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2/2/22 D-Ddaily.net
 

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Radian Compliance announces Lisa DuBrock was named Chair of the ASIS Professional Standards Board

Radian Compliance, LLC is pleased to announce that Managing Partner/Owner Lisa DuBrock, CPA, CPP was named Chair of the ASIS International Professional Standards Board (PSB) for a two-year term effective January 1, 2022. ASIS International, in its role as a Standards Developing Organization (SDO), is a worldwide leader in creating standards and guidelines to serve the needs of security practitioners in today's global environment. Prior to her appointment, DuBrock served two years as Vice-Chair of the ASIS PSB and ten years as a member.

Read more here


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Going to ISC West on March 22-25? Send us your booth number and we'll make sure the LP/AP and Cybersecurity communities see where you'll be & hopefully stop by your booth!

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The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact


Fighting the Theft Wave with Facial Recognition Tech
Retailers Turn to Facial Recognition to Fight Retail Crime
2021 was a bad year for retail theft. According to a survey conducted by the NRF, a whopping 70 percent of retailers reported experiencing an increase in crime over the last year. Just last month, the federal government charged 29 people with stealing over $29 million in merchandise from Walmart, Costco, CVS, and GNC. The thieves then took to online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay to resell the stolen goods.

According to Retail Industry Leaders Association and the Buy Safe America Coalition, as much as $69 billion, or 1.5 percent of total retail sales, were lost to theft in the past year. While many may recall reports of smash and grab looting in major cities such as San Francisco, New York, and Minneapolis, thefts are not entirely targeted at point-of-sale operations. Thieves are also going after products in transit. In January, a truck leaving a UPS delivery hub in Atlanta was robbed at gunpoint. The transit robberies have also extended to trainyards where just last month in Los Angeles thieves raided a series of cargo containers carrying merchandise from Amazon and REI.

To combat the coordinated thefts, some large retailers such as Macy’s and Bloomingdales are quietly turning to facial recognition technologies to help them catch repeated offenders. Most retailers already utilize a plethora of security cameras throughout their stores to act as a deterrent against any potential thieves. Turning to facial recognition technology simply combines this already existing infrastructure with the power of artificial intelligence.

Facial recognition provider FaceFirst says its technology is already used by about 25 percent of America’s largest retailers. The company runs a whopping 12 trillion face comparisons a day for its customers. However, most retailers that utilize facial recognition technology keep it close to the chest due to customer concerns surrounding the intrinsic big-brother nature of the technology. Face recognition technologies also make mistakes that have problematic results around gender and race. For example, some software has up to a 35 percent error rate when scanning darker-skinned women when compared to a one percent error rate in lighter-skinned men, according to a study conducted by Timnit Gebru from Microsoft and Joy Buolamwini from MIT. dealerscope.com

Manhattan DA Creates Retail Crime Alliance
Spike in NYC high-profile robberies, shoplifting prompts DA Bragg to meet with small businesses

Alliance was formed ineffort 'to reduce shoplifting and commercial robberies'

New York City's Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has created a small business alliance in an attempt to tackle shoplifting and business thefts amid a spate of high-profile, caught-on-camera robberies and criticism over his policies.

Bragg was expected to meet with leadership from Partnership for New York City this week, as previously reported by FOX Business, just days after the district attorney’s office announced the launch of the Manhattan Small Business Alliance.

The alliance was formed in an effort "to reduce shoplifting and commercial robberies in partnership with small business leaders in every neighborhood of Manhattan," Bragg’s office said in a press release last week.

The announcement comes as organized retail theft and business robberies have made headlines across the country, including in Manhattan. The New York Police Department's citywide statistics show petit larceny – or the theft of property valued up to $1,000 – has increased by 14.5%, or from 4,948 to 5,663, year to date in 2022 compared to 2021.

Meanwhile, FOX Business’ Charles Gasparino reported that the Partnership for New York City’s meeting with Bragg would pertain to protecting retail workers in New York City as the DA begins to feel the pressure from the business community.

Bragg came under fire earlier this year after he released a controversial memo titled "Re: Achieving Fairness and Safety." The memo called for Manhattan prosecutors to look for alternatives to prison sentences for criminals convicted of several kinds of offenses and "reduce pretrial incarceration," unless for "very serious cases." foxnews.com

Rite Aid Pushes Back on NYC Crime Closures
Rite Aid denies claims that NYC store closures leading to job loss amid high-profile NYC robberies
A spate of high-profile robberies at New York City Rite Aid locations has highlighted store closures in the area, but the pharmacy and retail giant is pushing back against the notion that its workers are being left without jobs – or that its shops are shuttering only as a result of organized retail theft.

Videos and local reports that have circulated in recent days highlighted brazen shoplifting in at least two Rite Aid stores in Manhattan – in the Hell’s Kitchen and Upper East Side neighborhoods. Both stores are scheduled to close in early-to-mid February, a Rite Aid spokesperson confirmed to FOX Business.

The spokesperson told FOX Business on Monday that the stores are closing "for a number of reasons" based on months-long reviews that are carried out "across the full footprint of 2,500 stores." Sixty-three stores nationwide, roughly 2% of the total number of Rite Aid locations, will be closing as a result of this months-long review, which the company announced in December, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the decisions "are never for one reason, but a variety of factors that retail businesses much consider, such as overarching business strategy, lease and rent considerations, store performance, and much more."

The Rite Aid spokesperson told FOX Business that the Hell’s Kitchen store will close permanently on Feb. 8, while the Upper East Side location will shutter on Feb. 15. But reports that the store employees are being left without other job options are wrong, the spokesperson said. foxbusiness.com

Retail Crime Free-for-All in San Francisco
Helpless Walgreens security guard tries and fails to stop brazen shoplifter

The brazen theft is one of many throughout California, with many blaming progressive politicians for soft-on-crime policies

This is the shocking moment a Walgreens security guard in San Francisco confronted a shoplifter - taken back armfuls of stolen items out of his bags - only to let the thief walk out the door with bags still bulging.

It comes in the wake of huge spike in smash and grab robberies across the US, with LA County and New York City being especially hard hit due to the soft-on-crime policies of progressive District Attorneys George Gascón and Alvin Bragg.

In lawless California, the passage of Proposition 47 in 2014 downgraded charges of property theft of less than $950 in value from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Non-violent property crimes under $950 have been downgraded to misdemeanors, while two or more people conspiring to 'cheat and defraud any person or any property, by any means which are in themselves criminal' face no more than one year in county prison, a fine of $10,000 or a combination of the two.

Earlier this month, fed-up California assemblyman Rudy Salas, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would lower the amount a suspect can steal before facing a felony to $400, which was the original threshold before Proposition 47 passed.

'Enough is enough, we need to fight back against the criminals who are stealing from our communities,' Salas said in a statement introducing the bill. 'We have seen the unintended consequences of Prop 47’s weakening of our theft laws and I believe California voters are ready to make their voices heard on this issue again.'

The law will need to pass through the state legislature and receive a majority vote from California voters on a ballot measure before becoming law.  dailymail.co.uk

Retail & Rail Theft Surge Driving LA County DA Recall Election
LA councilman blasts train theft 'chaos,' calls them 'a threat to our economy'
Amid a surge in smash and grab retail thefts plaguing California, the train crisis caught Newsom's attention, who in late January visited tracks strewn with garbage. The governor promised statewide coordination as law enforcement and prosecutors pursue petty thieves and organized criminals who have been raiding cargo containers.

