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'Retail Crime Uncovered' Podcast Presented by Sekura Global

The fascinating podcast hosted by Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology supported by Sekura Global. Retail theft insights from leading crime and loss experts, shop staff and policing bodies. Hard-hitting interviews with ex-offenders and retail criminals.

In this episode of Retail Crime Uncovered, Emmeline outlines the 'dark figure of crime' and draws upon some examples of industry surveys that have been conducted to fill the gap between police record crime figures and actual rates of crime.

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How ORC is Fueling NY's 'Shadow Economy'
Retail theft surge fuels $4.4 billion shadow economy in New York state
Amid the bustling streets of New York, a surge in shoplifting has cast a shadow over the retail industry, culminating in a staggering annual loss of $4.4 billion for local businesses.

The growing crisis transcends the act of petty theft, spiraling into a vast shadow re-sale economy that stretches from digital marketplaces to the corners of neighborhood bodegas.

The statistics are alarming: Shoplifting rates in New York City have skyrocketed 64% between June 2019 and June 2023, reports the Council on Criminal Justice. Last year alone, the state’s losses were pegged at $4.4 billion — a figure that New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul highlighted in a February address.

Retail owners and law enforcement insiders have voiced their concerns to The New York Post, shedding light on the intricate underground networks that fuel this illicit economy. Thieves, alongside their intermediaries, are using prominent resale platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace to unload their stolen merchandise, while surreptitious pawn shops serve as storage hubs for the ill-gotten goods.

The problem extends beyond non-perishable items; even perishable goods are being trafficked, with high-end ice cream brands like Häagen-Dazs being peddled directly to small grocery shops. Among the more sophisticated schemes, pilferers are making away with valuable goods from national retailers, only to return them at another location in exchange for store credit. By selling these credits at a discount right outside the store, they convert their loot into quick cash.

To further complicate matters, individuals deeply entrenched in this shadow economy often disguise their activities on online marketplaces. They mimic legitimate sellers by posting single items at a time, managing multiple virtual profiles to evade detection, and operating continuously to sustain the facade. washingtontimes.com


Retail Economy 'Under Attack' from Organized Crime
'Rampant theft' is leading to closures, layoffs and higher prices

Commentary: Retail sector on rise, but so is crime

How much larger would the U.S. retail economy be if it weren’t under attack from crooks, counterfeiters and organized crime?

“I am quite concerned with the prospects in the retail sector,” said Joel Griffith, an economist with The Heritage Foundation. Dollar Tree plans to close 1,000 stores due in part to the effects of inflation and crime. Other retailers like Target and Walmart are ending self-service registers because of theft.

Griffith blamed the closure of a Walmart in the District of Columbia on rampant theft. Target also shut three stores in California’s Bay Area because of theft.

Alysa Erichs of United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade said consumers should pay attention. “Those losses impact business models,” she said. “The business model then has to make up for that loss in some way, and it could be higher prices, it could be closing stores, it could be layoffs of employees.”

The problem of organized retail crime, mass shoplifting and smash-and-grab robbery is no secret to Americans who watch cable news. Meanwhile, counterfeit goods continue to flood the U.S. market, many made in China. And while retailers have long been forced to deal with fake goods, new technology has given counterfeiters a new tool to move their products.

Griffith saw warning signs for the future of the retail industry. “There are 540,000 current job openings listed … down by more than 50% over the last year and a half or so,” he said. “You have to go all the way back to the shutdown era — back in the middle part of 2020 — to find a month in which there were fewer job openings in the retail sector. These are some low numbers, and I am concerned that this could end up translating into some job losses.”

Despite the headwinds, the NRF remained optimistic. “The retail industry continues to expand in every way possible, from the number of jobs it supports to the number of retail businesses and its total impact on GDP,” said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.  thetelegraph.com


Foreign 'Crime Tourists' & Burglary Crews Stealing Millions Across the U.S.
South American ‘crime tourists’ target the rich in at least half of US states: Thefts ‘way, way up’
South American “crime tourists” who exploit the US visa system to enter the country and commit burglaries have now infiltrated at least half the states in America and taken “millions of untraceable” goods, The Post has learned.

The organized groups of burglars and jewel thieves, particularly from Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, have been targeting wealthy homes across the US for decades, but their crimes have spread — and recently soared in some cities, authorities say.

“They travel to cities across the nation – including in Maricopa County – and steal millions in untraceable items,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

The crooks hone in on the US government’s tourist visa program, which is friendly to their countries and allows them to fly into the US without a background check, authorities say.

They are then careful to commit nonviolent property offenses because the bar to be held on bail in most states, including New York, is high, so they are able to flee the country or disappear into oblivion afterward — and before they can be tried and convicted, Mitchell said.

Burglars linked to the so-called “South American Theft Group” — a broad term given by law-enforcement agencies to the rings — have been responsible for hundreds of US break-ins so far this year alone, officials say.

