FaceFirst Heads to D.C. to Fight for Face Recognition Privacy

  
Pictured Above: Peter Trepp, CEO & President (red tie)
Dara Riordan, EVP of Sales & Chief Revenue Officer
Roger Angarita, VP of Product Management (striped tie)

Face recognition company FaceFirst headed to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional leaders with the goal of helping the bipartisan Commercial Facial Recognition Privacy Act of 2019 (S. 847) move forward. A team of FaceFirst executives, led by CEO Peter Trepp, briefed bill co-sponsor Senator Blunt's office on increasing market adoption and the need for guardrails that protect consumer privacy while not stunting innovation and allowing the technology to improve safety and security. As an example, facial recognition technology is currently being used by retailers to radically reduce in-store violence and diminish external shrink by up to 34%. FaceFirst also discussed various commercial use cases for facial recognition. FaceFirst and lawmakers agree that customer opt-in should be mandatory for commercial use cases to ensure consumer privacy.

During the meeting, FaceFirst highlighted the company's commitment to protecting privacy. In addition to building privacy-focused features into the product, FaceFirst CEO Peter Trepp wrote the book on consumer privacy. Peter's book, The New Rules of Consumer Privacy, is the most extensive book ever written that tackles the importance of balancing privacy with security and convenience.

Following the meeting, FaceFirst feels confident that S. 847 will offer the comprehensive privacy protections for retail customers, without sacrificing retail brands' desire to protect customers, employees and merchandise from threats.

NASP Taps Early Champions as Advisory Committee Co-chairs
National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) has tapped two asset protection industry veterans in Rhett Asher, Vice President, Strategy at ThinkLP and Paul Jones, Director of Loss Prevention & eCommerce Fraud at Vitamin Shoppe, as the first to serve as chairpersons of its Retail Advisory Committee.

This move reinforces the organization's effort to connect retailers and criminal justice, encourage collaboration, and actively reduce shoplifting and shoplifter recidivism through education and the support of responsible criminal justice reform efforts thus reducing theft and improving safety in stores and communities alike. shopliftingprevention.org

Vector Security Reaches 10,000 Customer Reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com
Vector Security, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent mobile security and automation solutions to homes and businesses, recently reached a milestone 10,000 customer reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com, a third-party consumer news and resource center that features over 1 million customer reviews across more than 3,000 brands in 300 categories of goods and services.

Vector Security is highly ranked in security by consumers on ConsumerAffairs.com based on its near 5-star rating given by real-life customers.  Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight below.

LP Furniture Alliance to Host Meeting in Columbus, OH on Oct. 8-9 - RSVP Today

Mission Statement: "A network of dynamic loss prevention professionals, building business partnerships while serving their respective home furnishings retail and ecommerce verticals in improving profitability and reducing loss related to fraud, theft and operational practices."

The Loss Prevention Furniture Alliance (LPFA) will be conducting their next on-site meeting on October 8th and 9th, 2019 in the Columbus, OH market. The LPFA has now grown to include 6 major furniture retailers who collectively yield hundreds of retail store locations, a dominant e-commerce presence, and numerous distribution centers as well as 3rd party logistics personnel handling in home delivery.

Loss Prevention professionals, vendor and business partners looking to learn more about the LPFA and/or attend the upcoming Columbus, OH meeting should contact Patrick Burns, Vice President of Loss Prevention at Bob's Discount Furniture via email at patrick.burns@mybobs.com or Mike Case, Sr. Director of Loss Prevention at Art Van Furniture, mcase@artvan.com for more details.

   Read the event recap from LPFA's last meeting in Chicago back in May here.

 

Here we go - Who'll be the first shot down?
Walgreens will be first retailer in U.S. to test on-demand drone delivery
Walgreens is set to lift off and make history with a drone pilot in Virginia.

Beginning in October, the drugstore giant and Wing Aviation, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, will partner on a pilot of "store to door" delivery of health and wellness, food and beverage and convenience items via drone delivery. (Prescription deliveries are not available in the pilot.) According to Walgreens, customers will receive their orders within minutes of placing orders.

The pilot will make Walgreens the first retailer to offer on-demand drone delivery service in the U.S. The companies will launch the test in conjunction with FedEx in Christiansburg, Va. Eligible FedEx Express customers who live within designated delivery zones in Christiansburg, and who opt in to the Wing delivery service, will be able to receive select packages via delivery drone. chainstoreage.com

Redding, CA: 99 Cents Only store to pay $1.2 million after workers sexually assaulted in walk-in freezer
Employees of the Redding 99 Cents Only store were sexually assaulted in a walk-in freezer there, leading to a $1.2 million settlement, the state announced Tuesday. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing said in a statement the former employees filed complaints with the agency in August 2018. One of the former employees said the incidents happened between December 2017 and March 2018.