The thefts have exposed a rift between UP and local law enforcement. In a letter released last month, L.A. County DA George Gascon shifted blame on the company for doing "little to secure or lock trains," while insisting the number of cases involving the rail company fell last year. Meanwhile, according to LAPD Deputy Chief Al Labrada, “UP has significantly decreased law enforcement staffing.”

Gascon, a progressive former San Francisco top prosecutor who was came into office in 2020, insisted that it was “very telling that other major railroad operations in the area are not facing the same level of theft at their facilities as UP."

Yet the company defended itself, saying it has "brought in dozens of special agents from across our 23-state network into the Los Angeles area, starting last year. But these agents cannot totally supplant the expertise and investigative skills of the LAPD, especially when it comes to organized theft of cargo," a spokesperson from UP told Yahoo Finance in an email.

Gascon's progressive policies, however, have him facing a recall effort that was officially approved by the Los Angeles County Registrar on Thursday. The effort was spurred by some of his orders that included the elimination of sentence enhancement charges, zero-bail policies and not prosecuting juveniles as adults for many crimes. finance.yahoo.com

Florida ORC Bill Moves Forward
Organized retail theft bill earns unanimous approval at second committee stop

'We're taking this seriously and you will go to jail if you do it.'

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice approved a bill Tuesday that seeks to crack down on the uptick in “boosters” and organized crime rings stealing from retail stores.

The bill (SB 1534), carried by Bradenton Republican Sen. Jim Boyd, would increase penalties for those who steal multiple items from multiple stores in a short period of time. The legislation was cleared in a unanimous vote and is now headed to its final committee.

Individuals or groups would be subject to third-degree felonies for, within 30 days, committing five or more retail thefts and stealing 10 or more items from at least two different locations. Those who steal 20 or more items would see that bumped up to a second-degree felony.

Businesses would have to tabulate the cost of the stolen items within those 30 days. The bill garnered bipartisan support. Sen. Victor Torres, a Kissimmee Democrat, and Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Miami Democrat, spoke in support of the legislation.

If approved, the increased penalties would take effect in October. floridapolitics.com

Portland becomes home of tent-city chop shops with 26-year high in car thefts

Table Mesa King Soopers in Boulder will reopen nearly a year after mass shooting


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COVID Update

539.9M Vaccinations Given

US: 76.5M Cases - 913.9K Dead - 46.6M Recovered
Worldwide: 382.7M Cases - 5.7M Dead - 303.4M Recovered


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

Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 344  
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 627

*Red indicates change in total deaths


Omicron Cases Beginning to Fade
U.S. Covid fatalities reach highest level in a year as omicron cases subside
The daily death toll from Covid rose to an average of more than 2,400 fatalities over the previous seven days as of Monday, up 39% over the past two weeks and the highest level in about a year, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

“Any time we have deaths after the development of a vaccine — that largely takes off the table the possibility of death — is a tragedy,” Nuzzo said. “There’s no way around that this is a bad development for the pandemic.”

Some parts of the country are seeing encouraging signs, and cases and hospitalizations are easing nationwide. Hopkins data shows that U.S. cases surged to a pandemic high of close to 1 million new infections a day in mid-January. The country is now reporting a seven-day average of about 450,000 new cases per day, down 36% over the past two weeks. cnbc.com

TSA COVID Data Shows U.S. Cases Have Plateaued
TSA worker omicron data can help gauge pandemic’s severity
The TSA provides daily updates on the number of active COVID-19 cases among its screeners. The agency also provides a running case total, as well as the number of deaths. As of Jan. 21, there were 19,930 infections among TSA employees, with close to 92 percent of them airport screeners. This represents almost 40 percent of the TSA airport screening workforce.

The five airports with the most TSA screeners infected are Miami, New York’s John F. Kennedy, Newark, Los Angeles and O’Hare International Airport. In addition, 34 TSA employees have died from COVID-19.

The past month has been particularly brutal for the TSA. On Dec. 27, the TSA reported 1,147 TSA officers with active infections, or around 2 percent of its workforce. By Jan. 12, this number peaked at 3,783, or over 7.5 percent of its workforce. Recent data suggests that new infections have plateaued.

Given that these officers are testing frequently, their infection rate provides a window into what is likely occurring across the nation. As such, the TSA numbers may be providing useful insights into actual nationwide numbers. The 40 percent of the TSA screener workforce that has been infected would translate into over 130 million confirmed cases in the nation, around double the CDC’s official count. More recently, the 7.5 percent of active cases among screeners would translate into close to 25 million people across the nation being currently infected. bangordailynews.com  privateofficerbreakingnews.blogspot.com

Businesses Prep for a World Where COVID is Here to Stay
How Businesses in Texas and Florida Wrestle With States’ Vaccine Backlash

With the Biden administration’s attempt to impose a national standard blocked, companies must navigate a thicket of local rules as they try to return employees to the workplace.

Now that the Supreme Court has blocked the federal vaccine standard, which would have compelled large companies nationwide to mandate Covid-19 vaccines or weekly testing for a total of 80 million workers, businesses in Texas and Florida have been left to navigate complex local laws and muddled public health guidelines as they weigh how to protect their workers.

As the coronavirus increasingly makes clear that it is here to stay, businesses are feeling the pressure to reopen and re-establish some semblance of normalcy. That means figuring out what their safety precautions should look like, especially if their operations span states with drastically different pandemic rules.

The Walt Disney Company suspended its national vaccine mandate for Florida employees because of state regulations, even as it is working to keep the requirement in place for workers in its home state of California. A restaurant owner in Austin said he requested vaccines of his customers, but couldn’t check their proof of vaccination under state law. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has set up a crisis management team that meets twice weekly to evaluate Covid conditions and local laws in the 17 states where it operates, including Texas, and to assess the company’s ability to reopen offices and mandate vaccines or testing.

In Texas and Florida, state officials maintained they wanted to protect the freedoms of workers by limiting the types of safety protocols employers could put in place. Many employers, though, have found that the regulations can be a barrier to keeping their workers safe and businesses open. The Texas and Florida laws have forced national companies that operate in the states to carve out exceptions to corporate policies.

Florida requires businesses to allow for an extensive list of exemptions that workers can cite to avoid a vaccine mandate, effectively making workplace requirements moot. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order in October declaring that no employer could compel vaccination from someone who conscientiously objects to it. Some large national employers are maintaining their vaccine mandates in Texas and Florida by applying them only to people entering their offices.  nytimes.com

90K COVID-Driven Restaurant Closures
Restaurant recovery is hampered by higher costs, Covid surges as 2022 gets off to a ‘pretty sober start’

Some 90,000 restaurants have shuttered, some permanently, as a result of the pandemic, the association reported.

Rising labor and food costs are chipping away at the restaurant industry’s hard-won gains and delaying recovery, according to the findings of a new report.

As the world enters the third year of the ongoing pandemic, restaurant operators are continuing to adapt to doing business in the face of an onslaught of challenges from labor to inflation and Covid variants. While sales are rebounding, a report from the National Restaurant Association suggests it will be a year or more before conditions return to normal as tens of thousands of restaurants have shuttered — some permanently.

While the group’s data show more than half of all operators believe it will be at least a year for business to return to normal, most operators, from fine dining to quick service, said they expect sales will either maintain or grow this year, exhibiting cautious optimism.

While labor remains a top challenge, inflation is a close second, Riehle said. Food costs as a percentage of sales are up for 9 in 10 restaurant operators compared with pre-pandemic levels, and profits are down for 80% of operators compared with 2019. What’s more, 96% of operators experienced supply delays or shortages of key food or beverage items in 2021 — and these challenges will likely continue in 2022. cnbc.com

Business Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit
New Orleans mayor, health department sued over COVID vaccine mandates

Individuals 5 and older must show proof of at least two vaccine doses to enter certain businesses

More than 100 plaintiffs who live and work in the New Orleans area are suing Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the city's health department over its COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates.