They have been tied to burglaries in major US cities, small towns and gated communities alike in states such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio, Nevada, Michigan,Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia and the Carolinas, among many others, a Post analysis shows. nypost.com


Progressives Are Split On How to Fight Retail Theft
But none of them want to touch Prop 47

California Democratic lawmakers seek ways to combat retail theft while keeping progressive policy
Facing mounting pressure to crack down on a retail theft crisis, California lawmakers are split on how best to tackle the problem that some say has caused major store closures and products like deodorants to be locked behind plexiglass.

Top Democratic leaders have already ruled out reforming progressive policies like Proposition 47, a ballot measure approved by 60% of state voters in 2014 that reduced certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors to address overcrowding jails. But a growing number of law enforcement officials, along with Republican and moderate Democratic lawmakers, said California needs to consider all options, including rolling back the measure.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a champion of Proposition 47 who has repeatedly argued California already has tools to sufficiently go after criminals, rejected calls to reform the measure in January. He instead urged lawmakers to bolster existing laws and go after motor vehicle thefts and resellers of stolen merchandise.

Following Newsom’s directions, Democratic leaders in both chambers at the Capitol also have shut down calls to repeal the measure.

Meanwhile, major retail groups and the California District Attorney Association, along with Democratic mayors of San Francisco and San Jose, have thrown their support behind a ballot initiative to stiffen penalties for repeat thieves, among other things. The groups are still collecting signatures to qualify for the November ballot before the April deadline. apnews.com

RELATED: Proposed bill, new team aim to combat retail theft and repeat offenders


LA's ORC Task Force: 546 Arrests, $8.3M in Stolen Merchandize Recovered
LA County Sheriff’s Department's organized retail theft crime task force conducts major fencing bust

The Task Force has 555 felony and 72 misdemeanor cases since October

There is now a bipartisan effort to change Proposition 47. It’s a criminal justice reform measure which lowered the penalties for many theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Critics of the policy have long said the voter-approved measure is leading to thieves believing they can commit theft crimes without facing any consequences. In the meantime, retail theft remains a big problem in California.

LAPD says shoplifting rates jumped 80 percent from 2022 to 2023. The LA County Sheriff’s Department augmented the Burglary Robbery Task Force in October by adding additional resources from various stations to create 3 teams to work through this area. The new task force is now called the Organized Retail Task Force.

The sheriff’s department says, "These new teams are allowing us to increase the case load, conduct more surveillance operations, arrest the growing number of suspects involved in retail crimes, after-hours responses, weekend call-outs, and conduct "blitz."

The task force also works closely with the LAPD and CHP Task Forces to combat the organized retail crime. Since October, the task force has conducted multiple operations.

A department spokesperson says, "Since inception of our task force, we have 555 felony and 72 misdemeanor cases ... We have arrested a total of 546 suspects related to retail theft crimes, served 334 warrants, recovered 48 firearms, and recovered over $8,260,000 worth of stolen merchandise."  foxnews.com


Analyzing Shopper Behavior to Detect Theft
AI is helping businesses stop shoplifting in their stores

Veesion's anti-shoplifting AI technology analyzes shopper gestures to try to determine when someone is stealing

At the Wild Duck Wine & Spirits store in Boston, shoplifting is a daily problem, and managers have turned to cutting-edge AI technology to try to stop it.

Managers have tried to monitor the dozens of security cameras in the store, but it’s a daunting task. So, they’ve added another layer of artificial intelligence to them. All 24 of them feed into an AI system developed by a French tech company called Veesion.

It analyzes the video feeds for specific movements that suggest someone is stealing. Veesion’s Pablo Blanco explained how it works.

The algorithm doesn’t care what someone looks like, it’s just recognizing gestures. It alerts store employees in about 15 seconds by sending out a video alert of the suspicious incident, so they can stop thieves before they leave the store.

We asked him what specific gestures the technology picks up on. The technology also picks up the motion of putting something into a backpack or tote bag. If a store employee receives a video alert, they can confront the shopper or watch to see if they bypass the register.

Veesion says its system is used widely across Europe. They only launched it in the United States a year ago, and now have 500 stores equipped with it. Currently only about 30 of them are in Massachusetts, but they say that number will triple in the coming months. nbcboston.com


New police digital complaint system launched by SF Sheriff’s Office

Crime calls up 2,900% at hotel converted to homeless shelter in Denver
 

Moscow Terrorist Attack

ISIS Attacks Russian Shopping Mall & Entertainment Complex
133 Killed in ISIS Attack at Concert Hall & Shopping Mall Site Outside of Moscow

Images show the scene of what could be the deadliest attack in Russia in decades. Multiple gunmen killed at least 133 people in an assault in the capital’s outskirts.

A group of gunmen stormed a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow on Friday night, killing at least 133 people and wounding more than 100, Russia’s top security agency said, according to state news agencies.

