Are Cellphone Store Heists the Modern Day Version of Bank Robberies?
Stick-up at the cellphone store: New heists go after iPhones, not bank vaults.

A Washington, D.C., man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for robbing four cell phone stores. His spree is the latest in a trend that's replaced the classic bank heist.

The case out of Maryland is the latest in what criminology experts and law enforcement see as the modern-day form of bank robbery- with significantly higher takes. In the United States, bank robbers net just over $4,000 per robbery, according to FBI statistics.

If noted gangster John Dillinger were alive today, he'd be robbing cellphone stores instead of banks.

The heists have grown to the point that federal agents call the trade "phone trafficking" in reference to the vast sums criminals aim to score and sell in far-flung black markets such as Iran and North Korea.

Doug McKelway, a supervisory special agent with the FBI's Major Theft Enterprises division, told USA TODAY that phone store heists spurred by international organized crime elements came to the bureau's attention just a few years ago.

The take? Anywhere from $500 to $1,000 per phone for the lowest level of criminal involved. Ringleaders make millions of dollars, McKelway said.

They are big-money heists that carry big prison terms. Xavier Jones - a 26-year-old involved in all four robberies in late 2020 including Owings Mills - was sentenced to 22 years in prison in February after pleading guilty to multiple counts of brandishing a firearm and interference with interstate commerce by robbery. Accomplice Rico Dashiell, 26, pleaded guilty for his role and was sentenced to 12 years in prison; Donte Herring, 25, was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years.

Jones recognized going after highly valued but poorly secured technology offered a big payday but technology was also his undoing. The crew failed to notice a GPS-tracking device in the Owings Mills store loot. Federal agents tracked them down using the device to put them in a plain old-fashioned prison. usatoday.com


Newsom Takes Victory Lap Over ORC Task Force
California Governor Touts Organized Retail Crime Task Force $13.5M Recovery
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week the state's Organized Retail Crime Task Force recovered $13.5 million from 676,227 stolen goods found as a result of 879 investigations and 1,707 arrests in 2024.

The Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF), established in 2019, under the direction of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has led to the arrest of more than 4,000 suspects and recovery of $54 million worth from 1.3 million stolen goods, said Newsom in a statement.

The governor noted more than $1.1 billion in crime-fighting initiatives, with $267 million allocated directly to 55 local law enforcement agencies to help fight organized retail crimes, adding the funding mainly helps local governments improve public safety and increase police personnel.

"As public safety continues to be a priority for California, this ongoing retail theft crackdown shows the continuous work of our strengthened efforts on organized crime. I thank the California Highway Patrol for their work to protect and keep California communities safe," said Newsom.

The initiative of ORCTF continues into 2025 with January and February operations yielding 136 retail theft investigations which led to 209 arrests. They recovered 24,510 stolen items, estimated to be worth nearly $2.2 million. In a notable January operation directed by CHP officers through the Golden Gate Division, CHP officers obtained 1,619 items valued to be worth over $183,000, Newsom said.

CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said the unit is "committed to identifying and dismantling these criminal networks, enhancing partnerships with retailers throughout the state, and deploying every available resource to prevent these crimes from happening."

The success builds on momentum from 2023, when the CHP reported an annual 310 percent increase in operations targeting organized retail crime, and other special operations geared toward fighting crime and improving public safety, reported the governor in a statement.  davisvanguard.org
 

Organized Retail Crime Bill Package Passes in Arkansas
Arkansas: New state law cracks down on cargo thieves
A package of bills targeting organized retail crime, including cargo theft, was recently passed by the Arkansas Legislature and signed into law.

The organized retail crime package, sponsored by Sen. Ben Gilmore (R-Crossett) and Rep. Jeremiah Moore (R-Clarendon) and championed by the state's Attorney General's office, addresses a top priority for the trucking industry -- cargo theft protection and organized retail crime throughout the entire supply chain. The legislative package garnered strong bipartisan support as it moved through the Legislature.

"The industry saw unprecedented levels of cargo theft last year, up 27% from the previous year and a 1,500% increase since 2001," said Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton. "These laws demonstrate that Arkansas lawmakers understand the economic threat organized retail crime and cargo theft pose to our industry and all consumers. The success of this organized retail crime package demonstrates what can be achieved when policymakers, industry stakeholders and officials like Attorney General [Tim] Griffin work together."

