8/28/19

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

Home Depot's stolen tools are fueling Florida's drug trade
Retailers are facing a rising rate of theft from organized crime rings

Editor's Note: This is a great article by the Tampa Bay Times on the topic of ORC in Florida that goes in-depth on the operation of a major ORC ring in the Tampa area that stole over $2.4 million in power tools from four Home Depot stores over a 12-month period and resold them online. The article talks about the inner-workings of the crew and the investigation by Home Depot and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office that led to 34 arrests in Spring 2018.

In Florida, state and local governments lose up to $1.6 billion in taxes per year to stolen goods, according to estimates. Some of the top organized retail theft hubs in the country are in the Sunshine State.

Since 2015, the statewide prosecutor has begun racketeering cases against 327 people. Roughly two thirds of those are tied to shoplifting rings. The previous state attorney general made organized retail theft rings a priority, and that's something Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has continued, a spokeswoman said.

The Hillsborough case isn't an outlier for Home Depot. Scott Glenn, the company's vice president of asset protection, said another ring recently stole close to $20 million in tools.

Home Depot has its own set of investigators to monitor retail crime. The company worked closely with Hillsborough County detectives, giving them access to run stings in its stores. Glenn said some law enforcement agencies are too understaffed to take on retail crime. Some simply don't view it as a priority. He has seen other retailers close stores that became steady targets for organized shoplifting.

In the last two decades, 37 states have raised the threshold for felony shoplifting to keep pace with inflation. Some have gone as high as $2,500. Florida had one of the lowest felony thresholds in the country at $300 until the most recent session, when it passed a bill to increase it to $750. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law on June 28.

Florida's update includes a provision that targets organized rings. Prosecutors are now allowed to aggregate items stolen over a 90-day period if the thefts occur in more than one county. Previously, it was only 48 hours.

"A person stealing $600 doesn't mean a lot to me," Glenn said. "One person stealing $600 ten times means a lot to me. Those are the people who actually put a hurt on us."

About five years ago, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd created the first organized retail crime unit in the state. His investigators will take on any case in Florida with a tie to Polk County, which isn't hard to do. Boosters spread out their targets.

"They're organized enough where they will say: We will hit Polk today and will come back to Pinellas and Hillsborough and Pasco tomorrow," he said. "They want to give them time to restock and not create a pattern of activity." tampabay.com

ADT Transforms Brand, Asking: "What Do You Want To Protect?"
A New Brand Direction for the #1 Smart Home Security Provider

ADT (NYSE: ADT), the #1 smart home security provider serving residential and business customers across the United States and Canada, today announced it is transforming its brand to highlight its diverse portfolio of products and solutions. ADT believes that everyone deserves to feel safe in every aspect of their lives and considers each customer's unique needs by asking a distinctly personal question: "What do you want to protect?".

At the core of the transformation, ADT is evolving its historical association with "home security" to represent its full suite of services that reaches well beyond the "home" and is much broader than simply residential security.

ADT provides protection for physical valuables, business assets, enterprise-level data, digital identities, new teen drivers, elderly loved ones, pets, apartments, houses and everything in between. adt.com

Axis Communications wins two 2019 New Product of the Year Awards
Security Today honors AXIS Q6215-LE PTZ and AXIS Q3527-LVE Network Cameras with New Product of the Year Awards.

Axis Communications has received a 2019 New Product of the Year Award from Security Today for its AXIS Q6215-LE PTZ Network Camera in the Outdoor Perimeter Protection category and AXIS Q3527-LVE Network Camera in the Video Surveillance Cameras - IP category.

The Security Today New Product of the Year Award honors the outstanding product development achievements of security equipment manufacturers whose products improve security. axis.com

3xLOGIC Wins 2019 Security Today Award for VIGIL V250-16 NVR
Security Today announces New Products of the Year Awards for 2019 and our VIGIL V250-16 NVR was included. The New Product of the Year Award is now it's eleventh successful year. Security Today states that this award program was designed to honor outstanding product development achievements of security equipment manufacturers whose products are considered particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve security. We are honored to be included in this round-up.  The full press release can also be found on Security Today's website here.