The city last month announced that by Feb. 1, all individuals ages 5 and older would have to show proof of at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or a negative PCR or antigen test to enter certain businesses, though a vaccine mandate went into effect for adults on Jan. 3. Additionally, all individuals 2 years old and older must wear masks indoors.

The complaint filed by Rodrigue & Arcuri and attorney Jimmy Faircloth of Faircloth, Melton, Sobel & Bash LLC, on behalf of more than 100 plaintiffs — and counting — accuses the mayor and the health department, including New Orleans Health Director Jennifer Avengno, of causing "social, economic and cultural harm" through ‘authoritarian actions under the pretext of an emergency without end."

"Simply put, the risk posed by Omicron to most people—especially children—is de minimis, far below the risks posed by many other diseases and activities of daily life," the lawsuit states. "For example, the risk to a New Orleans resident or visitor of injury in an automobile or of being the victim of violent crime…is greater than the risk of severe illness from the Omicron variant." foxnews.com

Starbucks says Omicron hit ingredients costs & staffing levels more than expected

Denmark becomes first EU country to lift all Covid-19 restrictions

Pfizer vaccine for kids under 5 could be available by end of February


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Macy's CFO Q&A
Macy’s Is Betting on Online Shopping and Smaller Neighborhood Stores

CFO Adrian Mitchell says mobile phones and off-mall locations will be key to the venerable retailer’s future.

Since joining Macy’s Inc. as chief financial officer in the midst of the pandemic, Mitchell has helped the company bolster its finances and update its business for a changed retail landscape.

In the e-commerce age, some have wondered about the future of retailers with big brick-and-mortar footprints such as Macy’s. Why continue to invest heavily in both digital and physical retail?

We’re fundamentally reimagining this business end to end, but at the core is the customer and how his or her expectations are evolving. And our most profitable, most engaged, happiest customers shop multiple channels. When we went into 2021, our thesis was that digital will continue to remain strong and stores would probably have a real tough time. What we saw is stores really rebounded and digital didn’t miss a beat.

Why are you starting an online marketplace later this year?

When we look at our search results, there are things that we simply don’t carry or carry in enough depth that customers were searching for on our macys.com or bloomingdales.com websites. The digital marketplace gives us the ability to carry a complete experience with many more items available to the customer without necessarily carrying the physical inventory. It allows us to enter into categories we’ve not been in. It allows us to be deeper in categories where we’re much leaner.

You’re changing your physical stores.

We’re incredibly excited about the new store growth potential that we see in off-mall [stores]. A 30,000- to 50,000-square-foot Macy’s—one that’s in neighborhoods and power centers closer to where the customer lives, where the soccer game is, where work may be, where the grocery store is located—is the next evolution in our physical footprint.

Is the physical shopping experience changing as well? - Why is the phone so important for a brick-and-mortar retailer? - Why have retailers shown such a great interest in influencers in recent years? bloomberg.com
 
Retail Staffing Crisis in the Headlines
Labor Shortages are Crippling the Retail Industry
Labor shortages are crippling several industries, including healthcare, education, construction, and retail. Customers are experiencing longer wait times, different store hours, and temporary closures. In the most underserved neighborhoods, customers are experiencing the lingering effects of COVID-19. Individual retailers are making daily assessments to determine how to service customers. Walgreens has reported that the demand due to the super spreader strain of the virus is unlike anything it has seen before. The pharmacy chains have reported massive staff shortages in the wake of the Omicron spread.

These staffing shortages impact businesses’ revenue. Some employees have contracted COVID, have a family member with COVID-19, or encountered someone with COVID-19. This issue has become a bigger concern with the widespread instances of the Omicron variant. The lack of staffing affects customer experience and profitability. During the pandemic, customers have experienced long lines in stores, the drive-thru, and delivery times. Some pharmacy locations have limited services like closing the drive-through windows. Other retail pharmacies have modified their store hours or experienced temporary closures.

Most retail employers are trying to increase staffing, but it can be a challenge while dealing with the stress of staffing shortages. Employers have open positions but do not have qualified applicants to fill those positions. Increased hourly wages, signing bonuses, and other perks are there to entice new employees. Could this be the result of the “Great Resignation” of 2021? There is a high number of employees quitting their jobs that have affected the retail and hospitality service industries. chicagodefender.com

'The Great Supply Chain Disruption'
A Normal Supply Chain? It’s ‘Unlikely’ in 2022.

The chaos at ports, warehouses and retailers will probably persist through the year, and perhaps even longer.

With the havoc at ports showing no signs of abating and prices for a vast array of goods still rising, the world is absorbing a troubling realization: Time alone will not solve the Great Supply Chain Disruption.

It will require investment, technology and a refashioning of the incentives at play across global business. It will take more ships, additional warehouses and an influx of truck drivers, none of which can be conjured quickly or cheaply. Many months, and perhaps years, are likely to transpire before the chaos subsides.

It’s unlikely to happen in 2022,” said Phil Levy, chief economist at Flexport, a freight forwarding company based in San Francisco. “My crystal ball gets murky further out.”

For those who keep tabs on the global supply chain, the very concept of a return to normalcy has given way to a begrudging acceptance that a new normal may be unfolding.

Cheap and reliable shipping may no longer be taken as a given, forcing manufacturers to move production closer to customers. After decades of reliance on lean warehouses and online systems that monitor inventory and summon goods as needed — a boon to shareholders — manufacturers may revert to a more prudent focus on extra capacity.

Mayhem at factories, ports and shipping yards, combined with the market dominance of major companies, is a key driver for rising prices. But whatever the politicians and central bankers unleash in the name of taming inflation, businesses continue to struggle to manufacture and distribute their products. nytimes.com

Are Your Stores Ready?
Next winter storm will stretch over 2,000 miles
As the second winter storm in less than a week sets up across the country, 21 states are gearing up for a blast of winter precipitation and dangerously cold temperatures.

More than 85 million people are currently under winter weather alerts stretching from the Rockies to New England -- over 2,000 miles.

The biggest impact will be in the South, where a crippling ice storm is likely. Places including Dallas and Memphis, Tennessee, could see icy roads and power outages amid dangerously cold temperatures. Parts of the Midwest could see over a foot of snow; potentially the biggest snow in a century for some. cnn.com

Vitamin Shoppe opens its first-ever franchise store

Decathlon to close its two US stores this year, focus on online sales

Nationwide Delivery Company Shipt Names New CEO



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Victim Impact Statements -
Follow-through is the key to success

More than 40% of Victim Impact Statements are never returned by retailers.

Do not lose your restitution opportunities!

It is fair to say that without an organized program for collecting and responding to Victim Impact Statements, most retailers are missing an opportunity to inform jurisdictions of their full loss. Retailers may not be awarded restitution from a loss suffered in their stores, warehouses and/or corporate locations if they do not respond to official requests. Without having a central location for jurisdictions to send Victim Impact Statements, they will most likely be sent to the location where the theft occurred; where they may sit unanswered or worse yet, be discarded. Victim Impact Statements are deadline driven and normally require research and follow through. Each year thousands become stale due to lack of response or are rejected as incomplete. While the basic information may be the same, each jurisdiction has its own set of rules and expectations for completion. Knowing the nuances required by each jurisdiction can make the difference to the restitution awarded.

