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The D&D Daily Mobile Edition
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1/22/21

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Kevin Morrison, CFI, LPC promoted to Director of LP, Fraud & Payments Risk for Helzberg Diamonds

Kevin has been with Helzberg Diamonds for nearly four years, starting with the company in 2017. Before his promotion to Director of LP, Fraud & Payments Risk, he served as the company's Director of Loss Prevention. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years with Lowe's in multiple LP roles, including Director of Field Investigations and Director of Corporate Investigations. Earlier in his career, he spent nearly a decade with Target. Congratulations, Kevin!

See All the Executives 'Moving Up' Here

Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions or New Position

The LPRC, in partnership with The D&D Daily, will hold this year's LPRC Kickoff, our annual first-of-the-year meeting, virtually on Tuesday, February 2nd at 1pm EST. Join our research team, retail executives, technology experts, and thought leaders as we review LPRC's current initiatives and hold three panels on crucial industry topics.

AGENDA:

WELCOME AND LPRC RESEARCH IN ACTION - 1 PM ET
This segment will focus on developments since IMPACT 2020, and next steps for the LPRC team in 2021, including FusionNet, INNOVATE, Solutions Directory, Learning Modules, Research Agenda, the Research Book, and more.

EXAMINING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN RETAIL (PANEL) - 2 PM ET
This panel of AI innovators and leaders will discuss applications of artificial intelligence in retail, privacy concerns, the future of AI, Computer Vision & Machine Learning, and more.

THE TAKEAWAYS FROM AN UNPRECEDENTED HOLIDAY SEASON (PANEL) - 3 PM ET
This panel will discuss lessons learned from the holiday season. We will delve into ever-changing protective measures and regulations, complex and evolving transactions, BOPIS/BORIS, mobile, curbside, multi-source delivery/pickup, emerging fraud, theft, and violence threats.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM 2020 PT 2 & WHAT’S NEXT IN RETAIL (PANEL) - 4 pm ET
This segment will include retail leaders in part two of the most popular IMPACT session and where they see retail in 2021.

Click here to register | See the full list of speakers

Protests & Violence

The 26K Guard Troops in DC Did Not Face a Single
Inauguration Security Threat: Top General
The 26,000 National Guard troops stationed in Washington, D.C., were ready for anything, but Inauguration Day passed without them facing a single security problem. The scene at the U.S. Capitol, where Joe Biden took the oath of office to become the country's 46th president, was a stark contrast to the riot on Jan. 6.

The Supreme Court did receive a bomb threat before the inauguration ceremony Wednesday, but the building was not evacuated because it was closed at the time, Business Insider reported.

"Our ability to move 26,000 Soldiers and Airmen to D.C. from every state and territory in less than two weeks would not have been possible without the support of our governors and their adjutants general," National Guard Bureau Chief Daniel Hokanson said. "It speaks volumes about America's investment in the National Guard; and most importantly, the support our service members get from their family and their employers."

He said the next step will be to ensure that federal law enforcement's security needs are satisfied before troops begin to redeploy. The force could shrink rapidly, but at a minimum, the 6,200 Guard members mobilized Jan. 7 -- following the Capitol breach -- will remain in Washington through Feb. 7, he told reporters Tuesday. The rest were requested by federal law enforcement to support the inauguration. military.com

National Guardsmen allowed back into Capitol after being ‘banished’ to garage
The National Guard troops who were “banished” to a cramped parking garage amid outrage after protecting Washington, DC, in the aftermath of the deadly riots have been allowed back into the US Capitol.

“Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, Inauguration Task Force Commander confirms that troops are out of the garage and back into the Capitol building as authorized by the USCP (U.S. Capitol Police) Watch Commander and the troops will take their breaks near Emancipation Hall going forward,” the Guard said in a statement late Thursday.

Photos of the troops hunkered down in the garage drew condemnation from lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called the move “outrageous.” nypost.com

Federal lawmakers introduce bill toughening penalties for rioters
Sen. Tom Cotton is joining Rep. Ken Buck in introducing for the new Congress a bill to strengthen federal penalties for rioters in the wake of violence from the right at the Capitol and from the left in the West this month.

Buck, R-Colo., plans to introduce the legislation, called the BRICKS Act, in the House on Monday. While Cotton, R-Ark., is on board to introduce companion legislation in the Senate at a later date.

