Wants Data Breach Suit Moved From Del. To NY
Lord & Taylor LLC has told a Delaware federal judge that a proposed class action over the retailer's alleged failure to safeguard customer data, leading to the theft of credit card information from millions of customers, belongs in New York because it has very little connection to the First State. law360.com

Coca-Cola hit with insider breach, 8,000 affected

Over 5K Gas Station Tank Gauges Sit Exposed on the Public Net

T-Mobile Employee Made Unauthorized 'SIM Swap' to Steal Instagram Account

Theft Hits Bottom Line of Canadian Retailers
Many Companies Struggling To Control LP Through Theft
Retail security expert Stephen O'Keefe says many independent retailers don't really have a grasp on how to control loss prevention through theft and that's hitting their bottom line.

O'Keefe, President of Bottom Line Matters, a web-based loss prevention and risk management solutions company, based out of Toronto, for small to mid-sized retailers, has had many years of experience with some of the giant retailers in Canada and globally.

"There's a lot of independent retailers which is what I am going to be focusing on now who don't really have a grasp on how to control it because they don't understand the magnitude of the problem," said O'Keefe. "That's something that every once in a while is a bit of a shocker. It's the magnitude. It's a $5-billion problem in Canada.

"The larger retailers - about 95 companies - have identified it and they've been able to put in loss prevention departments and so they spend the money because they know there's going to be a return on investment from having a permanent loss prevention department. But that's because of the size. So they're able to afford it."

For mid-size retailers, it's a challenge. They don't want to incur more of an expense than they're going to get back because that in itself becomes a loss. Read full story here. retail-insider.com

Racial profiling: The complications of shopping while black in Canada
"It's an everyday issue ... part of daily life"
"It's an everyday issue that happens to people as they go about their business," says Tomee Elizabeth Sojourner-Campbell, a Toronto-based consumer racial profiling expert with Sojourner Mediation and Consulting Services.

Sojourner-Campbell describes what it's like to go shopping as a black person in Canada - you walk into a store and suddenly you have a shadow, she says.

Last month, a Toronto restaurant was ordered to pay $10,000 after asking black customers to prepay for a meal in 2014, while Shoppers Drug Mart was ordered to pay $8,000 in 2015 after a worker targeted a black woman and accused her of stealing.

In Saskatchewan, a Giant Tiger employee in Regina was suspended last year amid racial profiling allegations after an Indigenous man posted a video showing him repeatedly being followed, while another video showed a Canadian Tire staff member accusing an Indigenous man of shoplifting and physically removing him from a store.

"It can happen in small communities or large urban areas," says Sojourner-Campbell. "Black and Indigenous people are racially profiled and poorly treated everywhere in Canada."

Starbucks Canada will close its stores for a portion of the day on June 11 for training "designed to address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome." nationalpost.com

Growing number of Bitcoin kiosks raise police alarm in Canada
Most money lost to fraud
The mushrooming number of Bitcoin kiosks in corner stores has caused Toronto Police to issue a warning that many - if not most - Bitcoin transfers at such locations is money lost to fraud. Victims of phone-based and internet-based fraud/extortion schemes are being advised to pay associated "fines" and/or "fees" via Bitcoin. Increasingly, victims are being told to attend various Bitcoin Automated Teller Machines (ATM's) where they will deposit cash in order to obtain and transfer Bitcoin to other electronic "wallets," the owners of which may reside outside of Canada. Once Bitcoin is sent it becomes virtually untraceable. bayview-news.com

Interac Corp. and Retail Council of Canada Announce Top Applicant of the 2018 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program
Interac Corp. and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) are delighted to reveal that Connor Combdon is the recipient of the special Retail as a Career Scholarship of $5,000 funded by Interac Corp. Connor will be entering third year of the Bachelor of Commerce program at University of Ontario Institute of Technology this fall and is currently working at TJX Canada Winners as a part time sales associate. With this scholarship, he will be able to pursue his studies and realize his career dream of working in the retail industry. The Retail as a Career Scholarship program is an initiative that honours students working in retail who are entering or enrolled in a retail-related program at a Canadian post-secondary institution. businessinsider.com