The Zellman Group has a long-standing relationship with thousands of Courts and Department of Corrections across the country. This relationship ensures smooth communication between all parties. Our centralized process ensures every Victim Impact Statement arrives from the jurisdiction of offense to our firm. Zellman processes all Victim Impact Statements well within deadlines and manages all follow-up. Our process ensures that our retail partners will recover substantially more money with very little expense.

Click here to learn more.

The Zellman Group, LLC is a full-service Loss Prevention provider located in Greenvale, NY. Contact us at info@zellmangroup.com or at 516-625-0006.


 

 

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Remote Work's Cybersecurity Risks
Cybersecurity Challenges For Businesses To Address In Age Of Hybrid Work
Since 2020, organizations globally have experienced a paradigm shift in how they organize work and communicate with their workforce. The pandemic forced the world to rethink the old employer-employee relationship models in multiple ways. Working from home — or anywhere — became the norm. Now, as normality is slowly restored throughout the world, we see that the ways people approach their relationship to working at the office have changed — possibly permanently.

The global cyberthreat landscape was altered accordingly. Employees leaving the walled-in office networks left many organizations scrambling cybersecurity-wise. Suddenly, instead of protecting a single network, cybersecurity professionals had to ensure the integrity of networks that spread throughout home offices and public working spaces.

1. Poorly Protected Home And Public Networks And Traffic

For cybercriminals, breaching a home network is undoubtedly easier than doing so to a well-protected company network. Even more so if the home network lacks basic security features. Consider the age-old problem of domestic Wi-Fi routers. Some of them — I can hardly believe I still have to write this — are protected with a simple "admin" password. Before the pandemic, this was a personal risk. Now, as the integrity of personal networks directly correlates with the integrity of corporate ones, it’s a business problem, too.

2. Increased Social Engineering Attempts

The number of social engineering attempts soared in the last few years — the FBI recorded almost a quarter of a million complaints regarding phishing in 2020 alone. Although data from 2021 is not yet in, there's little basis to believe the numbers will be more optimistic by any measure. Social engineering is still one of the most efficient attack vectors for criminals to exploit, and I firmly believe it will remain so in the foreseeable future.

3. Multiple Personal Devices

While working from home, employees tend to write work emails, access company cloud resources and communicate with colleagues via chats — not just on their work devices but on personal ones, too. Sometimes, those personal devices don't even have a simple screen lock, allowing threat actors to access any data on them. Device sharing is also a present problem, as employees tend to let their work devices be used by other household members, creating additional cybersecurity risks. forbes.com

Double-Extortion Ransomware Attacks
One in seven ransomware extortion attempts leak key operational tech records

Researchers say that double-extortion ransomware attacks represent a severe risk to operational processes.

One in seven ransomware extortion data leaks reveals business-critical operational technology data, researchers say. Ransomware has evolved from barebone encryption and basic demands for payment into something potentially far more severe in recent years.

AdvertisementIn what some cybersecurity experts call "big game hunting," ransomware groups go for large enterprise firms, utilities, hospitals, and key supply chain players. While it may take longer to perform the reconnaissance required to enter networks owned by large companies, once entry has been obtained, it is possible that one attack can land them millions of dollars.

Cisco Secure coined the term "one-two-punch" extortion, in which ransomware operators will steal confidential data before encryption begins and will threaten to leak this information if a victim refuses to pay up.

"Based on our analysis, one out of every seven leaks from industrial organizations posted in ransomware extortion sites is likely to expose sensitive OT documentation," the researchers say. "Access to this type of data can enable threat actors to learn about an industrial environment, identify paths of least resistance, and engineer cyber-physical attacks."

To make matters worse, leaked OT records may also provide cyberattackers -- whether the original group or a copycat team looking to strike the same victim -- a picture of a company's culture, staff, finances, production processes, research, intellectual property, and more.

Last month, Trellix (McAfee Enterprise/FireEye) released the results of an analysis of ransomware attacks between July and September 2021. The company said that organizations in the finance and retail sectors, alongside utilities, were the most common targets, making up 58% of reported ransomware incidents. zdnet.com

U.S. Employers Embrace New Cybersecurity Solutions
Talon raises another $17 million for browser-based cybersecurity solution

The Israeli startup recently released TalonWork for Mac and said that it is already up and running in dozens of companies, including some of the largest employers in the U.S.

Israeli startup Talon Cyber Security, which launched its browser-based cybersecurity platform last year, announced on Monday that it has added SAFE investments of $17 million to take its total funding to $43 million, prior to an upcoming A-Round of funding. The company, which will have its valuation set in its next round, raised $26 million in its Seed round last year.

The company recently released TalonWork for Mac, expanding the coverage of Talon's endpoint agnostic solution, and said that it is already up and running in dozens of companies, including some of the largest employers in the U.S. Talon initially launched its secure browser for enterprises, TalonWork, in October, enabling enterprise companies to effectively manage a hybrid workforce without having to compromise security, employee experience or privacy.  calcalistech.com
 
The Rise Of Cybersecurity Standards For Modern Software


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RCC's Retail Loss Prevention Forum
Protecting People, Property and Assets

Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 1:00pm - 4:00pm ET - Virtual Format

The Retail Loss Prevention Forum is a must-attend event for retail loss prevention executives, team leaders and junior professionals. Law enforcement, industry suppliers, and experts who work closely with retailers will benefit from attending and participating in collaborative conversations.

The event is Canada's annual gathering of loss prevention, law enforcement and security professionals. Attend and participate in critical conversations about organized retail crime, the rise in violence, changing in-store technologies, risk management, as well as leadership and career development.


 



COVID Update


Vax, Mask & Lockdown Protest in Canada's Capital
Thousands in Ottawa protest COVID mandates, many rebuked
Thousands of protesters gathered in Canada’s capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns. Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, others carried signs and flags with swastikas and some used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, sparking widespread condemnation.

Protestors compared vaccine mandates to fascism, one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The statue of Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, was draped with a upside down Canadian flag with a sign that said “mandate freedom.”

The convoy of truckers and others prompted police to prepare for the possibility of violence and warn residents to avoid downtown. A top Parliament security official advised lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted.

Trudeau has said Canadians are not represented by this “very troubling, small but very vocal minority of Canadians who are lashing out at science, at government, at society, at mandates and public health advice.

The prime minister’s itinerary for the day usually says he is in Ottawa if he’s at home, but on Saturday it said “National Capital Region” amid a report he’s been moved to an undisclosed location. One of Trudeau’s kids has COVID-19 and the prime minister has been isolating and working remotely. apnews.com

Canada's Version of the Jan. 6th Riot?
Canada police fear violence at trucker vaccine protest
A convoy of truckers set to descend on Ottawa to protest a vaccine mandate for cross-border drivers is prompting Canadian police to prepare for violence and politicians to warn against escalating rhetoric linked to the demonstration.

Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly said Wednesday officers had been in been in contact with protest leaders whom he said have been co-operative and shared their plans. But Deputy Chief Steve Bell voiced concern about “parallel groups” that intelligence suggests will also turn up to the protest.

The truckers are protesting a new requirement that truckers entering Canada be fully immunized as of Jan. 15. The United States has imposed the same requirement on truckers entering that country.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance has estimated that about 15% truckers in Canada — as many as 16,000 — are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Some with far-right views have latched onto the protest. One online video includes a man expressing hope the rally will turn into the Canadian equivalent of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump. apnews.com

Best Buy Mask Policy Human Rights Complaint
Human rights complaint filed over Best Buy's mask policy dismissed by B.C. tribunal
A human rights complaint filed against Best Buy over its COVID-19 mask policy has been dismissed by a B.C. tribunal. The complainant, John Ratchford, claimed he was discriminated against based on a physical disability when he was told he couldn't shop inside the store without wearing a mask.

