Smart Store Can You SEE Me Now?
 

By Tony D'Onofrio, Retail Influencer & Former Chief Customer Officer for Tyco Retail Solutions

Frictionless secure commerce coupled with immersive customer experiences have been on my mind for some time. Engaging with an in-store geolocation security company and new updated data on internet connectivity, growth of smartphones, and the Internet of Things (IoT) inspired this post.

Future consumer in-store interactions will include autonomous digital conversations with physical products. As discussed in a previous post, increased digital interactions will create brand ambassadors of both consumers and store associates.

For those individuals focused on securing commerce, that same digital exchange will lead to innovative applications such as geolocation solutions that will dramatically reduce retail crime. As an example, the geolocation security company mentioned above has so far in 2018 taken nearly 600 criminals off USA streets and led to the recovery of over $5 million of in-store physical assets.

Unattended proactive autonomous tracking loss prevention solutions are critical especially in the United States in de-escalating violence, reducing retail crime, and increasing recoveries. For security reasons, this post will not discuss the specifics of the in-store geolocation products.

The backbone for new digital interactive solutions (and the future of retail) includes the Internet, smartphones, and IoT. Where are we with these baseline technologies which are disrupting entire industries, including retail?

China Leads the Digital Way

China's connected user-base is now larger than the combined populations for Japan, Russia, Mexico, and the United States. For further context, the USA has an estimated 300 million internet users.

Digital engagement is at the at center of the Chinese internet growth boom. Note the high percentage of Ecommerce transactions from the graphic.

The more staggering and important China statistic is that 98% of the 802 million people are mobile internet users.

Read Tony's full blog post here

Bill Cunha named Sr. Vice President of Sales North America for Delta Lock Delta Lock is pleased to announce the following additions to our corporate team and business environment. These initiatives all contribute to our commitment to be the "Brand to Remember" and the leader in our industry. Bill Cunha has joined the Delta Lock corporate team as Sr. Vice President of Sales North America. Bill's expertise comes from the asset protection arena where he was National Accounts Manager at Vanguard Protex Global for over 7 years, a leading manufacturer of security devices for hand held electronics. His skill sets include Brand and Marketing Integration, Customer Relationships and Retention, Sales Effectiveness and Solutions Provider. Other staff additions include Director Engineering and Director Project Management. Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight below.
	Guy Chenard promoted to Chief Commercial Officer for Genetec An executive with Genetec for 13 years, Mr. Chenard oversaw the sales group as they quadrupled the size of the global business in the last seven years. Mr. Chenard replaces Mr. Georges Karam, who will remain in a senior advisory capacity focused on internal corporate growth initiatives. In his new role, Mr. Chenard will lead sales, marketing, and customer experience departments across the organization as they scale the business with new software and appliance offerings focused on intelligence, operations and security. Congratulations, Guy! Read more here
	Michel Chalouhi named Vice President of Global Sales for Genetec Michel Chalouhi has taken on an international position within the company and is now Vice President of Global Sales. Michel Chalouhi has been with Genetec for 15 years, most recently spending seven years as the Vice President of North American Sales where he oversaw significant growth in regional revenues, as well as the solidification of Genetec as the market share leader for Video Management Systems. In his new position, Mr. Chalouhi will drive global sales operations worldwide-ensuring alignment and collaboration among the technical, operational, and sales staff to continue to deliver on the company's growth plans. Congratulations, Michel! Read more here
	Bill Lane named Director Loss Prevention, Health, and Safety and Audit for Watches of Switzerland Bill was previously the DVP of Loss Prevention/Internal Audit for Birks Group, Inc. for over fifteen years before taking this new role. He was also the Director of Loss Prevention for Mayors Jewelers Inc in 1996 and a Manager of Loss Prevention for Tiffany & Co. in 1988. Bill was also the VP of Investigative Services and Consulting for a few years for Jurney & Associates Inc. Congratulations, Bill!

Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions or New Position

The Shrink Story... By the Numbers:
The National Retail Security Survey - 25 Years and Counting

Dr. Richard Hollinger, lead author of the National Retail Security Survey (NRSS) for over 25 years, shares the findings of the 2018 report. Are industry shrink numbers shifting upwards? Do LP executives expect staffing to increase? Hear the numbers and delve into the insights behind the data in this LPNN interview.

Dr. Hollinger also shares some of the key and emerging trends in LP, while Bob Moraca talks about the National Retail Federation's role in the industry-benchmarking NRSS study.

Episode Sponsored By:

Dr. Richard Hollinger - Quick Take 5

Dr. Richard Hollinger, Professor Emeritus, Sociology Criminology & Law, University of Florida, explains what data is hardest to capture in the annual National Retail Security Survey and what surprised him the most about this year's results.

Delta Lock Expands Corporate Team with Hiring
of Sr. Vice President of Sales North America

Delta Lock is pleased to announce the following additions to our corporate team and business environment. These initiatives all contribute to our commitment to be the "Brand to Remember" and the leader in our industry.

Bill Cunha has joined the Delta Lock corporate team as Sr. Vice President of Sales North America. Bill's expertise comes from the asset protection arena where he was National Accounts Manager at Vanguard Protex Global for over 7 years, a leading manufacturer of security devices for hand held electronics. His skill sets include Brand and Marketing Integration, Customer Relationships and Retention, Sales Effectiveness and Solutions Provider.

Other staff additions include Director Engineering and Director Project Management.

We are also extremely proud to welcome, and graciously accept the opportunity, to partner with the following companies as part of our global consortium of industry experts.

   Best Security Industries as Technology Development Partner - EAS, I.P. Cameras and AP/LP Devices
   AXIS Communications as Technology Development Partner - I.P. Camera Systems
   Securitech as Technology Integration Partner - Life Safety Compliant and Security Devices
   Environmental Lights as Technology Integration Partner - Commercial Custom LED Lighting
   North America Locksmith Services as a division of Delta Lock - 24/7/365 Service, Repair, Replace

As a total turnkey solutions provider, Delta Lock and partners make our collective expertise second to none and available to all of our customers. Delta holds over 10 patents on innovative solutions for both mechanical and electronic locks and peripherals for loss prevention, asset protection and security.

This is The Delta Difference.

Europol's Internet Organized Threat Report

"Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2018"
For the fifth year in a row, Europol has produced the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). The aim of this Assessment is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current, as well as anticipated future threats and trends of crimes conducted and/or facilitated online. While current events demonstrate how cybercrime continues to evolve, this year's IOCTA shows us how law enforcement has to battle both innovative as well as persistent forms of cybercrime.
  
Many areas of the report therefore build upon previous editions, which emphasises the longevity of the many facets of cybercrime. It is also a testimony to an established cybercrime business model, where there is no need to change a successful modus operandi. The report also highlights the many challenges associated with the fight against cybercrime, both from a law enforcement and, where applicable, a private sector perspective.

Cyber-dependent crime
› Ransomware remains the key malware threat in both law enforcement and industry reporting.
› Cryptomining malware is expected to become a regular, low-risk revenue stream for cybercriminals.
› Use of exploit kits (EKs) as a means of infection declining, with spam, social engineering & newer methods such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) brute-forcing coming to the fore.
› New legislation relating to data breaches will likely lead to greater reporting of breaches to law enforcement

Payment fraud
› The threat from skimming continues and shall do as long as payment cards with magnetic stripes continue to be used.
› The abuse of PoS terminals is taking on new forms: from manipulation of devices to the fraudulent acquisition of new terminals.
› Telecommunications fraud is a well-established. europa.eu

Cybercrime: 15 Top Threats and Trends
Europol's Internet Threat Report Finds That Older Crimes Remain Alive and Well
Criminals operating online continue to target cryptocurrencies, leverage phishing and other social engineering attacks, as well as tweak age-old scams - including Nigerian prince emails - for the modern age. Those are just a handful of takeaways from the Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment for 2018 from Europol, the EU's law enforcement intelligence agency.