The former employees said their supervisor, Assistant Manager Michael Wiegel, sexually assaulted them in a walk-in freezer in the back of the store "and subjected them to other forms of sexual harassment," according to the state agency. Wiegel's only past incident in Shasta County Superior Court is a traffic violation, electronic records show.

The former employees also alleged that managers at the Hilltop Drive store retaliated against them when they reported the incidents, and that included "additional scrutiny at work and reduced hours."

The state says an investigation indicated that violations of the Fair Employment and Housing Act had happened, so the business agreed to pay the former employees and the agency a combined $1,225,000.

"Employers must take seriously their duty to provide a work environment that is free from sexual harassment and sexual assault," agency Director Kevin Kish said in the press release. "DFEH will hold to account companies that allow harassment and retaliation against employees who complain."

Commerce-based 99 Cents Only also will hire an outside monitor to track the chain's compliance with the settlement for the next three years as part of the agreement. Managers also have to complete training, and the business must give annual compliance reports to the state for the next three years, the press release says. redding.com
 

FTC-CFPB workshop looks at accuracy in credit and background screening reports
When consumers apply for credit, housing, or employment, consumer reports are often used to help decide whether they can get that loan, apartment, or job. With so much at stake, the accuracy of those reports is of the utmost importance. On December 10, 2019, the FTC and CFPB will host a workshop to discuss issues related to the accuracy of traditional credit reports and background screening reports used by prospective employers and landlords.

A lot has happened in consumer reporting since the FTC's 2012 study on accuracy in credit reports and the follow-up study a few years later. The CFPB has conducted supervisory reviews of large credit reporting agencies, as well as providers of consumer financial products or services that furnish information about consumers to CRAs. Then there was the 2015 multistate AG settlement requiring stricter standards for matching records, removing certain public record information, and restricting medical debt reporting. And tech developments once on the horizon - for example, the use of machine learning and alternative data in making eligibility determinations - are right here, right now.

The FTC and CFPB just posted a list of discussion topics and would like your feedback. Save a step and file your comment online. We'll leave the public record open until January 10, 2020. Interested in volunteering as a presenter or panelist? Email us as AccuracyWorkshop@ftc.gov.

The workshop - it's free and open to the public - is set for the FTC's Constitution Center conference facility, 400 7th St., SW, in Washington, D.C. We'll also webcast it live on the FTC event page.

Mesa, AZ: Nationwide Mall Modeling Agency Exposed;
Parents and children scammed out of thousands of dollars
They thought they were competing for modeling jobs, until the stage disappeared from the mall. Parents say they thought they were working with a talent agency. But after families spent hundreds of dollars, the company packed up and left town. The Miami Fashion Board states in an ad that it has produced over 5000 events nationwide. When 12 News tried contacting the owner of The Miami Fashion Board, Bill Waldbueser about these discrepancies, he said he was unavailable and would not agree to a phone interview. According to its website, the company is headquartered at the Dolphin Mall in Miami, however a spokesperson at the mall says they have no record of the company being there. 12news.com

Why it was easy for the alleged suspects in video of brazen theft
at the Mall of Louisiana
After the viral video showing a group of people apparently just walking out of a store in the Mall of Louisiana allegedly without paying for an arm full of clothes, plenty of people wondered, why did nobody stop them? People who work or own stores in the mall tell us that other than calling mall security--which they say is often slow--there's not much they can really do. A mall store owner who asked to stay anonymous, says that even though her store has cameras all over, she's still limited in what she can do to stop a would-be thief. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said he hopes the publicity of this case is enough to be a deterrent and if that's not enough, maybe the possible penalties for working together could be. wafb.com

How brands are participating in the climate strike
Unilever, Lush and Burton are among the companies that are closing stores and donating space to the cause.

While the major focus of the strike will be a march led by 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg in New York City on Sept. 20, hundreds of strikes and other actions aimed at rallying support to fight climate change will be happening across the globe, including in nearly 100 Canadian towns and cities on Sept. 20. There will also be events on the "official" Canadian strike day next week on Sept. 27, with more events and actions in between as part of the Global Week of Climate Action.