The decision, posted by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal late last week, says the incident happened in October 2020. While B.C. hadn't mandated masks in public spaces yet, the province was in a state of emergency because of COVID-19 and Best Buy had implemented its own policy of requiring masks for in-store shopping. Employees were also required to wear a mask.

"Best Buy was not obligated to provide a perfect accommodation, but a reasonable one … and Mr. Ratchford was obligated to participate in the accommodation process, accepting solutions that were reasonable."

Earlier this month, a complaint against Loblaws was dismissed. Ohler said in her decision on that incident that the complainant didn't give enough information to explain how he experienced an adverse impact because of the mask policy.

And, in November, a complaint against Lululemon Athletica was dismissed, with Ohler saying employees at the store offered a shopper who refused to wear a mask other options for buying her merchandise.

A similar human rights complaint decision was published the week before that, after a person at a pet food store was denied entry for not wearing a mask. In that situation, Ohler also determined the shopper was offered adequate accommodation. bc.ctvnews.ca

The Real Cause of Empty Store Shelves in Canada
Worker absenteeism -- not trucker vax mandates -- impacting store shelves
Vaccine mandates for truckers have raised transportation costs -- but haven't impacted the shipment of goods to stores, the head of one of Canada's largest grocery chains says.

Instead, Metro president and CEO Eric La Fleche said Tuesday the biggest impact on Canada's food industry supply chain has been worker absenteeism due to COVID-19 protocols.

The labour shortage caused by quarantined workers has impacted the entire supply chain -- including retail stores, distribution centres and suppliers as well as transportation -- driving sporadic outages of certain products, he said.

"There's certainly less variety than there should be and we're not as full as we'd like to be," he said. "But we're not missing food out there."

Meanwhile, the worst of the product delays and shortages might have passed, La Fleche said.

"More and more people that were infected are back at work, both at our suppliers and in our own operations," he said. "It's improving every day. Every week, we're getting better." montreal.ctvnews.ca

Vaccine Passport to Enter Stores in Quebec
BC not expanding vaccine passport to liquor, cannabis stores
People looking to buy alcohol or cannabis in Quebec will have to show proof of vaccination starting today, and although the move has turned many heads BC, is not looking to follow suit. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed Tuesday that the province will not be making any changes to its vaccine passport system — leaving grocery, liquor, and retail shopping exempt from vaccine certificate rules.

BC General Employees’ Union president Stephanie Smith also said the union doesn’t have a position on the issue. She worries that requiring vaccination at liquor stores could create dangerous situations for employees who need to enforce the rules.

“Our priority is always about ensuring our members are working in a safe and healthy environment,” she said.

The union represents all workers at provincially run BC liquor and cannabis stores. Staff need to be vaccinated along with all other BC public servants.

Dr. Brian Conway, an infectious disease specialist and medical director of Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, told Daily Hive he’s concerned at the amount of crowding in some indoor spaces — and he’d like to see more prevention measures until case counts go down. dailyhive.com

Canada says just as many trucks are entering from the US despite the vaccine mandate for truckers that triggered protests

Canada's Trudeau 'not intimidated' by truckers' COVID protest

Freedom Convoy: Trudeau calls trucker protest an 'insult to truth'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tests positive for Covid-19
 



Black Market Canadian Credit Cards Cheaper Than Starbucks
Stolen Canadian payment card information is as cheap as flashy latte
A new report from NordVPN found that stolen Canadian payment card information costs only $ 6.50 on average in the black market, cheaper than some fine coffee. This is C $ 12, which is half the global average cost of stolen credit card information.

In the report, NordVPN analyzed data from 140 countries collected by independent cybersecurity researchers. In total, we found that nearly 4.5 million card datasets are sold in the black market. According to the report, more than 45,000 Canadian card details were found online, as Canada’s credit card penetration is the highest in the world.

In Canada, Visa credit card information is the most common, followed by Mastercard. On the contrary, debit card information was abundant in the United States. The report states that debit cards are riskier because they don’t have as many chargebacks and other safeguards as credit cards.

This study used a risk index ranging from 0 to 1 to rank potential victims of credit card theft. This number was calculated based on the average number of credit cards a person owns. The more cards you have, the higher the risk.

North Americans were particularly vulnerable due to the large number of cards, but Europeans were also shown to be at high risk. eminetracanada.com

7-Eleven Customer Lawsuit
Penticton, BC: Man suing 7-Eleven after incident left him with injuries
A man is suing 7-Eleven after allegedly suffering injuries in the Penticton store that he claims left him in significant pain. Marcel Berube filed a lawsuit in Penticton on Jan. 19 which describes a July 2021 incident during which a tile in the ceiling fell in the 7-Eleven on Skaha Lake Road and hit him on the head.

The suit alleges Berube suffered neck and back injuries, a concussion, post-concussion issues and light sensitivity as a result of the incident. Berube further claims he continues to need medical treatment, and that his family has had to step in to perform household duties and other services for him in the months since the incident.

He is seeking an unspecified amount of money for damages including lost income in the past and future, medical care and payment for those who provided care and services to date.

According to the suit, 7-Eleven failed to "take any care, or in the alternative, any reasonable care, to ensure that [Berube] would be reasonably safe in using the store." castanet.net

RCC's response to today's Supply Chain Summit
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) was pleased to join Ministers Alghabra, Ng, Champagne along with MP Koutrakis, and key business and industry leaders, at today's Government of Canada Supply Chain Summit.

RCC believes that this Summit, including future discussions and collaboration among stakeholders to address the critical challenges and barriers facing our supply chain efficiency and resilience, is essential to optimize existing infrastructure, increase capacity and improve our supply chain performance.

"As an essential stakeholder, RCC supports both short and long terms solutions to improve the supply chain as retailers rely heavily on a resilient and modern infrastructure to ensure they can deliver the products that Canadian consumers want and need," noted Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO of Retail Council of Canada. newswire.ca

With dozens of pot shops popping up across northern Ontario, legal weed market could be at 'saturation point'

Toronto, ON: Boy, 13, arrested in robbery investigation; tied to recent homicide
A 13-year-old male charged with murder in connection with the death of a teenage boy is facing separate offences due to his affiliation with an unrelated robbery. Toronto Police say the boy allegedly robbed a pharmacy at gunpoint on Jan. 18 in East York at Dawes Road and Chapman Avenue.

The following night, police say the 15-year-old was shot and killed in an underground parking garage near Pape and Cosburn Avenues. The boy accused of killing him can’t be identified because of his age. The teen’s death is the eighth homicide of 2022, at least seven of which are related to gun violence.

On Monday, the unnamed 13-year-old was arrested and faced three additional charges, including robbery with a firearm. toronto.citynews.ca

In Case You Missed It
Campbell River, BC, Canada: Video shows elderly woman stopping suspected Walmart shoplifter, rips off his balaclava
According to a video posted online, a brave elderly woman managed to stop a suspected shoplifter from leaving a Walmart store by tearing off his balaclava. A man wearing a balaclava pulled a shopping cart full of goods towards the exit of a Canadian Walmart in a video posted on Facebook. When a person recording inside the Campbell River Walmart asked a man in the ski mask whether he intends to pay for his purchases, the suspected shoplifter replied, 'ye'.

However, when the suspected shoplifter approached the exit, an elderly woman got suspicious of his intentions and blocked his escape, ripping off his black ski mask. With his face exposed, the man exited the store without the shopping cart and rode his bicycle out of the supermarket parking lot. Darrell Johansen, who shared the video on Facebook, said he reported the incident to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and alleged that even more thefts had occurred at the Campbell River Walmart. meaww.com

Halifax, NS: Bystanders help stop alleged jewelry thief at Dartmouth’s Mic Mac Mall
“Two bystanders & mall security officers detained the man until police arrived.”