GSX 2019: Everything You Need to Know About Global Security Exchange
Global Security Exchange (GSX) will be held in Chicago on Sept. 8-12 at McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America (check out what goes into securing the expo center, here).

ASIS Int'l has assembled educational programming that offers more than 300 sessions, organized into 17 subject-matter tracks. The GSX session lineup is billed as addressing a wide variety of topics vital to today's security professional, delivered in immersive formats like small group workshops, simulations, deep dives and more.

GSX Education Sessions
ASIS Int'l has engaged more than 220 speakers from diverse professional backgrounds to deliver the peer-driven education program. From Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel to CSOs and CISOs, the presenters cross the range of industries and responsibilities related to security. New to GSX this year are "Game Changer" sessions, which ASIS Int'l says will offer valuable insights and information on technologies that are rapidly changing today's paradigm for security professionals.

Read more about GSX 2019's sessions, speakers, events and more: securitysales.com

Facial Recognition Enabled NYPD to Quickly ID Rice Cooker Suspect in one hour
Demonstrating Best Practices for Biometric Accuracy & Mitigating Bias
The New York Post reports that police were alerted of suspicious devices being left in Fulton Street subway station at around 7:15 a.m. on August 16, and detectives from the Facial Identification Section had distributed digital images of the suspect to every officer in the department by 8:15 a.m. It would not be until after 9:00 a.m. that the NYPD bomb squad determined the rice cookers had not been modified to explode. biometricupdate.com

Ontario to Double Toronto's CCTV's Amid Gun Violence Doubling in 5 Yrs
Ontario is spending $3 million to more than double the amount of closed-circuit TV cameras for Toronto amid a recent spate of gun violence. The three-year investment will expand Toronto's CCTV system from 34 cameras to 74.

"While the number of homicides has been reduced this year, the level of gun violence continues to be unacceptable."

There have been 274 shootings this year so far with 412 victims - considerably higher than mid-August of 2014, when Toronto had seen 117 shootings with 145 victims.

Premier Doug Ford said in total, the province is investing $28 million over four years to fight gun and gang violence in Toronto. canadiansecurity.com
 

Dorian Will Hit Florida As Category 2 Hurricane, New Forecast Says
Tropical Storm Dorian is bearing down on Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, bringing heavy rain and sustained winds up to 60 mph. Forecasters are now warning the storm will strengthen into a dangerous hurricane as it nears the U.S. mainland.

Dorian will likely strengthen somewhat as it approaches Puerto Rico. And while it could lose some intensity by passing over that land mass, the storm is then expected to gain power and become a hurricane. Within four days, its winds could top 100 mph, the National Hurricane Center says.

The center's current predictions show Dorian hitting Florida's coast as a hurricane late Sunday or early Monday. While early forecasts showed the storm making landfall south of an area that's level with Orlando, more recent projections suggest it could arrive to farther north. npr.org

AccuWeather predicts the total damage from Dorian will be $1 billion
One big concern is whether Dorian tracks westward into Florida or slows before reaching the coast and makes a turn to the north. If Dorian does slow and turn to the north, impacts in the Carolinas would be much more significant, while Florida would be spared from major damage. accuweather.com

Lowe's EVP Apologizes for Hispanic Comments on Store Video Broadcast
DeWalt power drill was perfect for "Hispanic pros with smaller hands"
"This is perfect for them. Lifetime warranty on this. What else could you want?" said Joe McFarland, Lowe's (LOW) executive vice president of stores, in a corporate video broadcast to store employees Monday. The Washington Post first reported on the video.

McFarland apologized after employees criticized his comments online, saying they were offensive.

