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Kristine Luansing-Lopez, MSCS named Corporate Asset Protection
Supervisor for Ascena Retail Group
Before joining Ascena Retail Group as Corporate Asset Protection
Supervisor, Kristine served as Corporate Loss Prevention Field Analyst
for Bowlero Corporation. Prior to that, she spent more than four years
with Barneys New York as Internal Investigations Manager and Internal
Investigations Analyst. Earlier in her career, she held roles with
Century 21 Dept. Stores, BJ's Wholesale Club, Kmart, and New York &
Company. Congratulations, Kristine! |
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See All the Executives 'Moving Up' Here |
Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions or New Position
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PPS Congratulates North & South Carolina's
Law Enforcement Officers of the Year
Carolinas
ORC Alliance Recognizes Law Enforcement Partnerships With Retail LP
 The relationship between law enforcement officers and the
LP
community is a valuable one. By working together, the two groups can identify
retail offenders and organized retail crime (ORC) groups sooner, helping to
reduce the number of crimes committed.
Product Protection Solutions (PPS) is a
strong supporter of the
Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance. CORCA's mission is to help form partnerships
between North Carolina and South Carolina's law enforcement and retail loss
prevention officers.
The PPS team knows the value and importance those relationships can have on the
retail industry. We are honored to have a part in helping to grow and strengthen
those relationships by supporting the Second Annual CORCA Law Enforcement
Officer of the Year for North and South Carolina.
 The 2020 North Carolina Law Enforcement Officer of the Year is Deputy Sheriff
William Wiker of the Randolph County Sheriff's Office.
Deputy Wiker assisted in
a multi-million-dollar ORC fencing operation. He aided prosecutors, police
agencies, and retail investigators facilitated meetings among the different
groups and sought legal advice throughout the investigation.
The 2020 South Carolina Law Enforcement Officer of the Year is Master Deputy
Randy Morgan of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. During his seventeen
years of working with the retail community, Master Deputy Morgan formed an ORC
Task Force to help combat ORC investigations. Throughout his years of service,
he has developed partnerships with retailers to help solve crimes and keep
communities safe.
Congratulations Deputy Sheriff William Wiker and Master Deputy Randy Morgan, for
your outstanding achievements and well-deserved recognition!
7-Eleven Asset Protection, Legal & Corp. Communication Departments
Give Back During the Holidays
7-Eleven built record-breaking 600
Thanksgiving meal boxes at Minnie's Food Pantry
 As
we all continue to fight our way through this pandemic, the need for help in our
local communities is more critical than ever before. One of the most urgent
concerns - and a key focus of 7-Eleven's sustainability efforts - is addressing
food insecurity. We believe no one should go hungry, ever, and that is
especially true at the holidays.
That's why I was honored to mask up and help Minnie's Food Pantry, an
organization close to my heart, prepare for their largest food distribution day
of the year. One of our key principles at 7-Eleven is to lead through service,
and I'm so proud of the work we've been able to do with Dr. Cheryl Action and
Minnie's over the past couple of years. Thanks to my amazing colleagues from
7-Eleven who joined me! #leadingthroughservice #7ElevenCares #onlyat7eleven
linkedin.com
- Rankin Gasaway, Senior VP, General Counsel & Secretary at 7-Eleven, Inc.
EAS Tag Recirculation: Apparel Source Tagging for Today's Retailers
Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) Source Tagging and EAS Tag Recirculation
are playing a large role in the evolution of retail logistics and loss
prevention. Retailers realize that in-store tagging is very expensive, time
consuming, and highly inefficient, and they are looking toward solutions that
move EAS tagging to the most economical place in the logistics chain - out of
the store, and back toward where the merchandise is manufactured.
Enterprising early adopters, such as Kohl's, Gap, Inc., Zara and bebe have
proven that
EAS Tag Recirculation provides important benefits.
Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight below.
Protests & Violence
America's Other Epidemic
U.S. Gun Violence Deaths Hit Record High: 41,500+ in 2020
As the nation mourns the more than 300,000 people killed by COVID-19, Americans
are also remembering the more than 41,500 people who died by gun violence this
year nationwide, which is a record, according to the independent data collection
and research group Gun Violence Archive. That included more than 23,000
people who died by suicide.
 Annual firearm deaths have never exceeded 40,000 since at least 1981, according
to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has not
yet reported numbers in 2019 or 2020, but
provisional 2019 data suggests firearm
deaths may have approached but did not exceed 40,000.
With regard to gun homicides, specifically, the U.S. has historically reported a
rate about 25 times higher than other wealthy nations.
Cities across the nation - including Milwaukee; Indianapolis; Cincinnati and
Columbus, Ohio; Greensboro, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Louisville,
Kentucky; and Trenton, New Jersey - have already surpassed their all-time
records for homicides this year. Others, such as Philadelphia and Fort Worth,
Texas, are seeing their highest numbers in decades.
A rise in shootings accounts for the surge in many of the cities. Shootings are
up 95% from the same time last year in New York,
up 67% in Philadelphia and
up
34% in Atlanta, according to local police departments. In Chicago, where
homicides are
up 56%, shootings also increased
by 54%, resembling numbers not
seen since 2016.
usatoday.com
Pandemic Contributing to Violence Increase?