With the climate and other environmental causes becoming more of a focus for brands, several companies have pledged their support to the strikes. But some have gone beyond boilerplate messages, instead closing their stores and finding other ways to provide support to people who want to participate in the movement.

All of Lush's U.S. stores will close on Sept. 20, with Canadian stores closing on Sept. 27, covering 250 locations and 5,000 staff across North America, along with its corporate offices, manufacturing facilities and ecommerce operations. strategyonline.ca

Madison Reed to open 600 stores by 2024

Serial returners cost UK retailers $1.5 billion in lost sales

Gift Card Sales Report: 2019 Finds 10% Year-Over-Year Increase in Sales

eBay seller arrested under suspicion of
selling counterfeit cosmetics

Vector Security Reaches 10,000 Customer Reviews
on ConsumerAffairs.com

Company is a highly-rated security provider with a near 5-star rating
on third-party consumer news and resource website

PITTSBURGH, September 19, 2019 - Vector Security, Inc., the leading provider of intelligent mobile security and automation solutions to homes and businesses, recently reached a milestone 10,000 customer reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com, a third-party consumer news and resource center that features over 1 million customer reviews across more than 3,000 brands in 300 categories of goods and services.

Vector Security is highly ranked in security by consumers on ConsumerAffairs.com based on its near 5-star rating given by real-life customers.

"We are ecstatic about reaching this milestone," said Art Miller, Vice President of Marketing for Vector Security. "We love to get feedback from our customers...the good, the bad and everything in between so we can continue to improve our service delivery and adapt our product and technology offerings to meet our customers' changing needs."

"We care about what our customers have to say; and we read and respond to each and every review," Miller added. "Thanks to all the customers who took the time, and to our employees for their daily efforts to collect these reviews!"

The 10,000th review was a 5-star rating from a customer out of Vector Security's Nederland/Houston branch. "Thanks Vector Security...I recommend you guys to all my friends," the customer wrote.

"Congratulations to Vector Security for reaching this impressive milestone," said Corinne Parkinson, Client Performance Strategy, Consumer Affairs. "As we have watched their presence grow on ConsumerAffairs.com over the last several years, the feedback provided by their customers will help inform consumers as they make important choices about security providers."

By Stephen O'Keefe - President, Bottom Line Matters

There are 2 things we can be sure of in today's world of Loss Prevention and Investigations. Firstly when an incident takes place, there is no shortage of CCTV footage or cell phone videographers to draw from. Secondly, when an arrest is made, there is no shortage of folks who claim they were not surprised and knew something.

So why didn't they say something? Well, they may have. But they were heard above the noise.

Many retailers have adopted the practice of "hands off", or "no arrest" for fear of having that footage appear on the front page of the most sourced news or social media channels, as well as safety reasons.

Then there are the regulators; those tasked with policing our operating practices. In essence they are there for the right reasons, to make sure we do what we are supposed to do. How they do this differs from one agency to another, and in some cases when the agency is self-funded and relies on the fines they impose, their ability and motivation to catch us doing something wrong is far beyond our wildest expectation.

So how do we make sense of this new world of investigating in a transparent world? A world that is watching our every move.

I recently tried to help a client navigate through all of this, and thought I would provide an outline of the methodology I used to get them to where they need to be.

The 3 step process to build a management system
Quite simply the three step process is to; (1) conduct a risk assessment, (2) conduct a gap analyst, and (3) implement a process improvement plan.

The risk assessment covers the regulatory requirements of running the business, as well as the operational components to delivering results based on the strategy of the business. I use a heat map to weigh out the most important items, in terms of the impact and probability that they will be a hurdle or have a detrimental effect on the results.


 

Goodyear, AZ: Four person, $200,000 Ink Cartridge theft crew caught
A four-person ink cartridge theft crew from California is allegedly responsible for over $200,000 worth of thefts in three states. Goodyear police report that on September 11, they received information from Target employees that four suspects involved in a previous theft had just arrived at the national retailer located near Litchfield and McDowell roads. The suspects were driving in a red Honda with California plates when police located and stopped them. According to police, they reportedly found four large canvas bags filled with printer ink cartridges. Authorities allege the crew robbed three stores in the west Valley of ink cartridges, including two Target stores, and a CVS near Dysart and Thomas roads. In total, the group allegedly stole over $6,000 in printer ink cartridges. Target loss prevention officials say the group is responsible for stealing over $200,000 worth of ink cartridges in Arizona, Nevada, and California. abc15.com

Brown County, WI: Four charged in "massive" credit card cloning scheme
Four men have been charged in ""a massive credit card cloning scam." The four suspects are accused of stealing Meijer credit card numbers and encoding them onto gift cards--also known as card cloning. The suspects used the cloned cards to purchase more gift cards or merchandise, according to the investigation. Suspects use a computer or device to code the magnetic strips of the cards.

