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RAM Loss Prevention Committee Announces Departure
of Long Time Chairman, Kevin Plante

[Boston, MA] January 23, 2017-Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM) announced the resignation of its Loss Prevention Committee Board Chairman, Kevin Plante. A leader in the loss prevention community, Kevin is responsible for spearheading the creation of RAM's Loss Prevention Committee as a network for information sharing, educational efforts, partnership building and advocacy for retailers in Massachusetts and the New England region. Early in his chairmanship, Kevin served as the architect of the annual New England Loss Prevention Expo which, after celebrating its eleventh year in September of 2017, remains the region's premiere loss prevention event. He also authorized the creation of the New England Organized Retail Crime Alliance (NEORCA.org), an industry run web portal that provides real time case information, trend tracking and communication capabilities to the New England LP community and law enforcement partners. And through the committee's persistent advocacy efforts, Kevin's tenure as chair also saw the successful adoption of much needed Organized Retail Crime Statues in Massachusetts in 2014.

"Kevin Plante's contributions to RAM and the LP Committee cannot be understated," said RAM President Jon Hurst, "His experience, expertise and relationships within the industry have proved essential to the ongoing success of our loss prevention efforts."

The RAM LP Committee extends its thanks to Kevin for his many years of service to the Retail and LP community.

Brendan Fitzgerald voted Committee Chair for
Retailers Association of Massachusetts

In the wake of Plante's departure the LP Committee Board unanimously voted Brendan Fitzgerald, Vice President Asset Protection for BJ's Wholesale Club, to the position of Committee Chair. A long time RAM LP Committee Board member, Fitzgerald's career in retail spans almost two decades, with the past fifteen years specializing in the Asset Protection field. During that time Fitzgerald has worked in single store, multi-unit and corporate office roles primarily focusing on physical security, shrink reduction, internal and external investigations, ORC, staffing and development of teams and security management.

"I have been fortunate enough to work alongside Kevin for nearly ten years on the RAM LP Committee Board, Kevin's passion for the industry and the people in it is unrivaled," said Fitzgerald, "Over the years Kevin has gone above and beyond providing the loss prevention community with quarterly meetings, our annual conference, NEORCA, ORC legislation enacted, stronger than ever public/private partnerships and most importantly a network that promotes career growth and development."

The RAM LP Committee is scheduled to host its first quarterly meeting of 2018 on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 from 9:30am to 12:00pm at the Burlington Wegmans, 53 3rd Ave, Burlington, MA 01803. Interested attendees are asked to kindly RSVP at info@retailersma.org.

Donna Gudridge Named Client Program Manager - NAM
for Sekura Global
Donna has had 15 award winning-years working with top Loss Prevention professionals from across the USA. She has an expansive knowledge of retail and a history of helping retailers improve their ROI with time saving and effective processes. Donna is already well known throughout the industry for delivering innovative and effective programs, proven to help retailers reduce their shrink while maximizing their ROI; all values that Sekura Global champions. Read more in today's Press Release column below.  

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The Impact of One Social Media Post
Mattress Firm CEO defends company in statement as online conspiracy theorists question how it stays open
Tuesday, Reddit comment that suggested Mattress Firm was laundering money went viral before being removed.

Mattress Firm is fighting back against online conspiracy theories that claim it's a money-laundering operation.
The retailer received some unexpected attention this week after a wild conspiracy theory about why there are so many store locations went viral on Reddit.

"The idea that the proximity of Mattress Firm store locations is related to money laundering or any illegal activity is absolutely false," CEO Ken Murphy told Business Insider in a statement on Wednesday.

The Reddit comment that sparked the theory suggested that Mattress Firm, the largest specialty mattress retailer in the US, is laundering money. The comment was later deleted, spurring even more speculation,  The Next Web reported. businessinsider.com

Amazon Go's New Cashier-Less Store Already Had Its First Shoplifting Incident Never Planned for Honest Shoppers
Amazon Go's presumably foolproof armor are already starting to show. Reporting on the unveiling of Amazons Go's first outpost in Seattle, Deirdre Bosa of CNBC noticed that she wasn't charged for an item as she departed the store. This means, barring any late charges she accrues from the company, she's Amazon Go's first shoplifter, which is a huge milestone for petty theft!