Wash Post Editorial:
D.C.'s epidemic of gun violence is a public health emergency
Shootings in the District are up 34 percent this year, homicides are up 21
percent, and the city seems tragically to be on its way to closing out the
year with more than 200 homicides. "Epidemic" is the word that is commonly used
by D.C. officials when they talk about gun violence, but sadly - for the 883
gunshot victims, for 15-month-old Carmelo Duncan and the other 193 people slain
so far this year, and for the families of all those killed and wounded - action
has failed to match rhetoric. The alarming spike in shootings and killings -
even as
overall crime is down - is a public health emergency that needs to be
treated as such, with urgency, resources and data-driven strategies.
D.C. officials, like their counterparts across the country, have been consumed
with dealing with another epidemic, the unprecedented health crisis posed by
covid-19, but that cannot be an excuse for inattention to or inaction on gun
violence. Indeed, it should be an added spur since there is
increasing
evidence that the pandemic itself has helped
spark the rise in violence. Criminologists studying the increasing rate
of homicides in cities across the country cite the stress of the virus and lost
jobs and being confined at home, the impact of social distancing on policing
with officers unable to perform community outreach, loss of supervision for
youths shut out of school, and more people getting and owning guns.
usatoday.com
As shootings soar, Philly Police and DA pledge a new collaboration on gun crimes
The Philadelphia Police Department and District Attorney's Office have launched
a new initiative to more closely examine weekly arrests in gun-related crimes,
a step both said is a bid to work more closely together to combat a historic
surge in gun violence. The goal of the effort, Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told
City Council members during a hearing Monday, is to be more proactive in
identifying possible issues with recent arrests - such as what additional
evidence might bolster a prosecution - and to spur more collaborative
discussions.
The number of shootings citywide has soared to more than 2,100 already this
year, a 53% increase over last year's total and on pace to nearly double the
tally from 2015. And much of the violence has remained unsolved:
The Inquirer reported last week that just 21% of the nearly 8,500
shootings since 2015 had led to an arrest, and a smaller share - around 9% - had
reached a conviction.
inquirer.com
LA County's New District Attorney Says No Exceptions
For His Reduced Punishment Rules
LA County District Attorney George Gascon said Tuesday no exceptions would be
made to his new rule that bans prosecutors from filing sentencing enhancements
in criminal cases, no matter how terrible the crime. "I do believe that
enhancements have driven mass incarceration in this country and I do believe
that they're racist," he told reporters in a remote video news conference.
Gascon said people will still be prosecuted for the underlying crimes, but those
convicted would likely serve far less time in prison once the enhancements that
can add years for things like prior convictions, hate motivation, gang
involvement, or the use of guns, are dismissed.
nbclosangeles.com
NYPD tactics during George Floyd protests 'heightened tensions',
NYC's Department of Investigation finds
 The NYPD's tactics during the George Floyd protests earlier this year
"heightened tensions" between cops and protesters - and "inconsistent"
enforcement of the curfew by cops led to unnecessary use of force, a new report
says.
"NYPD use of force and crowd control tactics often failed to discriminate
between lawful, peaceful protesters and unlawful actors, and contributed to the
perception that officers were exercising force in some cases beyond what was
necessary under the circumstances," the city's Department of Investigation
found.
The long-awaited 100-page report, which was released Friday morning, doesn't
address individual officer allegations but the systemic issues in the department
during the mostly peaceful demonstrations.
"NYPD's use of force on protesters - encirclement (commonly called "kettling"),
mass arrests, baton and pepper spray use, and other tactics - reflected a
failure to calibrate an appropriate balance between valid public safety or
officer safety interests and the rights of protesters to assemble and express
their views," according to the report.
One of the most notable instances of "kettling" came on
June 4 when cops
corralled and trapped protesters in Mott Haven until they were out past the 8
p.m. curfew - and then violently arrested more than 300 people. A Human Rights
Watch
report described it as a violation of
"international human rights."
nypost.com
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COVID Update
US: Over 17.6M Cases - 318K Dead - 10.2M Recovered
Worldwide:
Over 75.6M Cases - 1.6M Dead - 53M Recovered
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths:
247
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths:
164
*Red indicates change in total
deaths
2nd Vaccine in U.S. Approved
F.D.A. Panel Endorses Moderna's Covid-19 Vaccine
The coronavirus vaccine made by Moderna moved closer to authorization on
Thursday, a significant step that would expand the reach of the nation's
vaccination campaign to rural areas and many more hospitals.
As the nation buckled from uncontrolled spread of the disease, with
3,611 deaths on Wednesday setting yet another horrific record,
a panel of independent experts recommended, by a vote of 20 in favor and one
abstention, that the Food and Drug Administration authorize the Moderna vaccine
for emergency use. The formal decision, expected on Friday, would clear the way
for some
5.9 million doses to be shipped around the country starting this weekend.
Moderna would be the second company allowed to begin inoculating the public,
giving millions more Americans access to desperately needed vaccine. The first,
made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, received authorization last
week.
NRF Encourages Retail Workforce Be Included in Early Vaccine Recipient Groups
 The
National Retail Federation issued the following statement from President and CEO
Matthew Shay advocating for the retail workforce to be included among the early
recipient groups for the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Retailers have been on the front lines throughout the pandemic protecting
associates, serving customers and keeping the communities in which they live and
work safe and healthy. The industry invested billions of dollars to provide
protective gear and trainings for their associates and to make the necessary
changes to achieve and exceed health and safety recommendations made in
municipal, state and federal guidelines. Today, NRF submitted a
letter to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC in
favor of including the retail workforce among those with access to the COVID-19
vaccines during the early stages of its distribution."
nrf.com
Flash Report: Lawsuit filed to Nullify Cal/OSHA Emergency COVID Rule
NRF & coalition of employers and associations has sued Cal/OSHA
 A
coalition of employers and associations has sued Cal/OSHA and Chief Douglas
Parker to invalidate the recently enacted COVID emergency temporary standard (ETS)
and enjoin the Division of Occupational Safety and Health from enforcing it.