The report charts the ongoing prevalence of ransomware, the rise in cryptocurrency mining attacks as well as the shift by one-time bank hackers to target cryptocurrency users and exchanges.

But the potential domain of internet-enabled crime remains vast.

"Payment fraud continues to emphasize criminal gains and the facilitation of other crimes, as well as significant financial losses for citizens and financial institutions alike," says De Bolle, who was the commissioner general of the Belgian Federal Police before she took the helm of Europol in May. careersinfosecurity.com

FBI Alert: Cybercriminals Utilize Social Engineering Techniques To Obtain Employee Credentials To Conduct Payroll Diversion
The IC3 has received complaints reporting cybercriminals are targeting the online payroll accounts of employees in a variety of industries. Institutions most affected are education, healthcare, and commercial airway transportation.

METHODOLOGIES

Cybercriminals target employees through phishing emails designed to capture an employee's login credentials. Once the cybercriminal has obtained an employee's credentials, the credentials are used to access the employee's payroll account in order to change their bank account information. Rules are added by the cybercriminal to the employee's account preventing the employee from receiving alerts regarding direct deposit changes. Direct deposits are then changed and redirected to an account controlled by the cybercriminal, which is often a prepaid card. ic3.gov

As Tech Drives the Business, So Do CISOs
Security leaders are evolving from technicians to business executives as tech drives enterprise projects, applications, and goals.

The tasks topping the CISO's to-do list are slowly shifting, as their core priorities transition from primarily technical expertise to securing business applications and processes.

It's the key takeaway from a new report, conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and commissioned by Spirent, on how CISO responsibilities are shifting as cybersecurity becomes more complex. Researchers polled 413 IT and security pros with knowledge of, or responsibility for, the planning, implementation, and/or operations of security policies and processes.

"There's a transition from a technology focus to a business focus," says Jon Oltsik, ESG senior principal analyst. "And that doesn't preclude the oversight of technology, but the technology is sort of guided by business initiatives, business applications, business goals, things like that."

About 80% of experts say security knowledge, skills, operations, and management are more difficult now compared with two years ago. They attribute the complexity to growth in the number and sophistication of malware, IT projects, targeted attacks, and connected devices. darkreading.com

How studying the black hat community can help enterprises
Hiring a White Hat UC Who Wears a Black Hat Too!
White hat hackers often assimilate themselves into the black hat community to track the latest threats. Discover how this behavior actually benefits the enterprise with David Geer.

Well-connected white hats can tell you what tools and threats black hat hackers are currently developing and the vulnerabilities they are chasing. This allows them to then purchase and use these tools to penetration test your network for vulnerabilities, enabling flaws to be fixed before new attacks go public.

White hat hackers often pose as black hats to participate and engage in the black hat community and earn the confidence of members within closed hacker forums. Black hat members must recommend users before they can become members themselves.

White hats who undertake these endeavors face risks, as they must walk a fine line when engaging in the forums so people trust them -- meaning they may have to buy some tools and give feedback, which some would consider a questionable activity, according to Olson. Infosec professionals and their organizations should use white hats that know and stay on the right side of that line so the company doesn't find itself on the wrong side.

The solution is to contract or hire a white hat who maintains these kinds of relationships and access within the black hat community so that you can stay a step ahead of criminal hackers rather than play catch up after disaster strikes. techtarget.com

Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute
Challenges Facing Insider Threat Programs and Hub Analysts: Part 1 of 2
The purpose of this two-part blog series is to discuss five challenges that often plague insider threat programs and more specifically the analysts that are working in insider threat hubs.

