The New Ascena Asset Protection

The Ascena Retail Group has merged all brand Asset Protection/Loss Prevention teams into one, talented, center of excellence!
 

Brian Bazer
VP of Asset Protection & Safety
Brian was named Vice President of Asset Protection & Safety. Brian is responsible for the leadership, governance and management of the programs necessary to identify, evaluate, mitigate and monitor the loss prevention risk, opportunities and asset protection strategies for the enterprise. Brian was most recently the AVP of Asset Protection/Risk Management at dressbarn.




Rob LaCommare
AVP, Global Operations & Analytics
Asset Protection
Rob will be leading enterprise safety, physical /supply chain security and the AP analytics team. Rob was most recently AVP of Asset & Profit Protection at Justice.





Eric Pidgeon
Director of Global Operations &Safety
Asset Protection
Eric will be responsible for developing company safety management strategies and implementation of programs. In this key role, Eric will support Rob LaCommare with AP Operations.
 




Adam Gilvin
Director of International Asset Protection- Great Lakes/Canada
Adam will lead the field AP Leaders operating in the Great Lakes/Canada region. Adam was most recently the Director of Loss Prevention at Lane Bryant/Catherine's.




The following executives were promoted to Asset Protection Enterprise Leaders for Ascena Retail Group

• Katie Wade
• Dave Harben
• Charles Cherry
• Tim Krueger

The following executives were selected to be Asset Protection Territory Leaders for Ascena Retail Group

• Mark Elliott
• Matt Cain
• Deanna Bonachea
• Rick Pfeifer
• Mike Korso
• Randy Council
• Dwayne Bryant
• Christie Delaney
• Sean Walker
• Deana McLees-Bailey
• Marlene Giordano
• Mike DiDomenico
• Lea Tamarack
• Michael Peteja
• David Powers  

Congratulations to all!

ascena retail group, inc. is a leading national specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes, and accessories for women under the Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, Lane Bryant, maurices, dressbarn and Catherines brands, and for tween girls under the Justice brand. ascena retail group, inc. operates ecommerce websites and over 4,800 stores throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

The Age of Super Frauds
UK fraud hits record $1.36B U.S. as cybercrime soars
Increasing cyber crime & larger-scale scams
The 55% year-on-year rise in the value of fraud to $1.36B U.S. reported in the court system was recorded by accountants KPMG, which found that while the cost of fraud was higher the number of incidents was lower.

"The figures for 2016 tell us two things. Firstly, that we can expect more of these super frauds.

"Secondly, that this is going to put even more strain on law enforcement agencies who don't have the resources to investigate every report of fraud that they receive: getting the large, often cross-border and complex frauds to court is extremely time consuming and resource intensive.

KMPG found $1.1B U.S. of fraud from just seven "super cases" - with a value of $62M U.S. or over - compared with $310M U.S. a year ago.

"Through the rapid rise of technology and online platforms, more people than ever are being targeted by fraudsters who have unrestricted access to a larger pool of victims. However, we are also seeing the internet being used by consumers who are being tempted to obtain goods and services that they have, or perhaps should have, a fair idea are not legitimate."

Editor's Note: What's happening in the UK usually mirrors exactly what's happening here in North America. The advantage across the pond is that they're easier to survey, quicker to respond and quantify. Thereby giving us the perfect model to observe and learn from as we've been doing exactly that for years now and reporting it here in the Daily, which has virtually always been dead on. Just a thought. theguardian.com

The Retail Industry's Response to Mobile
Retail's Seismic Shift
Customer Facing Jobs Grow - Corporate & Field Management Jobs Shrink
The prevailing trends of job cuts and job growth is unlike anything we've seen in the past.

For decades we've seen store payroll's and floor coverage usually first cut and always being the top complaint for all operators and Loss Prevention, as it was the textbook first cut when sales were soft. However now with the educated-super connected- smart consumer the retailers are trying to respond with their version of the educated- super connected- smart employee. The problem is can we really educate them enough and connect them enough to really pull off the truly educated smart employee that has the ability to create the omni experience beyond the technology support or lack thereof. That'll be the trick.

