Exclusively on the D&D Daily: 2016 Robbery, Jobs and eCommerce Reports
We've done the research, gathered the statistics, and now it's your turn to see what the numbers are! Today, exclusively in the Daily, you'll see the full year review of how many robberies the Daily reported and what the trend looks like compared to last year. You'll also get a look at the number of loss prevention and security jobs that the Daily has reported on this past year, and the biggest eCommerce stories that hit the web! Read these reports in our News, eCommerce and Internet Jobs columns!

2016 Robbery Report: Robberies & Burglaries Up 28% Over 2015 Dec. 2015 vs Dec. 2016: Incidents Up 125% The D&D Daily reported a total of 1,822 robberies and burglaries across the United States in the fourth quarter of 2016, bringing the total number of publicly reported incidents in 2016 to 5,974. This, compared to last year's 4,666 total, is a 28% increase. Each quarter of 2016, as the graph to the right indicates, saw a steady but noticeable rise in the number of reported robberies and burglaries. From Q1 (1,151 incidents) to Q4 (1,822 incidents) of 2016, there was a 58% increase. Analyzing the fourth quarter of 2015 vs. the fourth quarter of 2016 shows an even bigger increase of 67%. Finally, if we compare only December of each year, publicly reported robberies spiked by an astronomical 125%, suggesting that these incidents increased more substantially at the end of 2016. In Dec. of 2015 there were just 313 reported robberies and burglaries, compared to 704 in the same month of 2016. After analyzing these cases and breaking them down into three categories, we can also observe where the hot spots are in terms of which cities, states and retailers see the most incidents. 2016 Robberies and Burglaries by City   In 2016, the cities with the greatest number of publicly reported incidents were Houston, TX (73), Memphis, TN (66), and Dayton, OH (65). See the extended list of the top 15 cities in the graph to the left.     On a statewide level, the highest number of reported robberies and burglaries in 2016 occurred in Texas (485), California (419) and Florida (353) - some of the most populous states in the country and three states that have consistently seen the highest number of incidents in each quarter of the year. The graph to the right depicts the top 15 states with the highest number of robberies and burglaries in 2016.  2016 Robberies and Burglaries by State  2016 Robberies and Burglaries by Retailer   Of the cases reported by the Daily last year, Dollar General (382), 7-Eleven (351), and CVS (244) were the retailers with the most reported occurrences. The graph to the left shows the top 15 retailers with the most robberies and burglaries in 2016. While we found that the number of these crimes continued to steadily rise in each quarter in 2016, the geographic and retail locations are often very similar. Throughout the year, the top three states and retailers saw few changes. So while these cases continued to increase throughout the year and 2016 saw a noticeable spike in robberies and burglaries, the states and retailers were relatively constant.  It remains to be seen whether 2017 will continue last year's trend, but if it does, we're likely to see another year with large numbers of robberies and burglaries.

The D&D Daily's
2017 Senior Asset Protection Honoree
Mark Stinde, VP of AP for 7-Eleven
Each year at our Live in NYC Digital LP Conference, we take the time to recognize a senior Loss Prevention leader who we feel embodies what all good leaders have in common and what all good leaders should strive to accomplish and practice. Some say good leaders aren't born - that they're made and developed and while a lot of that is true there are common traits that aren't learned in books or taught at Universities.

We're talking about the traits of fairness, of being grounded in doing what's right, always taking care of their people and understanding that failure isn't a fault it's a stepping stone to growth.

This year's honoree, Mark Stinde, embodies those principals.

Mark has the courage to take risks and try new things - cross over in different retail channels - and recognized that he in fact needed to do more for his own career - at a time when most would blow it off - he went back to college and earned his Master degree all the while running a national program and raising a new family.

Congratulations Mark, from all of us at the D&D Daily!

Stay tuned for pictures and a recap from last night's event, coming soon!

