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7/28/20 D-Ddaily.net
 

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Axis celebrates two wins from SIA’s New Product Showcase Awards

AXIS C8210 Network Audio Amplifier and AXIS Live Privacy Shield recognized as innovative solutions for network audio migration and real time privacy safeguards.

Axis Communications and its goals to continually innovate and meet market needs were recently recognized by SIA with two 2020 New Product Showcase Awards (NPS). The awards, honoring new innovative security products, were presented virtually on July 9 in partnership with ISC West.

Axis won the
“Communications and Networking Solutions” category for the AXIS C8210 Network Audio Amplifier and the “Video Surveillance Advanced Imaging Technologies” category for the AXIS Live Privacy Shield.

Read more here. | See the full list of award winners here.
 

RILA AP Conference
August 21st is Just Around the Corner!
Have You Submitted Your Proposal?
Get involved and share your latest learnings, out-of-the-box strategies, new initiatives, and outstanding case studies with the AP community.

The AP Steering Committee has opened the call for proposals. We're looking for fresh content, actionable takeaways, and real insights. If you have new and exciting initiatives, unique viewpoints or creative approaches—we want to hear from you!

Submit your session proposal
 



Reuters Facial Recognition Deep Dive - Politicized & Generalized - Slowing Evolution

Rite Aid deployed facial recognition systems in hundreds of U.S. stores

Rite Aid quietly added facial recognition systems to 200 stores across the United States over about eight years, in one of the largest rollouts of such technology among retailers in the country, a Reuters investigation found.

In the hearts of New York and metro Los Angeles, Rite Aid deployed the technology in largely lower-income, non-white neighborhoods, according to a Reuters analysis. And for more than a year, the retailer used state-of-the-art facial recognition technology from a company with links to China and its authoritarian government.

In telephone and email exchanges with Reuters since February, Rite Aid confirmed the existence and breadth of its facial recognition program. The retailer defended the technology’s use, saying it had nothing to do with race and was intended to deter theft and protect staff and customers from violence. Reuters found no evidence that Rite Aid’s data was sent to China.

Last week, however, after Reuters sent its findings to the retailer, Rite Aid said it had quit using its facial recognition software. It later said all the cameras had been turned off.

Among the systems used by Rite Aid was one from DeepCam LLC, which worked with a firm in China whose largest outside investor is a Chinese government fund. Some security experts said any program with connections to China was troubling because it could open the door to aggressive surveillance in the United States more typical of an autocratic state. reuters.com

Editor's Note: While biometric security is quickly advancing in a number of different channels and in a number of industries, the news media really isn't educated enough and lacks access to critical detail that's needed to be able to objectively evaluate the application of this technology.

Labeling theft trend data applications as discriminatory and calling out isolated individual exceptions and older resolved exceptions as current general rules resembles the typical headline seeking journalism and standardized response to over generalized security measures that actually hurts industry development and community relations/goodwill.

Certainly, the China connection of one provider may be a concern, as any connection to China for a security provider in the U.S. today is a major question in today's market.

But separate from that, the lack of process and program detail, application safeguards, and individual training standards leaves a void in the article that short of literally publishing them, does in fact raise questions. Couple that with the sensitivity to reputation concerns and the article once again hurts industry development and may slow evolution. When in fact it's use would make stores safer.


N.M.'s New ORC Unit to Assist Retailers
New Mexico Attorney General Launches ORC Unit

There’s an organized criminal activity element even in our backyard that we need to attack,” said New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas.

Crime rings have operated in plain sight in Albuquerque for years, often targeting big box retailers. Previously, the crimes were treated as petty shoplifting offenses but now New Mexico’s top prosecutor is changing his approach, considering it organized crime.

Attorney General Balderas said his office has launched a brand new unit to tackle retail organized crime.

It’s a big deal. Albuquerque is one of the most dangerous, violent crime-ridden cities in the nation,” said Balderas. “This high level criminal activity was falling through the cracks… I’m convinced that criminals were working together in a very sophisticated way, but we were identifying them as petty shoplifting criminals and quite frankly, these are individuals that are draining our economy, they’re putting safety at risk for New Mexico families and consumers.

“We’re really trying to crack down because we’ve seen that retail shops are being used as a tool for additional criminal activity,” said Attorney General Balderas, adding that his office is making this type of crime a priority while tackling it from both ends.