Her tweets and confusion point to an interesting gray area: What constitutes shop lifting in a store that essentially requires people to pick things off shelves, place them in their bags, and walk away?

"First and foremost, enjoy the yogurt on us," VP of Amazon Go Gianna Puerini told CNBC. "It happens so rarely that we didn't even bother building in a feature for customers to tell us it happened. So thanks for being honest and telling us. I've been doing this a year and I have yet to get an error."

Peurini also said the company has no intention to introduce the cashier-less technology at Whole Foods at the moment. thrillist.com

Walmart rep says PD Calls are 'proof LP is doing its job'
Johnson City, NY: JCPD called 458 times to Walmart last year
Last year, there were 458 police calls to the Johnson City Walmart location, a majority having to do with theft. The more time spent at Walmart means fewer officers available for other calls.

12 News reached out to Walmart for comment. Ragan Dickens, a spokesperson with Walmart, acknowledged there are a significant number of calls to the Johnson City store, but says that is proof the employees and the loss prevention staff at Walmart are doing their job to ensure a safe and enjoyable shopping experience.

In recent years, Walmart has shifted its focus from detecting shoplifters to deterring them. The focus is threefold, focusing on people, technology and programs. "We want to harden the target and make it more difficult for people," Dickens said. New technologies and the shift in focus have helped Walmart cut down on the number of police calls according to Dickens. There are even plain-clothed employees in Walmart stores trying to catch shoplifters.

In 2016, Walmart says it had a 30 percent reduction in police calls to its stores nationwide. In 2017, the store says it saw a 15 percent reduction.

It's important to note, no one is blaming Walmart for the problems, but stating that criminals are targeting the store for their crimes. wbng.com

Intellicheck Signs Partnership Agreement with 5K Technical Services to Expand Retail ID Product Adoption in Key Market
Intellicheck, a trusted industry leader in real time identification authentication and threat identification technology solutions, today announced the signing of a partnership agreement with 5K Technical Services, a leading full-service IT company in North Texas with a growing client base of online and brick and mortar vaping businesses. businesswire.com

C-Store Theft Up 10% in UK in 2017 - 2nd Yr in a Row
Justice System & Cops Redirecting Resources
The Crime Survey for England and Wales, which covers the year to September 2017, reveals that the number of shop thefts reached 383,178 last year. This marks the second consecutive year of increases, despite an overall decline in the level of crime.

James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: "The increase in shop theft reported by the ONS is extremely concerning for convenience retailers, but will not come as a surprise. Most retailers in the sector will have experienced some form of shop theft over the last year, with many dealing with persistent repeat offenders that aren't being dealt with properly by the justice system.

"The figures released today also only refer to reported instances, and with police forces increasingly looking to redirect resources to other crimes, retailers could be dissuaded from reporting thefts committed against their business. We encourage all retailers that have been affected by theft to report those incidents, and will continue to encourage police forces to ensure that theft is taken seriously at a local level."

ACS' 2017 Crime Report shows that last year, shop theft alone cost the convenience sector in excess of 131m UK pounds. talkingretail.com

Fuel Theft: Mexican drug cartels are targeting a multibillion-dollar industry
Fuel theft is fast becoming one of Mexico's most pressing economic and security dilemmas, sapping more than $1 billion in annual revenue from state coffers, terrorizing workers and deterring private investment in aging refineries that the government, following a 2014 energy reform, hoped instead would be thriving with foreign capital.

Because of government offensives that toppled narco kingpins in recent years, Mexico's drug cartels have splintered and are eager for new sources of revenue. Now their increasingly dominant role as fuel thieves pits two of the country's biggest industries - narcotics and oil - against one another. businessinsider.com

Opioid Testing by Employers Is Becoming More Common
The opioid epidemic-the growing problem of individuals abusing prescription painkillers-has resulted in more employers testing for these drugs in the workplace. But is such testing legal? It is, drug testing experts say, as long as certain procedures are followed.

For companies with safety-sensitive positions that are not covered by the DOT regulations, testing for opioids is a prudent way to limit risks and liabilities, said Laura Shelton, executive director of the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association in Washington, D.C. Safety-sensitive jobs might include construction workers, warehouse employees and machinery operators, she noted.

