Seamless shopping without the shrink:
Nedap announces new iD Cloud Loss Prevention solution

"We envision that every retailer creates seamless shopping experiences without shrink. No loss, no matter where, should go unnoticed"

Groenlo, the Netherlands, 18 November 2021 - Nedap (AMS:NEDAP), the global leader in RFID solutions, today announces the launch of iD Cloud Loss Prevention, a cloud-based RFID solution that enables retailers to detect, quantify and prevent losses. This solution is part of Nedap's iD Cloud Platform, an integrated suite of SaaS solutions to create perfect inventory visibility.

iD Cloud Loss Prevention enables retailers and brands to track every unique item at critical areas in their stores, like at the point-of-sale or the store entrance and exit with the use of RFID technology. The smart algorithm of iD Cloud Loss Prevention can automatically detect suspicious events such as items leaving the store in bulk, items leaving outside of store opening hours or spotting items more likely to be stolen. Read more here
 

TMA's Automated Secure Alarm Protocol Welcomes its First PSAP/ECC in the State of Washington

ASAP-to-PSAP service streamlines communication and saves lives

Nov. 18, 2021, McLean, VA - The Monitoring Association (TMA) went live on Nov. 9th with its 93rd municipality to join its expanding Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) service network. The Kitsap County WA (CENCOM) is the first agency in the state of Washington to implement the service. Launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, TMA's ASAP service is designed to increase the accuracy and efficiency of calls for service from alarm companies to Emergency Communication Centers (ECCs).  Read more here

TMA 2022 Virtual Mid-Year Meeting: April 26-28
 

Laws to take guns from people who threaten violence are used inconsistently
among counties in many states.

US: 48.3M Cases - 789.1K Dead - 38.3M Recovered
Worldwide: 256.5M Cases - 5.1M Dead - 231.7M Recovered

Former Senior Loss Prevention Executive
Know of any fallen LP exec? Let's remember & recognize.

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 325   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 533
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Holiday COVID alarm as cases rise 20%

Coronavirus cases are rising, nationally and in most states - an ominous trend heading into the week of Thanksgiving.

The big picture: Two-thirds of Americans plan to have Thanksgiving gatherings that resemble their pre-pandemic festivities, according to recent Monmouth University polling. But as cases rise, travel and indoor celebrations will put the millions of unvaccinated Americans at risk.

The intrigue: Holiday gatherings and wintertime have been on the Biden administration's mind for months, and factored into the White House's initial plan to make boosters widely available in September, one senior Biden administration official said.

By the numbers: Cases rose by 20% over the last two weeks, and increases were particularly sharp in some parts of the Upper Midwest and New England.

What we're watching: The level of risk posed by the holidays depends on whether you're vaccinated, and also varies by region. Although infections among vaccinated people are becoming relatively common, very few result in hospitalization and death. axios.com

60% of Employers Will Proceed with Biden's Vaccine Mandate
Biden's Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate Is On Hold, But Here Are Companies Requiring Shots Anyway
Major banking, tech, and media companies requiring employees to be vaccinated in order to work from the office include American Express, Anthem, BlackRock, Citigroup, Deloitte, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Lyft, Morgan Stanley, NBCUniversal, Salesforce and Uber, NBC News reports, but the companies are not mandating vaccines as a condition of employment.

In the airline industry, United Airlines requires all U.S. employees to get the jab, Delta Air Lines only requires its new U.S. hires to be vaccinated, and American Airlines has pushed back their deadline to January 4, 2022.

Many employer mandates are holding up in legal challenges-a federal judge upheld United Airlines' vaccine mandate for employees, which was put into place before the federal rules were announced.

McDonald's is requiring all U.S. office workers to be vaccinated, but has not yet required restaurant employees to get the shot, and CVS Health announced a similar mandate by requiring patient-facing and corporate employees to be vaccinated-but did not specify the same for retail associates.

Microsoft announced it will require proof of vaccination from all employees, and Amtrak has said all of its personnel must be vaccinated or face weekly testing.