“For instance, now retail centers will allow our law enforcement to become undercover, better understand their operations, better understand where they’re being exploited,” said Balderas. “What we're finding is that sometimes they didn't realize one of their employees was organizing with another criminal element… we are now investigating using many more tools available to us because retail centers are partnering with us.”

One of those partners: The Home Depot.

“Organized retail crime is a growing problem for all retailers,” said Christina Cornell, a spokesperson for The Home Depot – which has been especially vocal in its effort to stop this type of organized crime.

As for Attorney General Balderas, he’s confident these strong retail partnership will make a difference with Albuquerque’s crime crisis.

Ultimately we are trying to make Albuquerque a safer place, and we’re also trying to reduce crime across the board,” said Balderas. kob.com
 



"The $5B 'American Scheme' Mall"
Megamalls Like Mall Of America And American Dream Face Mega Problems


Triple Five Miss Third $7M Monthly Payment on Mall of America

Megamalls are having mega problems. The two largest U.S. malls — Minnesota’s Mall of America and New Jersey’s American Dream mall — are struggling, with the company that owns both recently skipping a third straight payment $7 million monthly payment on the Minnesota property.

Owner, Triple Five Group, which is really just one family - the Ghermezian family. The patriarch of the family, Jacob Ghermezian, (1902 – January 3, 2000) moved from Iran to Canada with his four sons in 1964. The four sons, Eskandar, Nader, Raphael and Bahman, grew the family rug business into a large real estate and construction company.

The family's estates include the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta and the largest in the world at 5.3 million sq.-ft., and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.[3][4] and many other businesses. In 2011, the family's Triple Five Group acquired the troubled Xanadu Meadowlands project in New Jersey, they renamed the project American Dream. The mall opened on October 25, 2019.

Now, Wells Fargo has confirmed Triple Five missed the April and May payments on its $1.4 billion mortgage for its other mega property, the Mall of America in Minnesota. That mall was used as collateral to fund the East Rutherford complex, which is seen as an economic engine for the region. cbslocal.com pymnts.com

Read Full Story - Too Big to Fail?

Can Miami Support the Biggest Mall in North America?
What's Happening With American Dream Miami

The biggest Mall in North America - 6.2 million sq.-ft.
Get the Update


Read the full story here
 



Protests


Portland Protests Continue - Feds Won't Leave
US Attorney: Feds will stay in Portland until attacks end

Federal militarized officers will remain in Portland until attacks on the U.S. courthouse cease, a top official said Monday after a night of violence. And more officers may soon be on the way.

“It is not a solution to tell federal officers to leave when there continues to be attacks on federal property and personnel. We are not leaving the building unprotected to be destroyed by people intent on doing so,” U.S. Attorney Billy Williams told a telephonic news conference.

Local and state officials said the federal officers are unwelcome. The mayor of Portland and five other cities appealed Monday to Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized federal agents to cities that don’t want them.

Early Monday, U.S. agents repeatedly fired tear gas, flash bangs and pepper balls at protesters outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland. Some protesters had climbed over the fence surrounding the courthouse, while others shot fireworks, banged on the fence and projected lights on the building. Federal agents have made 83 arrests and they refuses to say how many are there.

Some protesters have accused Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler of hypocrisy for speaking out against the federal presence because, under his watch, Portland police have used tear gas and other riot-control weapons on protesters, including peaceful ones. inhomelandsecurity.com

More federal agents dispatched to Portland as protests rise in other cities
The U.S. Marshals Service decided last week to send more deputies to Portland, according to an internal email reviewed by The Washington Post, with personnel beginning to arrive last Thursday night. The Department of Homeland Security is also considering a plan to send an additional 50 U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to the city, according to senior administration officials involved in the federal response who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

But as a policing tactic, it has failed to suppress the protests. The escalation has been followed by larger, better-equipped and more-aggressive crowds, and — as the new reinforcements showed — it exhausted federal resources before it exhausted the protesters.