As literally tens of thousands of lower paying mostly hourly jobs are being created and then we have the challenge of actually filling all of these jobs and the fight for $15 staring every retailer in the face.

Certainly our new Labor Secretary may be of help there but the fight for $15 is inevitable and will succeed sooner or later. Just a thought

Department stores are facing 'the worst results since the recession' -
And that highlights a huge problem
That will end up completely redefining LP
This highlights a big problem in retail: many department stores and big-box retailers are still primarily reliant on in-store sales for revenue, when all the holiday spending growth is happening online.

Take Target for example: in the months of November and December, Target's same-store sales fell 3%, while online sales soared more than 30%. But Target's ecommerce sales are still only a fraction of its overall sales, so the growth online couldn't offset the losses in stores. As a result, overall comparable sales - including online and in stores - fell 1.7%.

These kinds of losses during the holiday season are brutal for retailers.  

That's why so many retailers are now announcing store closures in the wake of the holiday period. They need to cut their losses on unprofitable stores - or even marginally profitable stores - and invest more in growing their ecommerce businesses.

Editor's Note: And to sell to those customers that do come into the stores and convert them, with "conversions" now being the buzz phrase everywhere, here comes literally tens of thousands lower paid hourly associates and department managers mentioned above - the educated - super connected - smart employee. Armed with tablets, smartphones, headsets, and mobile POS.

Which by the way completely redefines how loss prevention operates. businessinsider.com

NRF 2017 Recap: The Current State of Retail Fraud
The phone channel, call centers, the weakest link in security
As a common point of access for customers. Despite the intent to administer positive customer experiences, contact centers agents often fall victim to the methods that enable fraud attacks. Today, Caller ID is freely spoofed and knowledge-based authentication questions (KBA's) are easily bypassed. Criminals either socially engineer the answers, find them online, or purchase them on the black market. Fraud efforts are becoming increasingly aggressive in their attempts to fool contact center agents into processing fraudulent card-not-present (CNP) transactions.

According to Aite Group, an independent research firm, 72% of executives expect call center fraud loss to continue to grow, with $4 billion in counterfeit card fraud moving into the phone channel. Retailers' existing security systems are not robust or secure enough to handle the increasing volume of data filtering across web-enabled devices and processes. A digitally-influenced retail experience may enable brands to conduct business from a variety of access points, but it is also putting their enterprises under siege. By adopting next-generation security measures, including data loss prevention methods, cloud-based solutions, and contact center protection initiatives, retailers are sheltering sensitive digital content and lessening their exposure to fraud. pindrop.com

Costco Secures Workers' Class Decertification At 9th Circuit -
Security Procedures - Lockdown Pay
A class of workers in a long-running labor law violation case against Costco Wholesale Corp. was rightfully decertified because their circumstances around any allegedly unpaid work varied too much to be litigated together, a Ninth Circuit panel said on Friday.

The underlying suit filed in 2009 accused the company of requiring its hourly workers to remain locked inside Costco warehouses after clocking out at the end of a work day while store supervisors emptied cash registers and performed closing activities.

In arguments plaintiffs pointed to a Costco manual distributed by the company's corporate office to all U.S. warehouses, which allegedly said no employees should be allowed to exit the building while register tills are collected and secured in store vaults. law360.com

Report: FTC wary of Walgreens-Rite Aid merger as deadline looms
Contrary to previous reports that the Walgreens-Rite Aid merger is on a smooth path to approval by the Federal Trade Commission, sources tell Bloomberg that antitrust officials are wary that the drugstore retailers' plan to offload stores to ease competition concerns doesn't go far enough.