Employees who abuse opioids might injure themselves or others on the job, damage property, steal from employers or customers, be late or absent more often, do work of poor quality or quantity, or create morale problems, said Eric Hobbs, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Milwaukee. shrm.com

Rite Aid To Pay $4M Over Improper Meth Ingredient Sales
Rite Aid Corp. will pay $4 million to end a criminal investigation into its improper sales of pseudoephedrine, the Sudafed ingredient used to make methamphetamine, West Virginia federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The pharmacy has already admitted to the improper sales and has instituted a series of steps to curtail future abuse, including only selling tamper-resistant single-ingredient PSE in West Virginia and training employees to recognize those buying PSE to make meth. The $4 million penalty will stay in the state, going toward treating addiction and compensating crime victims, prosecutors said. law360.com

Winn-Dixie Escapes Ex-Worker's FLSA Retaliation Suit
Fired For Stealing After Reporting Alleged Labor Violations
A Florida federal judge handed a quick win to Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. Wednesday in an ex-worker's suit claiming he was fired after reporting various Fair Labor Standards Act violations to the grocery store chain, saying he was suspected of stealing in between complaining about the alleged violations and the termination.

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom granted summary judgment to the supermarket chain in Anibal Antonio Aguilar Fernandez's suit, which claims he was canned after he reported FLSA violations to the company's hotline and management. The judge wrote that while Fernandez made the labor complaints in the first week of October 2014 and was terminated on Oct. 17, the company suspected of him of stealing store goods just a day before he was terminated.

Fernandez had claimed in his suit that he was regularly instructed to continue working after punching out, which he brought up with the store director at the time, the judge said. The store director then allegedly told Fernandez to quit after he said he didn't want to work overtime without being paid for it. law360.com

NYC Leading the Way
"For the moment, the retail apocalypse is on hold"
"People are shopping, for sure." "It's the highest consumer confidence levels in almost 17 years."
said Steven Soutendijik, executive managing director of retail services as Cushman & Wakefield, at a conference last week when the firm presented a report on retail in 2017.

The firm reported that New York City experienced a "way stronger" than expected holiday shopping season in 2017, with sales up 5.5 percent year-over-year, exceeding many brokerages estimates by full percentage points. With Times Square outperforming every other submarket in 2017. rew-online.com

1st round of cuts hits Wal-Mart HQ in Arkansas
Cuts 3,500 co-managers
The jobs of an unspecified number of Wal-Mart employees in the retailer's marketing department in Bentonville were eliminated Wednesday, multiple sources said.

It was the first round of a process expected to affect hundreds of corporate Wal-Mart workers by the end of the month. Wal-Mart would not reveal the number of job cuts, but one of the sources said a limited number of workers was affected.

The cuts come nearly two weeks after the Wall Street Journal reported Wal-Mart is preparing for a large round of job cuts at the company's headquarters by next Wednesday, the end of the retailer's fiscal year.

The marketing cuts Wednesday are among several actions the company has taken this month as it continues to cut costs and improve the efficiency of its operations to better compete with Amazon.com.

Wal-Mart also is eliminating 3,500 co-manager positions in its stores, which can have as many as four employees in those positions. Some of the displaced co-managers will have opportunities to apply for other jobs, including 1,700 lower-paying assistant store manager roles that are being created.

Wal-Mart is closing 63 Sam's Clubs locations as well and the store closings are expected to affect about 10,000 workers. Sam's Club said it will convert as many as 12 of the closed stores into e-commerce fulfillment centers. arkansasonline.com

Private Equity Sharks Slaughtered the Retail Industry
Who Bankrupted Toys 'R' Us? Blame Private Equity & Millennial Parents
The first half of 2017 was among the worst periods for retail stores on record, and the pain isn't nearly over.
 
In the last four months, Sears and Kmart have announced 63 imminent store closings (after shuttering 350 locations in 2017), Gap announced plans to close 200 locations in the next three years, and Walmart announced that it would close 63 Sam's Club stores and lay off thousands of workers.

But its collapse has been especially acute, due to terrible mismanagement by private-equity firms. After Toys "R" Us was taken private by KKR, Bain, and Vornado in 2005, it took on a lot of debt, leaving the company with repayments that have crippled it in a period of declining sales. Toys "R" Us has spent more than $250 million annually to pay back $5 billion in long-term debt. These repayments became unsustainable once revenue started to decline consistently, as it has each year since 2012. That left one option: for the company to declare bankruptcy and renegotiate the terms of its debt.