There is growing concern among federal law enforcement officials that some individuals in the crowds outside the courthouse have gotten more aggressive in recent days, and that the number of federal agents on site may not be sufficient to handle them. Protesters have injured federal agents with large commercial-grade fireworks while others aimed lasers at their eyes, leading to several injuries, DHS officials said. washingtonpost.com
 



COVID Update

US: Over 4.4M Cases - 151K Dead - 2.1M Recovered
Worldwide: Over 16.7M Cases - 658K Dead - 10.3M Recovered


Private Industry Security Guard Deaths: 154+   Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: 67
*Red indicates change in total deaths


All spikes aren’t equal
Much of the world is now coping with a coronavirus resurgence

The number of new daily cases has risen more than 20 percent in both Europe and Canada over the past week. It’s up about 40 percent in Australia and Japan. Hong Kong reported 145 cases yesterday, its highest one-day count yet and the sixth straight day of more than 100 new cases.

All of these increases are worrisome reminders that crushing the virus is not a one-time event, at least not until a vaccine is available. It involves constant vigilance.

As countries take steps toward more normal functioning — reopening schools, workplaces and restaurants, for instance — they will often spark new outbreaks, which in turn will require more tests, quarantines and even limited lockdowns.

And yet all of these places are in a very different situation from the United States.

Even with the recent surges, the outbreaks elsewhere are much more contained and manageable than in the U.S. The U.S. has had about 15 times as many confirmed new cases, per capita, as Canada over the past week and 12 times as many as Hong Kong or Europe.

Much of the U.S. is responding less aggressively, even though its outbreak is more severe. Until that changes, many parts of the U.S. reopening — schools, pro sports and more — are likely to suffer setbacks, epidemiologists say.  nytimes.com

After Reopening, Coronavirus-Hit States Chart Their Own Paths to Close Up Again

New public-health analyses show majority of states don’t meet CDC’s criteria for lifting restrictions

States are relying on their own public-health indicators when deciding whether to reclose portions of their economies to try to stop rising coronavirus infections that many attribute to the reopening of shops, bars and restaurants.

As they weigh whether or not to reimpose bans on large gatherings and restaurant dining, states are largely going at it alone—much as they did during the lifting of restrictions earlier in the summer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the spring issued reopening guidelines, which few states followed, but hasn’t provided guidance on when to crack down after reopening. The CDC’s criteria included a downward trend in new Covid-19 cases over 14 days, a decrease in the rate of positive tests and availability of intensive-care beds.

“The White House Coronavirus Task Force is providing tailored recommendations weekly to every governor and health commissioner for their states and counties,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said. The administration is allowing local governments to take the lead on reopening policies, “as local leaders are best positioned to make on-the-ground decisions for their communities,” he added.

New analyses from a coalition of public-health experts and crisis-response specialists show the overwhelming majority of states don’t meet the CDC’s criteria for lifting restrictions. The group’s online dashboard, covidexitstrategy.org, tracks state-level data on the spread of the disease, using the CDC’s reopening criteria. wsj.com

What the C's Read
#wearyourmask
Masks: A Flashpoint


We are now living in an age of having to learn how to tell an unmasked stranger to put on or pull up a mask.

The confusion, debate and politics surrounding wearing a mask or face covering rages on and retailers are front and center as the United States grapples with flattening the Covid-19 curve and protecting states from having to shut down a second time.

A Need for Clear Direction

Several mask-related issues have emerged and remain to be resolved. One, the need for a national policy for the U.S. to slow the coronavirus spread across 50 very different states with a trickle-down to retailers and other major industries. This week the Trump administration seemed to be taking Covid-19 more seriously including recognizing that it may go on longer than expected or projected and that wearing masks does indeed help stop the spread of the virus and protect individuals. It even went so far as to say wearing masks is patriotic.

The second issue is having a clear retail mask mandate on a national level. Everyone working on the retail floor is risking potential exposure to Covid-19. They are frontline workers and need to be protected. And then there is the issue of the customer. There is no shortage of stories in the media of consumers who have an aversion to wearing masks and end up in altercations with staff or other consumers – from coughing on each other to peeing in a store (I can’t make this stuff up). No matter how you look at it, retail workers are in a tough spot.

Need for Training

It certainly begs the question: What is the chain of command if a customer does not want to comply? Is it the same as having a difficult customer? How does it escalate through the store staffing system? It’s not a crime not to wear a mask but if it is the store’s policy, what ultimate control does the store have over the customer? Turn them away?

There is also an emerging vigilante issue. If consumers are policing each other, the “citizen’s arrest,” becomes a thorny ethical dilemma infringing on personal freedom. We are now living in an age of having to learn how to tell an unmasked stranger to put on or pull up a mask. Some retailers have said they will not actively enforce the policy but let the signage passively speak for itself. CVS relies on customers to obey requirements; if they don’t, “health ambassadors,” security or that greeter who takes your temperature suggests other methods of shopping like curbside pickup.