To assuage antitrust regulators, Walgreens and Rite Aid last month announced a $950 million cash agreement with Fred's Pharmacy, which will purchase 865 stores and certain assets related to store operations located across the eastern and western U.S. - a deal contingent upon the Walgreens-Rite Aid tie-up's approval. But sources close to the matter suggest that Walgreens Boots Alliance may have to divest itself of as many as 1,000 stores to gain the blessing of antitrust officials. retaildive.com

Wal-Mart cuts 1,000 HQ jobs, supply chain in crosshairs
Wal-Mart Stores began a round of some 1,000 layoffs at its corporate headquarters, with most cuts targeting the retailer's supply chain operations, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The cuts come amid other belt-tightening and executive shuffling initiatives in the service of bringing together Wal-Mart's stores and online leadership roles as well as expanding its e-commerce operations in the wake of its $3.3 billion acquisition of e-retail startup of Jet.

Last week Wal-Mart touted the addition of some 10,000 retail jobs created through the opening of 59 new, expanded and relocated Wal-mart and Sam's Club facilities as well as expanded e-commerce services.  retaildive.com

Wet Seal Washed Up On the Rocks?
The struggling SoCal teen apparel retailer is on the brink of its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in about two years - and experts say that this time, it isn't coming back from the dead.

Wet Seal has been flopping around on jagged rocks for well over a decade, its fate made slippery by the fickle predilections of its target demographic and the arrival of fast fashion. retaildive.com

Top 10 Workplace Trends:
#9 Data Integration
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.

#9. Data Integration Across Sources, Systems and Processes

Data are ubiquitous in today's organizational climate, and this year will see a greater focus on data integration. Organizations will focus on combining multiple disparate pieces of workforce data (e.g., engagement surveys, HRIS data, exit interview data) and performing analytics across data and over time.

Employers will need to improve data analytics across the enterprise, with a greater focus on gathering it, mining it, analyzing it and interpreting it. We will see an increased use of data collection methods, and organizations may begin to explore nontraditional frontiers, such as marrying internal with external data and measuring social networks/collaboration. ehstoday.com

Freetown, MA: Stop & Shop Distribution Center employee killed in accident
A 55-year-old man was crushed by a piece of equipment at the Stop & Shop distribution center in Freetown, according to police. The man was fell between a tractor trailer and a loading dock when a jack used to unload pallets from the trailer fell on him, Freetown Police Chief Carlton Abbott told reporters. The man was rushed to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River where he was pronounced dead, according to police. fox25boston.com

What Would Puzder's Selection as Labor Secretary Mean for Employers?

Walmart adding online auto retail platform CarSaver, kiosks at 25 Walmart superstores

Pep Boys has added 130 Just Brakes stores to its portfolio

Save-A-Lot Shuttering 14 stores & 1 DC In California, Nevada

UK: Retailers Respond to TV Investigation Into British Textile Workers' Pay

Cyber Incidents Hit 85% Of Firms Over Past 12 Months
Insider threat - key factor in growth of cyber, fraud & security incidents in '16
Eighty-five percent of executives say they were hit with a cyber incident in the past year, according to the 2016/2017 Kroll Annual Global Fraud and Risk Report. Malicious insiders prove the greatest threat.

One-third (33%) of respondents suffered virus attacks and 26% experienced email-based phishing attacks. Intellectual property theft/loss was the most common type of security incident, as reported by 38% of execs who experienced security problems. An increase in corporate fraud was driven by incidents of market collusion (15%) and misappropriation of company funds (11%).

Current and past employees are primarily responsible for fraud, cyber, and security issues. Nearly half (44%) of respondents hold insiders responsible for cyber incidents; more than half (56%) say insiders were "key perpetrators" of security problems. darkreading.com

Hunting for SOCs
Hybrid models and balanced protections trending in security operations
For many security professionals, one goal for 2017 is to find balance. It seems that this theme is also trending in security operations centers, according to the fourth annual HPE's 2017 State of Security Operations Report released this month.

Some key observations of the report include:
• SOC maturity decreases with hunt-only programs
• Complete automation is an unrealistic goal
• Focus and goals are more important than size of organization
• Hybrid solutions and staffing models provide increased capabilities

Security isn't an all-or-nothing game. If enterprises are making decisions between automation and hunting, they're not going to optimize their programs. csoonline.com
 
What will blockchain mean for retail supply chains?
Blockchain, the underlying ledger technology for bitcoin, is being hyped as the way retailers can finally bring holistic visibility and control over their entire supply chains.