The authorities in Russia have yet to identify who was behind the attack, though U.S. officials said they believed that a branch of the Islamic State, Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, was responsible for the attack.

The assault also led to explosions and an enormous fire at the venue, Crocus City Hall, which is one of the largest and most popular concert halls in Moscow and the site of a shopping mall.

The Russian authorities said Saturday that they had arrested the four people who carried out the mass killing and arson. Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s equivalent to the F.B.I., said it had opened a criminal case into a terrorist act.

On March 7, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert warning that its personnel were “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.”

The attack took place within a sprawling shopping and entertainment complex on the outskirts of Moscow. Firefighters worked on putting out the blaze at the concert hall. Security personnel directed people outside the concert hall.

The US State Department has now warned all Americans to avoid concerts or shopping malls and to stay in place following the latest violence, he added. nytimes.com


US Says No Sign Of Ukraine Role In "Terrible" Moscow Mall Attack

Maps and Diagrams of the Moscow Concert Hall Attack
 

Will 'the Steal' Slow Self-Checkout and Frictionless Commerce?

By Tony D'Onofrio - President, Sensormatic

“(Self-Checkout) It’s facilitating errors, and in some cases, the steal.” – Santiago Gallino, Associate Professor at the Wharton School

According to the latest NRF Security Survey, retail shrink represents $112.1 billion in losses, up nearly 20% from the previous year. Similar high shrink growth rates can be seen in other countries such as the UK where in the latest British Retail Consortium research, customer theft, doubled to just shy of £2 billion ($2.5 billion).

As I predicted many years ago, the problem of retail shrink is on a collision course with frictionless commerce consumer trends. This growing challenge actually bring new positive opportunities for to both retail and the loss prevention function.

The shrink challenging counter revolution taking place in the retail industry, led by younger generations, is frictionless commerce. “Over 50% of consumers will switch to a merchant with less friction in the shopping experience. And, 41% of all consumers will pay more for simple, fast and efficient shopping experiences.”

Specifically to self-checkout, the 2024 Digital Commerce Index found that 43% of consumers favor self-checkout when shopping in a grocery store. By age range, that preference is even more interesting with 55% of 18-29 years old favoring it, 30-44 at 51%, 45-60 at 40%, and those aged 60+ at only 26%.

The genie is out of the bottle in terms of increased frictionless commerce in all retail sectors. To understand its impact in the apparel industry, read one of my previous article titled “Let’s Get Phygital and Get the Future of Retail Party On.” This article explores deeper the challenges at retail shrink at self-checkout and the accelerated adoption trends of frictionless commerce.

Click here to read Tony's full article


Store Policies Fueling Return Surge?
Return policies sway customer behavior: survey

Store customers return less than online shoppers, and some rules are boosting in-store returns of online orders, according to the ICSC.

Retailers’ return policies influence the purchasing decisions of 82% of consumers responding to a recent survey from ICSC, which represents shopping centers.

Across all retail categories, 6.2% of in-store customers returned items they bought, while about a third of online shoppers did so. Among apparel shoppers, 6.2% of in-store customers returned their merchandise, but over a fifth (22%) of online apparel shoppers returned theirs, the survey found.

When faced with charges for online returns, almost eight in 10 shoppers said they would be more likely to return an item in stores, and 77% said they would go to a store to purchase, the survey found.

The ICSC’s survey adds to the evidence that e-commerce means higher levels of returns.

A great majority of consumers who purposely over-order online are shopping for apparel: 87% of those surveyed said they order extra items to try on at home and return what they don’t want. Some retailers are instructing shoppers to keep items they want to return, with six in 10 survey respondents saying that retailers had given them full refunds and told them to keep their unwanted online purchases. retaildive.com


Ames Making Nationwide Comeback
Ames Department Stores to open 35 brick-and-mortar locations across US
Ames Department Stores announced plans to open dozens of locations of its stores again starting in June 2026 across the United States. Ames said on its website that it will be opening seven distribution locations by store locations to help handle deliveries, will create a new website for online orders, there will be an Ames Cafe at all 35 locations and some locations will have a pharmacy. Thirty-five locations are planned to open starting in June 2026 through the end of 2027. There are also plans to open more locations in 2028, the company said. A list of planned Ames locations has not been released, WFXT reported. Former Ames Chairman and CEO Joseph R. Ettore announced in 2002 that all 327 of its locations would close, according to the news outlet. The new stores would be a comeback for Ames. The closures led to 20,000 workers becoming unemployed. The New York Times reported in 2002 that Ames closed its stores a year after filing for bankruptcy protection after having difficulty competing with stores like Walmart, Target and KMart. wftv.com


Untuckit in store expansion — here are the upcoming locations

Nestlé Recalls 440,500 Starbucks-Branded Holiday Mugs Due to Potential Hazards