All of these scenarios bring us full circle: Retailers need a consistent message that should come from a national mandate that requires enforcement, otherwise it will be meaningless. This very notion goes against the American sense of personal freedom and has become politicized. Yet, where does personal freedom stand on the health and safely of a nation – or even more specifically, a local community? This is the real sticking point of the individual versus the demands of the group. No one wants to live in a police state, which is why the mask issue is such a hot button. Ultimately retailers need a clearer sense of direction to keep their employees and customers safe. therobinreport.com

Through the retail lens: Face coverings

The positive impact mask mandates have on retailers staying open

Mara Devitt, senior partner at retail consultancy McMillanDoolittle, has more than 30 years of experience consulting for retailers. Devitt is also a member of the National Retail Federation’s Associate Member Council. She spoke with NRF about the challenges and opportunities for retailers in enforcing mask mandates.

As you advise clients around the globe, what are you telling them about mask mandates?

Both government and regulatory agencies have been providing conflicting direction since the beginning of the pandemic. This has unfortunately confused the public, and that made it tougher for retailers to respond. Our advice has been to be consistent. Masks are something we can actively do to protect employees.

Our survey showed 74 percent of customers agree it is incumbent upon retailers to provide a safe environment for employees. We also found a clear link between trust, employee care and customer care. Companies perceived as taking better care of their employees correlated with higher trust with consumers, with those shoppers feeling they were taken better care of by those retailers

It seems as if we’ve had a spate of retailers instituting mask policies in the last few weeks. Why the watershed now?

Many retailers have taken this as an indication that it is time to take clear and consistent action in their organizations.

What risks does this create, since masks have become something of a political football?

What we’ve been telling our clients is that they need to stay true to their core values. It’s important for retailers to make it clear to customers how they do business with their customers and why.

What about the security issues? We’ve seen fights break out, or employees be berated. How can a retailer protect everyone in these situations?

Retail is detail and preparation is key. First of all, retailers need to define policies that are clear, and those policies must be consistently communicated both internally and externally. The implications of these policies on how we sell to and serve our customers must be similarly considered with training and support provided to our teams as they implement the policies.

Finally, retailers must double down on training. This situation reminds us how challenging that retail front-line service job really is. Part of retail reality is that we commonly have to deal with customers who might be having a bad day and taking it out on our store team. In today’s stressful environment, these bad days are becoming more frequent. Our customer service standards and training about how we deal with unhappy customers really need to be confirmed now. Retailers need to do a refresher so it is perfectly clear how and when a situation is escalated, when to involve a manager, when to get outside assistance from local law enforcement, etc. nrf.com

Another Tool in the Tool Shed - Fighting COVID's Spread
Businesses Installing Coronavirus-Killing Light Technology


CDC Recommends Use of UVGI

America's biggest public utility is backing a decades-old technology that could zap the virus pathogens out of the air in public places to help limit the spread of the infection.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is offering financial aid for schools, restaurants, nursing homes and other buildings with public places to install ultraviolet germicidal irradiation lights in air ducts to minimize the spread of airborne microorganisms such as COVID-19.

The technology uses UV-C light, which is a short wavelength ultraviolet light much like concentrated sunlight for disinfection.

TVA had been developing a program to promote UVGI lights to help fight influenza and other airborne illnesses in the next year and decided last month to expedite the roll-out to aid in the battle against the coronavirus. Ultra-violet light has proven to kill viruses for more than a century.

To help purify the air from the virus without exposing humans to harmful intense ultra-violet light, the UVGI lights are installed within metal air ducts and kill the virus as the air is circulated into heating or air conditioning units.

The vendors of the UVGI lights indicate that about 96% of the virus is killed in the first pass through an air duct and over 99% is killed over time as the system continues to operate. In a typical business environment, there are about six recirculations of air in a typical hour of HVAC operation, Snyder said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) as one of the effective technologies to minimize the spread of airborne microorganisms.

The technology is not a total solution, however, since the virus can still be spread directly from one person to another through being too close to one another or sharing virus-contaminated tools, pencils, papers or other materials. govtech.com


 

OSHA's Mass Email to Workers
OSHA's Campaign For Workers to File Complaints - Wallet Cards & Mass Emails

 



Surprised the Crowd Didn't React
Walmart Bans Swastika Masks Wearing Minnesota Couple For 1 Yr.
A Minnesota man and woman who wore face masks with swastikas on them in an incident captured on video have been banned from Walmart stores nationwide for at least a year. 