New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill Joins the LP Community at Annual D&D Daily Dinner Reception
Following the successful "Live in NYC 2017" digital conference on Monday, where solution providers and LP leaders participated in value-packed sessions, NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill joined the LP community for a dinner reception and to deliver remarks on current issues concerning the retail community.

O'Neill was appointed the 43rd police commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio in September 2016. He had served previously as chief of department, the NYPD's highest uniformed rank. Widely experienced in both the patrol and the investigative sides of the department, Commissioner O'Neill is a hands-on police practitioner and a dedicated police reformer.

Having the opportunity to hear from the nation's top cop was a valuable experience for everyone in attendance on Monday, and the D&D Daily thanks him for taking the time to join us.

The Amazon Effect: Store Closures Everywhere
Brick-and-mortar retailers are increasingly losing foot traffic and sales to online retailers as consumers increasingly shift to online shopping, either by desktop or mobile device.

Sears, Macy's, Kohl's, and J.C. Penney have lost billions of dollars in market value over the past 10 years, mainly because they failed to adapt to a fast-changing retail environment where consumers can easily compare prices and buy things online (see Figure 1).

Retailers like Macy's and Sears stuck with dated and uninspiring store concepts carrying the same merchandise and brands. Less foot traffic and heavy discounting caused sales and profits to plummet. And as a consequence of constant discount-sales events, they lost their pricing power.

Big box retailers forgot about the importance of in-store customer experiences in an omni-channel world. In other words, brick and mortars got too comfortable with what they already had and it bit them. Over the same 10-year period, Amazon's market value has grown by 1,934%.

The so-called "Amazon effect" is driving the way retailers think about their customers, physical stores, and supply chains. Retailers are now rushing to refine their store concepts and online sales strategies to stay relevant and competitive.

Big box and department store sales have decreased at a 4.7% compounded annual rate, from 2006 to 2015, according to data from Mazzone & Associates (see Figure 2). I expect the Amazon effect will result in more closures and consolidation in 2017 and 2018 in the broader retail industry. seekingalpha.com

Expert: Macy's may eventually close 'hundreds' of stores
Macy's Inc. fired the person in charge of in-store growth initiatives last week, prompting one retail expert to predict "hundreds" more store closures could be in the company's future.

"We're in the second inning," said Howard Davidowitz, a New York-based retail consultant. "The fastest growing area of their business is online. What do you do with all these stores?"

Macy's Chief Financial Officer Karen Hoguet wouldn't rule out additional store closures in a November conference call with analysts.

"We think closing 100 stores roughly will get us to the optimal fleet size," she said. "Things happen all the time in terms of real estate, malls and locations that I can't predict. So, are we 100 percent sure that it's just 100 stores? No, of course not." wcpo.com

Wal-Mart to add about 10,000 retail jobs in the US
Wal-Mart plans to add about 10,000 retail jobs in the U.S. as it opens new stores and expands existing locations. The world's biggest retailer said Tuesday that there will also be about 24,000 construction jobs generated by its expansion plans. There will be 59 new, expanded and relocated Walmart and Sam's Clubs locations, according to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The company plans $6.8 billion in capital investments in the U.S. in the coming fiscal year, which begins on Feb. 1. newson6.com

Wet Seal Mulling Bankruptcy
Wet Seal may be taking the plunge into bankruptcy - again. Bloomberg reported that the mall retailer is considering bankruptcy, but also a sale, in the wake of struggles to right itself.

In a series of steps to turn around operations, Wet Seal had closed hundreds of stores, yet had been bedeviled by slowing foot traffic seen across malls nationwide. At present, the firm has 171 locations across 42 states.

A bankruptcy would mark the second in two years for Wet Seal, and in its previous filing, it had sold assets to Versa in an agreement that also gave the firm $7.5 million in cash. pymnts.com

Tiffany feels the Trump effect on 5th Avenue
Security barricades, protesters and a perpetual media encampment in and around Trump Tower since the election has left a patina on sales at Tiffany, the posh jeweler who's flagship store is just steps from the president-elect's front door.