"I am sorry for a careless and ignorant comment I made during an associate broadcast yesterday," he said in a company-issued statement, adding that he took full responsibility and will be "spending time in the coming days and weeks with our associates, customers and business leaders to learn and grow from this moment." cnn.com

Trade Secrets Theft
Ex-Google engineer charged with taking self-driving car trade secrets;
DOJ considers flight risk and asks for $2 million bond
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a criminal indictment against ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski Tuesday. The DOJ announced 33 charges of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets at a news conference in San Jose, California, alleging Levandowski took confidential information from Google to Uber.

Levandowski had worked at Google's self-driving car project which later became known as Waymo. But according to the indictment, he left in 2016 to launch his own self-driving truck company that was later acquired by Uber.

Levandowski surrendered himself at the San Jose courthouse Tuesday morning. cnbc.com

Editor's Note: Initially the news implied Uber's CEO knew about the theft and may have even conspired with Levandowski.

NLRB Memo Clarifies Rules for Workplace Social Media Policies
Two of CVS Health's social media policies requiring employees to disclose certain personal information ran afoul of federal labor law, according to an advice memo from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) general counsel's office. The NLRB general counsel's office made the 2018 advice memo available on Aug. 15.

The retail pharmacy giant's two policies unlawfully interfered with employees' rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which permits workers to engage in concerted activities for their mutual benefit and to discuss wages and working conditions.

CVS required employees to identify themselves by their real name when they discussed the company and their work on social media. The company also restricted employees from disclosing "employee information" on social media." shrm.org

More than half of US consumers would allow retailer to digitally identify them
in-store
Through location-based technology-in exchange for special promotions and offers. emarketer.com

Orland Park, IL: Girl, 2, killed after temporary walls fell over at Orland Square Mall
Authorities say a 2-year-old girl has died after part of a store display fell on her at Orland Park Mall. The girl has been identified as Alexandra Martinez of Harvey. Martinez was with her aunt when something fell on top of her inside the Akira clothing store Tuesday afternoon. An Orland Park spokesperson said something, possibly a fixture, fell onto her head, critically injuring her. A doctor and nurse, who were shopping in the mall, rushed to help before paramedics arrived on the scene. A statement on behalf of Chicago-based Akira says they're "devastated by this tragic event." The mall in a statement offered its "deepest sympathies." abc7chicago.com

Lord & Taylor sold to Le Tote

Liberty Tax Buys Sears Hometown


Quarterly Results
J. Jill Q2 comp's down 1.2%, sales flat
Chico's Q2 comp's down 6.1%, sales down 6.7%
Express Inc. Q2 comp's down 7%, net sales down 4%

Here's One of Many Success Stories From Our Retail Clients...

www.scarsdalesecurity.com 

New workplace harassment, violence law will be 'game changer' for employers
Mandatory prevention training for nearly 1 million employees

Employers will have to completely reassess how they manage harassment and violence in the workplace, costing hundreds of millions

All eyes may be on the numerous amendments to the Canada Labour Code (CLC) that take effect on Sept. 1, but their impact on the 18,000 federally regulated employers and 900,000 employees governed by the legislation may pale against new harassment and violence obligations that will come into force in 2020.

Among the most important of the imminent amendments are those entitling employees to as much as 10 days of annual leave if they or their children have been victims of family violence, with the first five days paid for workers with three months' service. "The law now recognizes that domestic violence is a workplace hazard," Hlibchuk says.

Among other things, the new law will require employers to identify risks of harassment and violence, implement preventive measures, designate someone to receive complaints, and respond to such occurrences, including providing support for affected employees.

Prevention training will be mandatory for all employees, including managers and supervisors. financialpost.com

Five-year string of break-ins leaves small business 'discouraged'
Growing number of break-and-enters leading to 21% jump in Windsor crime
When Saskia Scott became the owner of the Sweet Revenge Bake Shop in Riverside, she knew her budget would account for purchasing ingredients, upgrading baking equipment and paying employees - but not for beefing up security. On Tuesday, Scott alleged that someone had broken into the bakery for the seventh time since she took up ownership five years ago.