A method of recording, safely storing and tracking complex digital transactions, Blockchain's one major advantage is that once a record is made, it cannot be altered.

"The database's strength lies in its trustworthiness: the difficulty of reversing or changing what's been recorded," writes Bloomberg. "The blockchain database can also hold much more data than what retailers get today, providing tools for more detailed analysis."

Five articles for your research. retaildive.com

• Wal-Mart Tackles Food Safety With Trial of Blockchain - Bloomberg
• Blockchain Wave Headed Toward CPG And Retail Industries - Accenture
• Microsoft Pitches Blockchain To Help Troubled Retail Supply Chains - Redmond Magazine
• Top 5 Retail Trends to Watch in 2017 - Retail Dive
• The Impact of the Blockchain Goes Beyond Financial Services - Harvard Business Review

Why Dependence On Cloud Providers Could Come Back And Bite Us
It's time to re-evaluate the cloud policies you have in place. And if you're not learning from the mistakes of others, you're doomed to repeat them.

Now is the time to take another look at the policies and agreements you and your cloud providers have in place to ensure that data is protected in use, over networks, in clouds, on devices, and when it's being stored.

In 2017, we're going to see an industry re-evaluation of technologies in place and the standards that govern them. The most important thing for business is to understand and maintain control of  yourown applications and data. With the cloud, there is the potential to lose control or visibility of your data. From compliance, governance, and vulnerability perspectives, that can't happen - unless, of course, you'd like to incur massive fines or leave your data open to attack. darkreading.com

How to wake the enterprise from IoT security nightmares
In 2017, experts predict that gaping IoT security holes will lead to the destruction of critical infrastructure and increases in competitive intelligence gathering and intellectual property theft. 2017 will see more DDoS attacks of the magnitude that brought down the Dyn Domain Name System service and many high-profile web domains with it.

Where the cyber security mayhem grows, so flows the security market money. The IoT security market will reach a valuation of $36.95 billion by 2021. csoonline.com

Samsung Security Cameras Hacked Again
Security bloggers have exploited a loophole in a cloud-monitoring service to break into Samsung's Smartcam security cameras, just over a year after Samsung fixed similar vulnerabilities.

Exploiteers, a white-hat hacking group with extensive experience breaking into connected home devices, detailed its new exploit in a blog post last week. By accessing php files designed to facilitate firmware updates for Smartcam devices, the hackers were able to install a remote command execution script that gave them full control of the cameras.

The vulnerability, according to Exploiteers, lies with Samsung's iWatch webcam monitoring service. The iWatch server's lax security allowed the group to install their scripts, including user-defined file names, in order to take over the cameras by gaining access to their administration panels. pcmag.com

Rising Ransomware Attacks Demand Proper Security

"Pushing Out Profits: LP's Missed Opportunity" Uncovers the True Cost of Renegade Shopping Carts

RALEIGH - Ever wonder how much a lost shopping cart truly costs? Wonder no more with the Calibration Group's whitepaper, "Pushing Out Profits: Loss Prevention's Missed Opportunity" sponsored by Rocateq USA.

"Unfortunately, Loss Prevention teams get trapped into only looking at certain sources of loss," said Tim Bartkowiak, LPC, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We want to remind retailers thousands of dollars can be saved with cart containment programs. Rocateq is pleased to sponsor this whitepaper to equip Loss Prevention teams with insight to a problem they might not otherwise know exists."

"Calibration's whitepaper also raising significant statistics about the true cost of losing just one shopping cart," continued Bartkowiak. "Consider this: If one 250-store chain lost one shopping cart per store to theft per year, then at a replacement cost of $125 per shopping cart, the total cost of replacing 250 carts would be $31,250! These are staggering stats that truly make a huge impact on a retailer's bottom line."

Shoplifters use shopping carts to steal large quantities of merchandise in one trip by filling a shopping cart with large quantities of high-dollar merchandise. Calibration Group's whitepaper revealed the average loss incurred by a single push-out is estimated at $429. Not only are push-outs and stolen shopping carts common sources of direct financial loss, they are also sources of sales decline.