On Aug. 20, a Brown County deputy was called to the Meijer store in Howard for a report of retail theft. A loss prevention employee said three men suspected of fraud were at the self-checkouts. The deputy spotted the suspects and followed them to their vehicle. Three of the suspects--the Fleming brothers and Robinson-- were inside the vehicle. Osborne was located at the nearby Fleet Farm store. The complaint says he was spotted throwing credit cards and gift cards under a shrub near the parking lot. In addition to the cards discarded under the shrub, investigators found bags containing gift cards in the suspect vehicle. They also found the receipts. Officers say the suspects had stolen credit cards from 11 Meijer customers. The store says it was not a result of a data breach at Meijer, but "a massive credit card cloning scam." wbay.com

San Diego, CA: Another Optometry business Burglarized; suspects had hit in San Diego, La Mesa, Escondido and Chula Vista in July and August
Thieves broke into a Mira Mesa eyeglasses store this morning and got away with various items, police said. Dispatchers were notified of a burglary alarm around 2:30 a.m. at the business in the 9400 block of Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego police Officer Tony Martinez said. Responding officers found that the front door lock had been broken and an unknown number of thieves had gotten away with various items, Martinez said. No suspect descriptions were immediately available. Police have not determined if the latest break-in is related to a series of burglaries that took place at optometry businesses in San Diego, La Mesa, Escondido and Chula Vista in July and August. kusi.com

10 people arrested after Anderson Walmart sting
Ten people were arrested this week on suspicion of drug, theft and other related charges after an undercover police sting at the Anderson Walmart store. The Anderson Police Department's Problem Oriented Policing Unit conducted the operation Monday to "target retail theft and criminal activity," according to a post on the department's Facebook page. Ten people were arrested on suspicion of theft, possession of stolen property, fraud, drug paraphernalia possession, illegal narcotic possession and active warrants. redding.com

Dover, DE: Macy's Shoplifter at Dover Mall charged with Robbery; $2,800 of merchandise recovered
A 20-year-old New York man was charged after he and another unknown suspect allegedly attempted to steal $2,825 in clothing items from Macy's at the Dover Mall on Tuesday. At approximately 4:38 p.m., Joel Cordero and another male suspect were confronted by store security after exiting the store with the merchandise. The suspects fought with the guard, causing minor injuries to the employee. The unidentified suspect fled in a white Lexus with two other subjects inside the vehicle. Mr. Cordero was apprehended and all of the merchandise was recovered, he was also wanted out of New Jersey on similar charges. Charges included second-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy and third-degree assault, being held on a "Fugitive from Another State" charge for his warrants in New Jersey. delawarestatenews.net

Six Cuban Nationals Indicted for Gas Pump Skimming Scheme at Harris Teeter Stores & Others
According to the indictment, the defendants, all of whom are Cuban nationals, placed skimming devices on gas pumps located in the Eastern District of Virginia. The skimming devices were capable of recording the credit and debit card numbers, along with their PINs, of the customers that used their cards at the gas pumps. In April and May 2018, using the stolen card information, the defendants traveled between Harris Teeter store locations, among other destinations, to withdraw money from the victims' bank accounts and purchase prepaid debit cards. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. justice.gov

Bossier City, Lo., (Russian) Man Gets 40 months Fed Prison for $180,000 in price changing scheme
Hitting Walmart, Sam's Club & Target Stores & Faces Deportation Back to Slovakia
Peter Stifner, 34, of Bossier City, Louisiana, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to serve three years and four months in federal prison for using a merchandise price changing scheme to steal more than $180,000. Foote also ordered Stifner to pay $180,117 in restitution and to forfeit thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise that law enforcement seized. Stifner, who previously pleaded guilty on January 7, 2019, faces deportation back to Slovakia because of his legal status.

Stifner conducted a scheme to steal merchandise from Walmart, Sam's Club and Target by obtaining barcode stickers of lower priced merchandise and placing them over the barcodes of higher priced merchandise in the stores. He would then purchase the merchandise at the lower price and resell it online for a profit. justice.gov

Mount Pleasant, WI: Men stole $1K worth of vacuums from Walmart; sold to re-sale shop for $400