Metal security bars can be spotted across Sweet Revenge's front door and windows. The owner says it's a necessary step to prevent break-ins, but it makes the 'high-end' bakery look like a 'convenience store' - which can affect how clients view the bakery. Extra security measures have also come at a significant cost to the bakery - which Scott estimates at about $5,000. The 27-year-old added she might include those costs in her next annual budget because a break-in "happens that often."

What's happening at the bakery seems to be indicative of a larger trend in Windsor. According to Statistics Canada, Windsor experienced a 21-per-cent rise in its Crime Severity Index in 2018 - one of the most dramatic increases in the country. Statistics Canada attributed the spike to more break-and-enter incidents, fraud charges, theft charges (value $5,000 or under) and homicides. cbc.ca windsorstar.com

     RELATED: Ottawa: Carling Avenue businesses hit with growing number of break-ins

Thunder Bay, ON: Opioid crisis endangering lives, pushing first responders
to their limits
On a Saturday afternoon at the Circle K, a shoplifter ignores the convenience store clerk's pleas to stop stealing. Customers tackle him and call 911. Soon a police officer is in the parking lot, using gloved hands to frisk the man. But the arrest pauses when the suspect confesses to using drugs. Now he's a more pressing problem for the paramedics.

Days earlier, Thunder Bay's emergency and public-health officials got together to announce a year-over-year surge of more than 40 per cent in opioid-overdose deaths and to plead for additional help from the provincial and federal governments.

Preliminary data showed that 44 people likely died of opioid overdoses in the city and surrounding area in 2018 - by far the most in 14 years of published data. This in a region that already had the highest per-capita rate of fatal opioid overdoses in the province in 2017.

The opioid crisis continues to worsen. Paramedics now respond to about one opioid poisoning a day - on a monthly basis, more than double the number of calls of two years ago. theglobeandmail.com

Canadian Tire to discuss new tech for stopping shoplifters Canadian Tire Retail recently implemented images on POS to help resolve one of the craftiest ways shoplifters steal from stores today: ticket switching. At Retail Secure, Racheal Awe, Associate Vice President of In-Store Technology, will share the successes and challenges they've experienced with this project and new technology. Retail Secure is Canada's only loss prevention conference specifically designed for retailers by retailers. Join us September 24th at the International Centre in Mississauga. RetailSecure.ca

Canada Store Openings & Expansions
● Toys "R" Us Canada unveils plans to open two smaller stores next year
● Aritzia is opening a store in Kelowna this fall
● Sporting Goods Retailer 'Decathlon' Launches Rapid Cross-Canada Superstore Expansion
● Sleep Country opens at Kingsway Mall, marking its 275th store
● Luxury Brand 'Balenciaga' to Open 1st Standalone Canadian Flagship Amid Expansion
● Inside L.L. Bean's 1st Canadian Store which Opened to Crowds
● Giant Tiger opens in Kingston, Ont.
● On-Trend Store Officially Open at Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga
● Fenelon Falls Brewing Opens Retail Shop

Report: Canada's retailers report better-than-expected June sales

Walmart names new head of operations for Canada

Toys 'R' Us Canada president resigns after two decades with retailer

Alberta sees most money spent on cannabis since legalization

View Canadian Connections Archives

Facebook Marketplace: The Wild West of E-Commerce
The online flea market is used by one in three people in the U.S. But do its user profiles create a false sense of security?

Facebook Inc. created an online flea market where users not only see all the bicycles, bird houses and BMWs for sale nearby, but also the names, profile photos and general locations of buyers and sellers.

It is so popular that more than one in three people in the U.S. use it monthly, according to Facebook. Because Facebook started as a platform for people who knew each other, its Marketplace-at least in theory-operates on the notion that on the other side of every online deal is a real person with a network of friends and a social-media history.

But the experiences of many people who use the marketplace suggest that creates a false sense of security and a fertile ground for scams or misconduct-on both ends of transactions.

Some buyers say Facebook sellers change prices on items, list stolen or fake products, or are scammers operating under multiple profiles. Sellers say they are sometimes dealing with unreasonable offers, fraudulent payments or no-shows at scheduled meetups.