Store Openings in Canada
● Links of London Continues Canadian Expansion with Multiple Standalone Store Openings
● Salvation Army Thrift Store Opens First Location in Eastern Montreal
● Allbirds opens 1st Standalone Brick-and-Mortar Store in Canada
● Jimmy Choo Opens 1st Standalone Vancouver Store
● Sport Chek Opens 1st Kids-Only Concept Store

Amazon to open massive distribution centre in Ottawa; 1,000 new jobs

Survey: Canadian retailers investing in customer experience

Canadian Banks Rocked By Data Theft Of 90,000 Customers
 

True Stories of Face Recognition and Retail Crime
Case 1: The Fake Budweiser Delivery Man

The first episode of FaceFirst's true retail crime series reveals the shocking true story of a man who dressed like a Budweiser delivery man to steal beer instead of delivering it. See how face recognition alerted loss prevention instantly and led to this creative criminal's apprehension. Retail shrink is a $45 billion problem each year, and facial recognition is already helping major retailers reduce external shrink by up to 34% and in-store violence by 91%. These are the real-life stories of how face recognition has helped loss prevention pros capture some of the world's most notorious retail criminals.

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The Importance of Integrating RFID Into Ecommerce Business Strategies
The retail industry began testing RFID technology in supply chains and strategies more than a decade ago. Since then, the ecommerce and online retail sectors have experienced massive growth, and have begun to implement similar RFID strategies in their operations and supply chains as well. There are many benefits and reasons for the uptake in RFID appearing in more ecommerce strategies.

Impact on the Supply Chain
For an ecommerce business, RFID tags can help to create a smoother and more efficient supply chain. One of the main reasons these can break down is when there is a delay at a certain station, which has a knock-on effect and slows down the whole process, leading to greater costs and unhappy customers. RFID technology can inform each station in the chain about an item's location and condition, so that schedules can be adjusted accordingly.

Delivery Processes
Transparency is a highly valued asset by many consumers these days. When ecommerce customers reach the checkout counter, a big turn-off can be a lack of delivery options, with more and more expecting everything from next-day to time-specific and tracked delivery. That's why, as part of any ecommerce strategy, it's important to expand delivery options so that tracked delivery is an option for consumers. Plus, this will help you to stay ahead of, or at least compete with, competitors.

Compared to bar-code scanning, which is a manual process, using RFID tags will automate a lot of the delivery tracking for all sorts of products. Without the need for line-of-sight scanning, this saves time for the courier so that data about an item's current location can be automatically sent to the receiver and be tracked online by the customer and ecommerce company.

Omnichannel Fulfilment
For mitigating risk and enabling rewards, reacting to new developments and challenges that the ecommerce world brings up RFID technology is useful for omnichannel fulfilment. Supply chains are now extended with ecommerce companies, to get products direct to a customer, rather than just to the store like with traditional retailers.

RFID Costs to a Business
It's important to be aware that the implementation of RFID technology into any ecommerce strategy will bring with it a range of costs. These can affect the budget significantly, so SME ecommerce firms especially will need to ensure that they have enough capital to cover them. rfidjournal.com

Online retailer One Kings Lane opening NYC flagship

Amazon's Map Tracking package locator now offered to all US shoppers

Study: Digital assistants increase consumers' online purchase confidence

50% of consumers shop on mobile, but only 20% purchase

Jacksonville, FL: Sheriff's Office Arrests 8 Suspects tied to Organized Retail Theft Ring as part of 'Operation Loot and Scoot'; $500,000
After a two-year investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is announcing the arrest of 8 suspects as part of 'Operation Loot and Scoot.' Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams says they've identified 8 suspects who were allegedly involved in an organized retail theft ring operating in the Jacksonville-area, but also stretched out to Tallahassee down to Orlando and even dipped into parts of Georgia. Williams says the group acted as professional shoplifters, with suspect Antoun Arbaji identified as the ringleader. Investigators say Arbaji would recruit shoplifters to steal specific items from stores and would pay them. He would then allegedly sell the stolen items online. It's believed he sold at least $500,000 in stolen merchandise online. Arbaji is facing 79 counts, 63 of which are felonies. Williams says the group targeted items primarily following under health, beauty, and office supplies, with top items including razors, nicotine gum, and ink cartridges for printers. news4jax.com

