The D&D Daily will continue to track this data throughout the summer to capture the weekend violence trend in our nation's big cities as warm weather typically brings about more crime and violence.

Click here to see the list of incidents per city and follow along each week this summer as this spreadsheet will be updated every Monday. docs.google.com

Read more coverage about America's crime and gun violence epidemic in the section below
 

The Internet Is Pouring Gasoline on the Nation's ORC Fire
Customers across the globe are unknowingly buying stolen goods online
As San Francisco faces a spike in retail theft, the ABC7 News' I-Team is looking into just how pervasive the crime rings operate on our streets and online. Police say these individuals often plan months in advance how to steal, where to resell, and at what price.

"These operations are hundreds of thousands of dollars and the venture into the millions when you put them all together," said San Francisco Police Sgt. Adam Lobsinger. On Wednesday, SFPD arrested a man who was able to sell, stock, and resell $200,000 worth of stolen goods in his apartment. It turns out - cases like that are happening across the Bay Area.

Organized retail crime rings - how do they really work?

Police say they often start small and involve using middlemen or a "fence," who steal and try to offload stolen items as fast as possible. "They culminate in something like this, where we're arresting one person or (persons) and they're selling hundreds of thousands of goods online nationally and we know they got these stolen items from multiple people," Lobsinger said.

According to an analysis by the Senate Judiciary Committee, there is more than $500 billion worth of stolen and counterfeit goods sold online across the world each year. In some cases, it's the online retailers tipping off investigators.

So what's being done to crack down?

State Sen. Nancy Skinner (CA-9th District) introduced a bill that puts more responsibility on online retailers while tightening requirements for sellers.

"So the marketplace has to get information like their business license, the receipt of goods, those kinds of things to prove they are the owners of these goods in a legitimate way and they haven't been stolen," Skinner said.

Skinner's legislation, SB 301 already passed the Senate and is moving to the Assembly. Investigators say these organized crime rings operate on everyday sites we all use like eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. abc7news.com

Brick & Mortar Crime Closures in the News
Retail crime expert Karl Langhorst weighs in on coffee chain closings due to safety concerns
Many brick and mortar retailers are seeing a growing amount of violent criminal activity, which ranges from smash and grab robberies to increasingly brazen acts of organized retail crime to tragically, active shooting incidents.

Most recently, Starbucks announced the closing of more than a dozen locations due to safety concerns, although some also tie the closures to recent unionization.

"It has been my experience that retailers are in the business to be profitable," said Karl Langhorst, adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Criminal Justice. "If they are closing stores, be they union or nonunion, it is usually because keeping the store open is no longer viable because of profitability headwinds."

Langhorst told The Bee that rising violent crime in retail establishments has had an increasingly negative impact on employee hiring and retention, customer traffic, and the ability for retailers to maintain acceptable store standards. "The perceived lack of consequences by criminal offenders for their actions, coupled with significant law enforcement staffing shortages, has created what unfortunately is an increasingly difficult and dangerous situation," he said.

A survey by the National Retail Federation last year found that 82% of loss-prevention professionals said mall or store violence/shooting incidents has become more of a priority over the past five years.

"This troubling trend is not only negatively impacting retailers and their employees and customers, but also the communities they serve."

Langhorst's courses include the study of organized retail crime, active shooters and prevention methodologies. uc.edu

'America has Become Unsafe': More Crime Closures Coming?
Starbucks CEO Discusses Issues That Led to 16 Store Closures

Citing safety concerns, Starbucks will be closing 16 retail locations nationwide before the end of July.

In a video of an alleged internal company meeting, now-interim CEO Howard Schultz could be heard criticizing officials at the local, state, and federal levels for failing to fight crime and address mental illness.

"It has shocked me that one of the primary concerns that our retail partners have is their own personal safety," Schultz can be heard saying. "America has become unsafe."

"Starbucks is a window into America, we have stores in every community, and we are facing things in which the stores were not built for and so we're listening to our people and closing stores," Schultz continued. "This is just the beginning, there are going to be many more."

In the video, Schultz can be heard discussing staff concerns related to issues around mental illness, homelessness, and crime, which he said were the catalysts for Starbucks' store closures. Specifically, Schultz pointed to their concerns over ongoing drug use in store bathrooms.

The store closures have come a little over six months after the first Starbucks employees formally voted to unionize. Several other stores around the U.S. followed in their footsteps during subsequent months.