Bad actors sometimes disappear after blocking the victim-a feature that prevents someone from seeing a profile. Facebook Marketplace also allows buyers and sellers to put their reviews on private mode, which many people say defeats the purpose of creating a community of reviewers and building trust.

Sgt. Robert Parsons of the Dunwoody, Ga., police department said a Facebook Marketplace sale in his town ended up as a robbery at gunpoint. Such incidents have prompted Dunwoody and police departments across the U.S. to open up their offices as a safe meeting place for people making Facebook transactions.

"Criminals have turned it into a place where they can get access to victims," Sgt. Parsons said. "Just because someone has a Facebook profile doesn't mean that's who you are talking to." Read more: wsj.com

Roundup: Home Depot grows online sales five times faster than Lowe's in Q2
Dick's Sporting Goods reports 21% increase in online sales
Nordstrom reports 1.7% increase
Home improvement chains The Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Cos. Inc. reported second quarter earnings this week. The Home Depot reported a 20% year-over-year increase in online sales for its fiscal quarter ending Aug. 4, while Lowe's reported a 4% increase in ecommerce sales for its fiscal second quarter ending Aug. 2 compared the same period last year.

In other earnings news:
● Dick's Sporting Goods (No. 58) reported a 21% increase in ecommerce sales for its second fiscal quarter ending Aug. 3.
● Nordstrom Inc. (No. 18) grew online sales 1.7% for its second fiscal quarter ending Aug. 3 to $1.133 billion from $1.114 billion last year. digitalcommerce360.com

Roundup: Same-day fulfillment is Target's most profitable ecommerce channel

More than a third of UK retailers admit they are unprepared for the digital 'future'

Wauwatosa, WI: JC Penney employee stole $35K+ through fraudulent orders sold at up to 99% off
Umeko Dixon processed orders and sold items at greatly reduced prices - up to 99% off - while serving as a customer service representative at the telephone order center. Many of the fraudulent orders were shipped to her mother's house, and purchased using a credit card in her own name. Prosecutors said she was responsible for processing 58 fraudulent orders, using a credit card in her name to pay for 27 of the orders. fox6now.com

Williamson County, FL: Man used stolen credit, debit cards to buy $15,000 worth of items from H-E-B
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in a string of organized retail thefts. Christopher Lee Hill has been charged with credit card abuse. According to WCSO, Hill used stolen credit and debit cards to buy merchandise from four different H-E-B locations in Williamson County through the grocery chain's application "H-E-B Go". The application, designed to pre-load full credit and debit card information, allows shoppers to scan items as they pull them from shelves, then pay with the app and show the mobile receipt to an employee at the kiosk. WCSO says Hill conducted a total of 102 fraudulent transactions totaling around $15,000, with 25 of those being disputed by account holders and charged back as fraudulent. fox7austin.com

Woodbridge, IL: 5 Kohl's Shoplifters flee, 2 in custody, 3 at large after crashing into a Police Car
Two suspected shoplifters were taken into custody Tuesday while three others remain at large after crashing into an empty squad car while attempting to flee a store in west suburban Woodridge. That morning, officers responded to calls of suspected shoplifting at the Kohl's department store, 1001 75th St., in Woodridge, Woodridge police said. Once police arrived, the alleged shoplifters attempted to flee the scene, crashing into an empty police car in the process, police said. suntimes.com

Ludington, MI: Stolen plate leads to arrest for $1,500 in shoplifting
A stolen license plate led investigators to the recovery of about $1,500 in merchandise allegedly stolen from West Michigan stores. The investigation began the morning of Saturday, Aug. 24, when a Walmart shopper noticed the license plate was stolen off their vehicle, according to a press release from the Mason County Sheriff's Office. Review of surveillance footage resulted in the identification of male and female subjects who also were suspected of stealing "numerous items." mlive.com

Montgomery County, PA: Snipes Sneakers reported a theft of $2,950 of merchandise, 2 suspects sought

Montgomery County, PA: Two female Target Shoplifters busted with $600 of merchandise
 

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