The BRICKS Act would increase federal penalties for participating in or aiding rioting from five years in prison to ten years. If serious bodily injury is inflicted, that penalty goes up to 25 years. And rioters could face life in prison if a person dies because of their actions. foxnews.com

NYPD facing lawsuit over tactics during George Floyd protests
A coalition of attorneys filed a lawsuit against the NYPD on Thursday over the department’s handling of the George Floyd protests — in an attempt to change the “violent protest policing tactics” that led to hundreds of “unconstitutional” and “brutal” arrests.

The lengthy lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks class-action status to sue on behalf of all those who experienced the “extensive deprivation of constitutional rights during the 2020 protests.”

The court filing looks to change the NYPD policies and training that have cost taxpayers millions in payouts in the last two decades — and compares the recent police response to the 2004 RNC protests that led to more than $36 million in settlement payouts. nypost.com

Seattle community leaders unhappy with city officials' response to unrest: report

‘What are we marching for?’ Protesters and observers wonder alike in Portland

Judge says Amazon won’t have to restore Parler web service

COVID Update

US: Over 25.2M Cases - 420K Dead - 15.1M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 98M Cases - 2.1M Dead - 70M Recovered

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 267
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 204
*Red indicates change in total deaths

Biden: COVID will get 'worse before it gets better,' 'take months' to vax US
President Biden unveiled a broad, 198-page plan to combat the COVID-19 crisis Thursday in an executive order-signing event at the White House, where he assured Americans that help was on the way but warned that things would “get worse before they got better.”

● FEMA to set up 100 federally-funded vaccination centers around the country.

● CDC to launch a program making the vaccines available in local pharmacies by Feb. 7.

● The federal government will “end the policy of holding back significant levels of doses”

● Encourage state leaders to “move through the priority groups more quickly.” nypost.com

Biden Inherits a Vaccine Supply Unlikely to Grow Before April
As the Biden administration takes power with a pledge to tame the most dire public health crisis in a century, one pillar of its strategy is to significantly increase the supply of Covid-19 vaccines.

But federal health officials and corporate executives agree that it will be impossible to increase the immediate supply of vaccines before April because of lack of manufacturing capacity. The administration should first focus, experts say, on fixing the hodgepodge of state and local vaccination centers that has proved incapable of managing even the current flow of vaccines.

President Biden’s goal of one million shots a day for the next 100 days, they say, is too low and will arguably leave tens of millions of doses unused. Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that the nation has already reached that milestone pace. About 1.1 million people received shots last Friday, after an average of 911,000 people a day received them on the previous two days.

That was true even though C.D.C. data indicates that states and localities are administering as few as 46 percent of the doses that the federal government is shipping to them. An efficient vaccination regimen could deliver millions more shots. nytimes.com

Dr. Fauci says Covid vaccines appear to be less effective against some new strains
Early data shows that the Covid-19 vaccines on the market may not be as effective in guarding against more contagious strains of the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Thursday. Even if the drugs are less effective, they will still likely provide enough protection to make the vaccines worth getting, he said. A dip in the vaccines’ effectiveness would be “all the more reason why we should be vaccinating as many people as you possibly can,” Fauci added. cnbc.com

Amazon will open pop-up Covid vaccine clinic in Seattle
Amazon is opening a pop-up Covid-19 vaccine clinic at its downtown Seattle headquarters, the company announced Thursday. The one-day clinic, which opens on Sunday, has a goal of administering 2,000 vaccines to eligible members of the public. It comes as Amazon on Wednesday wrote to President Joe Biden offering to help with U.S. Covid-19 vaccine efforts, while vying for its front-line workers to get priority access to the vaccine. cnbc.com

Op-Ed: Gus' Predictions - COVID-19 Long Term Impact
Predictions: Trade Shows Cut in Half - Masks Become Go-To Strategy & Mandatory in Some Situations - Remote Work Becomes Position Specific & Individual Benefit
Long Term: Trade Shows will be cut in half - 50% reduction. With 2022 being the year they mount a come back only to be smacked down by low attendance and more Hybrid Virtual Shows, starting to get their footing with big technology and experience improvements. Bottom line though is the trade show industry will never reach the levels they once were and that poses a host of economic problems for cities, convention centers, the hospitality industry, restaurants, and literally tens of thousands of jobs.