A Gartner survey released Tuesday of 300 businesses showed 60% of employers are planning to proceed with Biden's January 4, 2022 deadline anyway, 10% said they were taking a step back from their plans and 30% had not yet decided, CNN reports. forbes.com

Gone are the Days of "Pile it High and Let it Fly"
The Great Retail Reset: How the Pandemic Helped Fix the Retail Industry

With less to sell during the pandemic, department store and specialty chains were able to reduce discounts and charge more, boosting profits

The Covid-19 pandemic was supposed to deliver a knockout punch to department stores and specialty retailers. Instead, many of them are bouncing back healthier.

Profits are exceeding 2019 levels at companies ranging from Macy's to Ralph Lauren. Dozens of chains restructured through bankruptcy or worked to shed money-losing locations and now have stronger balance sheets.

Even the supply-chain problems bedeviling companies have produced a silver lining: it has helped retailers break a cycle-at least temporarily-of overbuying and discounting that has eroded profits for decades, executives and analysts said.

Macy's Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gennette said Thursday. "Through the pandemic, our opportunity to work through our stock and get in line with demand is a benefit we'll hold on to going forward." He said stocking fewer goods translates into less cluttered stores, which is a better experience for customers, and results in more full-priced sales.

"It's not pile it high and let it fly anymore," Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO of Coach parent Tapestry Inc. said last week, referring to an industry maxim about selling large quantities of goods at low prices.

In the past, they have tended to err on the side of having too much. During the pandemic, every retailer faced inventory challenges at the same time, making a reset possible.

"Retailers really took it on the chin in 2020," said Sarah Wyeth, S&P's sector lead for retail and restaurants. "Most of them came back with balance sheets that are more sustainable. They are benefiting now from the pent-up demand."

Now, the question is whether companies can remain disciplined as the supply-chain backlogs ease and demand normalizes from heightened levels.

"One of the positive effects of Covid was that we got religion around inventory," Larry Grischow, executive vice president of supply chain and procurement for Abercrombie & Fitch Co., said last week. "We learned we could do more with less." wsj.com

Travel to Reach 80% of 2019
Millions more plan to travel this Thanksgiving, but it won't be the same as 2019

AAA said it expects 80 percent more airline passengers and almost 10 percent more road trips in the pandemic's biggest holiday travel surge.

The widespread availability of coronavirus vaccines and a desire to resume normal activities has millions of Americans eyeing Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends, leading experts to predict the biggest holiday travel surge of the pandemic era.

Motorists who breezed along highways last year should brace for backups and crowded rest stops, despite the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in eight years, travel experts say. AAA and the Transportation Security Administration are predicting air travel will approach pre-pandemic levels, with airport officials recommending parking reservations and extra time to catch flights. Amtrak expects an increase in passengers during its traditionally busiest week of the year.

"You won't be the only one on the road this year, and you certainly won't be the only one flying," said Ragina Ali, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. washingtonpost.com

Booster Shots Approved for All Adults
F.D.A. Authorizes Coronavirus Booster Shots for All Adults

If the C.D.C. agrees, adults who received a second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago could be eligible by this weekend.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized booster shots of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for everyone 18 and older, opening up eligibility to tens of millions more fully vaccinated adults.

Moderna and Pfizer both announced that regulators had broadened the authorization for their booster shots.

The move simplifies eligibility, fulfills a pledge by President Biden to offer the shots to every American adult and formally allows a practice already in place in at least 10 states. Fearful that waning protection and the onset of winter will set off a wave of breakthrough infections, a growing number of governors had already offered boosters to everyone 18 and older ahead of the holidays. politico.com

Can Covid Winter Be Merry and Bright? We Asked the Experts.

