6/8/21

LP, AP & IT Security's #1 News Source

As you can see, Gartner has Computer Vision in the 'Trough of Disillusionment' reaching the 'Plateau of Productivity' in 2 to 5 years. Based on my retail industry observations over the last several months and this past week, powerful computer vision solutions are arriving much sooner to a store near you.

In 2021, the major milestone of over 1 billion CCTV cameras installed around the world will be reached. What started as a security technology to prevent crime, the video camera is now a major visual data gathering device that will transform all industries including retail.  Read more here

CEO of 'HD View 360' a Security Surveillance Systems - Publicly Traded Company
Gets 15 Months Prison & Ordered to Pay $1.2M in Restitution for Securities Fraud
In federal court in Brooklyn, Dennis Mancino, of Miami, FL., the former Chief Executive Officer of HD View 360, Inc., a publicly traded penny stock company that purported to distribute and install security surveillance systems, was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment for conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Mancino's conviction stemmed from his participation in a scheme to manipulate the price and trading volume of HD View's stock, which traded under the ticker symbol HDVW. Mancino was also ordered to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution and $257,000 in forfeiture. Mancino pleaded guilty in September 2019.

Mancino also agreed to pay kickbacks to stock brokers who would execute manipulative trades designed to increase the price and trading volume of HD View's stock. justice.gov

Workers Are Gaining Leverage Over Employers Right Before Our Eyes
"Employers are becoming much more cognizant that yes, it's about money, but also about quality of life."

The relationship between American businesses and their employees is undergoing a profound shift: For the first time in a generation, workers are gaining the upper hand.

The change is broader than the pandemic-related signing bonuses at fast-food places. Up and down the wage scale, companies are becoming more willing to pay a little more, to train workers, to take chances on people without traditional qualifications, and to show greater flexibility in where and how people work.

The erosion of employer power began during the low-unemployment years leading up to the pandemic and, given demographic trends, could persist for years. nytimes.com

Kroger to hit $16 per hour in '21 - The heat is on
Kroger to hire 10,000 in first-ever hybrid hiring event
The country's largest supermarket chain will hold its first-ever hybrid hiring event, which will include virtual and in-store interviews, on June 10. Kroger is looking to hire 10,000 employees to support its retail, e-commerce, pharmacy, manufacturing and logistics operation.

Kroger said it made an $800 million incremental investment in employee pay and training during the last three years, which has raised its average national wage to more than $15.50 per hour. This year, Kroger plans to invest an additional $350 million more, which it expects will increase the average associate wage to $16 per hour.  chainstoreage.com

LPF Announces LPC & LPQ Professionals for January-May
The Loss Prevention Foundation would like to recognize and congratulate the following individuals who successfully completed all of the requirements set forth by the board of directors to be LPQualified (LPQ) and/or LPCertified (LPC). View Full List Here


Kroger begins free drone deliveries in Centerville Wednesday, launching new era

Walmart to close for Thanksgiving Day


Quarterly Results
G-lll Apparel Group Q1 net sales up 28.3%
Tilly's Q1 net sales from stores up 171.9%, e-commerce sales up 17%, total net sales up 111.1%

Auror: Growing in North America
 

Auror has recently partnered with some of the largest retailers in North America to address crime and improve the safety of their associates and customers.  With Auror, retailers are able to identify the 20% of offenders causing over 70% of their malicious loss and harm, using structured, non-biased intel reported by store teams. The privacy-by-design platform then allows for the secure distribution of intelligence to front line teams and empowers them with information to prevent more crime and keep everyone safe.

To support Auror's retail partners they need people with the passion, determination, and innovation required to overcome one of the world's largest problems. If you're looking to make a difference with and for the people dedicated to stopping crime, for good, then check out their roles today.