About Rocateq
Rocateq is a leading international cart containment, and business intelligence solution provider. Rocateq is committed to providing retailer's quality, valuable and actionable technology, and software that contributes to smarter shrink control solutions and profit enhancement. As any retailer knows, smarter shrink control equals profit growth.

To find out more visit www.rocateq.com/usa

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

Online fraud attempts jump by nearly a third during the holiday season
Criminals targeted Christmas Eve and shipping cutoff days for delivery by Christmas for fraudulent purchasing, a new study finds.

With the surge in online sales during the holidays came a wave of attempted criminal activity, and the 2016 holiday shopping season experienced a 31% year-over-year increase in global fraudulent purchase attempts, according to a new study. The rate of fraudulent transaction attempts spiked on Christmas Eve and express shipping cutoff days, which are not universal across e-retailers but often fall around Dec. 20 and Dec. 21. internetretailer.com
 
Faking It Online: Behind the Real Deal and Cost of Counterfeit Crime
It's not only fake news infiltrating the internet - but fake adverts selling fake designer kits is fast becoming the latest online trend to keep counterfeit crime fighters on their toes - especially when it comes to sneakers.

According to a report by the Organization for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) the black market trade in fake and pirated goods is worth nearly half a trillion dollars a year. And with millions of people using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to share almost every aspect of their lives, the fake goods industry is rapidly expanding online, with many people buying counterfeit goods via Instagram accounts.

The OECD suggests that the value of counterfeit goods - including pirated digital products distributed on the internet would be "several billion dollars more" than the current estimate of US$250 billion per year.

"Just as the licit market for online sales of goods is increasing, so is the opportunity for the online sale of counterfeit goods by organized crime groups [...] the full extent of the role of organized crime groups in selling such products online is yet to be determined," the OECD report states.

It is without doubt though that, "as the internet evolves as a platform that is abused by criminal groups for illicit operations... With this comes not just the opportunities for more digital sales of physical counterfeit goods but also possibly a greater shift toward illegal selling of digital products," the report adds.

However, the reason why more and more people are searching out fake goods online and offline, remains an economic one.

"When they're using online platforms they think they can get away with it. Intellectual property (IP) crime has been seen as high profit and low risk. Criminals just want to exploit what they can to make the most amount of money in the least amount of time without being brought to justice and IP crime has traditionally been seen as one of these routes," Eddy Levitan told Sputnik. sputniknews.com

Amazon subpoenaed by textbook publishers over counterfeit sales
Pearson Education, Cengage Learning and McGraw Hill Education are suing 100 unnamed Amazon marketplace sellers for copyright infringement. In a complaint filed in New York federal court earlier this month, the publishers accused the sellers of "hiding behind the anonymity of internet pseudonyms" to profit from unauthorised copies of their books.

Amazon said it was working with the publishers to identify offenders and remove fraudulent items. ft.com

Kount Enhances Data Orchestration Hub with Integration of Whitepages Pro
Kount, a leading provider of fraud detection and sales boosting technology today announced a newly released integration with Whitepages Pro, a leading source of global digital identity data. Kount's Data Orchestration Hub will now include Whitepages Pro's vast data from their Identity Graph, enhancing merchants' ability to fight fraud and increase online and mobile sales through Kount's comprehensive fraud solution platform. prweb.com

Wal-Mart to cut 200 e-commerce jobs in California

Amazon to build new fulfillment center - its first in Colorado

Logistics versus e-tailers: Can e-commerce compete as fulfillment providers?