As you read this blog, think about these questions (1) How many of these challenges are you facing today? (2) Are there any challenges on this list that lead to an "aha" moment? (3) Are there challenges that you are facing that did not make it onto this list? (4) Do you need assistance (from inside and outside your organization) with combating any of these challenges? Let us know your answers and thoughts via email at insider-threat-feedback@cert.org. cmu.edu

Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute
Challenges Facing Insider Threat Programs and Hub Analysts: Part 2 of 2

advanced persistent threat (APT)
An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a prolonged and targeted cyberattack in which an intruder gains access to a network and remains undetected for an extended period of time. The intention of an APT attack is usually to monitor network activity and steal data rather than to cause damage to the network or organization. techtarget.com

Equifax Hit With $660k Maximum UK Privacy Fine After Mega-Breach

Study Shows Half of Retail Leaders Are Embracing AI to Transform the Supply Chain

How Cheap Are Fraudulent Ad Impressions?
Between April-June 2018, cybersecurity company Confiant analyzed more than 50 billion ad impressions across thousands of websites and found that, on average, the CPMs that publishers received for impressions that intermediaries later misrepresented were 54% lower than the CPMs they received for impressions that were correctly represented in programmatic auctions. These discrepancies are driven by outlier impressions with extremely low or high values, according to Confiant CPO Jack Cohen Martin. Because the price distributions for ad sellers hoping to avoid fraud follow similar patterns, raising price floors isn't a panacea for ad buyers hoping to avoid fraud.

To make their impressions attractive to ad buyers, ad fraudsters often sell their impressions at a discount. Ad buyers looking for cheap inventory purchase these impressions thinking they got a good deal, only to find out that what they bought is mislabeled inventory of poor quality. emarketer.com

Cotton On Group Partners With Adyen to Advance Global eCommerce Rollout
Adyen, the payments platform of choice for the world's leading companies, today announced a partnership with the Cotton On Group, Australia's largest global retailer. With this partnership in place, Adyen is helping to power eCommerce payments for the Cotton On Group brands including Cotton On, Cotton On KIDS, Cotton On BODY, Rubi, Supré, Factorie and Typo on a global scale. The Group selected Adyen in late 2017 and rolled out the payment platform to all markets in April 2018. apnews.com

Nike's sold out 61% more online merchandise since Colin Kaepernick ad

Aldi expands e-commerce delivery service in a big way

Amazon incentivizes brands to create Frustration-Free Packaging

Two Men Plead Guilty to Stealing More than 70 Firearms from Gun Stores
in Ohio & Kentucky
Ronquieze Head, 36, and Seronte Newby, 30, both of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to crimes related to theft from gun stores in Ohio and Kentucky.

Head and Newby stole approximately 20 firearms from a gun store in Sharonville, Ohio on July 2, 2017. On July 8, 2017, the defendants stole approximately 22 firearms from a gun store in Florence, KY. Finally, the pair stole approximately 32 weapons from a third gun store in Springboro, Ohio on July 16, 2017.

Conspiracy to commit theft is punishable by up to five years in prison. Theft from a federal firearms licensee, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen firearm are each crimes punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Each suspect is facing 35 years in prison. justice.gov

North Haven, CT: Police search for $20,000 serial 'Paper Store' thief
in CT, MA and NH
People are searching for a serial thief accused of stealing from The Paper Store in three states. The Paper Store says a very ambitious woman with very similar taste swiped about $20,000 of Vera Bradley merchandise from the seven stores from New Hampshire to Connecticut, including Milford, Glastonbury and most recently North Haven. Surveillance video shows the woman entering the store, putting merchandise in a cart, then stuffing a Vera Bradley duffel bag full of wallets and smaller purses. A getaway car with New York plates was waiting out front. About $2,000 worth of Vera Bradley was snatched in seconds. The Paper Store says the thief has stolen about $20,000 in merchandise and that number could be even higher. wtnh.com

Santa Rosa, CA: Thieves steal up to $19K in merchandise from Lululemon
The robbery happened at around 11:07 a.m. on Thursday on Magowan Drive. Police say they believe $17,000 to $19,000 worth of merchandise was taken during the theft. Eyewitnesses say as the suspects ran out of the store, they dropped clothes out of the large bags they were carrying.