Editor's Note: In article after article a number of analyst have pointed out that while certainly online and Amazon has brutally impacted retail sales the true underlying problem is that during the last two decades private equity sharks have circled and just slaughtered the retail industry. By taking a large number of them private, loading them up with cheap debt to generate returns and then dumping them in most cases in IPO's or mergers and leaving them with debt that now is just choking a number of them. Couple that with more expensive debt now and banks taking a harder stance and we have what we're facing now. Something most people aren't even talking about. theatlantic.com

Store closings become the new retail normal
This year is off to a difficult start for retailers, with a wave of closures from 2017 continuing into 2018. These closures follow the trend that began in 2017 and set the record for the most store closings in a year, with about 7,000 retailers shutting their doors.

That's almost a thousand more than the previous record of 6,163 in 2008 during the Great Recession. Many of the 2017 closings came amid 662 bankruptcy filings, according to BankruptcyData.com.

More than 100,000 job losses came with those closings, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and about 140 million square feet of vacant retail space.

Some stores were eager to move into those empty spaces, with 3,433 store openings announced last year. They were mostly discount retailers, such as Dollar General and Dollar Tree.

Analysts expect a new wave of store closures and bankruptcies this year. pennlive.com

Flu Season Could Cost Employers $9.4 Billion

Lowe's to hire 53,000 seasonal employees

Toys 'R' Us combining Babies R Us & Paying retention bonuses'

Report: Fashion Retailer Nine West close to filing for bankruptcy

Burger King trolls net neutrality repeal with Whopper 'fast lane' ad

7-Eleven Closes on Acquisition of 1,030 Sunoco Locations

Big year for the Big Game: Consumers to spend $15.3 billion on 2018 Super Bowl

Co-Conspirator in large fencing operation involving eBay
given prison sentence

A Stratford man on Thursday was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a large-scale fencing operation, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office.

From January 2012 to December 2014, Matthew Harwood, 43, and his co-conspirator Andrew Sacco would buy stolen goods from "boosters," typically shoplifters with opioid addictions, and then resell the property at online websites such as Amazon and eBay, the statement reads.

Harwood pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property and one count of interstate transport of stolen property in November. Read more here.

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

Sekura Welcomes New Client Program Manager - NAM

Sekura Global is pleased to announce the appointment of Donna Gudridge as the company's new Client Program Manager - NAM.

Donna has had 15 award winning-years working with top Loss Prevention professionals from across the USA. She has an expansive knowledge of retail and a history of helping retailers improve their ROI with time saving and effective processes.

Carina Lewis, Sekura's VP of Global Sales, said: "I am extremely happy to have Donna on our team, and look forward to working with her to develop new complimentary training services for our customers that will have notable benefits for their businesses."

When asked about her new position, Donna said: "I am very excited to be a part of Sekura Global's expansion in the US. My focus will be on supporting that effort, and doing what I do best: enhancing training practices, designing programs that build efficiencies and ensure compliance, while helping reduce our customers' labor costs."

Donna is already well known throughout the industry for delivering innovative and effective programs, proven to help retailers reduce their shrink while maximizing their ROI; all values that Sekura Global champions.

Donna said: "One thing that enticed me to make this move to Sekura was the company's reputation for really listening to customers and reacting quickly for them. We can turn around a prototype in less than three weeks - that's practically unheard of in this business!"

"Sekura's product line is also very exciting; the Self Retracting BoxGrip is one of the most effective and efficient products I have ever seen - it's a real labor time saver!"

Russell Napthine, Director of Sekura Global, said: "At Sekura we are always focused on helping our customers save loss and save time; Donna is well qualified to help us keep achieving this goal. We are certain that she will add value, both for Sekura and for our customers, and we are very glad to have her on board."

Sekura Global will next be appearing at RILA Asset Protection Conference, April 29 to May 2 2018, at Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando FL - you can meet Donna and the rest of the team at Booth #309!

2017 Cyber Crime Results Are In
Three Reports/Surveys Prove It's a Worldwide Wild Wild West

"'Worst Year Ever' in Data Breaches & Cyber Incidents Around the World"
Online Trust Alliance Reports Doubling of Cyber Incidents in 2017
An annual analysis by the Online Trust Alliance (OTA) found that cyber incidents targeting businesses nearly doubled over the last year from 82,000 in 2016 to 159,700 in 2017. Since the majority of cyber incidents are never reported, OTA believes the actual number in 2017 could easily exceed 350,000.