 

Auror's Commitment to the Retail Industry Continues as They Advance
to a Master Level Partnership with The Loss Prevention Foundation

The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) announced that Auror USA, Inc. has advanced its partnership to become the newest Master Level Scholarship Partner. Auror has been a Bachelor level partner and supporter of the LPF and with their commitment to becoming a Master level partner they are continuing to set an example to the industry regarding the importance of higher education.

Terry Sullivan, LPC, President of the LPF stated, "We are delighted to announce that Auror continues to demonstrate their belief in the work of the LPF by increasing to the Master partnership level. Auror was instrumental in setting up and delivering the Global Retail Crime Summit last year in conjunction with the LPF and its other partners. This showed their innovation and commitment to providing education and insights during an incredibly tough and uncertain time for the industry". Read more here

Industry First - Follow the Money + Quick Notification - Finds $2.3M Ransom Payment
DOJ found & recaptured majority of the ransom Colonial paid to Dark Side Network
The sophisticated use of technology to hold businesses and even whole cities hostage for profit is a decidedly 21st century challenge - but the old adage "follow the money" still applies. And that's exactly what we do.

After Colonial Pipeline's quick notification to law enforcement, and pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California earlier today, the Department of Justice has found and recaptured the majority of the ransom Colonial paid to the Dark Side Network in the wake of last month's ransomware attack.

DarkSide is a ransomware-as-a-service network - that means developers who sell or lease ransomware to use in attacks, in return for a fee or share in the proceeds. DarkSide and its affiliates have digitally stalked U.S. companies for the better part of the year, and indiscriminately attacked victims that include key players in our nation's critical infrastructure.

Today, we turned the tables on DarkSide.

The seizure announced today was conducted as part of the Department's recently launched Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, which was established to investigate, disrupt and prosecute ransomware and digital extortion activity. This is the Task Force's first operation of this kind. justice.gov

Ransomware response: What CISOs really want from the federal government
What should the federal government's role and responsibility be regarding ransomware? Security leaders weigh in.

The May ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline exposed the country's significant vulnerability to cyberthreats.

The attack triggered lines at gas stations, higher prices at the pump, and even some hoarding. It prompted new federal cybersecurity regulations for the pipeline industry and a presidential executive order on cyber defenses. And it brought calls for tougher defenses against such attacks.

"Clearly our path to date hasn't been good, because of how many companies are dealing with ransomware or data breaches," says Matt Stamper, CISO and an executive advisor at Evotek and a leader at the IT governance association ISACA.

Many security leaders concur.

They're concerned about the rapidly rising number of ransomware attacks and the growing sophistication of adversaries supported indirectly or directly by nation-states-support that gives them and the burgeoning ransomware-as-a-service business model better odds at doing substantial damage. registration required. csoonline.com

Social media, news sites including CNN, New York Times, hit by outage
Global internet outage knocks out Amazon, Reddit, Google, Instagram,
Twitter, Verizon
A widespread internet outage took down multiple websites Tuesday morning, including Amazon, Google, Reddit, CNN and USA TODAY.

DownDetector, a site that tracks website outages, reported that a long list of sites, which also included Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Hulu, Spotify, Etsy and Paypal, started experiencing problems just after 5:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Comcast, Verizon and Cox were also impacted.

The outage may be linked to Fastly, a cloud platform that powers websites such as The New York Times and Shopify.

A status update posted by Fastly acknowledged the service was investigating "potential impact to performance" with content delivery network services.

"The issue has been identified and a fix has been applied," read the latest update from Fastly posted at 6:57 a.m. usatoday.com

Why the Hybrid Workplace Is a Cybersecurity Nightmare
It's a hacker's dream: a constantly changing mix of office and remote workers, devices that move in and out of the company networks, and security staffs stretched thin

In a typical hybrid workplace, some employees will be in the office, some will be working from home-or spaces like coffee shops and client headquarters-and some will be cycling back and forth. Devices, too, are moving in and out of the company network, with employees bringing their laptops onto company networks and then taking them back home-where they're much more exposed to hackers and can easily get infected with malware.