Cincinnati, OH: Kroger and Walmart team-up on C-Store ORC Operation, $100K in merchandise seized
Kroger ORC team and Wal-Mart initiated an ORC investigation in to this Middle eastern market which was a fencing operation. Police seized stolen product (over $100,000), 5 handguns and a great deal of financial information. This case is ongoing and further financial details have not yet been released. local12.com



Philadelphia, PA: FENCING OPERATION: Agents probing burglaries raid Philadelphia jewelry store
Federal agents probing home robberies in Philadelphia's suburbs - including Delaware County - have raided a city jewelry store whose owner is accused of fencing stolen goods. Agents on Sunday night converged on Jewelers' Row and searched V Jewelers on 8th and Samson streets. The store's owner, Wasim Shazad, was arraigned on Friday after he was charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, receiving stolen property, failing to report precious metal transactions and corrupt organizations. delcotimes.com

NBA Star Kyle Lowry Victim In Multi-Million Dollar Jewelry Fencing Operation



Nashua, NH: NY couple nabbed in Abercrombie & Fitch theft:
$7,000 in cologne and clothing
A man and woman from the New York City borough of Queens are in jail on $20,000 cash bail each after police, investigating a reported theft from a Pheasant Lane Mall store, found nearly $7,000 in allegedly stolen clothing and cologne in their car. Sebastian Fandino, 22, and Juliana Gonzalez, 23, both of Queens, were arrested Friday afternoon by police who responded to a call from loss prevention agents at the Abercrombie & Fitch at Pleasant Lane Mall. nashuatelegraph.com

Forsyth, IL: Kohl's electronics thief arrested; nearly $6,000 of merchandise stolen since October
Sworn statements from the Macon County Sheriff's Office claim the 33-year-old suspect kept hitting the Kohl's department store, and electronics he has stolen or tried to steal add up to a more than $2,000 value. The loss prevention supervisor at Kohl's told the arresting deputies the suspect, on probation for previous offenses, was well-known to the store: in October he had been arrested, and later convicted, of stealing $4,000 worth of merchandise. herald-review.com


Dane County, WI: Two arrested in felony coat theft at Gander Mountain
Deputies with the Dane County Sheriff's Office were called to the report of a retail theft at Gander Mountain in the town of Burke Saturday afternoon. With the help of DeForest police, a traffic stop took place. The couple in the vehicle were found to be in possession of several coats from the store. Jeffrey Viel (51) and Cecilia Viel (55), both of Minneapolis, MN, were arrested on felony theft charges. wkow.com


South Strabane Township, PA: California man hit with felony count;
7 retail theft charges in 4 months
A California man who has been charged seven times with retail theft since October was arraigned Monday on a felony count after an alleged theft in South Strabane Township earlier this month. William Matsko III, 29, was wanted on a felony charge of retail theft and for criminal trespass after he allegedly stole a cellphone case from Walmart. Matskois accused of thefts at Walmart, Dollar General, Target, Kohl's, and Home Depot. observer-reporter.com

Wilmington, IL: Two Arrested in Burglary and $600 Retail Theft;
busted due to a Traffic accident on the way to the Pawn shop
While investigating a criminal damage and attempted burglary to Doc's Drugs that occurred late Friday night, Wilmington Police discovered that the same suspect was also responsible for a retail theft at the neighboring Ace Hardware, where he and his girlfriend walked out with nearly $600 worth of DeWalt power tools. Early Saturday afternoon, Carl Parham, 32, and Jessie Northcutt, 27 - both Wilmington residents - were involved in a traffic accident in Stickney, IL, where they had traveled to sell the stolen tools to a pawn shop. wjol.com

Iredell County, NC: Man charged with felony theft; stole $1,500 generator- pawned the same day 

Shootings & Deaths

UPDATE: San Antonio, TX: Texas Man Killed in Mall Shooting Was Trying to Protect People
On a rare day off for Jon Murphy, he and his wife Aimee visited a jewelry store inside a San Antonio mall to have their wedding rings cleaned. On Sunday, protecting his family cost Murphy his life. Two men walked into Kay Jewelers to allegedly rob the store. As the robbers left, "they encountered two citizens that tried to intervene," says Police Chief William McManus. When police officers arrived, Murphy, 42, had been shot to death and was lying alongside one of the suspects, who was shot by an unidentified citizen licensed to carry a concealed weapon. The unidentified suspect was taken to the hospital and listed in critical condition. Another suspect was caught hours later after he allegedly wrecked a stolen vehicle. Jason Prieto, 34, was arrested and charged with one count of capital murder and two counts of aggravated robbery. people.com