In the report, OTA analyzes data breaches, ransomware targeting businesses, business email compromise (BEC), distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), and takeover of critical infrastructure and physical systems over the course of a year. It highlights the Internet Society's concerns around how large-scale data breaches, uncertainties about how data is being used, cybercrime and other online threats are impacting Internet users' trust in the Internet.

OTA found that in 2017 there were 134,000 ransomware attacks on businesses, nearly doubling that of 2016. In mid-2017 another type of ransomware attack emerged-the ransom denial-of-service attack (RDoS). In this attack, criminals send an email to domain owners threatening a DDoS attack that will make a website inoperable unless a ransom (usually via Bitcoin) is paid. OTA recommends proactive planning for crisis management, forensics specialists and law enforcement, and suggests that organizations be prepared by setting up a Bitcoin wallet in the event ransom payment is deemed necessary for a given incident.  securitymanagement.com

Businesses Report All-time High Levels of Fraud, Cyber and Security Incidents in 2017
Fraud, cyber, and security risks are at an all-time high, according to senior corporate executives surveyed worldwide for the 2017/18 Kroll Annual Global Fraud & Risk Report.

The proportion of executives reporting that their companies fell victim to at least one instance of fraud over the past 12 months increased to 84%, from 82% in the previous survey. Levels of reported fraud have steadily risen every year since 2012, when the reported occurrence was just 61%.

An even greater percentage of executives surveyed (86%) said their companies had experienced a cyber incident or information theft, loss, or attack over the past 12 months, slightly up from 85% in 2016. Seven in 10 respondents (70%) reported the occurrence of at least one security incident during the past year, compared to 68% in the previous survey.

The report reveals that respondents are experiencing a heightened sense of vulnerability to fraud, cyber, and security risks, with information-related risks now being the area of greatest concern. As criminals and other threat actors continue to find new ways to monetize confidential data, including personal data, data assets are becoming increasingly valuable and attractive targets.

For the first time in the report's 10-year history, information theft, loss, or attack was the most prevalent type of fraud experienced, cited by 29% of respondents, up 5 percentage points from the previous year. This edged out theft of physical assets or stock, long the most common type of organizational loss, which this year was the second most frequently cited incident (27%).

Cyber attacks represent one of the most persistent threats to confidential information. The reported level of occurrence for every type of cyber incident included in the survey increased in the last 12 months. securitymagazine.com

Over a Third of Global Firms Breached in 2017
Over a third (36%) of global organizations were breached last year, a 10% increase from 2016, according to new figures from Thales.

The security and defense contractor polled 1200 senior IT executives in Germany, Japan, India, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea, the UK and the US to compile its 2018 Thales Data Threat Report.

It claimed that a staggering 67% of firms have now been breached, with more than two-fifths (44%) of IT leaders claiming to feel "very" or "extremely" vulnerable to data threats.

The report detailed a growing reliance on the cloud, with 42% of organizations using more than 50 SaaS applications, 57% using three or more IaaS vendors, and 53% using three or more PaaS environments.

In total, 94% store or use sensitive data in cloud, big data, IoT, container, blockchain and/or mobile environments - a trend seemingly exposing them to greater risk. infosecurity-magazine.com

Meet Chronicle: Alphabet's New Cybersecurity Business
Google parent company Alphabet introduces Chronicle, which will combine a security analytics platform and VirusTotal.

Alphabet, parent company of Google, Nest, and other ventures, today announced a new independent business focused on cybersecurity. Chronicle is the latest project to graduate from X, the internal research lab where Alphabet develops new technologies.

Chronicle was built to help security and IT professionals detect and prevent cyberattacks before they cause damage. The businesses will be split in two parts: an intelligence and analytics platform to handle security-related data, and VirusTotal, which Google acquired in 2012.

Part of the intent behind Chronicle is to help businesses deal with an increase of data amid the security talent shortage, writes Chronicle cofounder and CEO Stephen Gillett in a blog post. darkreading.com

Biometric identification to be made available for all Mastercard users by April 2019
Mastercard has announced that all consumers will be able to identify themselves with biometrics such as fingerprints or facial recognition, when they shop and pay with Mastercard by April next year.