More Coverage of the DOJ's War on Ransomware
The Justice Department Battles Ransomware Attacks
The Justice Department continues to attack and dismantle global ransomware extortion organizations. Business surveys often confirm that executives are hyper-focused on the risk of ransomware attacks against businesses. Interestingly, government regulators have focused on ransomware scenarios to ensure that regulatory restrictions on sanctions and other restrictions are not violated. The message behind DOJ and regulatory interests is clear - if attacked, notify law enforcement right away and cooperate in an effort to defend against a cyber-attack.

Eventually, Congress may step in and pass legislation mandating law enforcement notification and cooperation in response to ransomware attacks. Congress has tried to pass such legislation for years but has always failed when conflicting interests bog down any real solutions.

In its latest high profile prosecution announced by the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, DOJ arrested two foreign nationals, Yaroslav Vasinski, a Ukrainian national, and Yevgeniy Polyanin, a Russian national, who depoloyed the Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware. Vasinski was charged with launching ransomware attacks against multiple victims, including the July 2021 attack against Kasyea, a global software company. Polyanin was charged with multiple ransomware attacks, including businesses and government entities in Texas in August 2019. DOJ also announced the seizure of $6.1 million in funds paid in to Polyanin as ransom payments. DOJ's latest action followed arrest of two other Romanian nationals who were part of the Sodinokibi/REvil conspiracy.

The prosecution was the result of a coordinated international law enforcement effort conducted by the U.S., Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Canada, Netherlands, Norway and Australia, the U.K., Germany and Switzerland, along with private businesses, including BitDefender, McAfee, and Microsoft. jdsupra.com

Surging Cyber Attacks Have Insurers Running for the Hills
Insurers run from ransomware cover as losses continue to grow

Some insurers asking policyholders to pay half of ransoms

Insurers have halved the amount of cyber cover they provide to customers after the pandemic and home-working drove a surge in ransomware attacks that left them smarting from hefty payouts.

Faced with increased demand, major European and U.S. insurers and syndicates operating in the Lloyd's of London market have been able to charge higher premium rates to cover ransoms, the repair of hacked networks, business interruption losses and even PR fees to mend reputational damage.

But the increase in ransomware attacks and the growing sophistication of attackers have made insurers wary. Insurers say some attackers may even check whether potential victims have policies that would make them more likely to pay out.

Lloyd's of London, which has around a fifth of the global cyber market, has discouraged its 100-odd syndicate members from taking on cyber business next year, industry sources say on condition of anonymity.

U.S. insurer AIG also said in August it was cutting cyber limits. U.S. cyber insurers' profits shrank in 2020, insurance broker Aon found. Combined ratio - a measure of profitability in which a level of more than 100% indicates a loss - climbed by more than 20 percentage points from 2019 to 95.4%.

While insurers struggle to cope, companies are under-insured. Insurers who issued $5 million cyber liability policies last year have scaled back to limits of between $1 million and $3 million in 2021, a report last month by U.S. broker Risk Placement Services (RPS) found. reuters.com

Employee Data Breach
California Pizza Kitchen employee data exposed in breach
A September hacking incident at California Pizza Kitchen may have compromised some highly sensitive data of current and former employees.

According to a document filed by the Office of the Maine Attorney General, the legal counsel for California Pizza Kitchen submitted a report stating that on Sept. 15, 2021, the company first discovered an external system breach (identified as hacking) that exposed Social Security numbers of almost 104,000 current and former employees, including eight Maine residents.

In a written notice to affected individuals, California Pizza Kitchen said that on Sept. 15, 2021, it discovered "suspicious activity" in its computing environment. The company secured the environment and with the assistance of third-party computer specialists, launched an investigation.

In early October, the investigation confirmed that some internal files could have been accessed without authorization. On Oct. 13, the retailer determined that data including Social Security numbers of close to 104,000 current and former employees was included in the breached files.

Although California Pizza Kitchen says there is no indication that any specific information was accessed or misused, it is notifying all potentially impacted current and former workers. In addition to this notification and working to implement additional safeguards and training, the retailer is providing access to free TransUnion credit monitoring services for 12 months for potentially affected individuals. The company is also providing guidance on how to better protect against identity theft and fraud. chainstoreage.com

The Pandemic is Fueling Cybercrime
The COVID-19 crisis has fueled the increase of cybercrime in all its forms
The accelerated digitalization related to the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced the development of a number of cyber threats, according to the new edition of Europol's Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment.