Certainly the industry associations' trade shows will end up being the main stays but they will consolidate as have most industries. But the smaller, independent shows will have to deliver such relevance at reduced prices and with such stringent safety protocols - that it may prove to be almost impossible while actually increasing quality and guaranteeing it up front to drive sponsors.
Continue Reading Gus' Predictions

McKinsey & Company
It'll still be around in 2023

When will the COVID-19 pandemic end?
Transition toward normalcy in the United States remains most likely in the second quarter of 2021 and herd immunity in the third and fourth quarters, but the emergence of new strains and a slow start to vaccine rollout raise real risks to both timelines. We also add a perspective for the U.K.

The past five weeks have brought an array of conflicting news on the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting our estimates about when the coronavirus pandemic will end.

While the United States could still achieve herd immunity in the third or fourth quarter of 2021 (in line with the peak probability in our previous estimates), the emergence of more-infectious variants of SARS-CoV-2 increases the risk that this milestone will not be achieved until later.

This article describes “most likely” timelines for when the coronavirus pandemic will end. A number of other factors could delay the timelines beyond those described, including unexpected safety issues emerging with early vaccines, significant manufacturing or supply-chain delays, continued slow adoption, further mutation, or a shorter-than-anticipated duration of vaccine-conferred immunity. Herd immunity will also require vaccines to be effective in reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, not just in protecting vaccinated individuals from getting sick. This is likely, but has not yet been proven at scale. mckinsey.com

McKinsey & Company
Top Industry Consulting Group Says COVID Will Still Be Killing in 2023
How does that impact trade shows over the next couple of years, with 2021 and 2022 showing intimidating numbers? Is it worth it?

The Virtual World is here to stay. Even after COVID, the practice by then will be engrained in the business world and society in general. Zooming is here to stay!

Executive Order Focuses on Workplace Safety
Biden order seeks stronger workplace safety rules, signaling a more worker friendly approach
President Biden signed an executive order Thursday to direct federal regulators to issue stronger safety guidance for workplaces operating in the midst of the pandemic.

The executive order on “Protecting Worker Health and Safety” seeks to reorient worker safety guidelines and enforcement at the Labor Department’s workplace safety division — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

It directs OSHA to update covid safety recommendations for businesses within the next two weeks, review its enforcement efforts, which have been sharply criticized during the pandemic, and study whether an emergency temporary standard, which businesses would have to comply with under the threat of penalties, is necessary. The agency must issued the emergency standard by mid-March, if so.

Such a standard could mandate mask-wearing and other requirements, including social distancing, hand-washing breaks and communication with workers during outbreaks. washingtonpost.com

What the CFO’s are reading
COVID-19: The Risk Management Part Is Unfinished

What actions should senior risk managers and executive management undertake to deal with the remainder of the crisis and its aftermath?

We’ve had many conversations with risk managers and executives about the short-term and immediate-term risks of COVID-19 concerning external dependencies and conditions: e.g., the supply chain, outsourced services, access to a flexible or seasonal labor pool. Most of our questions were met with reassuring answers regarding what is expected, such as, “We think our supply chain is going to be OK,” or “Our offshore data center is managing well through this.”

But these are answers to the wrong question. The relevant question for risk managers to be asking in the short-term is not “What is expected?” but “What are the risks?” The pandemic is happening at a time of tremendous global interconnectedness. Organizations should be evaluating all of their third-party dependencies for vulnerabilities and conducting near-term risk assessments. This is a time when overdependence on limited supply chain channels or specialized, single-party services in support of mission-critical business processes is an especially acute source of risk. cfo.com

A Small Bright Spot Amid COVID
Covid-19 Has Nearly Wiped Out the Flu - How Do We Keep It From Coming Back?
Mask-wearing & higher vaccination rates have contributed to historically low levels of seasonal influenza

Biden signs order requiring masks on planes, buses, trains and at airports

Johnson & Johnson eyes 100M COVID-19 vaccines for US by April

Florida combats 'vaccine tourism', now requiring proof of state residency

Chobani paying workers for time off to get coronavirus vaccine

Boris Johnson says some evidence new Covid variant in the UK may be more deadly

A Return to Meetings: COVID-19 Screening and Testing

Safeway AP Adds Signage Warning Customers About Gift Card Scams
Colorado: Douglas County Takes Steps to Fight Gift Card Fraud in Grocery Stores
Douglas County law officers and Safeway stores have unveiled a new way to fight gift card fraud. Signs are now going up at the racks where gift cards are sold. The message they want to get out is gift cards are for gifts — and that businesses and government agencies do not take them for payment.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s office says it has four or five cases of fraud involving gift card fraud, some with amounts ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.