Starbucks confirmed to The National Desk that 16 high-incident stores across the country were shuttering, and said the company will continue to work with partners to help address the challenges communities are facing. wjla.com

Robberies & Assaults Up 37% in NYC
NYC Mayor Adams renews tough-on-crime pledge
Mayor Adams vowed to follow through on his promises to crack down on crime Sunday as he touted recent drops in murders and shootings, although other forms of lawlessness are high. Winning election on a tough-on-crime platform, Adams has made controversial moves like bringing back the NYPD's plainclothes units.

"We're going to continue to move forward. We're going to turn this crime thing around," he said on WBLS. "And when we do so, people are going to really see the progress we've made in other parts of the city.

"Crime has really taken all of the oxygen out of the room but once we do that, they're going to see what we're doing around education, around housing and some of the other important issues," he added.

So far this year, murders are down nearly 8% and shooting incidents decreased more than 10%, compared with the same time frame in 2021, according to NYPD stats. But both crimes are still at peak levels compared with pre-pandemic levels, and overall stats for major categories of crime that include robberies and assaults are up more than 37%.

Adams echoed critics of Albany's controversial bail reforms, although expert opinions are mixed on whether releasing suspects for misdemeanors and some felonies is contributing to the city's spike in crime.

"We took almost 3,800 guns off the streets, and many of the people who had carried those guns were able to return to the streets," the mayor said. msn.com

#1 City in Murders Per Capita in the U.S.
New Orleans, LA: Business owners say crime is taking over neighborhoods
Residents and business owners in the French Quarter say crime is taking over their neighborhood and it's taking a toll on business. They said there needs to be a stronger police presence to help keep people safe and reduce crime.

New Orleanians love their city and so do tourists, but this beautiful city is number one per capita in murders in the country. Residents and business owners say the crime here is out of control.

Christian Pendleton from Brennan's Restaurant and representing the Louisiana Restaurant Association said the record high crime rates are making it difficult to find employees, and that the restaurant is short more than 100 staff members.

So far in 2022, New Orleans Police have worked at least 160 murders. An unofficial tally showed 31 killings in June - the most in a single month since July 2004. There have been more homicides in the first six months of this year than in the entire years of 2018 and 2019. wwltv.com
 
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Retaliation Closures?
Starbucks Union Files Labor Complaint Claiming Store Closures Are Retaliation

The coffee chain has announced it's closing 16 stores, including some that have recently unionized. Workers say it's coercion against labor organizing.

After Starbucks announced Monday that it plans to shutter 16 U.S. stores as part of a strategy for addressing store safety, the chain's rapidly expanding union filed a complaint alleging that the move is a form of union-busting.

The coffee chain said that by the end of the month it would close six stores each in the Seattle and Los Angeles areas, two in Portland, Oregon, as well as locations in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. On Wednesday, Seattle workers from Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) - the union that has been organizing stores across the country - filed an unfair labor practice charge arguing that the closures amount to retaliation and illegal coercion against union activity.

Of the 16 stores set for closure, two locations in Seattle have successfully unionized and one store in Portland is set for a union vote in August.

"Within the past six months the Employer closed and/​or threatened to close at least 16 stores in order to discourage union activity, retaliate against workers engaged in union activity and/​or escape its obligation to bargain with the Union," reads the complaint.

The charge seeks injunctive relief for the workers at the closed stores, which would fast-track a court order while the case is being litigated before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a process which can often take months. inthesetimes.com

Amazon's Brick & Mortar Store of the Future
Amazon's IRL clothing store misses the point of shopping

Customers to the online retailer's first in-person location were disappointed by the limited selection and algorithmic picks

The first Amazon Style store, which opened in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, in May, allows customers to use a smartphone app to send clothes directly to their fitting rooms, rather than carrying them around, and offers additional clothing recommendations from the company's algorithms.

Clad in company lanyards, employees at the front of the store greet customers and offer help navigating the smartphone app and the store's free WiFi and phone chargers. And there are plenty of other Amazon employees at work behind the scenes, swiftly delivering new outfit picks to the "magic closet" in each dressing room.

But the store is designed to make many of its staff invisible. Customers praised the friendly front-of-store employees, though many were divided on whether they liked the overall concept: some said they found it "really cool" and innovative, others the experience was overwhelming, and some said the in-store clothing selection was underwhelming compared with what they could find online.

Le said the "anti-social" aspect of the store appealed to her, but wasn't a big fan of the quality of Amazon's clothes. And she saw deeper problems: the store's "cool concept" was also "classist" and "causes a lot of disparities", since people without smartphones would not be able to shop. theguardian.com

H&M Ditches Russia - 170 Store Closures
Fashion retailer H&M joins TJX, others in exiting Russia
H&M, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, said on Monday it will wind down its business in Russia, a move that will cost almost $200 million and affect 6,000 staff as it joins a growing number of companies fully exiting the country.