"They are acting to defend California business from an overbearing illegal
government action," said someone well known who asked to remain unidentified for
fear of retribution from Cal/OSHA.
The lawsuit comes against the expected backdrop of two coronavirus vaccines
developed under and now being distributed at "warp speed" by the Trump
Administration.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) filed the lawsuit along with the National
Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), Abate-A-Weed of Bakersfield,
Mayfield Equipment Co. of Ukiah, and Relles Florist of Sacramento was filed in
San Francisco Superior Court.
The Plaintiffs contend that DOSH and the Standards Board relied on "unsupported
speculation there is a nexus between reopening workplaces and the increase in
COVID-19 cases. The agencies waited several months before promulgating the
standard, demonstrates a lack of a need for an emergency standard, and the board
should have engaged in regular rulemaking.
What's more, the plaintiffs assert that enforcement of several ETS provisions,
including the COVID testing and paid "exclusion" for exposed workers, could
spell disaster for employers.
A copy of the lawsuit can be found in our resources section by
clicking here.
cal-osha.com
Leading Through Grief
How to Lead When an Employee Dies
Experts agree that no one is more important than the person at the top in
helping staff regroup after a co-worker's death. "The leader must acknowledge
the pain, understand it and personalize it," said Joe Spratt, a communications
expert at McKinsey & Co. in Chicago who has written about
leadership challenges during the pandemic. "The role of leadership is to
help people make sense of the unknown or tragic."
 The
two biggest mistakes Spratt sees employers make after a workplace death are
minimizing the event and pivoting away from it too soon. The impact of grief
will linger much longer if people don't pause and reflect before trying to move
on, he said.
Some leaders fear showing too much emotion, but they must be visible, set the
tone and model how to grieve, "even if they don't have the perfect words,"
advised Dr. Joshua Morganstein, assistant director of the Center for the
Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) at Uniformed Services University in
Bethesda, Md. CSTS has produced a guide on
grief leadership.
The initial message shouldn't be "Let's get past this," Morganstein said. "You
need to be able to be sad with one another. Encourage employees to take a
moment, decompress together, share, vent." Genuine expressions from a leader
will provide relief and comfort that employees are not on their own, he said.
Talking It Out - Grieving Remotely
shrm.org
ICU availability in Southern California at 0%, and it's going to get worse,
officials warn
The availability of intensive care unit beds throughout Southern California hit
0% Thursday, and officials warned that conditions in hospitals are expected to
erode further if the coronavirus continues to spread unchecked.
About 600 new patients with COVID-19 are now being admitted to hospitals daily
in L.A. County, and officials say that could rise to 750 to 1,350 a day by New
Year's Eve.
California is now opening
temporary field hospitals to help with overflow patients. The
field hospitals will care for non-ICU patients in places such as
Porterville, Sacramento, Imperial and
Orange County; other facilities are on standby status in Riverside,
Richmond, Fresno, San Diego and San Francisco.
The number of people hospitalized in California for COVID-19 has broken records
for 19 consecutive days. On Wednesday, the most recent data available, 15,431
people across the state were in hospitals with coronavirus infections - more
than six times more than the number on Halloween.
latimes.com
COVID
Impact on Holiday Travel
AAA expects 30% fewer holiday travelers between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3
It looks like many Americans may be heeding the
CDC's advice not to travel over the holidays. But some are still determined
to see family and friends.
AAA says it expects about
34 million fewer
U.S. residents to travel over the Christmas and New Year's holidays (Dec. 23-Jan
3.) than last year. That's a drop of
nearly 30%.
AAA's forecast estimates 2.9 million Americans will travel
by plane, down 59%
from last year's 7.3 million.
And it predicts the vast majority of holiday travelers - about 81 million in
total - to go by car.
But that's still a nearly 25% drop
from 108 million in 2019.
However, while Thanksgiving travel was down considerably from 2019,
Transportation Security Administration checkpoints still set pandemic records
for passenger screenings, passing the 1-million mark for the first time since
this spring.
usatoday.com
Will business travel return to normal with Covid vaccine? Top executives are
split
Large corporations are building 2021 strategic plans around vaccine optimism,
but there is a split among executives over a business travel rebound. Top
technology executives surveyed by CNBC think a significant portion of corporate
travel will return, though it may take years, but many CFOs who control company
budgets don't see business travel ever returning to the pre-pandemic level.
Bill Gates recently said he thinks
50% of business travel will disappear.
cnbc.com
Christmas travel: These states require a COVID-19 test before entering
'I didn't feel a thing.' Vice President Mike Pence gets COVID-19 vaccine on
camera
Bringing in Independent Investigators - The Big Guns
Tyson Fires 7 Plant Managers Over Betting Ring On Workers Getting COVID-19
 Tyson
Foods has fired seven managers at an Iowa pork plant after investigating
allegations they bet on how many workers there would get sick from the
coronavirus.
The company, one of the country's largest meat suppliers,
launched an independent investigation into the complaints last month,
suspending without pay the managers allegedly involved. Former U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder and his team led the investigation.