Tiffany said Tuesday that sales at its store on Manhattan's 5th Avenue tumbled 14 percent in November and December, compared with the same period last year, partly due to "post-election traffic disruptions."

Tiffany & Co. has been under pressure more broadly, however, and overall sales in the Americas declined by 4 percent. washingtonpost.com

Chanel Named in Discrimination Lawsuit by Former Employee
A former assistant manager of a Chanel boutique in San Francisco has slapped the Paris-based design house with a strongly-worded lawsuit alleging discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. According to Mia Komarevic's complaint, which was filed in November in the Superior Court of the State of California, a state court in San Francisco, she was subjected to a "campaign of harassment" during her tenure with Chanel before being fired.

Komarevic states in her complaint, "During her first year, she was consistently recognized as a dedicated employee. That changed when Ms. Komarevic witnessed a Director violate company policy and state law by wearing merchandise out of the store for the night without paying for it and without permission, ultimately returning it to the store to be sold as new merchandise." Moreover, Komarevic further asserts that she "followed Chanel's policy by reporting this incident to her manager, Loss Prevention, and Corporate Operations."

After submitting her report, Komarevic claims that her fellow managers "responded by ostracizing her, excluding her from training opportunities, and critiquing her performance. Most egregiously, they attempted to force her to quit by intentionally preventing her from practicing her religion ... by changing her schedule to force her to work on Sundays."

"Eight days after Ms. Komarevic reiterated her request for a religious accommodation in writing, Chanel fired her, citing unspecified 'performance reasons.'" thefashionlaw.com

Top 10 Workplace Trends:
#4 People Analytics
The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) has published its fourth annual Top 10 Workplace Trends list. Several of the trends on this list signify great changes in the way workplaces function. It appears "change" will be a major trend itself in organizations this year.

#4. People Analytics

Not only will organizations be focused on integrating data from across multiple sources and systems, they also will see a growing focus on using analytics to address talent-related questions.

Talent/people analytics will continue to be a top priority for organizations this year, with employers using analytics for HR decision making, assisting in selection decisions and talent identification and management. Organizations will need to focus on how to leverage the massive amounts of data collected on employees to drive better insights. ehstoday.com

Spokeo May Bump Ikea Shopper's Suit To State Court: 9th Circ

eBay Partners with Retail and State Troopers on
large pawn takedown in PA

eBay Global Asset Protection partnered with multiple retailers and State Troopers in a pawn shop raid. Troopers saw a pattern of transactions indicative of retail theft and refund fraud. Additionally, troopers noticed the high amount of "merchant cards," or store credits generated by returns of items to stores without receipts, and the number of repeat customers who routinely and frequently sell the same items. State police also sent a trooper undercover as a frequent seller of suspicious goods.  Read more here

For further information on PROACT, email inquiries to PROACT@eBay.com. 
 

eBay Direct - Click Here  -  (notify - info - questions)

Ransomware: How A Security Inconvenience Became The Industry's Most-Feared Vulnerability
From an IT perspective, one of the most aggravating things about ransomware is that even after the attack gains a foothold, it should be relatively easy to stop. The file encryption - which actually does the damage - is the final stage of a multistep process. In fact, there are several opportunities to block the attack before it affects valuable data. First, if the attack is caught by URL filters or secure Web gateways, it will be averted.

The second step is where the initial malware "drop" downloads the ransomware program. To do this, it must connect back to the attacker's server from within the compromised network. It's only after the ransomware program itself deploys inside the victim's environment that it encrypts local and network server files. And still, before the process can launch, most ransomware must connect to a command-and-control server, to create the public-private key pair that encrypts the data.

At any point in the process, a network security stack has ample chance to block the malicious program from making these connections, and data lockdowns would never happen.

With all these opportunities to stop the attack, how has ransomware been so successful?

Modern networks see their vulnerability go up thanks to a patchwork of point solutions. It's not sustainable to expect IT pros to update each point solution, and patch every existing firewall, when each new attack vector comes about. Skilled attackers will always build new threats faster than IT can defend against them. For ransomware, the critical test is, "how fast can you roll defenses out?"