"You can't be American and wear that mask" a person can be heard saying. "We literally had a war about this."

The masked woman can be heard saying, "If you vote for Biden you're gonna be in Nazi Germany.

Marshall police Capt. Jeff Wenker told the Associated Press the two were issued no-trespass notices but police did not cite or arrest them. Walmart told USA TODAY the no-trespass notices last at least a year and apply to all Walmart stores. 

Walmart statement: "We strive to provide a safe and comfortable shopping environment for all our customers and will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment in any aspect of our business," Walmart said. 

Gov. Tim Walz tweeted a link to a news report about the Walmart incident from the Star Tribune of Minneapolis and said what happened was "disgraceful, plain and simple." "Thank you to the bystanders who stood up to this unacceptable, hate-fueled behavior," he said. usatoday.com

Stripping Down JC Penney to 250 Stores
Sycamore Partners offers $1.75B for JCPenney with plan to grow Belk
The private equity firm that backed out of a deal to buy Victoria’s Secret in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic appears poised to win an auction to buy JCPenney out of bankruptcy, The Post has learned.

Big Apple-based Sycamore Partners has offered $1.75 billion to buy the 118-year-old department store chain with plans to merge it with Belk. Sycamore owns Belk, as well as retailers Talbots, Staples, The Limited.

Also in the running for JCPenney is Saks Fifth Avenue owner Hudson’s Bay Company, which offered $1.7 billion, and mall operators Simon Property and Brookfield Property, which have teamed up with a $1.650 billion offer, sources said.

The Sycamore plan involves rebranding some 250 JCPenney stores to Belk stores in markets where the two retailers don’t overlap. The rest of the JCPenney locations would be liquidated, the source said

Plano, Texas-based JCPenney operated 850 stores when it filed for bankruptcy protection on May 15. In June, it announced plans to close at least 154 stores permanently.

Belk CEO Lisa Harper would run the combined entity. While Sycamore isn’t interested in keeping the JCPenney brand, it would acquire the rights to the name and could sell the intellectual property at a later date, a source said. nypost.com

93% of Malls Gone
From 3,000 to 200 in 20 Years

Malls Seek to Evolve as the Pandemic Hastens a Retail Overhaul
“As more department stores become vacant, we do need to re-envision the future of mall properties,” “Will it be 100 percent retail? No, but its success still comes down to location.”

The number of malls has declined to less than 1,000 today from 3,000 at the turn of the century, according to Nick Egelanian, president of SiteWorks, a shopping center and retail consultant in Annapolis, Md. And, he predicts, only about 200 of the strongest malls with the best locations will be left by the end of the decade, if not sooner.

“The true mall of the future will incorporate a mix of uses,” he said, “and the retail will be downsized: If it has 2 million square feet today, it may only need 1 million square feet tomorrow. But it’s going to be painful getting there, and the ones that survive are going to need a lot of capital.”

I don’t think the success of malls is a question of apocalypse or death. I think it’s really an evolution.”

There may not be any time in the last 100 years when so many 100-acre sites located at that perfect intersection have been available for redevelopment within such a short period of time,” he suggested. “They will have value for many uses and could be big economic generators for their communities.” nytimes.com

Work Your Own Schedule
Who Wouldn't Like It?

‘Windowed Work’ Improves Productivity, Satisfaction
Of all the significant workplace components being transformed by the coronavirus pandemic, the traditional 9-to-5 workday will likely experience the most change.