"The behaviors exhibited by these individuals do not represent the Tyson core
values, which is why we took immediate and appropriate action to get to the
truth," Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks said in
a statement Wednesday. "Now that the investigation has concluded, we are
taking action based on the findings."
npr.org
No More Rookie Moves Folks
Seven Rules of Zoom Meeting Etiquette From the Pros
No more dogs, chips or
'lurkers'-as video-conferencing becomes a fixture in working life, it's time to
shed the rookie moves
Zoom saw daily meeting participants soar to a peak of 300 million in the
latest quarter, up from 10 million before the pandemic. Roughly two-thirds of
U.S. workers who have been working from home would prefer to continue working
remotely as much as possible when pandemic restrictions lift, according to a
recent Gallup poll.
So it's time to get serious about video meetings. No more dogs and cats; no more
avatar stand-ins. It's time to enter a remote meeting as if it were a conference
room. Here are a few rules from the pros.
wsj.com
Package deliveries are out of control
As the pandemic pushes even more consumers online for holiday shopping, firms
are grappling with a "historic
crush of e-commerce packages." Postal employees are meanwhile working
overtime and reporting backlogs, and bracing for even more mail and packages.
FedEx and United Parcel Service have seen a
record number of packages since Thanksgiving, leading them to limit the
daily number of packages they'll pick up and cut off delivery for some
retailers.
linkedin.com
CVS Health is giving $250 pandemic bonuses to nearly 200,000 of its workers
This is the second time CVS has paid bonuses during the pandemic. CVS offered
bonuses ranging from $100 to $500 in March.
businessinsider.com
At Home May Triple Store Count From 219 to 600
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Thanks to our sponsors/partners - Take the time to thank them as well please.
If it wasn't for them The Daily wouldn't be here every day for you.
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EAS Tag Recirculation: Apparel Source Tagging for Today's Retailers
Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) Source Tagging and EAS Tag Recirculation
are playing a large role in the evolution of retail logistics and loss
prevention. Retailers realize that in-store tagging is very expensive, time
consuming, and highly inefficient, and they are looking toward solutions that
move EAS tagging to the most economical place in the logistics chain - out of
the store, and back toward where the merchandise is manufactured.
 Enterprising early adopters, such as Kohl's, Gap, Inc., Zara and bebe have
proven that
EAS Tag Recirculation provides important benefits, including:
●
Predictable cost of operating an EAS program.
●
No capital requirements for additional EAS tags.
●
Merchandise arrives at stores source tagged, secure and floor ready.
●
More tagging consistency, less apparel damage.
●
Maximum tagging protection during peak inventory periods.
●
No customer issues with tag pollution, when un-deactivated EAS sewn-in labels
set off alarms.
●
No environmental issues caused by the non-degradable components of disposable
labels.
●
More security and better shortage reduction results than with sewn-in or
disposable EAS.
●
Cash rebates for the return of tags and pins.
By implementing EAS Tag Recirculation, retailers achieve higher levels of
efficiency and customer satisfaction through this sustainable, innovative growth
program spearheaded by their loss prevention department.
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What the Gov't is Saying About SolarWinds
Attack
Lawmakers ask whether massive hack amounted to act of war
Lawmakers are raising questions about whether the attack on the federal
government widely attributed to Russia constitutes an act of war.
The hacking may represent the biggest cyberattack in U.S history, and
officials are scrambling to respond.
The response is further complicated by the presidential transition - President
Trump has yet to comment publicly on the attack - and the fact that the U.S. has
no clear cyber warfare strategy.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Thursday compared the incident to Russian bombers
"flying undetected over the entire country," and harshly criticized Trump for
not doing enough to counter the attack.
Hackers believed to be part of a nation state have had access to federal
networks since March after exploiting a vulnerability in updates to IT group
SolarWinds's Orion software. The hack has compromised the Treasury, State and
Homeland Security departments and branches of the Pentagon, though it is
expected to get worse. SolarWinds counts many more federal agencies as
customers, along with the majority of U.S. Fortune 500 companies.
thehill.com
Microsoft says it identified 40+ victims of the SolarWinds hack, most in US
Microsoft confirms it was also breached in recent SolarWinds supply chain hack
Technology Sector's Steepest Decline in Trust
Than Any Other Sector
New report helps enterprises move beyond compliance
 The
World Economic Forum today launched a new report that outlines how
organizational leaders can influence their companies and encourage the
responsible use of technology and build ethical capacity.
"Ethics by Design" - An Organizational Approach to Responsible Use of Technology
integrates psychology and behavioral economics findings from interviews and
surveys with international business leaders. It aims to shape decisions to
prompt better and more ethical behaviors. The report promotes an approach
that focuses less on individual "bad apples" and more on the "barrel", the
environments that can lead people to engage in behaviors contrary to their moral
compass. The report outlines steps and makes recommendations that have proven
more effective than conventional incentives such as compliance training,
financial compensation or penalties.
The implementation of technology can be complex when all aspects of its
potential effects are considered. The report aims to guide the conversation and
implementation of technology for positive impacts on society. Over the past
eight years, the technology sector has experienced a steeper decline
in trust compared to any other sector. Technology development cannot be done
in a vacuum; its social impact has to be taken into consideration.
