Chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers Discusses New Campaign to Fight ORC
Sean Sportun: Tackling the growing threat of organized retail theft

What was once perceived as mere shoplifting has now evolved into a sophisticated and dangerous criminal enterprise

As Torontonians, we should all feel safe to go out shopping. Unfortunately, recent headlines are a stark reminder that this sense of security is being increasingly jeopardized by the rise of organized retail theft. What was once perceived as mere shoplifting has now evolved into a sophisticated and dangerous criminal enterprise, impacting our stores, employees, and community safety.

In the past few months, we have seen a sharp escalation in organized retail theft across the GTA. The numbers are alarming. In one operation, 16 individuals were arrested in a $623,000 theft scheme. In another investigation, $1 million worth of stolen goods was recovered. Just last week, the headline “Arrests Made in Prolific Theft Ring” revealed how five individuals were allegedly responsible for more than $237,000 in losses across multiple retail locations. These are just a few examples of the growing problem, and the impact on our community is undeniable.

The scale of this issue is staggering. According to the Retail Council of Canada, the financial toll of organized retail theft has escalated from $5 billion in 2023 to a staggering $9.1 billion in 2024. This is a crisis that ultimately affects consumers.

However, the financial implications are only part of the story. More troubling is the rising violence that comes with these crimes. Offenders are no longer content with quietly slipping stolen items into bags. Many are increasingly willing to resort to violence. Daylight jewelry store smash-and-grab robberies highlight the growing dangers to employees and innocent shoppers who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Property crime is driving a wave of violent crime. We must address this escalating threat now. Organized retail theft is no longer a minor inconvenience for retailers — it is a full-scale attack on our safety and security. We cannot accept the damage to public trust and the normalization of violence in our communities.

In response, Toronto Crime Stoppers is taking action with a refreshed, proactive campaign to raise awareness about organized retail theft and its associated illicit trade. This campaign provides a direct line for citizens to anonymously report any information about those involved in retail theft, including those who knowingly purchase stolen goods. By empowering the public to step up and speak out, we can break the cycle of crime and help restore safety to our streets.  torontosun.com


Q&A with Pedro Ramos of Appriss Retail
How Can AI Systems Prevent and Record Retail Theft and Fraud?
Organized retail crime (ORC), fraud and theft continue to plague retailers, despite the development of loss prevention teams, time spent locking up goods and other strategies meant to deter crimesters.

But technology may become a more popular answer to those threats. California-based Appriss Retail, which was just acquired by Gemspring Capital, has developed artificial intelligence-based technology to mitigate crime and fraud, both digitally and in store.

Pedro Ramos, the company’s chief revenue officer, spoke with Sourcing Journal about the current trends in the retail crime landscape, what AI’s place is in aiding retailers in preventing and reacting to bad actors and more; here’s a look into the conversation.

Sourcing Journal: Could you talk through some of the trends you started to see in retail theft and organized retail crime over the past couple of months, whether that’s inclusive of 2024 or exclusive to 2025?

Pedro Ramos: What we see in our application, our company, is there is an evolution of return and claim fraud—from the occasional [individual] or abusive entity to professionals entering this space. We see countless examples of systemic return fraud…and all kinds of [examples, like] tender manipulation, fraudulent receipt use and all kinds of other behaviors that are highly indicative of somebody who’s well organized and knows what they’re doing.

We also see large groups or entities that appear to be the same person, but if you look at their total number of accounts generated, number of attempted uses of multiple credit cards and IDs, they’re clearly the same entity. Our AI engines are able to identify those, so we see that growing. It’s easy—it’s a pretty low-risk crime, and it converts into cash. We see a lot of return redemptions to multiple debit cards, and I’m just going to make the assumption that those debit cards, those accounts are being closed, and the accounts are being closed.

From conversations with retailers across the board, ORC continues to be an issue or a topic. What they are seeing is a little bit of a change. The thing that blew up over the past few years—smash-and-grabs and so forth—seems to have declined, but ORC is [still] in peak and not declining.  sourcingjournal.com


UK's New 'Crime & Policing Bill' Hopes to Curb Retail Theft
Op-Ed: "Scourge of shoplifting considered a 'petty offence' for too long"
The scourge of shoplifting is an offence which directly blights businesses and retailers across our three towns in Mid Cheshire. Considered a petty or ‘low-level’ offence for too long, shoplifting is more than just a nuisance, it is a crime that harms local businesses, impacts communities, and puts workers at risk.