12-year-old faces firearm charges after Dartmouth store robbery

Kitchener man charged in connection to mall robbery & multiple break and enters

Two charged after armed robbery in Morinville

Smokes swiped in Halifax convenience store robbery

Red Deer RCMP seeking assistance to identify suspects involved in assault, robbery

RCMP investigate weekend armed robbery in Cupar, Sask.

Gas bar robbery suspect sought in Fort Erie, Niagara Falls

Police seeking 2 suspects after robbery at phone store in Vaughan


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Amazon's Post-Pandemic Future
How mighty will Amazon be after the pandemic?

This week’s results may presage a future of choosier shoppers, resurgent competitors and tougher regulation

Covid-19 may have knocked the sales and profits of many businesses, but Amazon was a standout pandemic winner, notching up millions of new recruits who turned to online streaming and shopping while shielding at home.

In Britain, 56% of households are now thought to have had access to Prime Video after almost 700,000 more people signed up in the final quarter of last year, according to analysts at Kantar.

On Thursday, Amazon will reveal the extent to which it has been able to hold on to those new customers as high streets reopened while the costs and complexities of serving shoppers increased.

Widespread supply chain hold-ups, with some factories shut during Covid scares and shipping routes disrupted, are expected to have affected its ability to obtain and deliver products. The cost of delivering has also gone up, as Amazon has had to battle for staff and invest in additional logistical kit amid a global surge in demand for home deliveries. In the UK, it increased pay for warehouse workers and offered signing-on bonuses of up to £3,000 before Christmas to attract staff, as well as offering more than £11 an hour in some parts of the country – three pounds more than the current minimum wage.

Meanwhile, shoppers now have more chance to try clothes on in boutiques, go on holiday or venture out to bars and clubs – meaning less cash to splash on Amazon. Such problems have already hit the share prices of tech companies, from online fashion sellers Asos and Boohoo to streaming service Netflix.

At Amazon, difficulties prompted a disappointing performance in the three months to the end of September when the company reported its biggest year-on-year profits decline since 2017. Another fall is expected for the Christmas quarter. theguardian.com

The Future of E-Commerce?
Augmented Reality is the Future of Online Shopping
Integrating AR shopping directly into social media platforms is a savvy business move that’s made Nike—a brand that continues to find huge success among younger demographics—stand out in the surging social commerce market, says Ying Zhu, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Management at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus whose research focuses on digital marketing, branding, consumer behavior, business analytics, and social networks. “Brands like Nike are likely to engage their younger target audience through social media and AR apps,” she says.

While Snapchat has led the way with integrated AR experiences, other social media platforms have recently expanded their in-app shopping offerings. In the past year, TikTok launched a feature with Shopify that allows users to shop directly from videos and retailer profiles, YouTube began pilot testing a livestream shopping feature, and Instagram introduced AR-powered makeup try-ons for brands like NYX, Urban Decay and Lancome as part of parent company Facebook’s partnership with L’Oréal and its AR beauty company ModiFace.

With sales forecasted to soar so exponentially, augmented reality experiences that allow shoppers to virtually try on, personalize or visualize products—from clothing to shoes to makeup to furniture—have the potential to change the social commerce game for brands targeting tech-savvy consumer demographics. time.com

Amazon Marketplace is 25% of US E-commerce

Is Amazon ready to raise the price of Prime delivery? Wall Street thinks so


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Los Angeles, CA: Man made lavish purchases at Chanel, Gucci in $500 million credit card scheme, feds say
A 33-year-old man bought luxury items from high-end retail stores like Chanel, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent in a more than $500 million credit card scam in California, prosecutors said. Trace Jevon Jones, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to four years in federal prison on Jan. 31 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California said in a news release From 2016 to 2018, Jones led a multimillion-dollar scheme by fraudulently using American Express credit cards to buy high-end goods, the news release states.

An attorney for Jones did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment. Jones and five others would contact American Express pretending to be the account holder, prosecutors said. Then the six people would ask the company to send them a replacement credit card without the real account holder’s permission, according to court documents.

They would intercept the credit cards by getting the delivery information, court documents show. Once they had the credit cards, Jones and the others would make lavish purchases of bags, shoes, jewelry and other items at luxury stores in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, prosecutors said. Jones spent thousands of dollars per purchase at stores including Chanel, Gucci, Barneys, Fendi, Balenciaga and Goyard, court documents show. He made a $16,647.38 purchase at a Gucci store in Costa Mesa, documents show. He was ordered to pay $521,128 in restitution to American Express.

Other defendants in the case have been sentenced for their role in the scheme. Terry Ellis Jr., 40, was sentenced to two years in prison. Davion Raymone Ellis, 32, was sentenced to three years. Cherelle Daire Beal, 31, and Miranda Clare Hensley, 31, were ordered to serve three years of supervised release after getting credit for time served. Jonathan Randall Ross, 33, is scheduled to be sentenced. thestate.com

Clovis, CA: CVS store robbed of 10,000 pills
Four people were arrested with about 10,000 prescription pills they allegedly stole from a drug store, Clovis police said Tuesday. A burglar alarm sounded about 3 a.m. at the CVS Pharmacy, police said, after someone smashed through the glass doors to get inside. Officers arrived and saw a car leaving the parking lot, according to police, and stopped the car on Herndon Avenue west of Willow. Among the stolen medicine were about 4,500 pills of the generic version of Xanax, police said, which are considered by law enforcement a Schedule IV controlled substance. fresnobee.com

Montclair, NJ: More Than $800 in Beauty Products Stolen from Blue Mercury
Montclair police officers responded to theft of nearly $1000 in merchandise from Blue Mercury store, officials confirmed. On January 25, an employee of Blue Mercury, located on South Park Street, reported seeing two females on surveillance video entering the store and concealing merchandise in large handbags. tapinto.net

Honolulu, HI: Craze over collectables catch the eyes of criminals
Collectables are catching the eyes of criminals. Retail Merchants of Hawaii says it’s noticing everything from trading cards to memorabilia getting taken off the shelves. “We are seeing a lot more theft right now and it’s really sad,” said Tina Yamaki, Retail Merchants of Hawaii President. The craze over collectibles has skyrocketed during the pandemic. With collectors willing to pay top dollar, thieves are setting their targets. On Sunday, police say someone robbed the Aloha Card Shop in Puck’s Alley. Employees told KHON2 the thief got away with up to $30,000 worth of sports cards. Yamaki says thieves make a quick buck by selling the stolen goods online. “You can set up a fake account, with a fake name, fake address, and all of this other kind of stuff,” said Yamaki. “Then you can sell it. You meet the person. They give you cash because a lot of times it’s cash only, and then they’re gone.” khon2.com

State College, PA: Police Investigating Theft of Nearly $4,000 in Items from Walmart

Nashville, TN: Person accused of stealing $1,300 worth of jerseys from Hibett Sports

Las Vegas, NV: Police looking for 4 suspects in connection with numerous retail thefts


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Shootings & Deaths

Charlotte, NC: Update: CMPD releases body-cam footage of police shooting that killed man at east Charlotte Walmart
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has released body-cam footage from a fatal officer-involved shooting that took place on Nov. 5, 2021. The shooting happened at the Walmart on Albemarle Road around 5:50 p.m. CMPD says they had an encounter with the suspect, Derrell Raney, 33, earlier in the morning on the same day. Just before 6 a.m., CMPD says officers responded to a home on Winding Cedar Trail because Raney claimed he found two dead bodies behind the home. Police say officers searched the area and found no evidence or validity to Raney’s claims. Members of CMPD’s Crisis Intervention Team also responded. They urged Raney to be evaluated at the hospital but he refused any kind of treatment.