While scammers target everyone, older Coloradans (65+) tend to get hit the hardest. That’s because of the increasing pressure on that age group and the panic they may feel as they are told they face a warrant or a loved one out of state is in trouble. Because of their age, they may not be as aware of the warnings that are out digitally and that’s why those signs right at the point of purchase are so important.

Store employees have also been trained to help recognize when customers may about to become victims. David Montoya, Director of Asset Protection for Safeway's Denver Division, said one scenario of concern is when there is someone on the phone with a customer as they are buying the gift card.

"We’ve had situations where our employee will ask ‘May I ask who is on the phone with you?’ and the customer will say ‘Well, they told me not to tell you,’ or ‘They’ve told me not to talk to you but I need to buy $2,000 worth of gift cards,” Montoya said. In some cases, stores are placing limits on the amount of money that can be put on a gift card in a single transaction.

The grocery chain and law agencies also say it’s really important to report the fraud so they can look for patterns and prosecute suspects. Experts say victims are often too embarrassed to report the fraud once they realize they’ve been victimized. cbslocal.com

Massive Criminal Justice Bill on ILL. Gov's Desk
Illinois poised to end cash bail and possibly set alleged criminals free
Illinois state lawmakers last week passed a massive criminal justice reform bill that would, among other things, end cash bail. The bill came in response to the police killing of George Floyd and others last year, which sparked a wave of protests across the country calling for criminal justice reform.

Should it go into law, almost everyone in jail would be released while awaiting trial unless prosecutors could convince a judge that the defendant is a threat to public safety. In such cases, the accused would remain in jail without the opportunity for cash bail.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who has been accused of being too soft on criminals, has praised the idea of ending cash bail.

"Cash bail was never about public safety," said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. "For far too many people, their assessment was based not on their risk but on the amount that they could afford to pay ... so eliminating cash bail makes this about risk and not about poverty."

But others have warned that ending cash bail would do more harm than good. Ahead of the bill’s passage, the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association released a statement arguing that the elimination of cash bail would "not only exacerbate this problem but would also put the victims of crime and their families at great risk."

The Association noted that since the passage of a similar law, the Bail Reform Act of 2017, the state has "seen a substantial increase in defendants deciding to ignore the courts and simply not appear in court as ordered, thus avoiding responsibility."

This phenomenon played out in New York last summer. Read more here: foxnews.com

Harsh Winter on the Open Seas
Ships Losing Millions of Dollars in Cargo Due to Weather-Related Accidents
A cargo ship operated by A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S lost several hundred containers in the Pacific Ocean while sailing through heavy seas from China to Los Angeles, the latest in a spate of incidents in which boxes carrying millions of dollars’ worth of goods have gone overboard. The company said the Maersk Essen, which has capacity for more than 13,000 containers, lost an estimated 750 of them on January 16 about halfway through its trans-Pacific sailing from China’s Port of Xiamen.

Several container ships have lost large numbers of boxes overboard in recent months in a spurt of accidents that maritime industry officials say had been declining.

The One Apus container vessel, operated by Singapore-based Ocean Network Express, lost around 2,000 boxes in November when it hit a storm off Hawaii on its way to Long Beach, Calif., from Yantian, China. The ship eventually sailed to Kobe, Japan, with hundreds of tipped-over containers sitting precariously onboard and remains there for repairs and an investigation into the cause of the incident. People involved in the investigations said insurance claims from the One Apus could reach more than $220 million. wsj.com

Retail CEO Forum Draws Top Leaders for Virtual Experience
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) will convene the industry’s top executives January 27-28, 2021 for a re-imagined virtual Retail CEO Forum. The CEO Forum brings together the most influential U.S. retail and product manufacturer CEOs to share business insights, assess trends, and tackle the critical issues facing the retail industry today and in the future. This year’s event will feature two days of executive leadership sessions reflecting topics on COVID-19, the 2020 election, racial justice, and other trends that are driving the retail industry today. See Speakers and Topics here: rila.org

Coresight Research
Weekly Store Tracker
1,678 2021 YTD Closures
1,863 2021 YTD Openings