So, security chiefs are faced with the task of supporting a constantly changing mix of office workers and remote workers, and company and home devices. Whereas security teams were able to focus on protecting the remote workforce during stay-at-home orders, doing so when employees are in the office for certain days of the week and at home for others will be difficult, says Rick McElroy, principal cybersecurity strategist at VMware Inc.'s Security Business Unit.

"It's hard to maintain a security staff that looks one way in the data center or one way in an office, and then one way for remote employees," he says.

Making things even worse: Security teams have been stretched thin by the demands of the pandemic. For the past year, they've had to make sure everyone is equipped to work from everywhere and can use critical tools such as virtual meeting rooms. Things will only get tighter now that businesses are hiring more workers and launching into new projects they had put on hold during the pandemic.

Hackers were quick to realize that insecure home networks and a lack of security controls typically found on corporate networks could work to their benefit. The World Economic Forum estimates that cyberattacks jumped 238% globally between February and April 2020. wsj.com

Identify & Respond to Cyber Supply Chain Risks
Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Systems and Organizations
More than ever, organizations are concerned about the risks associated with products and services that may contain potentially malicious functionality, are counterfeit, or are vulnerable due to poor manufacturing and development practices within the cyber supply chain. These risks can decrease an enterprise's visibility into and understanding of how the technology that they acquire is developed, integrated, and deployed. They can also affect and be affected by the processes, procedures, and practices used to ensure the security, resilience, reliability, safety, integrity, and quality of products and services. csrc.nist.gov

Windows 10 WI-FI Hack

Wi-Fi signal strength can be a bit tricky and frustrating at times. To get the max performance from your wireless card and ensure you have the best Wi-Fi signal available, follow these speedy steps:

In windows, go to Device Manager. From there, find "Network Adapters." Click Properties>Advanced>Transmit Power and select the highest setting from the drop down. This will help improve your network speed and range.

Apple's tightly controlled App Store is teeming with scams
Nearly 2 percent of Apple's top-grossing apps on one day were scams - and they have cost people $48 million

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has long argued it needs to control app distribution on iPhones, otherwise the App Store would turn into "a flea market."

But among the 1.8 million apps on the App Store, scams are hiding in plain sight. Customers for several VPN apps, which allegedly protect users' data, complained in Apple App Store reviews that the apps told users their devices have been infected by a virus to dupe them into downloading and paying for software they don't need. A QR code reader app that remains on the store tricks customers into paying $4.99 a week for a service that is now included in the camera app of the iPhone. Some apps fraudulently present themselves as being from major brands such as Amazon and Samsung.

Of the highest 1,000 grossing apps on the App Store, nearly two percent are scams, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.

What's more, Apple profits from these apps because it takes a cut of up to 30 percent of all revenue generated through the App Store. Even more common, according to The Post's analysis, are "fleeceware" apps that use inauthentic customer reviews to move up in the App Store rankings and give apps a sense of legitimacy to convince customers to pay higher prices for a service usually offered elsewhere with higher legitimate customer reviews. washingtonpost.com

DoorDash Will Be 3rd-Largest E-Commerce Banner After Amazon, Walmart: Report
Edge by Ascential analysts also predict Instacart and Uber will surpass Target's digital business in GMV sales by 2025

Delivery service DoorDash Inc. will add $48.57 billion worth of gross merchandise value (GMV) sales in 2025, doubling 2020 sales. progressivegrocer.com

E-commerce brings 'opportunities for greener solutions,' DHL Express US CEO says

Two Dominican Republic Citizens Plead Guilty to Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Scheme
Wilver Jose Polanco-Alvarez, a 26-year-old Dominican Republic citizen residing in Miami, and Jose Eduardo Gomez Salas, a 25-year-old Dominican Republic citizen residing in New York, admitted in federal court today to using stolen personal identification information to obtain high-end electronic devices such as cell phones, laptop computers, tablets and watches.