The predominant trend toward cloud-based security and the promise of a "patch once, fix all" model are starting to correct the problem. Cloud defenses promote quicker adaptation to ransomware mutations. The idea is to consolidate all traffic from physical locations and mobile users, and integrate a single firewall service as a permanent "line of sight" between any given user, any given device, and a potential threat source. In this respect, the cloud is not just about saving work, but also about improving speed to security. darkreading.com

Don't Rely on Ransomware Laws to Catch Hackers
A new ransomware law took effect in California on Jan. 1 but is unlikely to help companies catch and prosecute the people conducting such hacks. For the law to be enforced, law enforcement needs to be able to identify an individual hacker, which is almost impossible given the ways attackers can conceal their locations, said Michael Overly, a partner at law firm Foley & Lardner LLP. "The most important aspect of the law is that it...highlights to businesses that this is a continuing threat and that businesses need to act themselves to address this."

Laws already were in place that made such attacks a crime, but the California law serves the purpose of placing a spotlight on ransomware attacks, which are viewed by the organized crime groups behind most of them as an easy way to make money, with little expense to conduct them and little chance of getting caught, said Mr. Overly.

Rather than rely on a law to help win justice after an attack occurs, Mr. Overly said companies instead should shore up their defenses to protect against an attack and make sure they back up critical data and have resiliency plans to get back online quickly should ransomware take down the network. wsj.com

Solution Providers: Have a video or commercial you want to publish? Contact us

Top eCommerce Stories from 2016 


The Russian Methbot Scam Is Just the Tip of the Ad Fraud Iceberg
In what appears to be the largest digital advertising scam in history, a group of Russian hackers reportedly built a click-fraud machine that stole up to $5 million daily from top advertisers and publishers. But even that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to online ad fraud.

Estimates are that billions of dollars are lost annually because of fraudulent clicks, fake traffic, and other scams. But because of the way the online-advertising market is structured, with several layers of middlemen and ad networks, there is little incentive to stop it.

The latest scam involved a network of computers that pretended to be human web surfers so they could generate fake traffic to bogus websites and report fake clicks. It was discovered by a security firm called White Ops, which dubbed the "bot-net" operation Methbot, after a code word found in the program the hackers used to operate the network. Read more fortune.com

Big shopping portals take on counterfeits
Amazon, Alibaba, others hope stricter controls bring better reliability

Amazon.com of the U.S., China's Alibaba Group Holding and other online sales portals are stepping up efforts to eliminate counterfeit products on their platforms.

Amazon has enlisted the help of makers who sell their products via its sites to identify counterfeits. It has started to sue malicious merchants. And in October, the company banned reviews from some writers who are enticed with free products.

The anti-counterfeit campaigns come with a glut of fake goods already on the market. In 2014, $1.7 trillion worth of counterfeits were sold -- as much as 10% of all merchandise sold online around the world, according to estimates from the International Chamber of Commerce.

For its part, Alibaba has introduced countermeasures, including the use of artificial intelligence to filter for suspicious merchandise, check on the reliability of each merchant and speed up the time it takes to suspend counterfeit sales after they are detected. Read more nikkei.com

'Operation Cloud Sword'
Alibaba Uses Big Data to Bust 400+ Counterfeit Rings
Operation Cloud Sword, a joint effort between Alibaba Group and Chinese law enforcement, has cracked down on 417 counterfeit production rackets.

Cloud Sword, which ran from April to July this year, took down down offline counterfeiting and criminal rings.

It utilises Alibaba technology, complex algorithms, machine learning, optical character recognition and mapping to comb the Taobao marketplace and automatically generate leads to help law enforcement determine the source of a fake product. Read more ipprotheinternet.com

ICE 'Operation In Our Sites' keeps Internet clear of fakes
Several thousand copyright-infringing websites and third-party marketplace listings selling counterfeit pharmaceuticals, automotive parts and other fake items to unsuspecting consumers have been criminally and administratively seized and removed in an effort that combines the resources of global law-enforcement agencies and industry.

