Repeat Offenders Dominate Texas ORC
Texas Soars Past National Average for Organized Retail Crime

Top 10 Percent of Texas Offenders Responsible for Vast Majority of Theft in the Lone Star State

AUSTIN, Texas - June 9, 2026 - Texas retailers are facing repeat and organized retail crime (ORC) at a higher rate than the national average, according to newly released data from the global retail crime intelligence platform Auror, but retailers are working together to get ahead of the problem.

Auror (pronounced aura) retailer data shows that the top 10 percent of retail crime offenders were responsible for more than 71 percent of recorded retail crime across Texas stores last year. In contrast, across the U.S., the top 10 percent of offenders were responsible for more than 66 percent of the crime, according to Auror data.

The new insights are drawn from some of North America’s largest retailers, which use Auror’s platform to log crime events in a consistent way after they occur in their stores. The structured reporting in the platform helps retailers connect the dots on repeat offenders and organized crime that historically are treated as one-off incidents.

Boot Barn, the largest American retailer of western and workwear, is one of many major U.S retailers working together to turn the tide and keep their stores safe through the use of technology.

Brian Huff, Boot Barn Director Loss Prevention said “we have a large presence across the Lone Star State, so we’re focused on giving our people the right tools to surface connected incidents across our stores”.

Raul Aguilar, Auror Head of Law Enforcement Partnerships, and former Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Deputy Assistant Director responsible for transnational organized crime, said “retail crime isn’t just about shop theft - it’s also about the violence, threats and intimidation directed at vulnerable frontline workers everyday”.

“The repeat offenders impacting stores are just the tip of the iceberg; these crimes are often connected to organized crime rings operating across the country and even transnationally,” Aguilar said.

“Repeat offenders aren’t brand-loyal and don’t respect jurisdictional boundaries, so it’s great to see retailers and law enforcement working together through digital collaboration to surface those causing the most harm, rather than dealing with them as one-off events."

   Click here to read more from Auror


Chinese Gangs Fueling Gift Card Fraud Nationwide
Gift Card Draining: How Organized Crime Steals Millions From Shoppers
Gift card draining has become a major problem with organized crime groups, primarily Chinese gangs, operating wide-scale gift card draining. Gift card draining occurs when scammers tamper with gift cards in a store so that when an unwitting customer buys a gift card, the value of the gift card becomes under the control of the scammer.

The most common way gift card draining occurs involves scammers going to racks of gift cards in stores and using handheld scanners that are easy to obtain, read the code on the strip of the card and the number on the front. They then put the card back in the display and periodically check with the retailer by calling its 800 number to find out whether the card has been activated and what the balance is on the card. Once they have this information, they either create a counterfeit card using the information they have stolen or order items online without having the actual card in hand.

Another common way gift card draining occurs is when scammers place a sticker with the barcode of a gift card that the scammers possess over the actual barcode of the gift card in the rack. Thus, when the card is taken by the gift card purchaser to the checkout counter to have the card activated, the funds used to purchase the gift card are credited to the card of the scammer. It is not until the gift card purchaser tries to use his or her card that it is discovered that there are no funds credited to the card.

Nationwide, the crime is of epic proportions. According to Adam Parks a special agent for Homeland Security, 1,000 people around the country are involved in the scam. "We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars, potentially billions of dollars, [and] that's a substantial risk to our economy and to people's confidence in their retail environment." The Department of Homeland Security is investigating these Chinese gangs nationally through Operation Red Hook.

Some retailers, to reduce gift card fraud put a PIN on the gift card so that if the card is used online, the user must have access to the PIN which is generally covered and must have the covering material scratched off to be visible. Unfortunately, many purchasers of gift cards are not aware of this, so they don't even notice that the PIN on the card that they are purchasing has already had the covering material scratched off by the scammer who has recorded the PIN. Target has redesigned its gift cards to have a blank space where access codes used to be printed. Instead, the code is applied to the gift card by the cashier at checkout. Other gift card retailers are adding tamper-proof packaging or displays that prevent cards from being put back once removed. yahoo.com


Retailers Face SNAP Fraud Crackdown
19 Ohio Retailers Face Sanctions in Joint SNAP Fraud Enforcement Operation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) and the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU) have issued violation notices to 19 alleged fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers across Ohio.

On June 3 and 4, 2026, OIU and FNA – working alongside the USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG) – issued formal violation notices to 19 SNAP retailers across Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, kicking off the enforcement process that holds bad actors accountable. These retailers are charged with committing blatant SNAP fraud, including exchanging benefits for cash, alcohol, tobacco and other illegal items.

Potential penalties for these charges range from prolonged suspension to permanent disqualification from SNAP as well as significant monetary fines.

This week’s enforcement sweep is part of an ongoing USDA-Ohio partnership that has already resulted in criminal convictions for SNAP retailer fraud. For example, during an OIU and FNA investigation, a Cleveland retailer trafficked more than $17,000 in SNAP benefits for cash with undercover agents.

This federal-state collaboration demonstrates the Trump Administration’s whole-of-government approach to protecting vulnerable families who participate in SNAP and the American taxpayers who fund it.

Each year, FNA evaluates tens of thousands of retailers and conducts nearly 50,000 undercover compliance visits to identify and stop SNAP fraud. townhall.com


The Ripple Effect of Shoplifting
Bethany, OK: Business owner says shoplifting impacts more than just inventory

A Bethany business owner says a recent shoplifting incident that cost his store nearly a third of its daily sales highlights the ripple effects theft can have on small businesses.

A recent shoplifting incident at Produce Gal Mercantile in Bethany has one business owner speaking out about the challenges theft creates for small businesses and the people who depend on them. “The bad thing about retail theft in a small business like ours is it sends ripple effects out,” he said.

Unlike larger retailers, Rooney said small businesses often have limited ability to absorb unexpected losses. He feels that theft can force owners to reevaluate spending in other areas of their budgets, including marketing, community involvement and charitable giving.

Rooney said those decisions can ultimately affect suppliers, vendors and employees. He hopes the incident serves as a reminder that small businesses are deeply connected to the communities they serve. “These are not nameless, faceless corporations,” said Rooney. “These are people.” news9.com


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