"Ethics will be crucial to the success of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The ethical challenges will only continue to grow and become more prevalent as
machines advance. Organizations across industries - both private and public -
will need to integrate these approaches." said Kay Firth-Butterfield, Head of
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, World Economic Forum.
securitymagazine.com
World Economic Forum
In collaboration with Deloitte and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
at Santa Clara University
Ethics by Design: An organizational approach to responsible use of technology
White Paper, December 2020
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How Five Leaders Coped & What about 2021?
Rising to the Challenge: Perspectives from Security Leaders on 2020 and Beyond
For those who work in the security industry 2020 has been a particularly
challenging year. Chris Price talks to five industry leaders from different
perspectives in the sector about how they coped with COVID and asks them to look
forward to 2021.
darkreading.com
●
Jamie Allam, CEO of installation and integration firm
Amthal Fire & Security
●
James Morris, Head of Security Services, EMEA,
Aon
●
Chris Middleton, Security Director,
ABM UK
●
Sarb Sembhi, CISM, CTO & CISO,
Virtually Informed
●
Mike Reddington, Chief Executive of the
British Security Industry
Association (BSIA)
Cybersecurity Insights Blog: Year-In-Review 2020
 Faced
with unanticipated challenges, new concerns, and constant adjustments forced by
the global pandemic, we were compelled to rethink the ways in which we work,
study, and socialize. This meant transferring day-to-day activities to an
online environment, which pushed organizations of every kind to re-examine
their approaches to cybersecurity. These changes presented a prime opportunity
to highlight the criticality of cybersecurity and promote increased awareness
and best practices.
NIST's cybersecurity experts redoubled their efforts in this area, and our
Cybersecurity Insights Blog chronicled many of the highlights along the way.
Before closing the door on 2020, we wanted to take a look back at the Top Five
posts of the year.
 1.
Preventing Eavesdropping and Protecting Privacy on Virtual Meetings
2.
Telework Security Basics
3.
The Next Generation Security and Privacy Controls- Protecting the Nation's
Critical Assets
4.
Threat Models for Differential Privacy
5.
Differential Privacy for Privacy-Preserving Data Analysis: An Introduction to
our Blog Series
nist.gov
Retail cybersecurity considerations for improving the digital customer
experience
Hotels Remain a Prime Target for Hackers |
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Online Gift Card Scams Surged in November
Gift card fraud is rising, and Target is a favorite of scammers
The holiday season has led to increased gift card
fraud, and scammers see Target's online success as a gold mine
 According
to online fraud prevention firm Bolster, there has been a
dramatic rise in the number of
gift card scams affecting shoppers.
One of the most popular brands involved is
retail chain Target.
The research team at Bolster noted a recent gift card fraud website that
impersonates Target's gift card balance checking page.
The layout, text, and colors are identical to the authentic Target gift card
balance checking site, so unsuspecting users can easily be
tricked to enter their gift
card numbers.
Once the victim enters the gift card numbers on the fake site, it displays a
never-ending "checking balance" status or some sort of error that makes users
think the site is malfunctioning. "In reality, the valid gift card numbers are
harvested by the criminals and monetized by either reselling them on other sites
or using them to make purchases," said researchers.
Researchers added that
Target experienced a dramatic
increase in e-commerce sales
during the pandemic. In
August, the company announced its digital sales tripled with online purchases
and curbside pickup jumping by over 700%.
Researchers said
November saw the highest rate
of new gift card scams
with 6,881 total new scam sites, over 229 new sites per day, and nearly 10 times
more new gift card scam sites created than in January.
itpro.com
Cyber Monday Wins
Total Online Spending Up 25% on Big 3 Days
Total online spending across Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday
grew 25% compared to 2019
Of the 'Big 3' shopping days, Cyber Monday saw the highest spend. In 2020,
consumers spent $9.81 billion, an increase of 24% compared to 2019. Thanksgiving
and Black Friday spend reached $4.94 billion and $7.34 billion, respectively.
While Cyber Monday was the clear winner in total dollars spent by day, both
Black Friday and Thanksgiving grew at faster rates year-over-year, indicating
some spending may have shifted earlier in the season. Thanksgiving spend grew
the most, up 28% from 2019, with Black Friday following close behind with a 26%
year-over-year increase. Cyber Monday's growth was down slightly from the 31%
year-over-year increase from 2018 to 2019.
prnewswire.com
Amazon extends return deadline and adds Whole Foods as drop-off location
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Snapshots from NRF's 2020 ORC Report
Retailers Need More Support to Fight ORC
See full report here
Polk County, FL: 8 people charged in Statewide Organized Retail Theft,
illegal re-sale scheme
 Eight
people have been charged in a statewide investigation into high-dollar stolen
goods that were illegally re-sold in Florida, the Polk County Sheriff's Office
said Friday. The sheriff's office says this investigation started in Aug. 2019.
And, items stolen include baby formula, diapers and energy drinks.
Charges for these crimes include grand theft and racketeering, detectives say.
According to the sheriff's office, Florida retailers lost $84,669, of which
$10,520 worth happened in Polk County. Publix, Winn Dixie, and Walmart stores in
18 different counties were affected in this scheme, detectives say.