Review of Gomez's iPhone revealed personal identification information of multiple individuals as well as photographs of Polanco assuming and utilizing different aliases in the form of fraudulent driver's licenses from six states: Indiana, Texas, California, New Mexico, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The defendants operated a scheme in at least five different states with the help of others to purchase and activate cell phones and other electronic devices at retail stores using fraudulent identification documents and stolen personal identification information to include wireless account information. After collecting the new phones and devices, Gomez mailed the items to 28-year-old alleged ringleader Marcos Andres Briceno-Romero in New Jersey.

Polanco and Gomez have remained in federal custody since their arrest in April 2020. They face up to 20 years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge. Each aggravated identity theft charge calls for a mandatory two years in federal prison. Sentencing has yet to be scheduled. justice.gov

Nationwide CC Fraud Gang of 7 - One Gets Six Yrs Prison
New Orleans Man Gets Six Years in Prison for Charges Related To Credit Card Fraud Conspiracy
JEFFERY JOSEPH, age 26, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced to 74 months in prison. He was the fourth defendant to be sentenced in this seven-defendant conspiracy case.

U.S. Secret Service revealed that JOSEPH and the other six defendants engaged in a scheme to obtain merchandise and cash from stores through fraud. The defendants obtained stolen credit and debit card information, encoded it onto cards, and then used that information to purchase items at stores. The defendants would then return the items at a different store of the same chain, but they would deceive store workers in order to have the chargeback credited to their own bank accounts. Court documents also detail how JOSEPH took flights with several other co-conspirators to perform fraudulent credit card transactions in various cities in the United States, including St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Cincinnati, Ohio. JOSEPH was also arrested in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Franklin, Tennessee, while committing credit card fraud.

In his plea documents, JOSEPH admitted that he caused between $250,000.00 and $550,000.00 in losses through his own conduct and that of his co-conspirators. justice.gov

Pasco, WA: Police arrest suspect seen on Lowes security camera multiple times
Pasco Police Officers arrested an organized retail thief that has been stealing lawn and construction equipment from big-box retailers in the Kennewick and Pasco Area. The Kennewick Police Department originally posted on their Facebook page asking the community for help identifying the suspect from security cameras in April 2021. On Friday afternoon, Pasco Police arrested 24-year-old Josue Daniel Sepulveda-Zuniga at about 5 PM on Sandifur near Valdez after officers were forced to physically block the minivan he was driving to make him stop.

Arresting officers reported that he tried to ram the police car in front of him to create space to drive out, but officers adjusted their positioning to keep him there. There was a short standoff with the suspect inside the minivan before he was convinced to exit peacefully. He was arrested without further incident and was booked into Franklin County Jail on investigative holds for Organized Retail Theft and Attempting to Elude. Lowes reported that this time, he dropped two items, ran to a red minivan, and left. The minivan did not want to stop but got successfully boxed in front and back by the patrol cars. nbcrightnow.com

Havana, FL: Ex-Furniture Store Employee charged with defrauding company of over $63k
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a woman from Bainbridge, Georgia, for defrauding her employer of over $63,000. According to FDLE, the investigation began in July 2018 when the Havana Police Department requested assistance with a case involving alleged retail theft from a furniture store in Havana. A manager at the store had reported that when he began to review activity he discovered multiple accounts with false address information, no phone numbers, no identification information copied for the file, no paper file created and no client signatures being obtained, FDLE says.

According to the report, all but one of the accounts had been created by one of the store's employees, 39-year-old Shendora Vonta Adams. FDLE says Adams was using her unique employee personal identification number. The one fraudulent account had been created using a separate employee identification number; however, that employee had left the store months before the account was created. FDLE said it also appeared that multiple accounts were created with personal information of prisoners in the Georgia Department of Corrections, a deceased person and associates of Adams. The investigation found Adams used the identities of multiple people without permission to steal $63,449.85 in merchandise from the store between November 2017 and March 2018. wtxl.com

Register Now: SDORCA Meeting | June 15 @ 10 a.m.
Please join us for our next SDORCA Membership Meeting of 2021. The meeting will be on June 15, 2021. The meeting will take place from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. This meeting will be in-person only. We will not be having a ZOOM portion.