Update: Las Vegas, NV: Jared store employee killed by Security Guard identified
The employee killed during a jewelry store robbery has been identified as 57-year-old Kimberlee Ann Kincaid-Hill of Henderson. According to the Clark County Coroner's officer, she died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Kincaid-Hill was accidentally shot by a security guard at Jared The Galleria of Jewelry on Sunset Road Saturday around 8:45 p.m., police said. The suspected robber ran from the store and is still at large. The suspect is facing a murder charge as a killing was committed during the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery. lasvegasnow.com

Detroit, MI: Cashier shot in the neck during east side Family Dollar Armed Robbery
Detroit police are at the scene of a shooting at an east side Family Dollar. A female cashier was shot in the neck during an armed robbery at the store, located on E. Warren, east of Alter Road. Police are looking for two suspects wearing masks, who fled. One of the suspects used a revolver in the attempted robbery, before shooting the cashier. The two suspects in hoodies wearing masks entered the store and stole the cell phone from the greeter. They then proceeded to rob the cashier wounding her in the neck. After she was shot, the men fled without stealing any money. Her condition has not been released. fox2detroit.com

San Antonio, TX: Police reopen Walmart security guard's 1994 cold case killing
James Fogle, 30, was shot and killed when he interrupted an overnight burglary on Jan. 20, 1994, and police believe there are people who know what happened, KSAT-TV reported Friday. "I think after 22 years, somebody's conscience may be weighing heavy on them where they may feel that they can call in and not necessarily leave a name, but give us some new information on the case," cold case Detective Michael DeLeon told the station. Fogle was killed responding to a burglary alarm. He was shot multiple times in the back and died instantly. Tipsters called police with leads after the murder, but none led to any arrests. The building on San Antonio's south side is no longer a Walmart and wasn't equipped with surveillance cameras. foxnews.com

Robberies & Thefts

Fort Worth, TX: Man steals a Guitar from Guitar Center by sticking in down his pants
In Texas, an unidentified dude stole a guitar from Guitar Center in Fort Worth by stuffing it into his pants and casually walking out of the store. According to reports, the crime took place on January 18 at the 8900 block of Tehama Ridge Parkway. The guitar in question is a sunburst Fender valued at nearly $2,000. fox4news.com


Pontiac, MI: CVS Shoplifter lead Police on 100 mile High speed chase;
had 53 license suspensions, sentenced to 29 months
A judge had very harsh words in an Oakland County courtroom, for a man with 53 suspensions on his driver's license. Also, she handed out a jail sentence of 29 months. "You are a menace to the streets. I feel terrible for your mother. I'd like to let her strangle you" said Judge Cheryl Matthews today. 57 year old Jonas Smith had already been convicted of fleeing and eluding, retail fraud and driving without a license.

Smith was caught after leading Ferndale police on a high-speed chase at 100 miles an hour, in late October 2016. Given his record, he should not have been driving his 86 year old mother's Buick. Police say he also stole from the CVS at 9 mile and Livernois before crashing the car. wxyz.com

UK: Melbourne, AU: Gun shop robbed by masked trio with guns, sledgehammer Five handguns and a hunting rifle are in the hands of criminals after three masked armed bandits robbed a suburban camping store. Three young men - armed with a gun, a sledgehammer and a metal pole - stormed South Morang's Hunting, Fishing and Camping store yesterday. Terrifying staff, the balaclava-wearing bandits demanded guns. They smashed a glass counter and calmly collected the weapons during the six-minute raid, before fleeing. heraldsun.com.au

UK: Hamilton, NZ: Police seeking two in Arson/ Robbery of Countdown Supermarket
Police are looking to identify two people in connection to a toilet paper fire in a Hamilton supermarket they say was a diversion to steal baskets loaded with meat packs. The pair - a man and woman - were captured on camera footage inside the Countdown supermarket at Chartwell when the fire broke out on January 16. The mall had to be evacuated when fire engulfed the toilet paper and the supermarket filled with smoke around 5.40pm that evening. stuff.co.nz