"This is the second group of retail thieves brought to justice by Sheriff
Judd's Deputies and my Statewide Prosecutors this month. Criminals be
warned: We will not allow rampant retail theft to harm Florida businesses and
force consumers to pay inflated prices to cover the costs of your indolent,
unscrupulous crime sprees," Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a
statement. Detectives say five of the eight people charged were arrested in
Hillsborough County on Dec. 16. Another suspect was arrested in Orlando. And, on
Thursday, one person turned herself into the Polk County Sheriff's Office. One
person charged has not been found and there is a warrant for her arrest in Polk
County.
facebook.com
Spoofing 28.8 Million Household IP's
Oracle Exposes Largest CTV Ad Fraud Operation Ever
Oracle today announced the discovery of "StreamScam," the largest known
connected television (CTV) ad fraud operation exposed ever. The StreamScam
operation exploited flaws in CTV ad serving technology to fool advertisers
into paying for ads that were never delivered to households. The
operation spoofed more than 28.8 million U.S. valid household IP addresses,
including approximately 3,600 apps and 3,400 unique CTV device models. The usage
of valid household IP addresses demonstrates the sophistication of StreamScam
compared to previous CTV ad fraud operations. By comparison, the largest prior
CTV ad fraud operation had been
ICEBUCKET, which involved two million spoofed household IP addresses, 300
app IDs, and 1,000 CTV device IDs.
StreamScam perpetrators capitalized on vulnerabilities in the technology used to
improve the video viewing experience in CTV. Known as Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI),
the technology combines content and ads into a single video stream that can play
seamlessly with no delays on end-user devices, such as Roku, AppleTV, and FireTV.
Oracle Moat tallies the number of ad impressions that are inserted into video
streams by SSAI servers as well as the number of ad impressions that actually
play on end-user devices. Using Moat technology, Oracle discovered that the
StreamScam perpetrators built a network of servers that sent ad impression
events to Moat and advertisers without actually sending ad and video content to
users. They forged household IP addresses, app IDs, and device IDs in the
measurement events to make it appear that ads had played in those environments
when in fact they did not.
moat.com
New York, NY: Bandits Make Off With $100,000 in Brazen NYC Jewelry Heist
 Police
are searching for two armed men who robbed a New York City jewelry store of
merchandise worth more than $100,000. The heist occurred Wednesday afternoon in
the Bronx, the NYPD said Thursday. Surveillance video released by police shows
the two suspects walking around the store wearing face masks. At one point, one
of the men goes behind the counter and grabs seven pieces of jewelry from a wall
display as a store employee is seen with his hands up. The other suspect then
pistol-whips that 58-year-old employee in the head, according to police and
security footage. The two suspects then ran off.
nbcnewyork.com
Newark, NJ: $250,000 In Mailed NJ Checks, Money Orders Stolen, Cashed By NYC
Crew
 More
than $250,000 worth of checks and money orders were stolen from post office
mailboxes in North Jersey by a group of thieves from the Bronx who quickly
converted them to cash, federal authorities said. Crew members operated for
nearly 14 months, stealing checks and money orders from the mail, altering them,
depositing them into bank accounts and withdrawing the proceeds before the
victims discovered the fraud. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Jose Lopez
Blanco, 22, got them access to the mailboxes with a U.S. Postal Service master
key, Carpenito said. Law enforcement officers watched as Blanco used the key to
steal mail from a collection box in Newark, the U.S. attorney said.
dailyvoice.com
Visalia, CA: UPS employee arrested after stealing over $10,000 worth of
medication, Police say
 Detectives
responded to the UPS located at 3200 block of N. Plaza and arrested Farrel
Dewayne Ward, 41, as a result of a month-long investigation into the theft of
prescription medication. During the investigation, police found that Ward had
stolen over $10,000 worth of prescription medication being shipped by CVS. A
search warrant was conducted at his home immediately after the arrest. During
the search, over $8,000 worth of stolen medication was recovered, along with
cocaine, evidence of narcotic sales and 16 firearms were seized.
yourcentralvalley.com
St Lucie County, FL: Four women in shower caps accused of stealing about $1,803
in beauty supplies and other items
 Four
women in shower caps were accused of stealing about $1,803 in beauty supplies
and other products from four stores on Wednesday, according to a media release.
An aunt and her niece and two others were arrested on two charges each of retail
theft and grand theft. Port St. Lucie police received a call about the four
women taking $753.62 worth of products from Walgreens on U.S. 1, police said.
Officers said the group stole anti-aging cream, exfoliation cream shampoo and
body wash. It was later discovered the women also had stolen about $1,050 in
merchandise from three other Walgreens. tcpalm.com
Brookfield, WI: Two Suspects steal over $1,600 worth of merchandise from Kohl's
Masked burglars steal over $1,000 worth of cigarettes from 7-Eleven
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Shootings & Deaths
Knoxville, TN: Suspect killed in shooting after Armed Robbery outside TJ Maxx in
Sevierville
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported that agents are investigating an
officer-involved shooting. Sevierville police responded to reports of an armed
robbery in the parking lot of the TJ Maxx. When officers arrived on the scene,
they spotted an SUV with the robbery suspects inside. A chase began after the
suspects refused to stop for Sevierville police, according to TBI. Officials
said the chase ended near Bluegrass Road after the suspect's vehicle became
disabled. According to reports, as the officers were attempting to get the
suspects out of the vehicle, an incident occurred that caused officers to fire
shots.
wvlt.tv
Concord, NC: Police officer dead, another wounded after confronting carjacking
suspect outside a restaurant
 One
Concord police officer was killed and a second officer was wounded when they
confronted a carjacking suspect in a restaurant parking lot late Wednesday,
according to the Concord Police Department. The shootings occurred just before
11 p.m. in the parking lot of the Sonic Drive-In on Gateway Lane. The suspect
was later shot and killed by officers, the department said. Concord officials
identified the fatally shot officer as Jason Shuping, 25, who had been with the
department since 2019. The wounded officer was identified as Kaleb Robinson, 23.