We want to highlight all of the hard work our members do every day, while also sharing all of the information we can. As always, this will also be a great opportunity to network with Law Enforcement and Retail Investigators in the area.

As things are starting to open back up, we will be planning some Retail Blitz activity. We will be discussing a tentative Blitz at North County Fair for June 18 from 1400-1800. Summer time will begin to see an increase in activity, so we want to start planning summer time operations.  Click here to learn more & register

Orange County, FL: Murder suspect shoots self inside Big Lots store
A murder suspect is in critical condition after deputies say he tried to take his own life inside a Central Florida retail store. The man is accused in a shooting that killed a woman and critically injured a 3 year old girl at an Orange County apartment complex late Sunday night. Deputies say he shot himself after they approached him inside this Big Lots on Monday night just before 8pm. Deputies have not identified the suspect yet, but say he is 37 years old. Investigators say the suspect shot a woman and a 3-year old girl late Sunday night at the Wellesley apartment complex a half mile away. The woman, 37-year-old Capucine Carson, died. Deputies say the child is in the hospital in critical condition. fox35orlando.com

Tempe, AZ: Son accused of stabbing father to death at Fry's parking lot
A man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing his father to death in Tempe, police say. Police were called to the parking lot of a Fry's near Rural and Ray Road on June 4 and found a man with stab wounds. He later died at the hospital. The suspect, 20-year-old Joshua Fox, took off before police arrived and crashed his car nearby, Fox told police he had been in an argument with his father before the stabbing happened but he "blacked out." He was taken into custody on second-degree murder charges. fox10phoenix.com

Louisville, KY: Police investigating after liquor store employee shot to death
Louisville Metro Police is investigating after a liquor store employee was shot to death Monday morning in Louisville's Taylor Berry neighborhood. LMPD said officers were called to the 3200 block of Taylor Boulevard, near Arcade Avenue, at 11:45 a.m. Monday on a report of a shooting. LMPD spokesman Dwight Mitchell said an argument led to a liquor store employee being shot to death. wdrb.com

Rock Hill, SC: Man charged with attempted murder after shooting at Domino's employees of closed restaurant
Kito Azi Weaver, 22, was arrested Sunday and charged with four counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, said Lt. Michael Chavis of the Rock Hill Police Department. Weaver argued with employees at the Domino's Pizza on White Street around 1:30 a.m. Sunday because the store was closed, Weaver went back to his car and returned with a gun, Chavis said. Weaver is charged with firing at least four shots at four employees from outside the store, Chavis said. No one was injured. charlotteobserver.com

St. Petersburg, FL: Man with gunshot wound found dead in 7-Eleven restroom

Baton Rouge, LA: Alleged road rage incident leads to deadly shooting outside Gas Station

Fort Worth, TX: Four people injured during drive-by shooting at convenience store
 

Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Marietta, GA: CVS bringing time-delay safes to GA pharmacies to curb opioid theft
One of the nation's leading drug store chains is expanding an initiative aimed at the opioid epidemic in Georgia. CVS Health announced Monday it has finished installing time-delay safes at all 355 of its Georgia pharmacy locations, including those in Target stores. The safes, now in use in 18 states and the District of Columbia, have driven significant declines in robberies at CVS pharmacies. The time-delay function, which cannot be overridden, electronically delays the time it takes for pharmacy employees to open a safe, deterring would-be robbers trying to get in and out of stores as quickly as possible. "We've seen smash-and-grab crimes all over the state," Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Monday during a news conference at a CVS store near Marietta. "We must have innovative solutions in place to stop controlled substances from getting into the wrong hands." "The opioid challenge is complicated," added Tom Moriarty, chief policy officer and general counsel at CVS Health. "But with each resource and partnership, we take another step."  capitol-beat.org