American Eagle announces plans to close at least 200 mall-based stores

Godiva to close 128 stores in North America by end of March

Francesca’s finds a buyer, 275 stores to remain open

Instacart to Cut 1,900 Jobs, Including Its Only Union Roles

Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Security Director job posted for Visa in New York, NY
The Security Director provides efficient and high-quality executive security support to the CEO and Senior Executives. The role also has responsibility for security programs related to Executive protection, office physical security, life safety emergency procedures, aviation security support and others. This role manages risk to Visa’s senior executives and ensures mitigation through assessment, monitoring, and implementation of appropriate strategies. The position is based in New York may require travel, interaction with the company’s executive team, the ability to work well autonomously and in a team setting. jobs.smartrecruiters.com

Global Corporate Services - Business Continuity & Physical Security, Senior VP job posted for Blackstone in New York, NY

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Johnson Controls Named "IoT Partner Ecosystem of the Year" in 2021 IoT Breakthrough Awards

Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, was awarded "IoT Partner Ecosystem of the Year" in the 2021 IoT Breakthrough Awards. The company was honored for its OpenBlue digital platform and extensive work implementing a network of OpenBlue Innovation Centers around the world. Both are part of Johnson Controls' commitment to deliver healthy people, healthy places and a healthy planet.

"We feel extremely honored that our OpenBlue digital strategy is being recognized for reimagining how artificial intelligence and machine learning can enhance building ecosystems by delivering a new level of security, comfort and efficiency," said Mike Ellis, executive vice president and chief customer & digital officer at Johnson Controls. "Our OpenBlue innovation centers as well as our OpenBlue platform mark the beginning of our collaboration with leading companies to develop breakthrough technologies that foster a more sustainable future for generations to come." johnsoncontrols.com

German Retailers Fined Tens of Millions for Employee Surveillance
Monitoring of Employees Faces Scrutiny in Europe; Remote Work Adds Risks
European privacy regulators are scrutinizing how employers collect workers’ personal data and dishing out multimillion-dollar fines for violations.

German electronics retailer notebooksbilliger.de is the latest company to be targeted. The seller of laptops, phones and other electronics online and in bricks-and-mortar shops was fined 10.4 million euros, equivalent to $12.6 million, for using video surveillance cameras to monitor employees, the data protection regulator in the German state of Lower Saxony said this month.

The case reflects European authorities’ growing interest in employers’ use of technology to monitor employees. In October, a different German regulator fined fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB 35.3 million euros ($41 million) for collecting personal data from employees, including details about their health and religion, and making them available to managers at a German H&M service center over at least five years.

Regulators say they have received more complaints about workplace privacy violations in recent years. Worker surveillance appears to be increasing as employers in the U.S. and Europe use technologies to monitor remote workers during the pandemic, privacy and employment experts say.

Notebooksbilliger.de violated the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation, the privacy law in the European Union’s 27 countries, because video surveillance was unnecessary to monitor employees, Barbara Thiel, the Lower Saxony privacy regulator said in an email. “Employees are entitled to perform their professional activities without being subject to permanent surveillance,” Ms. Thiel said.

Companies using video surveillance must justify why it is necessary to avoid violating the GDPR, and that can be tricky for employers. In most cases, an employee expects not to be monitored, the umbrella group of EU data protection regulators said in guidelines on video surveillance published last year. wsj.com

Analysis: How Will Biden Address Cybersecurity Challenges?
The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features an analysis of the cybersecurity challenges the Biden administration must address.

In this report, you'll hear:

● ISMG's Mathew Schwartz outline the cybersecurity issues facing President Joe Biden;

● Ciske van Oosten, Verizon's head of the global business intelligence, offer payments security strategies for 2021;

● Pandemic expert Regina Phelps share her predictions for when restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic might ease. govinfosecurity.com

Hackers Switching from Data Hacks to Extortion Schemes
Breach Data Shows Attackers Switched Gears in 2020

Attackers focused more on ransomware, while the consolidation of data into large databases led to fewer reported breaches but more records leaked.

The number of data breaches declined by half last year — to less than 4,000 events — yet the number of leaked records more than doubled, as did the number of breaches that included a ransomware component, according to an annual analysis of breach events by Risk Based Security.

The diverging trends suggests that attackers are focusing more on ransomware, which is often not reported as a data breach if information is not exfiltrated.

In addition, more than 80% of the at-risk records came from five events caused by misconfigured databases, suggesting that consolidation in the cloud may have led to more severe, if less frequent, data breaches.