Criminals have been quick to abuse the current circumstances to increase profits, spreading their tentacles to various areas and exposing vulnerabilities, connected to systems, hospitals or individuals.

While ransomware groups have taken advantage of widespread teleworking, scammers have abused COVID-19 fears and the fruitless search for cures online to defraud victims or gain access to their bank accounts. The increase of online shopping in general has attracted more fraudsters. With children spending a lot more time online, especially during lockdowns, grooming and dissemination of self-produced explicit material have increased significantly.

Grey infrastructure, including services offering end-to-end encryption, VPNs and cryptocurrencies continue to be abused for the facilitation and proliferation of a large range of criminal activities. This has resulted in significant challenges for the investigation of criminal activities and the protection of victims of crime.

In addition to expanding the efforts to tackle these threats from a law enforcement perspective, it is crucial to add another level of protection in terms of cybersecurity. The implementation of measures such as multi-factor authentication and vulnerability management are of utmost importance to decrease the possible exposure to cyber threats. Awareness raising and prevention are key components in reducing the effectiveness of cyberattacks and other cyber enabled criminal activities. helpnetsecurity.com

Cybercrime 101
Dark web crooks are now teaching courses on how to build botnets

Security researchers are warning that the botnet threat could increase as more would-be crooks learn how to build their own.

Botnet operators can make significant sums of money, and now there are dark web operators who are offering online courses to train others on using botnets - and they operate much like their legitimate counterparts teaching cybersecurity and other skills in online courses.

Cybersecurity researchers at Recorded Future analysed advertising and activity in a botnet school on a prominent underground forum and found that these courses are in demand - something that could be a potential issue for organisations that might be targeted by cyber criminals learning these skills.

"It's essentially like as if you're in college," Danny Panton, cybercrime intelligence analyst at Recorded Future told ZDNet. "You'll have a director and they'll be virtually teaching you - I don't believe cameras are going to be on the person - but they have access to a platform and are taught insights into what you need to do to leverage botnets against potential victims."

Those teaching the courses include individuals who run large botnets themselves. The courses aren't cheap - they cost over $1,400 dollars - but promise to provide even novice cyber criminals with knowledge on how to build, maintain and monetise botnets. zdnet.com

For 10 Yrs Piracy Gang Illegally Distributed Nearly Every Movie & TV Show Released
Member Of International Movie Piracy Ring Pleads Guilty
Guilty plea of GEORGE BRIDI, 52, a citizen of the United Kingdom, for his role in the Sparks Group, an international piracy group that illegally distributed movies and television shows on the Internet.

As he admitted in court today, George Bridi participated in an international video piracy ring that illegally distributed worldwide on the Internet nearly every movie released by major production studios, as well as television shows. Bridi circumvented copyright protections on DVDs and Blu-Ray discs to illegally share movies online, but he and his crew could not evade law enforcement scrutiny, and Bridi now awaits sentencing for his crime."

Between 2011 and the present, GEORGE BRIDI and others known and unknown were members of the Sparks Group, a criminal organization that disseminated on the Internet movies and television shows prior to their retail release date, including nearly every movie released by major production studios, after compromising the content's copyright protections.

The Sparks Group has caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to film production studios.

BRIDI, 52, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Scheduled to be sentenced on January 20, 2022. justice.gov

Editor's Note: The screen actors guild along with virtually every group associated with piracy has been lobbying Congress for years now that the sentencing guidelines are outdated and just don't fit the crime. As evidenced by this case alone. The laws have not been updated in years and is probably the weakest of all.

Russian Cybercrime Forums Open Doors to Chinese-Speakers

Combating Cybercrime: Lessons from a CIO and Marine veteran
 

'Buy Now, Pay Later' Online Fraud
'Criminals love buy now, pay later': How fraudsters exploit popular interest-free payment plans

Criminals are exploiting weaknesses in the application process for BNPL loans and stealing items ranging from pizza to video game consoles.