Anne Arundel County, MD: Police Investigating After Customer Assaults Taco Bell Employee
Anne Arundel County Police are investigating after an employee was attacked by a customer at a Taco Bell in Edgewater. Thomas Weitzel Smith, 35, of Edgewater, was charged with assault and destruction of property. Officer responded to 3091 Solomons Island Road shortly after 11:30 a.m. on June 4 for a report of a disorderly person. The caller stated that a customer threw a rock through the drive-thru window and shattered the glass. Once on the scene, officers learned from the victim that Weitzel-Smith entered the store enraged and using profanity. When asked to leave by the manager, the suspect threw a stool injuring their hand. Once asked to leave again, Weitzel-Smith threw a rock shattering the drive-thru window. Officers found the suspect on Mayo Road. He was arrested and charged. baltimore.cbslocal.com

Portland, OR: Man accused of robbing downtown Portland Nordstrom, punching guard and officer
The Portland Police Bureau said its officers arrested a man they say who robbed the city's downtown Nordstrom store and led officers on a chase Saturday evening. PPB said officers responded to reports of a suspect stealing items, assaulting people, and breaking things at the Nordstrom on Southwest Broadway. Updates came in that shots were fired and some callers were reporting an active shooter. Officers arrived and learned the suspect had left. They also confirmed that no shots were fired. The suspect caused such a commotion knocking things over inside the store that customers thought there were gunshots. Police said Lee tipped over at least two large metal and glass displays, which caused loud noises. Customers and employees began fleeing the store. One employee fell and suffered minor injuries. kptv.com

Austin, TX Man Indicted for Robbing Pawn Shop at Gunpoint

Bowie, MD: Family Choice Pharmacy, Inc. Owner /Pharmacist Ran Pill Mill, Filled Fake Prescriptions

Robber hits Houston dollar store multiple times, makes slow getaway on bike, police say

Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position

Featured Job Spotlights
 

	Sr. Lead, Organized Retail Crime Baltimore, MD - posted May 25 The Sr Lead, Organized Retail Crime (ORC) is responsible for the direction and support of Organized Retail Crime (ORC) investigations, strategies and training to ensure the effective execution of asset protection and retail initiatives...
	Field Loss Prevention Manager Nashville, TN - posted May 21 Staples is focused on our customer and our community. As a Field Loss Prevention Manager for Staples, you will manage and coordinate Loss Prevention and Safety Programs intended to protect Staples assets and ensure a safe work environment within Staples Retail locations...
	LP Auditor & Fraud Detection Analyst Greater Boston, MA - posted May 11 As a Loss Prevention Auditor and Fraud Detection Analyst for Staples, you will conduct LP operational field audits remote, virtual and in person, within a base of 60 retail stores to ensure compliance to operational standards to drive operational excellence and preserve profitability...
	Regional Asset Protection Manager Phoenix, Dallas, Denver and Houston - posted April 22 Victra is the leading exclusive, premium retailer for Verizon with a mission of connecting technology to life in the most trusting and profitable way. As the Regional Asset Protection Manager, you will be very logical, efficient, orderly, and organized in always safeguarding our company assets from losses due to theft or fraud...
	Area Loss Prevention Manager Pittsburgh, PA - posted May 11 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...
	Area Loss Prevention Manager Sacramento, CA - posted April 20 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...
	Corporate Security Manager Calabasas, CA - posted April 6 The Corporate Security Manager will, among other things, (a) be responsible for ensuring a safe and secure environment for our employees, vendors, and visitors, (b) develop, manage, execute and continuously improve corporate security processes and protocols, and (c) lead a team of security specialists at our corporate offices...

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