Among bills signed into law were SB 301, which creates an enhanced sentence of up to 10 additional years in prison for those convicted of cargo theft. The bill also declares a cargo theft emergency in the state, allowing provisions of the bill to take effect immediately.

The new law applies to "goods, chattels, money, or baggage that constitutes, in whole or in part, a commercial shipment of freight moving in commerce," and does not include direct-to-consumer goods. The law defines "moving in commerce" as "all points from the point of origin to the final destination, regardless of any temporary stop while awaiting transshipment or otherwise."   ccjdigital.com


Business Owners Frustrated By Retail Crime in Oakland
Oakland gas station owner calls on police to 'do something' after rash of smash-and-grabs
Over the past two weeks, at least six different gas stations have been robbed around Oakland. Singh says he and others are frustrated by the city and the police department's inability to catch those responsible.

"Do something. That's it. Do something... You guys have all the evidence. You guys have everything. And if you guys aren't doing anything it's kind of sad for us," Singh said. Singh tells us, despite the frustrations, he wants to keep doing business in Oakland.

However, he says without major change, that desire becomes harder and harder. "This is really bad for businesses and all that stuff. All the communities and everything. All the trust and that stuff. How are we going to do business if they keep doing like this?"  abc7news.com


UK: 'People steal from charity shop every day - they're desperate'

New data shows crime declining in Silver Spring, Md.
 

Organizations Need Comprehensive Approach to Cybersecurity
Report Surfaces Sharp Increase in Cyberattacks Aimed at Applications
An analysis of cyberattacks made against applications published this week by Digital.ai, a provider of a platform for securely delivering software, finds a 20% year over year increase, with 83% of applications tracked in January now under constant cyberattack compared to 65% a year ago.

Mobile applications running on Android (90%) and Apple iOS (88%) are by far the most targeted, according to the report. However, the types of attacks being made can vary. For example, open Android platforms (82%) are more susceptible to instrumentation attacks involving dynamic code modification or hooks into toolkits such as Frida, the report noted.

Digital.ai CEO Derek Holt said cyberattacks appear to be specifically targeting the client side of applications that are easier for them to access. Mobile computing applications are especially being targeted in a way that ultimately expands the attack surface that cybersecurity teams are expected to defend, he added.

At the same time, reverse-engineering toolkits such as Frida and Ghidra continue to proliferate at a time when it's becoming simpler to create malicious code using generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the report noted.

Organizations now need more than ever a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity that eliminates vulnerabilities both before applications are deployed and after they have been deployed, said Holt. securityboulevard.com


Did Microsoft Sit on 'Nasty' Vulnerability for 6 Months?
Microsoft Won't Fix This Bad Zero Day (Despite Wide Abuse)
Researchers found a nasty Windows vulnerability, but Microsoft sat on it for six months. It's easy to exploit and it allows full control over the victim's PC. At least 11 threat groups have been exploiting it for years. And yet, Microsoft still refuses to fix it. In today's SB  Blogwatch, we ask, "When is a bug not a bug?"

The security flaw has been exploited in widespread attacks by many state-sponsored threat groups and cybercrime gangs. [But] Microsoft tagged it as "not meeting the bar servicing" in late September and said it wouldn't release security updates to address it.

This heavily exploited Windows vulnerability (tracked as ZDI-CAN-25373) ... allows attackers to exploit how Windows displays shortcut (.LNK) files to evade detection and execute code on vulnerable devices without the user's knowledge. Threat actors [hide] malicious command-line arguments within .LNK shortcut files using padded whitespaces added to the COMMAND_LINE_ARGUMENTS structure.

The bad actors since at least 2017 have targeted government, military, and critical infrastructure organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere by abusing a vulnerability that allows the attackers to run hidden malicious commands on victims' systems, according to threat researchers with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative. ... ZDI researchers uncovered almost 1,000 malicious .LNK files - though said the actual number of such files could be much higher - created by state-sponsored, state-adjacent, and financially motivated groups that exploit the vulnerability that are disguised as harmless types of files, such as a document, in hopes that the victims will manually execute them, which puts the malicious commands in motion. securityboulevard.com


"The Biggest Digital Heist Ever"
Bybit: when hackers target people, not systems
This past month, hackers stole a staggering $1.5 billion from the crypto exchange Bybit in what the market dubbed "The biggest digital heist ever". Unsurprisingly, the sheer scale of the attack has led many to once again question the safety of crypto, with critics pointing fingers at the industry's security vulnerabilities. But here's the twist: the wallets did their job. The problem wasn't a failure of the underlying technology - it was a failure of 'human' security.