UK: Somerset, England: Bridgwater named retail crime capital of Somerset according to crime statistics
Reports of shoplifting and retail crime have gone up by 40 per cent in a year in one Somerset town. And overall cases of thefts from shops have risen by more than a quarter, according to a group that helps shopkeepers combat crime. Somerset Businesses Against Crime collects crime information from retailers across the county. somerset.co.uk

Commerce Township, MI: Meijer employee jailed after theft from gas station; lottery tickets and cigarettes

Galloway Township, NJ: Smash & Grab incidents hit parking lots of Shoprite and Tilton Fitness

Credit Card Fraud

Vacanville, CA: Oakland pair arrested with more than 50 credit cards
Two Oakland residents were arrested Friday at the Vacaville Premium Outlets after police discovered they had more than 50 credit cards obtained through fraud. The two suspects, Hasani Scott, 19, and Anrianna Davis, 23, both of Oakland, are alleged to have purchased $1,000 worth of gift cards and merchandise with the fraudulent cards, according to police. Sales associates at the Timberland Factory Store on Nut Tree Road notified police after they noticed the pair were using several different credit cards to purchase the gift cards. Some of the credit cards were declined, but others went though after the card numbers were manually entered. Officers arrived and contacted Scott and Davis as they left the store, which is when the alleged fraudulent cards were discovered. Both suspects were also on probation for prior offenses, according to police. thereporter.com

Pinellas County, FL: St. Pete Beach hotel clerk leads cops to mobile counterfeiter A New York man is in the Pinellas County jail after deputies said he had all the makings of a counterfeit credit card operation inside a stolen rental car. You could call it "I.D. theft, to go." Part of the accused man's stash includes an embossing machine that adds names and numbers to blank credit cards. That's just one of a few items deputies found in a stolen, rented Camaro, found in the parking lot of the Grand Plaza hotel in St. Pete Beach. Deputies arrested 23-year-old Deashaun Brown, inside the car Brown had the embosser, 27 counterfeit credit cards, a skimming device, and an I.D. from someone in Georgia. wfla.com

Newark, NJ: Fugitive in one of the largest credit card fraud cases finally arrested; $200 Million Charged
Habib Chaudhry was one of 18 people first charged by the FBI in February, 2013 in connection with what prosecutors said was one of their largest credit card fraud cases ever. A Long Island man charged in what federal authorities called one of the largest credit card fraud cases they've ever prosecuted made his first appearance in U.S. District Court on Monday, nearly four years after he was first charged in the case. Habib Chaudhry was one of 18 people first charged by the FBI in February, 2013 in connection with what authorities described as an elaborate scheme that involved creating false identities, inflating their creditworthiness and borrowing or spending against them without repaying the debts. He's charged with bank fraud conspiracy under a September, 2013 indictment in the U.S. District Court in Newark. Prosecutors say the scheme, which cost business and financial institutions more than $200 million, was one of the largest ever charged by the U.S. Department of Justice. news--of-the-day.com

Counterfeit Goods and Cash

The Great Chinese FAKE OFF: Rolexe watches, WiWi consoles and Space Wars toys among the huge number of dodgy goods travelers have spotted on holiday
The black market has been providing counterfeit goods to label-hungry shoppers for almost as long as the credible designers. But while some of the fakes are so good that even a pro would struggle to notice the difference, others can be laughably bad. Travelers heading to China need to be very careful about what they purchase as it's a country that specializes in producing brazenly fake goods with names clumsily altered from the original. For instance, it is possible to pick up a caramel frappuccino at a 'Starbncks' coffee house or some groceries from an '8-12' convenience store. dailymail.co.uk

Richland, PA: Man passing Counterfeit $50's hits Bed Bath, Sears, Michael's busted at Walmart

Skimming Thefts

Baytown, TX: Police find skimming device on ATM at Texas Citizens Bank

Bloomington, NJ: Police have perfect photo of skimmer installer at Lakeland Bank

Hamlin, NY: Credit card skimming device found inside gas pump at Crosby's

Moosup, CT: ATM skimming device found at ATMs in Moosup and Canterbury

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