There were roughly 15,000 illegal websites seized and 48,000 erroneous ecommerce links removed over the past year as part of Operation In Our Sites VII, an effort conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Europol, Interpol and members of industry to crackdown on individuals using the Internet to peddle bogus goods and other copyright-protected material that threaten the health and safety of shoppers.Read more ice.gov

Cyber Monday Becomes 'The Main Event'
Cyber Monday (By The Numbers)
So, it was a big day, but was it big enough to beat back Black Friday as the holiday season's main shopping event?

Well, by the numbers:

$3.39 Billion | The total estimated sales brought in during the Cyber Monday shopping rush (according to Adobe's early data).

$3.34 Billion | Black Friday's total one-day haul, according to Adobe. So, yes, Cyber Monday did edge out Black Friday.

$540 Million | The amount of money that had already been spent online, according to Adobe, as of the end of Cyber Monday morning.

154 Million | The number of online shoppers who braved the eCommerce sites during the holiday shopping weekend - that is a 3 million human pick-up from last year's 151 million.

2-7 | The number of days "Cyber Monday" is lasting this year. Many stores are offering deals into Tuesday, and players like Macy's and Target are celebrating what they are calling Cyber Week. Read more  pymnts.com

Other Notable Articles

This is Amazon's grocery store of the future: No cashiers, no registers, and no lines
The store, called Amazon Go, doesn't work like a typical Walmart - instead, shoppers use an app, also called Amazon Go, to scan the products they plan to buy, then they can walk out of the building without waiting in a a checkout line. Read more businessinsider.com

U.S. is the Global Fraud Hotspot
Online Fraud Attempts Expected to Increase 43% During Peak Holiday Season Due to EMV Shift
As the busy holiday shopping season approaches, global retailers can expect a 12 percent growth in online fraudulent activity in the upcoming holiday season, compared with the same period last year-and lower ticket prices on fraudster-targeted gifts and products, according to new benchmark data from ACI Worldwide. 

Principal findings include:
• Card Not Present (CNP) global online fraud attempt rates are expected to increase 12 percent by volume over the same peak holiday period in 2015-with sales to increase by nearly the same rate (13 percent) in 2016
   ° Fraud and new business growth are rising at the same rate globally. Read more businesswire.com

Toledo, OH: Jewelry store employees subdue thief that fled with more than $25k in merchandise
Employees told police the suspect entered the business several times looking at diamond rings while flashing what appeared to be a wad of cash. Police later determined it was cut-up paper with currency on the outside.

Employees told police they were showing the man several pieces of jewelry when he grabbed them and ran out the door. The value of the items stolen totaled $26,500, according to the TPD report. Police say three employees pursued the suspect and caught him in a neighboring parking lot, holding him down until police arrived. nbc24.com

Update: Smyrna woman gets 10 years in $4 million multistate jewelry heist
Nearly two-and-half weeks after a Smyrna resident pleaded guilty to a multistate jewelry heist, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy, interfering with commerce by robbery and firearm charges. Police say she stole more than $4 million in jewels.

Abigail Kemp was trained - groomed even - on the art of the jewelry thefts, but the final nail in her robbery career came Friday. One of the accomplices, Larry Gilmore, 43, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 32 years in prison, U.S. Department of Justice North District of Florida spokeswoman Amy Alexander said. The two must also pay back $1.5 million in restitution. wsbradio.com

Paris, France: Police seize 'golden hands' thief who stole $5M in jewellery from under dealers' noses
A suspected thief dubbed "golden hands" whose nimble fingers enabled him to steal 5.5 euros (4.8m pounds) million in diamonds from under the noses of a Paris jewellers late December has been arrested in Romania after seeking to sell the gems.