Overall, the way attackers are monetizing system compromises has changed, says Inga Goddijn, executive vice president at RBS. "The attackers really seem to be moving away from going after credit card data and other personally identifiable data and going straight for the extortion schemes to monetize their access," she says, "while the bigger record count is really being driven by somebody's entire database sitting out there open, accessible, and readable to any passer by."

Overall, publicly reported data breaches shrank by 48% to 3,932 events in 2020, according to the "2020 Year End Report Data Breach QuickView" report. Yet more than 37 billion "records" were exposed, a 141% increase over 2019, mainly due to five breaches. Those breaches each exposed more than a billion records, while another 18 breaches exposed between 100 million and a billion records. darkreading.com

Cybercrime E-Commerce Platform
Russian Hacker Pleads Guilty to Administering a Website that Catered to Criminals

Kirill Victorovich Firsov, a Russian citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court today to a cybercrime, admitting that he was the administrator of a website that catered to cyber criminals by virtually selling items such as stolen credit card information, other personal information and services to be used for criminal activity.

According to the plea agreement, Firsov was well-compensated as the administrator of DEER.IO, an online platform which catered to cyber criminals. DEER.IO was a Russian-based platform that allowed criminals to set up cyber storefronts and sell illegal products or services. DEER.IO started operations as of at least October 2013, and, as of March 2020, had approximately 3,000 shops with sales exceeding $17 million.

DEER.IO offered a turnkey online storefront design and hosting platform, from which cybercriminals could advertise and sell their products, such as harvested credentials, hacked servers, and services, such as assistance performing a panoply of cyber hacking activities. justice.gov

Hackers publish thousands of files after government agency refuses to pay ransom
Ransomware gang publishes stolen data after Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) refuses to pay ransom - as agency confirms operations remain disrupted.

Manipulating Online Shoppers
Online shoppers warned about hidden price rises

Algorithms used by online marketplaces could lead to a rise in prices of goods and services, the UK’s competitions watchdog has warned.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating businesses which use technology on selling platforms. Shoppers could be "manipulated" into buying specific items, as search results favour certain brands, it said.

Consumers may also be shown misleading messages on these websites, suggesting items are in short supply. Collusion between businesses on consumer spending and browsing data could lead to “sustained higher prices for products and services”, the CMA said.

Kate Brand, its director of data science, added: “Algorithms play an important role online but, if not used responsibly, can potentially do a tremendous amount of harm to consumers and businesses.

“Assessing this harm is the first step towards being able to ensure consumers are protected, and complements our wider work in digital markets to promote greater competition and innovation online.” bbc.com

Fastest-Growing E-Commerce Shopper
Baby boomers, to retailers’ surprise, are dominating online shopping

Older Americans are increasingly buying groceries on the Internet, and those over 65 are now the fastest-growing category of e-commerce shoppers.

The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped habits and behaviors of even the most resolute shoppers as social distancing became a key line of defense against infection. But one of the most significant and unexpected shifts, experts say, was the almost immediate embrace of online shopping by people in their 60s, 70s and 80s.

As baby boomers move online, retailers and consumer goods brands are scrambling to meet them there with round-the-clock customer service, detailed nutrition information and interactive videos aimed at simplifying e-commerce for the uninitiated. Instacart, the nation’s largest online grocery provider, has created a service that helps older consumers set up accounts, fill their carts and place their first orders. The program has been so popular — helping onboard hundreds of thousands of new shoppers.

Consumers 65 and older, on average, spent a total of $1,615 online from January through October, a 49 percent increase from a year earlier, making them the fastest-growing cohort of online shoppers, according to NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking, which captures data from consumer receipts both online and in stores. Frequency of purchases, meanwhile, climbed more than 40 percent. washingtonpost.com

Walmart to begin drone delivery pilot this summer

Hudson’s Bay Co. Planning to Take Saks.com Public

$1M Employee Refund Fraud Over 2 Weeks
Duluth, GA: Kroger Associate Stole $1 Million and Bought Cars and Guns
The theft, by a 19-year-old who worked at a Kroger in Duluth, Ga., occurred over two weeks when a supermarket compliance officer was away, the authorities said. A teenage employee stole nearly $1 million from a Kroger supermarket in the metro Atlanta area and then went on a shopping spree for guns, shoes and cars, including a Chevrolet Camaro that he totaled, the authorities said on Thursday. The employee, Tre Brown, 19, obtained more than 40 refunds on several credit cards for merchandise that he falsely claimed had been returned to a Kroger in Duluth, Georgia.