The company suspended its business in Russia in early March in the wake of Western sanctions against Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Russia was H&M's sixth-biggest market and the company was increasing its store count there while reducing physical stores in many other markets.

"After careful consideration, we see it as impossible given the current situation to continue our business in Russia," Chief Executive Helena Helmersson said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened about the impact this will have on our colleagues," Helmersson said but did not elaborate.

The shutdown will affect the company's 170 physical stores in the country and its online sales channels, a spokesperson said. H&M rents the stores and operates them directly. reuters.com

81 Lego Store Closures
This Popular Retailer Is Closing 81 Stores Due to "Extensive Disruption"
A different popular company has decided to pull its business from Russia. Lego just terminated its contract with the Inventive Retail Group (IRG), a franchisee that owned and operated 81 Lego stores in the country, Reuters reported. Lego will also lay off its 90 Moscow-based employees.

Lego's decision to indefinitely close its business in Russia seems to be the natural progression of changes it has already made. According to Reuters, the toymaker paused its shipments to Russia in March, and then in June, said it would be temporarily freezing business at some stores due to supply challenges. Now, "Lego has decided to indefinitely cease commercial operations in Russia given the continued extensive disruption in the operating environment," a spokesperson for Lego told the news outlet. bestlifeonline.com

'Worst Pay in the Retail Industry'
'Abandoned' Dollar Tree Stuns Shopper: 'Nobody Works Here'
Dollar Tree has notoriously struggled with staffing shortages across the country. As workers across industries have quit their jobs at a historic rate, retail businesses have started to raise pay, provide better schedules and even give bonuses to retain their workforce.

Meanwhile, dollar stores typically offer the worst pay in the retail industry-near minimum wage-and keep staffing very low, according to the Harvard Gazette. As a result, dollar store workers might be tempted to leave for other jobs. Dollar Tree also faces competition for labor from Amazon and Walmart. newsweek.com

When did Walgreens' associates become the contraceptive police?
Walgreens associates have made the news in recent weeks for refusing to sell over-the-counter and prescription contraceptives to customers based on their religious objections.

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Businesses Targeted by North Korean Hackers
North Korean Hackers Targeting Small and Midsize Businesses with H0lyGh0st Ransomware
An emerging threat cluster originating from North Korea has been linked to developing and using ransomware in cyberattacks targeting small businesses since September 2021.

The group, which calls itself H0lyGh0st after the ransomware payload of the same name, is being tracked by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center under the moniker DEV-0530, a designation assigned for unknown, emerging, or a developing group of threat activity.

Targeted entities primarily include small-to-midsize businesses such as manufacturing organizations, banks, schools, and event and meeting planning companies.

"Along with their H0lyGh0st payload, DEV-0530 maintains an .onion site that the group uses to interact with their victims," the researchers said in a Thursday analysis.

"The group's standard methodology is to encrypt all files on the target device and use the file extension .h0lyenc, send the victim a sample of the files as proof, and then demand payment in Bitcoin in exchange for restoring access to the files."

DEV-0530 is believed to have connections with another North Korean-based group known as Plutonium (aka DarkSeoul or Andariel), a sub-group operating under the Lazarus umbrella (aka Zinc or Hidden Cobra).

The illicit scheme adopted by the threat actor is also known to take a leaf from the ransomware playbook, leveraging extortion tactics to apply pressure on victims into paying up or risk getting their information published on social media.

DEV-0530's dark web portal claims it aims to "close the gap between the rich and poor" and "help the poor and starving people," in a tactic that mirrors another ransomware family called GoodWill that compels victims into donating to social causes and providing financial assistance to people in need.  thehackernews.com

The Ransomware Crime Wave
New ransomware operation '0mega' targeting businesses worldwide
Ransomware, an online crime wave where hackers hold your information hostage in order to make you pay up, has a new group joining in and it seems they will target just about anyone. A new ransomware operation named "0mega" targets organizations and businesses worldwide in double-extortion attacks demanding millions in ransom.

"Ransomware is when you have a cyber crime or somebody else that essentially is able to hack into your system," said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Allen Larsen. In May, 0mega hackers started threatening to disclose the attacks to business partners if a ransom is not paid.

"They start encrypting your data you have on your computer," said Lt. Larsen. "Compromises their server, all of their data, all of the customer files, their employee files."

In 2021, hackers targeted the software of 5,000 schools. If hackers break through a business firewall, the impact can be felt company-wide.