Buy now, pay later services aren't just popular among consumers. They're also proving to be a hit with criminals.

Fraudulent activity is on the rise at some of the largest buy now, pay later (BNPL) platforms in the industry, which include Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm, according to fraud experts who spoke with CNBC.

BNPL products let shoppers split the cost of their purchases over three or four months, often interest-free. They've become massively popular in the U.S. and Europe, and generated almost $100 billion in transactions globally in 2020 alone.

"Criminals love buy now, pay later," Martin Rehak, CEO and co-founder of Czech fraud detection start-up Resistant AI, told CNBC. "You can already see crime on multiple levels."

Criminal gangs are exploiting weaknesses in the application process for BNPL loans, experts say, using clever tactics to slip through undetected and steal items ranging from pizza and booze to video game consoles.

One of the vulnerabilities, Rehak says, is BNPL firms' reliance on data for approving new clients. Many companies in the industry don't conduct formal credit checks, instead using internal algorithms to determine creditworthiness based on the information they have available to them.

Retailers working with BNPL platforms "categorize things differently," Rehak said, adding that this can lead to inconsistency. "There is always a way to exploit this and basically steal from you using someone else's mistake." cnbc.com

Shopping online surged during Covid. Now the environmental costs are becoming clearer.

Piles of cardboard and fleets of delivery trucks are changing the environmental equation of retail.

The pandemic, in effect, hit overdrive on a decadeslong shift toward online shopping. E-commerce sales jumped nearly 32 percent in 2020 compared to the prior year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. So far this year, online sales are on track to outpace that record. To meet the demand, delivery companies such as Amazon, FedEx, UPS and food delivery services wrapped millions of purchases in layers of cardboard and plastic and hired thousands of new drivers to bring them to our doorsteps.

Now, cities, climate scientists and companies are trying to figure out the consequences for the planet.

The answer isn't clear-cut. Consumers drove fewer miles to and from stores, while delivery companies drove more - so what was the net effect on greenhouse gas emissions? Offices and restaurants generated less waste, but all that food and packaging delivered to homes added to trash pickups from residential neighborhoods. Which is worse for landfills? And does it even matter, when overall we are consuming more than ever before? politico.com
 
Cincinnati to soon be home to Ohio's first Amazon store

Fraud Ring of 8 Dominicans Arrested After 5 Yrs & $4M+ Nationwide
AT&T iPhone Fraud
Leader Of International Cellphone Fraud Scheme Arrested
New York Field Office of the Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), announced today the arrest of JUAN S. CORDERO, who is charged with leading a fraud ring operating in the United States and the Dominican Republic in which co-conspirators fraudulently purchased iPhones that were billed to compromised accounts of AT&T Wireless ("AT&T") customers. CORDERO was apprehended by authorities in the Dominican Republic and transported to the Southern District of New York, where he will be presented later today. He is the eighth and final defendant arrested on an Indictment that charges CORDERO, DANIEL A. TORRES, ALEKSEY SERYY, RARNIERY MOLINA, a/k/a "Eddy," ADAEL ARIEL FIGARO, SALAH SAL ALTAWEEL, JOSE F. CORDERO, and JEANCARLOS URENA with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "As alleged, Juan S. Cordero and his co-conspirators obtained millions of dollars' worth of iPhones after customers were deceived into providing PIN codes needed to complete the fraudulent transactions. Now, each defendant has been arrested and charged with serious crimes, and the international scheme has been disconnected."

"This arrest closes the final chapter of an alleged fraud network operating in New York and the Dominican Republic that used modern technology to steal and monetize personal information. The co-conspirators' alleged activities left a trail of unsuspecting victims across the United States and caused significant business losses.