French detectives said they were astounded by the skill of George Ploscaru, 42, after he allegedly breezed into Swiss jewellers De Grisogono in rue La Boétie, central Paris, on December 30 undisguised and walked out with two diamonds and two rings swiped from a private viewing salon without raising staff suspicions. Taking advantage of a "split second of inattention" on the part of the vendor, he swiped all four pieces and replaced them with fakes without the staff member noting anything untoward. Police in his native Romania have reportedly dubbed him the "the thief with the golden hands". telegraph.co.uk

New Market, ON: Police hunt for suspects after smash and grab at Knappett Jewellers

Shootings & Deaths

Philadelphia, PA: Teen Boy Shot, Killed Inside His Father's West Philly Store
Sean D. Jones, 16, was inside the Gary Global Links Video Productions store when a gunman went inside and opened fire. Jones was struck once in the head. Witnesses say his father, who works at the store, found Jones on the floor moments after the shooting.

A weapon has not been recovered and no arrests have been made. Police told NBC10 they have access to surveillance video which should show the gunman entering the store though they are not releasing it at this time. nbcphiladelphia.com

Los Feliz, CA: Chevron employee fatally shot during robbery
An employee at a Chevron station in Los Feliz was shot and killed during a robbery early Tuesday morning, and the shooter was at large. According to Los Angeles police, the incident happened around 3:30 a.m. at the Chevron in Los Feliz. The employee was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The search for the gunman was ongoing. abc7.com

Bedford, TX: Man killed in Kroger parking lot
An argument in a Bedford grocery store parking lot led to deadly gunfire Monday night. Bedford police said there was a confrontation between two men outside the Kroger store around 5 p.m. Monday evening. Police believe the violence may have started because of a fender bender or dent on one of the vehicles. There are conflicting reports about whether both men were armed, but one ended up shooting the other several times. The injured man, identified as 28-year-old Sam Smith, was taken to the hospital where he later died. fox4news.com


Plymouth, IN: Man arrested for attack, attempted robbery at Kroger;
Shot fired by customer
Plymouth police have arrested a man who allegedly robbed a person after attempting to steal from Kroger on Jan. 12. The Plymouth Police Department was called about a man who had tried to rob the Kroger. The same person then reportedly attacked and robbed someone in the store's parking lot. Another customer fired a handgun into the air in an effort to stop the attack. The suspect then ran from the scene. wndu.com

Lynnwood, WA: Employee stabbed at Alderwood Mall food court,
suspect in custody
An Alderwood Mall employee was stabbed Sunday afternoon at the mall's food court. A 37-year-old suspect is in custody, according to Lynnwood police. Police say the suspect got into a confrontation with the mall employee moments before the stabbing. "What we're hearing was that it was an unhappy customer at the food court restaurant who became disruptive and violent," said Lynnwood Fire Battalion Chief Jason Turner. The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, police said. q13fox.com

Lauderhill, FL: Man Shot To Death In Front Of Lauderhill Fish Market

Houston, TX: Gun store worker opens fire on alleged burglars with AR-15

Robberies & Thefts

Hobart, IN: Employee charged in $3,000 theft from store
A Portage woman was been charged in the theft of more than $3,000 from the Carson Pirie Scott store at Westfield Southlake mall, police said. Takyla Prince, 24, is accused of failing to ring up numerous items during multiple transactions Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, removing sensors and placing them in a bag with one item she actually rang up, according Lake Criminal Court records. The total loss to Carson's was about $3,323, according to a probable cause affidavit. A loss prevention officer observed the alleged thefts via a surveillance system.  nwitimes.com


Green Bay, WI: Police concerned about parents using kids to help steal from local stores
Green Bay Police are concerned over the number of repeated retail thefts they're seeing, especially the cases where adults are using kids to steal. They began a new way to crack down and prevent the thefts Monday afternoon.