Not only does it harm businesses financially it hits the community in the pocket too as retailers raise prices to recover the costs.

Since being elected, I have met with many shop workers and business owners across the constituency, I have heard first-hand the challenges they face. Many have shared their concerns about rising theft, threats, and even violence in the workplace.

That is why I have backed the Crime and Policing Bill, which this week passed its second reading in Parliament. This Labour Government is determined to crack down on retail crime, ensuring that those responsible are held to account.

We are ending the effective immunity for anyone caught shoplifting goods worth below £200 which was shamefully introduced under the previous Government. The flagship Bill is a key piece of legislation introduced by this Labour Government which will provide greater powers to tackle these issues and bring about meaningful change.

Under the new legislation, we are introducing tougher penalties for repeat shoplifters, ensuring that the law is used to its full extent. This will give retailers and workers the confidence that their safety is a priority, and that crime will not be tolerated.

I also welcome other features of the Bill such as amendments to introduce stricter age verification checks. uk.news.yahoo.com


Will the LA Mayor Get Recalled Over Crime?
L.A. Mayor Bass Fights Recall With Action As Violent Crime Falls
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is pushing forward with her administration’s crime reduction efforts as she faces a recall campaign. Standing with Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, members of the Board of Police Commissioners, and community members in the Hollenbeck Division, Bass addressed the latest crime data, which shows a 14% decrease in homicides in 2024 compared to the previous year.

The Operations-Valley Bureau saw a 28% drop, while communities involved in the Gang Reduction and Youth Development program and the Community Safety Partnership recorded a 40% decline in homicides. Chief McDonnell reported that shooting victims decreased by 19%, with 7,634 illegal firearms—790 of which were ghost guns—seized as part of the city’s crime prevention strategy. Property crimes, including burglary and motor vehicle theft, dropped by more than 7,200 incidents in 2024.

The Organized Retail Crime Task Force recovered over $36 million in stolen merchandise, and the Heavy Metal Task Force made more than 100 arrests while recovering thousands of pounds of stolen copper wire.

Bass’ handling of the Palisades Fire has drawn criticism, leading to a recall effort led by Nicole Shanahan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s former running mate. To move forward, the campaign needs 330,000 signatures within four months. Bass, the first woman and second African American to serve as the city’s mayor and who has already launched her 2026 reelection campaign, said she remains committed to leading the city.

Following a multi-victim shooting in MacArthur Park in January, Bass directed the LAPD to increase foot patrols and target gang-related activity. The city installed fencing to disrupt illegal drug and stolen goods sales, reducing violence in the area. In the three months before these measures, nearly 100 violent crimes were reported in the neighborhood.

Over the last five weeks, violent crime decreased by 57%, including reductions in robberies and aggravated assaults. Property crime, including burglaries and thefts from vehicles, also declined.  seattlemedium.com


Thieves sentenced under new Minnesota law aimed at cracking down on ORC

Sarasota saw largest crime rate drop in history in 2024

No homicides in DeKalb in 2024, police crime data shows
 

In Case You Missed It

RH-ISAC Announces Agenda for the 2025 Cyber Intelligence Summit

The annual Cyber Intelligence Summit brings together cybersecurity experts from diverse backgrounds to address rapidly evolving threats.

VIENNA, VA - The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RH-ISAC) has released the full agenda for its upcoming annual Cyber Intelligence Summit, the premier event for cybersecurity professionals working in retail, hospitality, and other consumer-facing industries. Scheduled to take place on 7-9 April in St. Louis, Missouri, the conference brings together top cybersecurity leaders and teams to participate in interactive discussions and keynote presentations on safeguarding consumer data.

The 2025 Summit will offer three distinct tracks: Tactical, Operational, and Strategic, allowing attendees to tailor their experience to their role and expertise. Each track is designed to dive deep into the latest trends, best practices, and innovations in the cybersecurity field, offering practical insights to participants across all levels of cybersecurity management.

Presentations will cover a variety of topics, including threat intelligence sharing, ransomware prevention, supply chain security, cyber threat intelligence, advanced threat detection, and more, with the goal of equipping professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to protect their organizations. The presentation topics were guided by key RH-ISAC members who helped to develop the agenda.