For many employees, flexible schedules have become common during the health crisis, and new research from global staffing firm Robert Half suggests workers are happy about it. Nearly 80 percent of the 1,000 office workers surveyed said their job allows for the ability to break up their day into blocks of business and personal time—referred to as "windowed work"—while working from home. Employees can self-schedule fluid workdays (and nights) around child care and schooling, online meetings, personal errands, and focused time on the job. Of those respondents, 73 percent reported that the arrangement has led to greater productivity. shrm.org

Dick's Sporting Goods Closed on Thanksgiving Day

Tailored Brands Says Bankruptcy Likely

Papa Johns to Hire 10,000


Quarterly Results
McDonald's Q2 Global comp's down 23.9%, U.S. comp's down 8.7%, revenue down 30.5%
LVMH Q2 sales down 38%, first half 2020 global revenue down 27%



Senior LP & AP Jobs Market

Director Asset Protection job posted for Stop & Shop in Quincy, Mass.
The primary purpose of this position is to provide protection of company assets by organizing the investigation and distribution of information. The AP Director is responsible to ensure Brand needs are met through staffing and development of their respective AP team. The incumbent works closely with the Operations Lead & Shrink Lead to ensure programs that positively impact profits and reduce shrink are executed effectively and provide required results. In addition, the incumbent partners with the Investigations Lead regarding large-scale ORC investigations. brassring.com

 


 


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No Tags. No Keepers.
No Locking Cabinets.

No ORC!


The way merchandising was meant to be.


Tally Solutions LLC, works with retailers and solution providers to discover and innovative technologies that reduce shrinkage and risk to increase profits. Tally’s leadership, has over 75 years of Loss Prevention technology development, sales, and marketing experience.

Loss Prevention
The patented Smart Shelf platform alerts to potential ORC activity by measuring the amount of product removed from the shelf. Once the predetermined amount of product is removed, a pre-recorded announcement is played over the store P/A, along with a text and email being sent. Subsequently a video is recorded and uploaded to the Tally secure portal. Upon hearing the audio alert, offenders oftentimes either put the product back on the shelf or abandon the product in a different aisle and leave to store. The Smart Shelf does not require any in-store labor to use, and does not affect the look of merchandising.

Inventory Control
Tally's Out of Stock monitoring applications allow store mangers, category managers and DSD brand specialists to see item-level movements at the shelf, judge customer behaviors, and eliminate out of stocks.

For more info, contact sean.ryan@tally.solutions


 

 



 

 

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Have You Registered Yet?
RH-ISAC Cyber Intelligence Summit Goes Virtual

This fall the RH-ISAC team is thrilled to bring you the 2020 RH-ISAC Cyber Intelligence Summit in a new and innovative format! With extensive input and strong support from the RH-ISAC Board of Directors and member community, we are transforming the RH-ISAC Summit to a fully virtual program. We'll be extending the program to three-days - each day focusing on a different attendee track type - and pushing the date back to October 6-8, 2020, allowing for more preparation and training time for speakers, sponsors, and other key stakeholders.

The most important thing we can do now for the retail and hospitality cybersecurity community is show support wherever possible. We're proud to meet this moment and offer a socially responsible way for our members to gather, share, and learn from one another during these unprecedented times.

Register for the RH-ISAC Summit today! We are looking forward to seeing you on webcam in October! If you're interested in presenting at the Summit or if you have any questions about this program, please contact our events team at events@rhisac.org.

Cryptocurrency - Big Factor Now in Laundering Funds
How Criminals Are Using PPE as a Money-Laundering Tool


Sizing Up Emerging Fraud Trends During the COVID-19 Crisis

Money launderers are devising new tactics during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, some are coming up with ways to use personal protective equipment, or PPE, as a form of currency, says Debra Geister, CEO of Section 2 Financial Intelligence Solutions.

Until recently, fraudsters often laundered funds through restaurants, convenience stores and other cash-based businesses, Geister says. "Those are no longer as available and the revenues are greatly reduced in those streams," she says in a video interview with Information Security Media Group. "We're seeing cryptocurrency becoming a much bigger factor in how these hybrid threat groups launder funds. We're also seeing PPE become kind of a new currency."

In this interview, Geister also discusses:

The threats posed by organized criminal syndicates;
Alternative money-laundering schemes using cryptocurrencies and PPE and how to mitigate the risks;
The evolution of efforts to fight money laundering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Geister, CEO of Section 2 Financial Intelligence Solutions, has 15 years of experience with banking compliance issues. Previously, she was the managing director at Matrix-International Financial Services and manager at Navigator Consulting Group. She also spent three years at MetaBank as senior vice president. govinfosecurity.com

ShinyHunters Offers 26M Stolen Records on Dark Web
In total, more than 26 million records are now being offered at rates of $1,500 to $2,500 for each database. For more, read here and here.