The faces of five people are now shown on the Green Bay Police Department's Facebook page, identified as chronic retail theft offenders, having been caught stealing from stores four times or more. They say they want retailers and the general public to see those pictures, hoping it might deter future illegal activity. wbay.com

Australia: Serial thief lifts thousands in goods over 11 months
Opal gemstones, expensive wine, luxury watches and even a hair dryer were allegedly taken by Melbourne man Daniel Bowd. Court documents reveal Bowd is accused of stealing a wide range of goods from petty cash to large sums contained in safes, jewellery and luxury goods over 11 months. He has been charged with 113 separate burglary-related charges. In one burglary in September last year at an upmarket hair salon on Collins Street, Bowd allegedly pocketed a hair dryer, a computer and cash valued at $45,150. He's also accused of hitting a store in Docklands twice, allegedly stealing about $80,000 worth of opal gems, 31 watches and cash, then another $95,000 worth of jewellery two months later. yahoo.com

Salem, OR: Police Arrest Second Person For Alleged Theft of $500 Drone from Salem Walmart

Oak Brook, IL: Suspects crash into police cars at Oakbrook Center after stealing from TJ Maxx

Rapid City, SD: 3 Kohl's shoplifters arrested after pursuit

Niagara Falls, NY: Serial Cheez-It keeps stealing from same Upstate NY store, evading police

East Lampeter Township, PA: Man sought in theft from Kohl's

Arson

Yakima, WA: Bi-Mart fire estimated at more than $1 million in damages found to be arson
A fire which broke out at the Bi-Mart early Tuesday, leaving damages estimated at more than a million dollars, was arson, authorities said. Firefighters responded to find a relatively small fire in the second floor storage area, according to a news release from the Yakima Fire Department. The building's sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading, and firefighters said they were able to rapidly knock it down. While there was only minor damage to the building, there was significant smoke and water damage and it's uncertain how much of the store's stock will be salvageable, firefighters said. yakimaherald.com

Credit Card Fraud

Camp Hill, PA: Trio used 27 different credit cards in 17 Walmart transactions; Defrauded victims of nearly $2,000

Skimming

Janesville, WI: Man accused of skimming, cloning Janesville debit cards

To apply to any of today's Featured Jobs, Click Here

2016 Internet Jobs Postings Down 5.6%
Similar to Brick & Mortar Comp Store Decreases
Is there a Connection?
Through our daily searches to bring you the newest loss prevention jobs, we've seen a decrease 5.6% in the number of loss prevention and asset protection jobs published in the Daily compared to last year. With 4,944 loss prevention and asset protection jobs this year, compared to the 5,238 reported in 2015.

Fourth quarter jobs in both 2015 and 2016 decreased in number. In 2015, during October, November and December, the Daily reported a number of instances where store jobs, and especially loss prevention jobs were being cut. Walmart had cut over 400 home office jobs, and Neiman Marcus cut over 30 loss prevention manager jobs. Dollar General had their share of LP job cuts, and retail hiring was down 5% for the holidays.

During the 2016 holiday season, the Daily reported on an even larger 14% drop in retail hiring for the holidays in November, as more and more retail jobs are moving online. There's less of a need for jobs in physical stores, compared to transportation and warehouses which increased 35%. Just this past August, 3,600 jobs in the retail sector, including department and specialty stores, were cut.

The Daily's Featured Jobs columns, highlighting corporate and senior level jobs, throughout 2016, the Daily posted 129 Featured jobs. Sixty-one of those jobs were Senior Director or Director level positions 9 were Regional or Field Director positions, and 6 were Vice President or Assistant Vice President postings.

Here's a breakdown of internet jobs that the Daily has reported in 2015 and 2016 and the increase and decrease in the amount of jobs published each month:

Month	2015	2016	% Increase/Decrease
Jan.	423	405	4.2% down
Feb.	451	457	1.3% up
Mar.	514	460	10.5% down
Apr.	473	342	27.7% down
May	434	471	8.5% up
June	461	469	1.7% up
July	460	455	1.1% down
Aug.	457	496	8.5% up
Sept.	450	458	1.7% up
Oct.	420	363	13.6% down
Nov.	385	306	20.5% down
Dec.	310	262	15.5% down
Totals	5238	4944	5.6% down