The suspects ran across the street to a parked vehicle and the driver then drove backwards down the street as the suspects made their getaway. Santa Rosa police say there have been other thefts at Lululemon stores from San Francisco to the North Bay. kron4.com

Shoplifter's Instagram Photos led to investigation and $3,200 of stolen merchandise
An Eau Claire woman is accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from 11 Eau Claire stores - most of them at Oakwood Mall. Adriana M. Vasquez, 23, is charged with a felony count of retail theft, three misdemeanor counts of retail theft and a misdemeanor count of bail jumping.

A store employee discovered Vasquez had posted photos on Instagram showing what appeared to be stolen items with sales tags still on them. Vasquez told police none of the items was stolen. An investigation led an Eau Claire police officer to a residence on Otis Street. Vasquez was staying there, and inside her room were dozens of pieces of clothing that were brand new with tags still on them.

The stores listed on the tags included Ragstock, Zumiez, Express Store, Old Navy, Victoria's Secret, Apricot Lane, Cherry Pickers, Charlotte Russe, J.C. Penney, American Eagle Outfitters and Boot Barn.
The items were believed to have been taken in August and September. The value of the stolen merchandise totaled $3,259. leadertelegram.com



Lexington, SC: Man Spent $6,000 at Target Using Stolen Credit Card
A man is accused of stealing a woman's credit cards earlier this month, now Lexington police are looking for his information. Police say the man stole the victim's wallet from her purse as she shopped at Lidl Foods in Lexington on September 1. Once he left the scene, the suspect reportedly headed to Target to buy $6,000 worth of merchandise using the stolen credit cards. wltx.com


Lake Grove, NY: Woman Stole 12 Pairs Of Shoes From DSW In 2 Days
 

Jamaica: Retailer charged in $10M counterfeit goods bust
The police are reporting that a 67-year-old businessman was charged in connection with the seizure of $10 million worth of counterfeit goods at a store located at the Boulevard Shopping Centre in St Andrew last Tuesday. The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said his arrest is part of continued efforts to rid the streets of fake goods. stlucianewsonline.com

Texarkana, AR: Man with at least 15 prior felony convictions gets prison time for ramming Sav-A-Lot with pickup, stealing ATM
A man who stole an ATM from an Arkansas grocery market after ramming a stolen truck through the storefront last year was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday as part of a plea bargain. Joshua Lamar Rigsby, 35, was arrested in connection with the theft of an ATM on April 28, 2017, from Sav-A-Lot grocery on College Hill Drive in Texarkana. arkansasonline.com

4 Pa. Residents Charged With Looting During Hurricane Florence
Traveled Down to Help Clean Up but Started Looting Gas Station with Chainsaw
Four people from Pennsylvania are accused of looting a gas station in North Carolina during Hurricane Florence. Police say they broke into a Speedway gas station and stole cigarettes. They told police they were in North Carolina to help clean up after the storm. The suspects are charged with a half dozen felonies, including possession of stolen goods and drugs. cbslocal.com

Springfield, IL: Walgreens Pharmacy Tech gets 1-day sentence for pain pill thefts

Tampa, FL: Man Sentenced To More Than Ten Years For Credit Card Fraud And ID Offenses Involving Gas Pump Skimmers

Honolulu, HI: Jury delivers guilty verdict in deadly 2016 mall shooting

Clifton Heights, PA: Upper Darby man charged with passing counterfeit $100s

San Diego, CA: Felony charges dismissed against alleged 'Dine and Dash Dater,' will stand trial on misdemeanors

Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position

Featured Job Spotlights

	Director Loss Prevention Irvine, CA The Director of Loss Prevention at Tillys builds and implements policies, programs, and procedures that control risk, reduce shrink and protect the employees and assets. The director is responsible for leading and developing LP team members in the corporate, retail, and distribution centers...
	Vice President, Asset Protection Columbus, OH Oversees and directs all Asset Protection related functions for a Corporate Office, multi-state distribution centers and large retail store network. Responsible for enterprise direction and strategy as it pertains to Asset Protection with a goal of minimizing shrink, reducing loss and maximizing security and associate safety...
	Vice President, Loss Prevention Houston, TX This pyramid head position is responsible for developing and leading this company's shrinkage reduction efforts and integrating these efforts throughout the entire organization...
	Asset Protection & Fraud Manager Westchester, IL We offer you the challenging opportunity of Asset Protection and Fraud Manager. This position will support Corporate and Field Asset Protection functions including protective systems, vendor management, Incident Call Center; commerce and point of sale fraud systems; as well as other investigative/ administrative duties as needed...
	Project Coordinator (LP Technology) Dublin, CA Provides support for all types of LP technology installation projects, (e.g. new stores, upgrades, remodels, maintenance/repair, etc.). Serves as the point of contact on all projects as assigned, interfacing with vendors, field management, and various corporate teams...
	Project Lead (LP Technology) Dublin, CA The Lead, Project Coordinator facilitates the development, implementation, and ongoing execution of multiple Loss Prevention technology projects, programs and systems. This is accomplished by leading projects from concept to completion, acting as a subject matter expert, and working effectively with internal partners (i.e. Store Operations, Store Planning, IT, HR, Logistics, Purchasing, etc.) and external resources (i.e. vendors, service providers, etc.) to drive results, and monitoring to ensure all projects meet scope, timeline, and budget needs...
	Regional Asset Protection Manager Harrisburg/State College, PA The Regional Asset Protection Manager will lead their region in Shrink Reduction, Asset Protection and Safety efforts through an in-depth understanding of the overall business, effective partnerships and by directing the region with integrity and professionalism...
	Loss Prevention Market Specialist Jacksonville, FL To monitor store locations to detect, investigate and resolve internal and external situations and circumstances that could lead to or result in losses to the company. All actions and conduct within the scope of the position must be performed according to performance standards set by Burke's policies, procedures and Code of Ethics...
	Loss Prevention/Asset Protection Investigator Boston, MA Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: ● Protect the assets of the store as well as the associates and visitors. ● Maintain surveillance of the store via CCTV and conduct physical inspections including perimeter checks...
	Asset Protection Analyst Norcross, GA AP Analyst based in Norcross, GA reporting to the Director of Asset Protection. This high-visibility role will be responsible for business-wide security administration, multiple fraud detection programs and functional communication...
	Regional Loss Prevention Manager Sacramento, CA ● Develops and implements shrink reduction strategies and action plans for their coverage region and for individual stores as needed ● Creates and conducts training sessions at the regional, district, and store level to educate and bring awareness to loss prevention and shrink related topics...
	Regional Loss Prevention Manager Atlanta, GA ● Develops and implements shrink reduction strategies and action plans for their coverage region and for individual stores as needed ● Creates and conducts training sessions at the regional, district, and store level to educate and bring awareness to loss prevention and shrink related topics...
	Asset Protection District Manager Chicago, IL The Asset Protection District Manager will lead the District in shrink reduction and profit maximization efforts. The position will proactively seek to bring economic value to the company, promoting profitable sales and world class customer service while ensuring a safe place to work and shop...

Featured Jobs

To apply to any of today's Featured Jobs, Click Here

Today's Daily Job Postings from all around the net - Appearing today only

To apply to today's Internet Jobs, Click Here

Sponsor Today's Internet Jobs 

We want to post your tips or advice... Click here

Not getting the Daily? Is it ending up in your spam folder?
Please make sure to add d-ddaily@downing-downing.com to your contact list, address book, trusted sender list, and/or company whitelist to ensure you receive our newsletter. 
Want to know how? Read Here