What exactly went wrong? The bottom line is that the Bybit hack wasn't a failure of blockchain security - the attackers didn't crack an impenetrable system; they manipulated people...

In very simple terms, the attack occurred when the company was making a routine transfer of Ethereum from an offline 'cold' wallet (a highly secure, offline storage solution designed to protect assets from cyber threats by keeping private keys completely disconnected from the internet) to a 'warm' wallet (a semi-online wallet used for operational liquidity, allowing faster access to funds while maintaining some security measures) for daily trading activities. securitybrief.asia


Medusa ransomware using malicious driver as EDR killer

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Minneapolis, MNL Police arrest 29 in crackdown on growing problem of organized Twin Cities retail thefts
A new law enforcement unit arrested 29 alleged thieves tied to Twin Cities organized retail crime and thousands of dollars in losses. Roseville police last week conducted a "retail blitz" as part of a metrowide crackdown on a rise in shoplifting crime rings, according to a police release. It was the second operation led by the department's retail unit, boosted by the participation of 24 stores including Target, Walmart and shops at Rosedale Center. Officers recovered more than $5,100 in merchandise during last week's operation. Of the 29 arrests, seven suspects were booked on felony or gross misdemeanor charges. "We know organized retail crime is a growing problem in communities across the country," Roseville Police Chief Erika Scheider said. "These highly organized crime rings are stealing and reselling millions of dollars in merchandise, negatively impacting local businesses, employees, community members, and our local economy." One man, 21-year-old Kenneth Owen Machen was charged with felony theft of more than $25,000 worth of merchandise from stores across the region over the past year. Police allege Machen and his girlfriend stole from HomeGoods, Kohl's and several Best Buy locations. Best Buy staff told police the pair stole more than $50,000 worth of merchandise from area stores over eight months, according to the criminal complaint.  startribune.com


University Place Man Arrested for $10,000 Lego Heist, Firearms and Drugs Uncovered
A 32-year-old Lego aficionado found himself in cuffs after a bold burglary at University Place's Sasquatch Bricks Toy Store, which saw over $10,000 in Legos lifted. Described as a pre-dawn heist on February 13, Pierce County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the crime after a man utilized a U-Haul truck to forcefully enter the store and abscond with the iconic building blocks. KOMO News reported that the deputies responded to a scene of chaos left in the wake of the burglar's escape. The investigation that ensued, with the aid of surveillance footage and public tips, led law enforcement to a storage unit, a mere mile from the victimized toy store to find their suspect. As per FOX 13 Seattle, the authorities discovered the 32-year-old suspect, identified as Caylan Guerra, in a stupor in his vehicle parked just outside the storage facility. Deputies served a warrant on Thursday, uncovering the stolen Lego sets alongside more nefarious items. The News Tribune detailed police reports that indicated the presence of two firearms-one reported as stolen-two bags of Fentanyl, a significant quantity of methamphetamine on Guerra's person, and several debit cards that Guerra had no claim to.  hoodline.com


Orlando, FL: Update: Earrings worth $769,500 recovered by Florida police after alleged thief swallows them
Orlando Police have recovered two sets of earrings worth a combined $769,500 (£597,000) after an alleged thief swallowed them more than two weeks ago. Jaythan Gilder, 32, swallowed the Tiffany & Co. diamond earrings around the time he was taken into custody on 26 February, police said. Mr Gilder was monitored by detectives at an Orlando hospital for "more than a dozen days" before the earrings were expelled from his system, according to the Orlando Police Department. Mr Gilder faces charges of robbery with a mask and grand theft in the first degree. Tiffany's has since cleaned the earrings.  myjoyonline.com


Auckland, New Zealand: Masked Group targets Michael Hill Jewellers in Mānawa Bay mall smash-and-grab