He suffered minor injuries, officials said.
charlotteobserver.com
 Waukena,
CA: Update: Tulare County Deputies arrest teen in connection with C-store
clerk's killing
A 16-year-old was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the shooting death of
a clerk at the market in Waukena Monday night. The Tulare County Sheriff's
Office says the store clerk had a gun and pulled it out when the suspect drew
his. The clerk tried to stall but the suspect shot the clerk twice in the chest.
While interviewing the teen, detectives learned he was also involved in
robberies in Bakersfield, Porterville, and Alpaugh.
kmph.com
Bismarck, ND: Lowe's Associate accused of shooting at truck driven by
Shoplifting suspect; warrant issued
An arrest warrant has been issued for a Buxton man accused of firing shots
toward a truck driven by a shoplifting suspect in Bismarck. Police responded to
the parking lot of Lowe's last Sunday afternoon. Police say the shoplifting
suspect ran and got into his truck when an employee asked for a receipt as the
man was leaving the store. They say 50-year-old Kevin Bailly fired shots at the
tires of the truck. Bailly is facing a charge of reckless endangerment. Police
say firing shots in such a case is not something they would advise.
kfgo.com
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Raleigh, NC: Police gather outside Crabtree Valley Mall after reports of
shots fired
A large police presence and ambulances gathered outside Raleigh's
Crabtree Valley Mall on Thursday night after reports of shots being
fired. Raleigh Police said no injuries were reported. The shooting
occurred before 9 p.m. on the first floor near an exit, according to
officials. No one was shot. Police said they believe the two people
involved in the shooting know each other but have not taken anyone into
custody.
wral.com
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Robberies, Incidents & Thefts
Multiple Amazon delivery trucks stolen in Cleveland area
Cleveland and Cleveland Heights police now report a total of five Amazon
delivery trucks have been stolen in northeast Ohio since Nov. 25. News 5
contacted Amazon headquarters about the truck heists, and asked if these cases
have the company considering delivery protocol changes, or adding truck
surveillance cameras to assist police make arrests. The company responded
quickly, and said the issues are extremely important to their organization, and
once they speak with police the company will issue a statement.
news5cleveland.com
Beaverton, OR: Man sprayed lighter fluid on himself, customers at Fred Meyer
 A
man sprayed lighter fluid on himself and customers at a Fred Meyer store in
Beaverton, after putting random items from the store into a large bottle of
anti-freeze, according to police. Officers responded to the store on Southwest
Beaverton Hillsdale Highway on Tuesday. Witnesses said William David Alexander,
42, appeared to be attempting to steal merchandise from the store by removing
anti-theft devices and packaging. is "odd behavior" drew the attention of nearby
customers, according to police. Witnesses told officers that Alexander had a
large bottle of anti-freeze from the store, and he put various items into the
bottle, including tinfoil, roofing nails and lead fishing weights. Two customers
confronted Alexander over his "concoction," according to police, and Alexander
responded by spraying himself, the customers and the floor around them with
lighter fluid. Additional customers and Fred Meyer staff became involved and
tackled Alexander, detaining him until officers arrived.
kptv.com
Livonia, MI: Karmic injury befalls thief throwing brick at Gun store window
 At
5 a.m. Thursday, thieves tried to break into a Livonia gun store - they didn't
get inside, but they did get away - likely with a little pain for their effort.
One of the criminals was hit by a brick he threw at the shop's door window after
it ricocheted. At the same time, it triggered the store alarm which woke up Joel
Swisher, the owner of Uncoiled Firearms and Gun Range on Schoolcraft near
Middlebelt. "It was kind of funny the guy got what he deserved, it hit him
pretty good," Swisher said, after looking at the video. FOX 2: "Do you think
he's hurt?" "He could be, I mean, you saw the video," said Capt. Ron Taig of
Livonia Police.
fox2detroit.com
Pensacola, FL: 21-year-old arrested for pulling gun on man outside Cordova Mall;
no shots fired
Sherman, TX: Man pleads guilty to C-Store robbery, sentenced to 25 years; 15
years of Police records
Newark, NJ: Wheelman Cops Plea In 7-County Armed Robbery Spree; 20 hold-up in
2017
Danville, IL: Man to serve 5 years for Home Furnishing store Burglary
Cargo Theft
Winter holiday cargo theft trends infographic and security tips in 2020
 CargoNet
is calling for caution ahead of the holiday season. "Extended closures during
the upcoming holidays will bring extended opportunities for cargo thieves to
strike," the freight tracking and recovery company warned Thursday. CargoNet
said it examined theft data for the Dec. 23 to Jan. 2 holiday period from 2015
to 2019 to help businesses mitigate increased theft risks. "There were 177
thefts that occurred in the analysis period. Dec. 27 and Jan. 1 were the most
common days for thefts, with 24 and 23 reported thefts respectively," it said.