The breaches:
Vakina.com.br — 4.8 million records
Truefire.com — 600,000 records
Havenly.com — 1.3 million records
Drizly.com d — 2.4 million records
Proctoru.com — 444,000 records
Scentbird.com — 5.8 million records
Appen.com — 5.8 million (suffered breach in 2017)
Homechef.com — 8 million records
Chatbooks.com — 15 million records  darkreading.com


 
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VPN For Secure Connection

Many employees continue to be under work-from-home orders and ensuring their connections are secure is extremely important. While they were working in the office, they relied on being on office networks, but now that they are at home, it is important they connect to your VPN for a secure connection. Remind your team the importance of a secure network to protect against cybersecurity attacks.


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Heightened fraud and cyber risks threaten e-commerce merchants
Online merchants should be asking themselves three key questions related to their fraud defenses.

E-commerce merchants, now more than ever, need to be aware of current fraud trends, and should be having conversations with their partners and service providers to establish strategies to mitigate and prevent losses. Sellers should continuously take stock in the various fraud attacks being launched against them; they should understand which retail segments are more susceptible than others; and they should know from where that fraud is originating. This information, while continually evolving, will allow merchants to determine the areas of their fraud defenses most in need of bolstering.

Surging fraud methods

Barracuda Networks, a security vendor, recently revealed phishing emails spiked 600 percent during a four-week period between the end of February and the last week of March. Brand-impersonation attacks accounted for 34 percent of those phishing emails.

Which sectors are affected the most?

Forter says new accounts now represent 15 percent to 25 percent of all customer volume. Forter notes the increase of new online buyers creates an expectations gap, which traditionally results in increased service-chargeback rates.

Criminals also are turning to the website domain industry to perpetuate fraud. Fraudsters are buying new domains with catchy names related to products like face masks and hand sanitizer, and then creating fake websites to sell products that don’t exist. Such fraud has increased a whopping 340 percent in the last three months, according to dLocal data. securitymagazine.com

DOJ Stops MyLife.com
United States Files Complaint To Stop Deceptive And Improper Sales Of Consumer Background Reports

The Department of Justice filed the complaint on July 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against MyLife.com, Inc. and the company’s founder and chief executive officer, Jeffrey Tinsley. The complaint alleges that the defendants sell subscriptions to their website’s consumer background report service by implying, often falsely, that individuals have criminal or sexual offense records that can be viewed only by buying a subscription. justice.gov

Skechers Stock Rallies as Company-Owned E-Commerce Grows Over 400%


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Brooklyn, NY: Thieves Target Sunglasses In $15,000 Burglary
The burglary happened Saturday night shortly after 4 a.m. The store – Flatbush Optical – is on Flatlands Avenue in the East New York section. Police say after the group broke the lock on the rear door, they got away with just under $15,000 in sunglasses. newyork.cbslocal.com

Spokane, WA: Police arrest two suspects for months-long $8,000 shoplifting spree
Police arrested 25-year-old Nicholas Michael and 26-year-old Melodie Banks, suspects in several shoplifting incidents since June 3, spanning across multiple retail outlets. According to the Police Department, employees at these stores had dealt Michael so often that they knew him by name and asked him to never come back. One employee attributed 15 thefts to the duo after looking through surveillance video. According to police, Michael would allegedly shoplift and then resell the merchandise online. Police found and arrested Michael and Banks on Friday. Michael was booked into the Spokane County Jail for several counts of organized retail theft and theft with intent to sell, and Banks was charged with organized retail theft. According to authorities, the thefts amounted up to $7,800 in lost merchandise. kxly.com

Lower Paxton Township, PA: Police investigating 2 female shoplifter at Ulta Beauty; $400 theft

Davidson County, TN: Teen Repeat Offender charged with $182 Walmart theft and Violation of Trespass Restriction

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Shootings & Deaths


Wichita, KS: Police search for suspect in shooting death of AutoZone Employee
An AutoZone employee is dead after a shooting Sunday night in southeast Wichita. Wichita police were called around 9 p.m. Sunday to the AutoZone Auto Parts store after a 40-year-old employee was found dead. Police identified him as Nicholas Blue. Lt. Kevin Kochenderfer said another employee found the victim dead after returning to the main floor. Three employees were working but Kochenderfer said one was in the bathroom and another was in a bay getting a part when the shooting took place. The AutoZone was open for business at the time of the shooting, but there were no customers inside. Capt. Jason Stephens said an unknown male walked into the business, shot the victim and left.  kake.com