Missoula, MT: LensCrafters Employee sentenced for stealing more than $44,000
in glasses
A woman who stole more than $44,000 in sunglasses and frames from LensCrafters and resold them on eBay received a deferred sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to theft by embezzlement. The six-year deferral of sentence means that Megan Beth Hansen could potentially have the conviction removed from her criminal record if she abides by certain court conditions during that period. According to court records, Hansen worked for LensCrafters for five years, a period in which the business found inventory had gone missing. Hansen also had an eBay account during that time, which she used to sell more than $44,000 in sunglasses and eyeglass frames. As part of the deferred sentence, Hansen is required to pay $9,687 (cost of goods) in restitution to LensCrafters. missoulian.com



Elizabeth Township, PA: Police have arrested a man for retail theft after surrounding a home for several hours Tuesday night
Christopher Huellen, 34, was wanted on felony charges of retail theft, corrupt organization and receiving stolen property stemming from incidents at retail stores in Clarion, Erie and Jefferson counties, according to police. wpxi.com




Midland, MI: Police seeking suspect 6 Felony warrants for Retail Fraud and Organized Retail Theft
Midland Police Department said 29-year-old Bryan Michael Willett is wanted on a six-count felony warrant for retail fraud and organized retail crime. Willett is described as 5'8" tall and approximately 165 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair. wnem.com
 

Shootings & Deaths

Atlanta, GA: Security Guard at Family Dollar arrested after shooting man who punched him
The incident happened late Tuesday night at the Family Dollar on Lakewood Ave. After he was shot, the wounded man fled to a home around the corner. Atlanta police were called to the house at 9:45 p.m. There, they found 19-year-old Casey Williams in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the back. The security guard at the Family Dollar, David Shockley, 47, told officers he shot at Williams after he punched him and then reached for something in his pocket. "The initial investigation revealed information that contradicted parts of this story and Mr. Shockley was taken into custody," Police said. Williams was charged with battery and Shockley was charged with aggravated assault. fox5atlanta.com


Cambridge, MA: Sunoco Clerk shot after confronting 2 people who stole from store
According to Cambridge Police, a clerk at the Shell gas station on Cambridge Street was shot early Wednesday morning. Police say at 3:58 a.m., the clerk confronted two individuals outside who stole a bottle of water. One of the suspects reportedly got a bag from a vehicle and pulled out a gun. The clerk was grazed in the foot and has been released from the hospital. fox25boston.com


Houston, TX: Family feud leads to shooting of two men, girlfriend at C-Store

Robberies & Thefts



Los Angeles, CA: Police investigate several high-end smash and grab robberies in Beverly Hills
A parade of four cars through Beverly Hills turned onto Rodeo Drive in the early Tuesday morning darkness, pulling to a stop nose-to-tail along the curb, occupants leaping out--one with what appeared to be a sledge hammer--to commit a smash and grab burglary of an upscale shop, recorded on security camera video. foxla.com


Meriden, CT: Police seeking to ID 4 suspect in Pharmacy Armed Robbery

Baytown, TX: Sears hit by Jewelry Robbers in Smash & Grab

Elkhart County, IN: Speedway Employee busted for stealing Lottery tickets, valued at $5,656

McCordsville, IN: Meijer Shoplifters flee Police at 130mph; stole a hamper full of clothes, two shoe boxes and two bottles of cognac

Jonesboro, AR: Shoplifters make off with $100 of Toilet Paper from an outside display at Dollar General

Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in the West Oaks II, Novi, MI reported a Grab & Run on 5/27, item valued at $10,999

Zales in the Southern Park Mall, Boardman, OH reported an Attempted Burglary on 5/26 , no loss reported

Zales Outlet in the Riverstone Center, Missouri City, TX reported a Grab & Run on 5/27, item valued at $2,430

Zales in the Serramonte Center, Daly City, CA reported a Diamond Switch on 5/28, item valued at $8,795

Fire & Arson

Lexington, KY: 8 injured in large Explosion at the UPS Freight Service Center on Blue Sky Parkway
Eight people received medical attention after a UPS freight service center on Blue Sky Parkway was significantly damaged Wednesday morning in a truck explosion, according to a Lexington fire official. A truck and trailer with an acetylene tank exploded inside the facility about 7:40 a.m., Wells said. The cause of the explosion was not yet known, but the blast wasn't suspicious. Acetylene is a gas used in welding. kentucky.com
 

Cargo Theft

Brazil: Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro reported 22,000 Cargo Robberies in 2017, experts say 2018 will be higher
All manner of businesses are targets, but authorities say bandits favor consumer goods that are easy to fence. That is posing a particular challenge to Brazil's fast-growing e-commerce trade. Security costs are squeezing profit margins and forcing retailers and logistics firms to adjust their strategies to succeed in Latin America's largest economy. reuters.com

Sentencings, Charges & Arrests

Wilmington, DE: Man and 15 year old plead guilty to killing C-store clerk over $20

Travis, TX: Son of murdered Jewelry store owner arrested for allegedly conspiring to have parents killed

Bridgeport, CT: Jury has no verdict in murder of Sapiao's Grocery store owner; deliberations continues today

Houston, TX: Man arrested after he's found with 24 fake credit and gift cards at gas station

Erie, PA: Man Sentenced to 2 Years Probation for Exchanging Food Stamps for Cash

Montgomery County, TX: Zales robbery suspect sentenced; Dextrek Walker receives two 20-year sentences; $16,000 in merchandise

Oklahoma City, OK: 4 Arrested following Armed Robbery at JewelSmiths store

South Bend, IN: Man arrested for Dollar General Robbery; threatened to kill Store Clerk over t-shirts and a can of spray paint

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Learn From Mentors: Set Employees Up for Success,
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The Millennial Workforce Needs Mentors, Not Managers
Millennials are currently the largest generation in the workforce, and they are looking for leaders or mentors who set them up for success, give confidence when work gets tough, and guide and inspire them. Here's how management can help millennials thrive. Let them fail, but help them back up

5 Ways Your Summer Intern Can Mentor You
The beginning of summer also brings with it a new wave of interns for lots of companies. As you help guide these young minds, take the opportunity to learn from them as well. Here's how you summer intern can mentor you. Learning is a two-way street

How Mentors Change Your Business
and Life
Mentors not only want to see you succeed in your professional life, they can also help you grow in your personal life, finding balance and chasing your dreams. Here's one individual's experience with mentors and how they helped him transform his business and life for the better. Seek out a support system

Four Times You Should Reach Out to Your Career Mentor for Advice
Navigating your career is hard work, but with the right career mentor, you can navigate any challenges and chase your dreams with ease. Here are four situations when you don't want to wait to reach out to your mentor for advice. Feeling stuck?

At the end of most interviews, candidates are given the opportunity to ask questions. Surprisingly enough, most candidates are unprepared for that question, itself. So take the time in your preparation to develop a few well thought out questions that reflect your knowledge of the company, their future plans and how you fit within them. Certainly your questions should also focus around the variables that increase the success of the specific position you're applying for and not deal with the benefits, salary, or work schedule, travel requirements, or expenses. As these questions will turn off an interviewer and are premature. Your questions should be a reflection of the type of executive you are and will be if they hire you and therefore should be designed to show how you'll be successful and valuable for their organization.

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