In practice it means that banks issuing Mastercard-branded cards will have to be able to offer biometric authentication for remote transactions, alongside existing PIN and password verification. It will also apply to all contactless transactions made at terminals with a mobile device.

This shift to biometrics is part of Mastercard's new action plan to help banks and retailers to prevent fraud and improve the consumer experience in the new digital environment. retailtimes.co.uk

PCI Council publishes security requirements for MPIN entry standard

Tackling the IoT Security Challenge: A Business-Minded Approach

Facebook, Amazon Snap Up Boston Cybersecurity Startups Confirm, Sqrrl

Can Robot-Run Warehouses Change The Landscape Of Urban Grocery Delivery?

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

Retailers Are So Wary of Fraud They're Rejecting Real Customers
Retailers are so worried about fraudulent purchases online, many say they're rejecting legitimate transactions out of fear that they may be fake.

Sixty-seven percent of retailers have online security measures that are quick to cancel any transaction that raises suspicion, according to a survey by Experian, a global information-services company. When gauging all businesses -- a group that also includes banks and telecommunications companies -- that figure rises to 71 percent.

The concerns are causing them to leave money on the table, as companies go to ever-greater lengths to prevent hacking attacks and internet security breaches.

Companies have a strong incentive to err on the side of caution: Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. plummeted last year after it disclosed a data breach, while the news that hackers stole the personal information of millions from Equifax Inc. sparked a class action lawsuit and outrage across the U.S.

"There is no silver bullet when it comes to stopping fraud," said Kathleen Peters, senior vice president of global fraud and identity at Experian. "Retailers really have to find this way to show consumers that they're protecting them and balance that with an online experience that's not too heavy-handed."

While only 5 percent of data breach incidents involve the retail sector, according to a Verizon report last year, the incidents are highly visible since they generally involve well-known brands.

Companies are contending with criminals who are becoming more organized and creative in the ways they impersonate legitimate customers online, Peters said. The best way to counter this is to develop technology that lets them better identify legitimate customers. Creating layered security that protects customers without making transactions more cumbersome is still no easy task, she said. bloomberg.com

Online Advertising: Hackers' Little Helper
Network of Fake Ad Agencies Distributed 1 Billion Bad Ads
The web is funded in large part through advertisements, but website users face an increasing security risk: malicious advertisements.

Cybercriminals realized long ago that the online advertising industry, if properly subverted, could be a near-perfect platform for distributing malware. While the ad industry has clocked these threats and taken steps to improve its defenses, their platforms continue to be manipulated by criminals, to the detriment of users.

The latest evidence of this malicious push comes via advertising security company Confiant. Late last year, it began to notice patterns within the malicious advertising it was blocking that pointed to a massive social engineering campaign.

"No one has ever gone to jail for ad fraud. It's an incredibly lucrative avenue that is relatively safe for them to practice." -Louis-David Mangin, Confiant. govinfosecurity.com

Amazon To Give Massachusetts 3rd-Party Seller Tax Data

To battle Amazon, Kroger eyes Alibaba alliance

Report: Sellers in two of Amazon's high-growth categories get hit with new fees

FedEx Reorganizes Units to Focus on Cross-Border Ecommerce

North Brunswick, NJ: Two arrested in Credit Card Fraud Ring and Aggravated Identity Theft conspiracy
Henry Abdul, 30, and Alexus Omowole, 22, are each charged by complaint with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. According to the complaint, between October 2015 and the present, Abdul and Omowole participated in a "credit card takeover" scheme. A person who is not the account owner or authorized user of a credit card account contacts the financial institution and poses as the account owner in order to change the personal information associated with the account. In this case, Abdul's home address in North Brunswick was used as part of the takeover conspiracy, and both Abdul and Omowole profited from the conspiracy by using several compromised credit cards at various retail locations in New Jersey and elsewhere. The bank fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. patch.com