Around 4:30 p.m. later that afternoon, CMPD officers responded to a location on Albemarle Road in reference to an unrelated call for service. While addressing this call, officers responded to a separate call for service at the Food Lion next door. While officers were addressing this call for service, Walmart security approached officers and stated that someone pointed a firearm at one of their security guards in the parking lot. Just after 5:50 p.m., officers were flagged down by Walmart security and responded to a different area of the parking lot to investigate the information they received from the security personnel.

Police say the security guard pointed them in the direction of Raney who was seated in the grass with a backpack in front of him and his right hand concealed inside the backpack. CMPD says both officers gave verbal commands to Raney to show them his hands. Police say Raney did not comply and removed the firearm from the bag while keeping it partially concealed. CMPD goes on to say officers continued to command Raney to drop the firearm, but Raney then began to raise the firearm up in the direction of the officers. CMPD officers James Longworth and Micah Edmunds fired shots from their service weapons. Police say the officers secured Raney’s firearm. Arriving officers began life-saving efforts, Raney was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries and was pronounced dead around 6:30 p.m. wbtv.com

Philadelphia, PA: Store worker shoots suspect during robbery in Wissinoming
A Philadelphia store worker who police say was shot during an armed robbery was able to return fire, wounding one of the suspects. The store clerk, a 32-year-old woman, is now hospitalized in critical condition after she was shot as many as three times. The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. Tuesday morning inside of a store on the 5500 block of Torresdale Avenue in Philadelphia's Wissinoming neighborhood. Police say the victim was behind the counter with the manager when two suspects entered the store through a rear door and went behind the counter. A struggled ensued and the victim was shot 2-3 times in the thigh. Police say she was also armed and fired at the suspects.

Investigators say they believed one of the suspects was shot, and alerted local hospitals in case he showed up for treatment. Later Tuesday morning, police say a man matching the description of the suspect on the store's surveillance video was dropped off at Temple University Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. At least two guns were recovered at the scene. fox29.com

Philadelphia, PA: Security guard shot during brawl outside Rite Aid
Authorities say a security guard was shot in the foot during an argument with a pair of unruly customers outside a North Philadelphia Rite Aid Tuesday night. Philadelphia Police Captain John Walker told reporters that a man and woman were asked to leave the store at the intersection of Broad and Oxford streets around 9 p.m. "They were believed to be a little bit indignant to the people in the store, so the security guards asked them to leave," Walker said.

After the two customers were ushered outside the store by security, Small said the man and one of the security guards went to the AMC parking lot across the street. Police say an argument escalated to a fistfight, and the man pulled out a gun and shot the 41-year-old security guard in the foot. He was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition, authorities said. The shooting was blocks away from Temple University's campus and prompted the school to share an alert on Twitter. No arrests were reported immediately after the shooting. Police are still trying to determine what lead to the argument and shooting. fox29.com

Philadelphia, PA: Dog named Bullet saves clerk in gun battle with robbers
A gun battle between a Philadelphia corner store clerk and two would-be armed robbers was caught on video. The store’s manager credits his dog with saving the lives of both his clerk and himself. Security video shows the moments early Tuesday morning when two would-be robbers rushed into the Big A corner store in Philadelphia’s Wissinoming section. “Two people come in with a big gun and a small gun. They come straight up to all the way here with the gun at the girl’s head and my head. They say don’t move,” said Sammy Aloubehi, the store’s manager. The manager says one suspect pointed a gun at his 32-year-old clerk, who was sitting on the couch. “It happened right here. He coming straight out with the gun. The girl, she was here. The bullet is right here. It was almost at her head,” Aloubehi said.

The manager believes the would-be robbery may have turned deadly if not for his dog, Bullet. The dog jumped all over the suspect, getting in his way, before the clerk took out a gun and fired. “If he didn’t move the guy and cover him, he would shoot the girl before she shoot him. He did help,” Aloubehi said. “He saved my life and her life.” One suspect is seen in video running away before the second suspect shot at the clerk several times. She was hit four times and is now being treated at the hospital. Aloubehi says she’s doing fine. Police recovered a weapon left behind by one of the suspects. No arrests have been made yet. wsaz.com

Wichita, KS: Man injured in shooting at Gas Station in west Wichita

 



Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Los Angeles County, CA: Railroad burglaries: 5 arrested after train cars broken into in Torrance
Police arrested five people suspected of breaking into a train car late Sunday night in Torrance. A witness called authorities about 11:30 p.m. after observing several suspects breaking into a car on the railroad tracks near 190th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard, the Torrance Police Department stated in a news release. The caller told police that at least three suspects were seen carrying boxes from the train cars. Arriving officers quickly detained one person, then located four more suspects while searching the area, according to the release. Investigators said they found multiple train cars that had locks cut and doors forced open. The officers recovered small generators still in their boxes that were stolen from one of the train cars, the Police Department stated. All five suspects were ultimately arrested on suspicion of burglary, receiving stolen property and conspiracy. The Police Department encouraged the public to be vigilant of any criminal activity and said these arrests serve as an example of the Department partnering with citizens to combat the increase in theft from rail cars. ktla.com

Cedar Falls, IA: Felony Lane Gang suspect charged with car burglaries
A Florida man has been arrested in connection with the theft of purses from Cedar Falls parking lots in December in what may have been the prelude to attempted Felony Lane Gang-style bank fraud. Victory Alexander Ogiste, 26, of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested Monday for four counts of burglary to a vehicle. His bond was set at $15,000. Felony Lane Gang is a moniker used by investigators for crimes involving the use of stolen identification to drain victims’ bank accounts. Thieves start by stealing purses and then use IDs to pass bogus checks or make bank withdrawals. The transactions usually use bank drive-thoughs, and “Felony Lane” refers to the farthest drive-through lane from the teller window where there is less chance of being identified. wcfcourier.com

King County, WA: Woman charged with threatening Bellevue Gas Station employee with gun after she refused to wear mask
King County prosecutors say a 33-year-old Spanaway, Pierce County, woman pointed a gun at a gas station employee in Bellevue on Thursday after refusing to wear a mask inside the business. Angela Nommensen was arrested and booked into the King County Jail, and though prosecutors had asked that she be held on $75,000 bail, a judge ordered her release at her first court appearance, according to court records and a prosecutor’s spokesman. She was charged Tuesday with felony harassment, accused of threatening to kill the gas station employee, and a summons was issued for her to appear at her Feb. 14 arraignment, court records show.