From at least in or around February 2016 up to and including in or around June 2020, the defendants participated in a criminal fraud ring (the "Fraud Ring") based in the United States and the Dominican Republic. Participants in the Fraud Ring sought to obtain iPhones and other electronic devices by billing the devices to the wireless service accounts of victim account holders without the account holders' knowledge or consent.

After obtaining the customer information either on the dark web or through password reset requests the member of the Fraud Ring whose name had been added to a particular customer account entered either an AT&T retail location or a retailer of iPhones and electronic devices registered to the AT&T network. Once at the retail location, that member of the Fraud Ring purchased one or more electronic devices, typically iPhones cost at least $1000 each. The cost of the devices would be charged to the customer account, while the member of the Fraud Ring making the purchase paid only the taxes and processing fees.

Members of the Fraud Ring made in-store purchases of iPhones and other electronic devices from retailers in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere in New York, and in 45 other states. Once purchased, the iPhones were sold to buyers nationwide.

Over the course of the conspiracy, the Fraud Ring billed over 4,800 iPhones and other electronic devices to AT&T customer accounts, resulting in over $4 million in customer losses, which were ultimately absorbed by AT&T. Each is facing 20 to 42 years in prison. justice.gov

Europol
Over 150 arrests made in 3-day operation against organised property crime

Criminals left empty-handed after thousands of vehicles checked and premises searched across 17 countries*

The latest actions under Operation Trivium, a multi-country operation against organised property crime on Europe's road networks, has resulted in 174 arrests and the seizure of goods throughout Europe. The three-day operation saw law enforcement from 17 countries carrying out roadside checks on people and vehicles, as well as searching premises. Europol supported the operation by sharing information on the subjects, vehicles and modus operandi behind the criminal groups in real-time. Operation Trivium is organized under the umbrella of the EMPACT security initiative.

Results from 3-5 November**

● 174 suspects arrested
● 27 cars confiscated
● More than 200 other goods seized, including weapons and drugs
● Almost 25 000 persons checked
● More than 16 000 vehicles checked
● Around 800 locations checked

Three days of sweeping action across Europe

In the space of only a few days, law enforcement authorities were able to carry out several interventions that disrupt organised property crime. 783 specific targets, consisting of individuals and properties, were identified and checked by law enforcement as part of the operation. These checks happened along with wider roadside checks of over 16 000 vehicles and 25 000 individuals, which meant criminal activity could be intercepted in a number of areas. Although most arrests related to organised property crime, arrests were also made in relation to drugs, weapons, and violations of immigration legislation.

Police also deployed methods such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and monitoring drivers for suspicious behaviour as part of Operation Trivium XV. In one case in Belgium, a car caught investigators' attention for driving aggressively; police found thousands of euros in cash, as well as large quantities of cocaine and cannabis, and an alarm pistol. In a separate search, Belgian police uncovered over EUR 70 000 divided into several small bundles; the driver later admitted the unexplained cash was the result of trafficking drugs between Belgium and Germany.

Speedy Information Sharing

Operation Trivium first started in 2013, and seeks to disrupt organised property crime on Europe's road networks. This fifteenth iteration of Operation Trivium follows similar large-scale actions made in April of this year, which resulted in over 200 arrests and significant seizures of criminal assets. The success of its multi-country approach relies on speedy information sharing between participating law enforcement agencies, particularly regarding suspects, persons related to crimes, and vehicle data.

*Countries involved: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain and Sweden. europa.eu

Pharmacy Burglary Crew Sentenced to 24+ Years - 50 Break-Ins
Philadelphia, PA: Two Prolific Delaware Valley-Area Pharmacy Burglars Sentenced to a Total of Over 24 Years For Participating in Almost 50 Break-ins
United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Robert Hopkins, 26, and William Limper, 43, both of Philadelphia, PA, were sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, and 16 years and four months in prison, respectively, by United States District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone for their roles in a conspiracy to burglarize or attempt to burglarize 49 pharmacies in the City of Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs during a five year period. Hopkins was sentenced to a period of three years' supervised release and Limper to five years' supervised release following their terms of imprisonment.