The transactions ranged in value from $75 to more than $87,000, according to the police, who said that the fraud scheme was carried out over two weeks in December and January while a supermarket compliance officer was away. The fraud was later detected by corporate employees of Kroger, who the police said had contacted them. A large sum of the money was returned after Mr. Brown’s arrest on Jan. 14 on a felony charge of theft by taking, the police said. They said they had no further information on the amount recovered. Cpl. Collin Flynn, a spokesman for the Gwinnett County Police Department, said in an email on Thursday that Mr. Brown worked in the supermarket’s fuel center. The items that Mr. Brown claimed had been returned were lottery tickets. nytimes.com

Wareham, MA: Men arrested for alleged theft of $20k worth of items from Lowe’s
Two New Bedford men have been arrested for allegedly stealing a truck-load of items from the Wareham Lowe’s and selling them at a business in New Bedford. Wareham Police were contacted by the Lowe’s “Organized Retail Crime Investigation Unit.” Together with the Lowe’s team, Wareham police investigated and concluded that a man who had been hired to clean Lowe’s was allegedly stealing items from the store and bringing them to a business at 1407 Acushnet Ave. in New Bedford. On Thursday, Jan. 21, police executed search warrants at 1407 and 1401 Acushnet Ave. and confiscated $20,000 worth of stolen items. A truck had to be used to bring the items back to the store. Oscar Ortiz, 46, and Eric Ramos, 34, both of New Bedford, were placed under arrest. Police say that it is estimated that nearly $100,000 worth of merchandise had been stolen from the store over the last few months. wareham.theweektoday.com

Commerce, GA: Thieves steal thousands in clothing at Tanger Outlet stores
An assault on a store manager by two shoplifters Monday at Tanger Outlets in Commerce was just the tip of a spree of thefts the past two weeks at the popular shopping center. In three separate crimes, shoplifters took $13,000 worth of merchandise from the Polo Ralph Lauren outlet, and authorities said thieves stole an undetermined amount of merchandise from a Nike store. The suspects in the thefts have not been identified, but detectives are going over evidence, Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said Thursday.

The assault occurred about 2:30 p.m. Jan. 18, when two employees in the Polo store observed two women, one wearing a shower cap, enter the store, deputies said. Because they were acting suspicious, one manager went to the exit door and as one woman attempted to leave with merchandise, he stuck his arm in front of her. Deputies said the women then sprayed his face with pepper spray and one tried to punch him in the face. The women stole about $2,100 in merchandise and fled in a black Lexus with a South Carolina tag, according to the report.

The day before on Jan. 17, deputies responded to an alarm about 6:48 a.m. at the Nike store and found a glass door shattered. The thieves had taken items off racks and a table display was emptied of clothing. Deputies are also investigating a shoplifting that occurred Jan. 11 at the Polo store, where two women shoplifted about $3,000 worth of clothing, and another on Jan. 8, where three men stole clothing valued at $8,268. The male thieves fled in a blue Ford Freestyle with the license plate removed. onlineathens.com

Park County, WY: Parolee accused of stealing $3,100 worth of merchandise from Walmart
Between late November and last week, Brad Corbin, 38, is alleged to have taken drones, cameras, a laptop and other merchandise from the Cody store. He’s facing two felony counts of shoplifting. Back in 2015, Corbin had received a six- to nine-year prison sentence for felony counts of shoplifting and receiving, concealing or disposing of stolen property. Court records say Corbin had sold a $5,000 hydraulic pump that had been stolen from a Cody trucking company in late 2013 — he was a suspect in the theft — and later pilfered $1,800 worth of video game consoles and equipment from the Cody Kmart in late 2014. powelltribune.com

Charlotte, NC: Find a Fugitive: CMPD searching for Home Depot shoplifter
CMPD is searching for a woman caught on surveillance rushing out of a south Charlotte Home Depot with a cart full of merchandise she didn’t pay for. An employee tries to stop her — and the situation escalated quickly. “When he intervened she then pulled out a weapon which was a knife and the victim backed off the suspect then took the items outside to a car that was waiting for her.” Said Det. Adrian Johnson of Charlotte Crime Stoppers. fox46.com

Indianapolis, IN: Police galled on burglary in progress at gun store
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the burglary of a gun store on the city’s west side. Around 2:40 a.m. IMPD was called to 500 Guns for a burglary in progress. The report does not state if any guns were stolen. wishtv.com