There was an average of 35 thefts per season, and both 2016 and 2019 recorded
above-average levels of theft. The average value of each event was estimated to
be $152,653, CargoNet said. Thefts were reported in 25 states and Canadian
provinces, but nearly 39% of all thefts in the analysis occurred in Texas or
California, it added. Twenty-seven percent of all cargo thefts recorded involved
theft of food and beverage freight while 18% was theft of a household commodity.
trucknews.com
Los Angeles, CA: $32 million worth of fake Viagra pills, footwear, goods seized
at L.A., Long Beach ports
 More
than one million fake erectile dysfunction pills, counterfeit footwear, belts,
purses and headphones were seized at the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports,
authorities said Thursday. The seized counterfeit products were found in three
containerized cargo shipments from China, according to a U.S. Customs and Border
Protection news release. If the products were genuine, officials said the goods
would have had an estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price of
$32,161,194.00. Counterfeit erectile dysfunction pills seized at the ports of
L.A. and Long Beach. (Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection) "Criminals are
exploiting e-commerce platforms to sell counterfeit and often dangerous goods to
unwitting holiday shoppers," said Carlos C. Martel, CBP's director of field
operations in Los Angeles.
cbp.gov
Toronto, Canada: More than $600,000 in stolen chocolate, nuts recovered in
Toronto and Vaughan
 Police
in York Region have seized more than $600,000 in stolen chocolate and nuts
following an ongoing cargo theft investigation. The investigation started last
month after investigators say they identified a group involved in stealing loads
of cargo. Investigators said they located a stolen tractor trailer loaded with
55 skids of chocolates in Toronto, valued at $360,000. On Sunday, police said
they located a second stolen tractor trailer in Vaughan loaded with 22 skids of
pecans, valued at $270,000. Investigators said they were later able to identify
a crime group involved in stealing loads of cargo which resulted in multiple
arrests.
toronto.ctvnews.ca |
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●
Adult - Las Vegas, NV
- Armed Robbery
●
C-Store - Dauphin
County, PA - Armed Robbery
●
C-Store - Placerville,
CA - Robbery
●
C-Store - Sulphur
Spring, TX - Robbery
●
Dollar General -
Hopkinsville, KY - Armed Robbery
●
Guns - Livonia, MI -
Burglary
●
Jewelry - New York, NY
- Armed Robbery
●
Jewelry - Milford, CT - Robbery
●
Jewelry - Malborough, MA - Robbery
●
Jewelry - Myrtle Beach, SC - Robbery
●
Jewelry - Edmond, OK - Robbery
●
Liquor - Dorchester,
MA - Armed Robbery
●
Liquor - Chicago, IL -
Robbery
●
Motorcycle -
Plainfield, CT - Burglary
●
Office Depot - Denver,
CO - Robbery
●
Restaurant - Memphis,
TN - Robbery
●
Rite Aid - Cleveland,
OH - Armed Robbery
●
Walgreens - St Louis,
MO - Robbery
●
Walmart - Southaven,
MS - Armed Robbery
●
7-Eleven - Alexandria,
VA - Robbery/ Assault
●
7-Eleven - Merced, CA
- Burglary |
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Daily Totals:
• 18 robberies
• 3 burglaries
• 0 shootings
• 0 killed |
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Weekly Totals:
• 92 robberies
• 22 burglaries
• 2 shootings
• 2 killed |
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Click to enlarge map
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None to report. |
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Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position
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Featured Job Spotlights
 |
Loss Prevention Auditor and Fraud Detection Analyst
Raleigh, NC
- posted Dec. 14
As a Loss Prevention Auditor and Fraud Detection Analyst for Staples, you will
conduct LP operational field audits remote, virtual and in person, within a base
of 60 retail stores to ensure compliance to operational standards to drive
operational excellence and preserve profitability...
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Leader, Asset & Profit Protection
San Fran/Chicago/NY/West Palm
Beach
- posted Dec. 14
As the leader of the Data/Analytics & Investigations
strategy, you should have strong analytical/investigation skills, the drive to
innovate, and the ability to build strong partnerships to lead through the
influence of others. They will be personable, open to learning, collaborating
with others...
|
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District Asset Protection Manager
Seattle, WA
- posted Dec. 11
As the District Asset Protection Manager you will lead administration of Asset
Protection programs and training for an assigned district in order to drive
sales, profits, and a customer service culture... |
 |
Regional Manager LP, Audit & Firearms Compliance
IL, WI, MN, IA, ND, SD, NE, OK, MO & KS
- posted Dec. 9
The Regional Loss Prevention Manager is responsible for the control and
reduction of shrinkage at the stores in their Territory. Investigate and
resolves all matters that jeopardize or cause a loss to the company's assets... |
 |
Customer Success Specialists
Multiple Locations - posted Oct. 9
The
role of the Customer Success Specialist is to engage, empower, and excite our
community. As a Customer Success Specialist, your primary responsibility is to
ensure both retailers and law enforcement, who make up our community, have great
experiences and achieve real crime reduction outcomes from using our platform.
Apply Here
|
 |
Sales Representatives
NuTech National - posted Oct. 13
NuTech National, an
established and rapidly growing 40+ year electronic security company is
expanding our National Sales Team. Seeking motivated, driven and successful
sales reps to expand our national retail and governmental vertical markets. Top
pay, benefits and signing bonus available. Please apply to
melissa@nutechnational.com |
Featured Jobs
To apply to any of today's Featured Jobs,
Click Here
 |
|
View Featured
Jobs |
Post Your Job
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Passion is a trait that can't be bought and paid for. Either it exists or it
doesn't and corporate America thrives on passion. It's the one trait that is
worth its weight in gold. If you've got it, show it. If you don't, try to find
it every day because it is a game changer and it will fuel your tomorrow.
Just a Thought,
Gus
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