"The RH-ISAC Cyber Intelligence Summit agenda will once again focus on the pressing issues facing consumer-facing sectors," said Suzie Squier, president of RH-ISAC. "With the leading brands in retail, hospitality, gaming, travel, and consumer goods attending, the networking will be as unparalleled as the content."  rhisac.org
 

New York, NY: Burglars steal $12K worth of merchandise from Chanel store on Upper East Side
Police are looking for the burglar who broke into the Chanel store on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side and stole thousands of dollars in merchandise. The robbery happened just before 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. Police say the burglar broke the front glass window with a pole, then grabbed two purses, a vanity case, a wallet and a card holder before fleeing on foot eastbound on East 65th Street toward Park Avenue. The merchandise is said to be worth about $12,000. The suspect is described by police as a man in his 30's with a black beard, approximately 6'2", and 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing black jogging clothes, a white vest, a white baseball hat and black sandals. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. This is the same Chanel store broken into last October by two men with sledgehammers.  abc7ny.com


Portland, OR: Police bust massive retail theft fencing operation in Portland
Portland police busted a massive retail theft fencing operation. Investigators say the theft ring bought thousands of new, unopened items from shoplifters, then sold the stolen merchandise online. Investigators have been building the case for years and described it as one of the biggest fencing operations ever seen in Portland. On Tuesday, officers executed search warrants at three different locations, including a Vancouver warehouse, an office in Tualatin and storefront in Northeast Portland. Cell phone video showed officers wearing tactical gear as they approached Card Rhino on Northeast Halsey. Inside the small store, investigators recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise — including electronics, appliances and collectibles. The stolen goods were new and still in the box. They also recovered boxes marked for shipment. According to law enforcement sources, shoplifters would steal merchandise from retailers, then bring it to the Portland store, where they were paid a fraction of what the item is worth. Then, the store would turn around and sell the stolen goods online. The operation had several accounts on eBay. There appear to be thousands of transactions going back several years, according to investigators.  kgw.com


New York, NY: NYPD searching for men who used pepper spray to rob clothing store in Washington Heights
Police are searching for two men who used pepper spray to rob a clothing store in Manhattan. It happened Feb. 19 at the Snipes sports apparel and sneaker store on West 181st Street just before 6 p.m. Officials say the suspects walked inside and sprayed the chemical substance on the floor, which irritated employees' eyes and caused them to cough. That is when police say the thieves took the merchandise off a display table before running away. Manager Ranyeli Richardson was inside the store at the time and said she couldn't even breathe. One of the suspects flashed a gun to another employee to stop her from stopping him.  abc7ny.com


Cranberry, PA: Two people in custody following another gun store robbery, this time in Marshall Township
Two people in custody following another gun store robbery, this time in Marshall Township An exclusive new video obtained by KDKA on Tuesday night showed the burglary at the Keystone Shooting Center in Marshall Township on Monday morning. Two people are now in custody in connection with the burglary, one adult and one teenager. The alarm went off at 5:44 a.m. and it was initially reported as a false alarm. However, when the manager discovered the break-in, it showed that the window was smashed in with a hammer and three people went into the store. One of them stayed behind to wait for them in a stolen car. The suspects busted three glass cases and grabbed other guns right off the wall. In all, they stole 20 handguns, six semiautomatic AR-15 and AK-47-style rifles, and two suppressors. They also dropped five guns while leaving. Six of them were reportedly recovered by law enforcement during a vehicle stop and a house search. Police uncovered plans to break into a second gun store in Allegheny County just 24 hours earlier.  cbsnews.com


Milford, MA: Milford police crack interstate retail theft ring, 4 charged
The Milford Police Department has identified four suspects in connection with an organized retail theft operation that targeted local stores and is believed to be responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise theft nationwide. On March 2, Milford police responded to Target at 250 Fortune Blvd. for a report of a high-dollar shoplifting incident. The following day, detectives discovered the Target incident was part of an organized retail crime that also affected a Lowe’s store in Milford. Through investigative techniques and technology, Milford detectives tracked the suspects to Flint, Michigan, where local police identified the individuals on March 6.  newportdispatch.com


Sparks, NV: Sparks Police arrests three during retail theft operation
The Sparks Police are releasing details of a recent retail theft operation carried out in partnership with Walmart and Kohl's. In the controlled operation, the SPD Neighborhood Police Unit officers arrested three people and gave tickets to two others. Charges given to those arrested included petit larceny, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and one arrest was made on an outstanding warrant. Officials say around $1,250 of stolen merchandise was recovered during the operation. The Sparks Police Department says that they are committed to combatting retail theft and will continue to work with local businesses.  2news.com