Limper, Hopkins, and two co-conspirators who were also indicted for their involvement in this conspiracy, Raul Rivera and Michael Dombrowski, also of Philadelphia, PA, burglarized pharmacies in order to steal controlled substances - primarily Schedule II opiates such as oxycodone and Percocet tablets - for the purpose of distributing them to others for profit from about November 2014 until April 2019. The defendants forced entry into the pharmacies at nighttime with burglary tools such as crow bars and Halligan bars (specialized forcible entry tools used by law enforcement and firefighters) when the pharmacies were closed. The defendants concealed their identities with clothing and masks over their faces, and they used scanners to monitor police activity and two-way radios to communicate with each other during the burglaries.

The conspirators thoroughly planned and executed these burglaries with great precision. For example, in order to facilitate quick getaways in the event that they were detected by witnesses or law enforcement, the defendants used stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT sport utility vehicles (SUV) with powerful engines. When they were not using the stolen vehicles to perpetrate burglaries, the defendants concealed the vehicles in garages in a commercial storage lot, where they also hid their tools and the clothing they wore during the burglaries to avoid detection by law enforcement. After each of the burglaries, the defendants divided the stolen narcotics among themselves for the purpose of selling them to others. justice.gov

Fresno, CA: Five arrested after stealing over $2,000 in perfume from Ulta Beauty
Police have arrested four men and one juvenile after stealing over $2,000 in perfume at Ulta Beauty near Riverpark Shopping Center, Fresno police officials say. Around 7:00 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Ulta Beauty on North Blackstone regarding three male juveniles stealing over $1,000 in fragrances. Officers say while investigating the incident they developed information on the suspect's whereabouts and they along with CHP airplane officials were able to locate four male juveniles walking towards the Ulta Beauty store at Fashion Fair Mall. Officials say all five were positively identified and arrested for conspiracy to commit grand theft and all property stolen was recovered and returned to the store. yourcentralvalley.com

Southington, CT: 3 men charged with theft from Southington Lowe's, believed to have stolen from Wallingford and New Haven
The Southington Police Department was called to the Lowe's Home Improvement store on South Executive Boulevard around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a theft. The store's loss prevention team told police that three men wearing reflective construction vests had attempted to buy spools of wire with a fraudulent Lowe's account. Once police arrived, they found a U-Haul box truck that was used to transport large spools of wire. Another car, a black Honda with a Texas registration, tried to flee the area but was disabled after driving erratically, which caused a flat tire. The driver attempted to run away on foot, but was caught by Southington officers a short distance away, police said.

During the investigation, officers discovered the three suspects were involved in similar thefts in Wallingford and New Haven earlier that day. Police determined the value of the attempted theft was more than $6,900. Police identified the suspects as Daniel Raymond Thomas, 22, of Fort Worth, Texas; Clarence Gerald Davis, 22, of Burleson, Texas; and Marcus A. Hunter, 23, of Fort Worth, Texas. Officers also discovered that Thomas has an active extraditable federal warrant for his arrest pertaining to a fraudulent payment scheme being used during these thefts. Thomas is a suspect in similar thefts throughout the country. wfsb.com

Burnaby, BC, Canada: RCMP, mall cops nail 16 shoplifters in Metrotown blitz
Metrotown merchants got some reinforcements in their battle against shoplifters this month. For two days, on Nov. 4 and 5, Burnaby RCMP and Transit Police officers joined loss prevention officers in a blitz targeting theft from stores in the area. In all, 16 shoplifters were charged with theft and more than $3,000 worth of property was recovered. Police also caught six people wanted on eight outstanding warrants - and located a missing 85-year-old woman. burnabynow.com

Dauphin County, PA: Lower Allen Township Police searching for a couple after they allegedly stole $3,157.62 worth of digestive health and allergy medicine

Meridian Township, MI: Police seek 2 women in multiple thefts across Michigan

Kirksville, MO: Man with prior history charged with stealing over $700 of items from Walmart