The employee told officers Nommensen refused to put on a mask and refused to leave the store so he eventually grabbed her shoulder and physically escorted her out. After walking back into the store, the employee turned and saw Nommensen draw a firearm and point it at him through the store’s glass door, according to the charges. Nommensen, who showed officers her driver’s license and concealed pistol license, claimed she couldn’t wear a mask due to some unnamed medical condition and that the employee had attacked her and grabbed her neck while pushing her from the store, the charges say. Police say Nommensen told them she was scared of the clerk because he is a man and is physically bigger than she is, according to the charges. seattletimes.com

Las Vegas, NV: Man accused of robbing 7 businesses in 12 days
A man is accused of committing seven robberies in 12 days in January, according to an arrest report from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. Alfonzo Robas, 33, faces seven counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and burglary with a firearm. LVMPD said he's suspected of robbing six gas stations and a pharmacy from Jan. 16-28. LVMPD said the robberies occurred at seven locations, including Circle K, Chevron, CVS, Horizon Market & Gas, Rebel, AMPM, and Speedee Mart. fox5vegas.com

Chicago, IL: Gas Station Burglaries Lead To Police Pursuit Ending In Albany Park; 5 People Taken Into Custody

San Francisco, CA: Suspect in Union Square retail theft arrested

Four arrested in series of armed robberies

Brighton, MI: Man steals woman’s purse outside Grocery store, shoots her in face with BB gun as she chases him


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Adult – Boardman, OH – Robbery
C-Store – Amarillo, TX – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Colorado Springs, CO – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Philadelphia, PA – Armed Robbery / Shooting
C-Store – Fremont, CA – Armed Robbery
CVS – Clovis, CA – Burglary
Cellphone – West Chester, OH – Burglary
Cellphone – Chicago, IL – Armed Robbery
Collectables – Kennesaw, GA – Burglary
Electronics – Medford, OR – Burglary
Gas Station – Chicago, IL – Burglary
Golf – Henderson, KY – Burglary
Guns – Albuquerque, NM – Robbery
Hardware – Mariposa County, CA – Burglary
Hotel – Dewitt, NY – Robbery
Jewelry - Monroeville, PA – Robbery
Jewelry – Scottsdale, AZ – Robbery
Restaurant – Cleveland, WI – Burglary
Restaurant – Hackettstown, NJ – Armed Robbery
Tobacco – Philadelphia, PA – Armed Robbery / Shooting
Tobacco – Deming, NM - Armed Robbery
Walgreens - Gainesville, FL - Armed Robbery
7-Eleven – Honolulu, HI – Robbery
7- Eleven – Southgate, MI – Robbery                                                                                                        
               

Daily Totals:
• 16 robberies
• 8 burglaries
• 2 shootings
• 0 killed



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Felix Mosquera named Loss Prevention Manager for Bob's Discount Furniture



 


Sonia Ortega named Regional Loss Prevention Manager for Bob's Discount Furniture
 

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Loss Prevention Auditor
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Asset Protection Specialist
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The Asset Protection Specialist is responsible for protecting the assets and teammates of Under Armour at the Portland office. Essential Duties & Responsibilities - Development and implementation of policies and procedures focused on maximizing physical security, access control, safety, emergency response, investigations, and minimizing theft and fraud...



District Asset Protection Manager
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Regional Manager, Asset Protection
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The primary purpose of this position is to supervise and coordinate the efforts of District Asset Protection Managers within their region to achieve maximum shrink prevention, safety awareness and the protection of company assets. This position is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of Asset Protection policies and procedures...



Regional Asset Protection Manager
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Asset Protection Associate
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The Asset Protection Associate (APA) is responsible for the detection, apprehension, or deterrence of customer and associate activity that could result in a loss to Ralph Lauren. APAs are also responsible for ensuring a safe environment for all customers, associates, and vendors. APAs promote and monitor compliance to Polo Ralph Lauren policies and procedures related to theft prevention, safety, and inventory control. The APA is also required to promote awareness and conduct training...



Regional Loss Prevention Manager
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Region Asset Protection Manager–South Florida Region (Bi-lingual Required)
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Corporate Safety & Security Leader
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RH is seeking a Corporate Safety & Security Leader. The role will lead a team of Safety & Security Associates on our Corporate Campus in Corte Madera, CA. The Leader acts as the key point of contact for safety and security incidents including identifying, investigating, mitigating, and managing risks...

Legends


Regional Loss Prevention and Safety Specialist
New York, NY - posted November 29

You will act as a coach, trainer, mentor, and enforcer to support the risk management program at Legends. Responsibilities can include, but are not limited to: Identify, develop, and implement improved loss prevention and safety measurements with risk management team; Conduct internal audits that have a focus on loss prevention, personal safety, and food safety, and help the team to effectively execute against company standards and requirements...



Safety Director (Retail Background Preferred)
Jacksonville, FL - posted November 3

This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing purpose-directed occupational safety and health programs designed to minimize the frequency and severity of customer and associate accidents, while complying with applicable regulatory requirements. This leader is the subject matter expert on all safety matters...

Director, Loss Prevention & Safety
Goleta, CA - posted September 24

The Director of Loss Prevention & Environmental, Health and Safety plans, organizes, implements, and directs HERBL’s programs, procedures, and practices to ensure the safety and security of company employees and property...

Corporate Risk Manager
Fort Myers, Miami, Tampa FL - posted October 5

Summary of Role and Responsibilities: A proactive approach to preventing losses/injuries, whether to our employees, third parties, or customer's valuables. They include but are not limited to cash in transit, auto losses, or injuries...
 



Featured Jobs


JOB TITLE COMPANY CITY/STATE DATE ADDED

Vice President
VP of AP Bath & Body Works Columbus, OH September 13
VP, Global Head of Security & Resilience WeWork New York, NY October 29

Director
Dir. AP Albertsons Companies Englewood, CO January 5
Dir. Global Security APL Logistics Scottsdale, AZ January 10
Dir. LP Ashley Furniture Advance, NC September 7
Dir. AP Burlington New York, NY December 22
Physical Security & Safety Senior Dir. Chipotle Columbus, OH January 21
LP Director The Company, Retail Gas Stations Upland, CA August 9
Dir. Security Risk Mgmt & Governance Dell Austin, TX November 15
Dir. GME Field LP GameStop Los Angeles, CA December 8
Dir. Assets LP Goodwill of North Georgia Decatur, GA November 22
Dir. AP Goodwill of Greater New York Brooklyn, NY January 10
Dir. Investigations & Fleet Goodwill of Greater New York Newark, NJ October 25
Dir. Safety/Risk Mgmt. Goodwill of SE Louisiana New Orleans, LA April 2
Dir. Security & Compliance Goodwin Recruiting Battle Creek, MI November 15
Dir. LP Lamps Plus Chatsworth, CA December 22
Dir. Security Operations Neiman Marcus Group Dallas, TX January 20
Dir. of Safety Ocean State Job Lot North Kingstown, RI June 1
Executive Dir. AP Panda Restaurant Group Rosemead, CA January 28
Dir. Security Securitas Security Services Cambridge, MA January 10
LP Dir. Snipes Philadelphia, PA January 21
Security & LP Dir. Tamarack Marketplace Beckley, WV January 5
AP Dir., Global Supply Chain & Logistics Target Midlothian, TX January 18
Dir. LP UNIS Los Angeles, CA January 21
Dir. Security (Strategic) Walmart Bentonville, AR December 9

Corporate/Senior Manager
Sr. Supply Chain AP Mgr Advance Auto Parts Phoenix, AZ November 4
Mgr Physical Security Lowe's Mooresville, NC December 21
Retail Risk & Compliance Mgr Now Optics Palm Springs, FL December 13
Safety & AP Manager Star Furniture Houston, TX January 10
 

 


 
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We've all got great ideas and plans. The problem lies in putting them together, rolling them out and maximizing speed to market. Making it happen quickly and efficiently - that's the key to success. The first obstacle is always fear of risk. Making an idea a reality requires risk taking and sometimes you've just got to make it happen if your inner self, or the bird on your shoulder, tells you it's the right thing to do. I was writing this e-newsletter for a year before I walked in and just said hey we're doing it. Yes, I was absolutely fearful of all the critics and naysayers, but I took the risk and made it happen. There will always be torpedoes in the water and sometimes they hit. But to make things happen you've got to jump in the water and swim as fast as you can.


Just a Thought,
Gus

 

 

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