In Ohio, there was a recent hack where a business breach affected nearly 5,000 people resulting in their credit card numbers all being lifted.

"They encrypt that data sometimes they'll exfiltrate it, meaning they send it to their server so they save a copy of it and, what they'll do is they'll use that to extort money from you," Lt. Larsen said. "and then if you refuse to pay that ransom, then the next thing they'll do is they'll try to blackmail you and say, hey look, if you don't release $500,000 then we're going to release all of this personal identifying information of your customers and employees on the dark web, and give it to all the criminals that are out there."

To protect you and your team, experts recommend multi-factor authentication, updating software, restricting admin privileges, and provide online security training for all staff.

For more tips on how you can protect your family online CLICK HERE. 8newsnow.com

Organizations Remain at 'Significant' Risk
DHS Review Board Deems Log4j an 'Endemic' Cyber Threat

Vulnerability will remain a "significant" threat for years to come and highlighted the need for more public and private sector support for open source software ecosystem, Cyber Safety Review Board says.

The US Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) has concluded that the Apache Log4j vulnerability disclosed in December 2021 will remain a significant risk to organizations for the next decade or longer

The recently formed board, made up of private industry and government cybersecurity experts, determined that the open source community is not adequately resourced to ensure the security of its code and requires broad assistance from stakeholders across the private and public sectors. In a report published, today, the board recommended that federal agencies - as some of the largest consumers of open source code - contribute to open source security and called on the government to consider funding investments to improve security of the ecosystem.

CSRB released a set of 19 high-level recommendations for organizations to mitigate exposure to Log4j-related attacks and other similar software supply chain risks going forward. The recommendations for organizations include looking for and replacing vulnerable Log4j versions, establishing processes to prevent re-introduction of vulnerable versions into the environment, and maintaining an accurate inventory of IT assets and applications. darkreading.com

Using Data as a Weapon
The weaponizing of smartphone location data on the battlefield
Because mobile app location data is often sold to commercial data brokers and then repackaged and sold to individual customers, a country can access such a database and then pick out the phones likely belonging to soldiers. Such devices will ping regularly in the locations of known bases or other military facilities. It's even possible to identify the owner of a device by tracking the phone to its home address and then referencing publicly available information.

A country can also use information obtained from one or more data breaches to inform their devices of interest. The T-Mobile breach in 2021 demonstrated how much customer data is in the hands of a mobile operator, including a phone's unique identifier (IMEI) and its SIM card's identifier (IMSI).

Spies can also physically monitor known military sites and use devices known as IMSI catchers - essentially fake cell towers - to collect phone data from the phones in the vicinity. The Kremlin reportedly did this in the UK, with GRU officers gathering near some of the UK's most sensitive military sites.

When a phone of interest appears on the monitored mobile network, the country can keep a close eye on the device's location and other cellular data. The presence of two or more such devices in close proximity indicates that a mission may be taking place. helpnetsecurity.com

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E-Commerce Fraud & Abuse
Merchants Walk Fine Line Policing $90B of Promotions Abuse
There is a proliferation of individuals who abuse chargebacks, promotions, returns or merchant and financial services firms' policies to get free merchandise or payouts, often in plain sight. This so-called first-party fraud - thus named because fraudsters often use their own identities rather than concealing them as third parties - costs merchants upward of $89 billion per year.

First-party fraud is both pervasive and insidious, with many customers committing it without even realizing its seriousness. Fighting these fraudulent activities without sacrificing legitimate customers' experiences is a tough assignment, but new technologies offer the potential to balance these competing objectives.

Around the Digital Fraud Space

Retail fraud in Canada increased 15% since the beginning of the pandemic, accounting for hundreds of millions in losses to retailers, according to a recent report. Despite the changes to in-store traffic, the increases include professional return fraud, which involves thieves stealing items from stores with the intent of returning them later without receipts to obtain gift cards. Many retailers have also fallen victim to chargeback fraud, in which consumers dispute transactions and claim they never received packages.

Meanwhile, a recent report found that companies in the U.S. and the U.K. fail to uncover bot attacks for an average of 16 weeks - an increase of about two to four weeks from the same study a year ago. Even though most businesses are using mitigation measures to help detect and cut down on attacks, the increased average time to detection suggests that bot attacks are getting more intelligent.

Ujji on Fighting First-Party Fraud and Coupon Abuse

Fraudulent abuse of coupons and promotions has become so commonplace in the retail industry that some merchants make room in their budgets to allow for projected losses. For smaller retailers and specialty online merchants with limited wares, first-party fraud can take a serious chunk out of the bottom line.