Los Angeles, CA: Man Pleads Not Guilty In Store Clerk’s Stabbing Death In Maywood
25-year-old Kevin Steve Gomez is accused of stabbing Nelly Baez to death on June 24. Gomez allegedly lunged at the 26-year-old clerk shortly after entering the ARCO gas station and stabbed her several times around 5:30 a.m. He is also accused of stabbing another employee who tried to intervene and stop the attack. Gomez faces a potential life sentence in prison if convicted of one count each of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. losangeles.cbslocal.com

Denver, CO: 2 Aurora Police Officers shot while pursuing C-Store Armed Robbery suspect
Two police officers were shot Monday night while pursuing a suspect they believe is tied to several convenience store armed robberies in the metro area. According to Denver Police Division Chief Ron Thomas, an investigation by the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force led police to the suspect. The officers are both in stable condition. The suspect was shot multiple times, according to Thomas, and is in critical condition at the hospital. fox21news.com

New Orleans, LA: Police are searching for a man who is accused of firing several times at grocery store workers after they asked him to wear a mask
The New Orleans Police has launched an investigation into an aggravated assault incident which occurred at the Brother's Mart on Bullard Avenue on Sunday, July 26. Police said that at around 11:43 p.m. a male suspect entered the store and got angry when employees asked him to wear a mask while inside. The man then left the store and went to retrieve a gun from his vehicle. There are no reports of any injuries as a result of the shooting. newsweek.com

Independence. MO: Police investigating Sunday night in C-Store Parking lot , 2 shot, 1 killed
 



Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Snowflake, AZ: Walmart Employee thwarts man holding staff at gunpoint
The Snowflake-Taylor Police Department in northeastern Arizona said a "quick-thinking and brave" Walmart employee helped disarm a man after that man walked into the store on Monday morning and held an unknown number of employees at gunpoint. At approximately 4:45 a.m., authorities received multiple 911 calls stating that a man with a gun had entered a Walmart Garden Center where employees were preparing to open the store for the day, police said. Police said the suspect, later identified as Solomon Dominguez, 52, then held employees at gunpoint inside the store. He also called 911 and demanded to speak to an officer, the police department said.

As Dominguez was on the phone, he became "distracted" and set a 9mm gun on a store counter, where an employee managed to grabbed the gun, police said. At that point, employees ran out of the store where police officers had already established a perimeter. A Special Response Team was able to get inside the store via a back door and take the suspect into custody without further incident, police said. No Walmart employees were injured, according to police. abc15.com

Cupertino, CA: Police standoff at donut shops ends; Armed Robbery of Staples
A caller said a man stole about $200 worth of merchandise from Staples and became aggressive toward employees. Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputies tried to stop the suspect outside the Staples, but he brandished a knife and ran away toward De Anza Boulevard. He then entered the Donut Wheel. While inside the shop, the suspect set a garbage can on fire and appeared to have taken money from the cash register, Low said. mercurynews.com

Newton, KS: Woman accused in Walmart coronavirus prank arrested for squatting in ice chest; faces two felony counts of criminal threat

Oakland, CA: Rash of Violence has Oakland Cannabis Retailers on Edge

UK: Kingston, England: Security Guard with 13 years of experience, steals shoes needed for her uniform; she makes $700 a month after the National Insurance Services (NIS) payment is taken out

 



Cargo Theft

Cargo theft alert issued for truckers at Illinois rest areas
On July 26, Illinois troopers posted a “Cargo Theft Alert” for two rest areas — the Lincoln Oasis and Hinsdale Oasis — near Chicago. The Illinois State Police is taking preventative measures to prevent, locate, and apprehend criminals at the Oasis facilities. The Illinois State Police will also be upgrading lighting and security, including but not limited to, extra patrols. cdllife.com

 

 




Anthony Costanzo named District Loss Prevention Manager for Ollie's Bargain Outlet

 

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Interesting how the social dynamics of a small industry mirror, somewhat, the same social dynamics of a family, with the holidays and conferences almost being one in the same, where we're excited to visit with old friends and colleagues, yet cautious about the battle lines business and careers at times necessitate or cause. At the end of the day, it's all about doing what's right for the industry, adding value, helping people, and continuing to help evolve the industry. And while each executive has their individual agendas, it's important to remember that we are all part of one industry and we all share one goal - to guide, nurture, and evolve it.

Just a Thought,
Gus

 

 

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