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Shootings & Deaths

Hickory, NC: Woman shot in head inside furniture store; 2 people wanted in connection with her death
The U.S. Marshals are now involved in the search for two people considered to be “armed and dangerous” following a deadly shooting inside a furniture store in North Carolina. Marshals and the Hickory Police Department are searching for 49-year-old Tangela Parker and 61-year-old Eric Parker, who are both wanted in the death of 51-year-old Phelifia Michele Marlow. Police said Marlow was fatally shot in the head on Jan. 13 inside a furniture store. Additional details on the shooting weren’t immediately released. Tangela Parker is wanted for first-degree murder and Eric Parker is wanted for accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, according to authorities. wyff4.com

Update: Arlington, TX: Suspect Arrested And Charged With The Murder Of C- Store Clerk
An 18 year old male was arrested Thursday morning in connection to the death of a store clerk at an EZ Mart early Sunday morning. Dorian Woodard,18 was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Jordan Hightower,30. Hightower was working at the Arlington corner store when Woodard came in the store and shot him multiple times before stealing several items and fleeing the scene. Hightower was pronounced dead at the scene when police arrived. smashdatopic.com

Update: Fort Washington, MD: Four Men in Custody for Fatal Shooting at Food Mart
Detectives with the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit identified and charged four suspects in connection with Monday’s fatal shooting in Fort Washington. The suspects are all charged with the murder of 66-year-old John Woo Young Jang of Laurel. On January 18, 2021, at approximately 1:00 pm, officers responded to a food mart in the 12500 block of Livingston Road for the report of a robbery. When they arrived, they located the victim inside of the business suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene. thebaynet.com

Omaha, NE: Off-duty Police Officer shoots at suspected Home Depot shoplifter's vehicle
"An Omaha police officer shopping at The Home Depot fired a shot at a vehicle driven by a suspected shoplifter, police said Thursday. The officer, who was off duty, was shopping at the store about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday when he was alerted to a shoplifter, Omaha police said. The officer began to follow the man, who had a shopping cart full of items. Witnesses said an employee had yelled that the man was leaving with unpaid merchandise. The man got into an SUV in the store’s parking lot.

Witnesses said they heard the off-duty officer identify himself as a police officer to the man. The officer then approached the SUV’s front-passenger side. The driver left the parking stall, almost hitting the officer, police said. The officer, who was armed with a handgun, fired once at the vehicle, police said. Witnesses said the officer shot at the vehicle’s tire and not at the driver. Police said they don’t think the driver was injured. Detectives were able to obtain a photo of the suspected shoplifter while he was in the store. Police said they are working with the Omaha Police Department’s burglary unit to seek a warrant for the man’s arrest. omaha.com

Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Update: Carencro, LA: Attempted murder suspect caught during armed robbery investigation in Louisiana
Carencro Police arrest two people in connection to an Armed Robbery, one of them was wanted for Attempted Second Degree Murder. Authorities say 21-year old Angel Lopez and 21-year old Iveth Escalante robbed the the Shop Rite in Carencro earlier in January. On January 20, 2021, Carencro Detectives with the assistance of the Lafayette Sheriff’s Deputies, went to an address within Lafayette Parish and found the two suspects. brproud.com

Springfield, MA: Man charged with armed robbery, biting Walmart security guard
37-year-old Chicopee man is facing armed assault charges following a disturbance Tuesday night at the Boston Road Walmart, where he reportedly bit and slashed a security guard with a box cutter, police said. Freddie Carrasquillo is charged with armed robbery, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed assault with intent to rob, and two counts of assault and battery on a police officer. Police were called to Walmart just before 10 p.m. for a reported disturbance. Store security got into a fight during which Carrasquillo is said to have slashed the guard with a box cutter and bitten one of his hands. When he was taken into custody and brought to the police station for booking, he reportedly refused to put on a mask and repeatedly coughed at officers. masslive.com

Philadelphia, PA: Sledgehammer-wielding thieves targeting convenience store gaming machines

Kitchener, Ontario,Canada: Man charged after $20K theft from optical stores

Memphis, TN: Police seeking 3 in $100,000 burglary of manufacturing equipment company

Bachelor’s ‘Queen’ Victoria Larson Was Arrested in 2012 for Shoplifting: See Her Mugshot

Cory Arnsperger, LPC named Asset Protection Operations Lead for Walmart Neighborhood Market

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