Digital tools, such as coupons that are specifically designed with complicated coding strings that expire after one use and software that detects chargeback abuse, are being employed to fight back, but companies must be careful not to alienate legitimate customers. pymnts.com

Retail's Rapid Migration to the Cloud
How hybrid cloud can be valuable to the retail and ecommerce industries
Migrating to the cloud is no longer a decision that only forward-thinkers and risk-takers base their business on. It's common practice. In fact, the cloud migration services market was valued at $119.13 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $448.34 billion by 2026. Most sectors - including retail and ecommerce - are migrating to the cloud quickly, and for good reasons.

Online shopping grew so fast during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that the market hit $4 trillion. 69% of Americans have shopped online once, with 25% shopping online at least once per month. Retail services of all types were forced to embrace digitization to stay in business. No longer were brick and mortar shops preferred - or even an option, the only way to engage with customers became online. While many of our habits have gotten back to pre-COVID, online shopping is here to stay.

For most retailers, their technology strategy is now their primary business strategy. This starts with cloud implementation. Scalability and agility are key benefits in pursuing a public, private or hybrid cloud solution. The unlimited size of the public cloud means businesses can scale capacity and computing power either up or down in just minutes - usually critical for external shopping processing. However, the private model offers a more customized set-up and is dedicated to a particular business and can be vital for internal processes. The key is knowing what functions should reside, for your business, in either or both. venturebeat.com

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Los Angeles, CA: Millions in jewels stolen from armored truck in California
Millions of dollars worth of gems and jewelry were stolen in an armored truck robbery last week in Southern California, authorities said Sunday. The Brink's truck was robbed in the early morning on July 11 near Los Angeles, said Dana Callahan, a spokeswoman for the security company. The merchandise had been loaded onto the truck late on July 10 following an exhibit hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo, south of San Francisco, said Brandy Swanson, the group's director. It was going to an event at the Pasadena Convention Center just northeast of Los Angeles, she said.

Swanson said between 25 and 30 bags were taken, containing an unknown number of individual pieces. She said 18 victims were reporting more than $100 million in losses. Callahan said it was less than $10 million. "According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million," Brink's said in a statement. "We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract."

Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Los Angeles, said the robbery was in the desert city of Lancaster in northern LA County. Eimiller said the bureau agency was working with local authorities, but she could not immediately provide more information. A dispatcher with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which patrols Lancaster, didn't have information about the investigation on Sunday. Swanson said vendors who travel between jewelry shows typically underinsure their merchandise because they can't afford to insure it fully. 960theref.com

Nassau County, NY: Robbers with sledgehammer snatch watches from Long Island jewelry store
Police on Long Island are searching for four men who brazenly robbed a jewelry store with a sledgehammer in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon, police said. The crew burst into London Jewelers at Wheatley Plaza in Greenvale around 4 p.m., a Nassau County Police spokeswoman told The Post. They took a sledgehammer to the glass display cases and made off with an unknown number of luxury watches before they fled in a vehicle, cops said. Nobody was injured in the heist, police said. nypost.com

Lewes, DE: Long term Employee arrested on felony theft charges, $100,000 of fishing equipment
The Lewes Police Department received a complaint earlier this month regarding a long time employee, identified as 51-year-old Thomas Serbin, stealing from the Lewes Harbor Marina. Through investigation, it was confirmed that Serbin, who was employed as the store manager for roughly two years, had committed dozens of thefts from the store over the course of his employment. A search warrant was obtained and executed at Serbin's residence on July 12th. Investigations found more than $100,000 worth of merchandise stolen from the store, including 115 fishing rods, 125 high-end fishing reels, over 50,000 yards of high-end fishing line, hundreds of items of salt water fishing tackle/lures, and numerous additional items of fishing equipment and merchandise. Police are continuing to investigate this case and say it is believed that Serbin was also selling and bartering property belonging to Lewes Harbor Marina for his personal gain. wmdt.com

Employee caught on video taking home vinyl fencing from Leesburg business
An employee was arrested on a charge of grand theft this past week after his employer viewed a company security video showing him taking home $10,000 worth of vinyl fencing materials. The video showed 34-year-old Dustin Hommes of Eustis, loading the materials into his truck from stock kept at Superior Fence & Rail, in Leesburg. leesburg-news.com

Hammond, LA: Two suspect sought in $630 theft from Ulta Beauty

Ocean County, NJ: Lacey woman, Seaside Heights man caught shoplifting in Stafford Walmart