Franklin, TN: Fragrance thieves struck repeatedly at Macy's at CoolSprings Galleria
Two Franklin suspects are facing felony charges after repeatedly stealing armfuls of designer fragrances at the CoolSprings Galleria. Working with Loss Prevention forces, FPD Flex Officers identified Jonathan Bass and Lindsay King as the suspects captured on video stealing more than $1,500 in fine fragrances from Macy's on Jan. 15 - and then again on Jan. 17. Bass was captured on video stealing fine fragrances, again, on Jan. 18 - that time to the tune of $566. Bass returned on Jan. 19, stealing another $110 in fragrances while King waited in their getaway car in the parking lot. brentwoodhomepage.com

Lexington, KY: Kroger Employee arrested for theft of $14,000 worth of Meat
Andron Burns, 35, smiled for his mugshot after Lexington Police arrested him for allegedly stealing more than $10,000 of meat and merchandise from the Leestown Kroger, where he worked. According to the police citation, Kroger's Loss Prevention officials told police they have "surveillance footage" of Burns stealing from the store. The report states Burns "admitted to taking over $14,000 of merchandise over a four-month period" dating to October 2017. Police say Burns admitted to selling the merchandise to three different individuals, but would not divulge any names. The report says he received only $30 for the merchandise. lex18.com


West Whitehead, PA: Police seeking 2 in $900 Macy's Exton Mall theft
West Whiteland police announced on Wednesday that they are investigating the alleged theft that occurred on Tuesday at approximately 12:45 p.m. at the Macy's store located in the Exton Square Mall. Police said the two suspects allegedly sprayed a loss prevention officer with pepper spray. Po lice recovered the bag that contained more than $900 worth of merchandise. The bag was determined to be a homemade booster bag. dailylocal.com


Bainbridge, GA: 3 Arrested in Ag-Pro (John Deere) Burglary / theft of $85,000

Springfield, PA: Man arrested following $1,000 Theft of Baby Formula from Babies R US

Shootings & Deaths

Gwinnett County, GA: Armed gunman shot and killed by Police at Strip Mall
It happened at a strip mall on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Buford before 4 a.m. Thursday. Investigators said a 911 call came in about a suspicious man who was armed with a gun. Officers responded to the location and found the suspect with a black handgun on his waist. Investigators said the officers tried to talk with the man, but one officer was forced to fire multiple rounds when the suspect raised his weapon and pointed it at them. The suspect was shot and killed at the scene. fox5atlanta.com

Update - Fort Mill, SC: Man charged with 19-year-old's Murder at C-Store; Police say 'random act of violence'
Karson Bailey Whitesell was an employee at the store, officials later confirmed. Mendez was taken into custody following the shooting. On Wednesday, he was charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and denied bond. "I want to take the opportunity to clarify that this incident was not domestic violence related, nor was it the result of an armed robbery attempt," Fort Mill Police said. wcnc.com

Update - Vernon Township, PA: Suspect in GNC Store Employee's Murder, Robbery, and Theft heads to trial
A man charged with fatally stabbing another man is headed to trial. A Mercer County man is heading to trial facing murder, robbery, and theft charges. The crime happening at a GNC store in Vernon Township. Adam Greenlee is accused of killing 21-year-old Patrick Kozminski on November 30th. The incident happened at the GNC Store in Vernon Township. Investigators saying Greenlee was a former employee of the store, working there in 2015. Investigators allege Greenlee killed Kozminski while robbing the store of about $250 from the cash register and safe. yourerie.com

Roseville, MN: No injuries reported in shooting in parking lot of Rosedale Center Mall
Police investigated a report of possible shots fired Wednesday night at the Rosedale Center's parking lot. Officers responded just before 8:40 p.m. on a call of possible shots fired. Police found a vehicle that appeared to have been hit by bullets. But officers say they did not find any victims or suspects. Police do not believe that there is any risk to the public. kare11.com
 

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How to Build Engaged and Resilient Teams
As a leader, you've probably heard you're only as good as your team. Your team has a direct effect on your organization's success so it's key that you have an engaged and resilient group of employees on your team. Here's how you can build both of these traits in your workplace. Get on board

The Four Fundamentals of Building a High-Performance Team
A team is more than just a group of people. The task of turning individuals into a high-performing team is a specialized task that largely falls on the leader's shoulders. It's a strategy that can be broken down into four key fundamentals that are important when keeping your team at the top of their game. 'Maverick status'

How to Build the Amazing Team of Your Dreams
Building a great team isn't a matter of luck, it's all about hiring the right people who have a great chemistry together, or even just good timing. The most productive teams are built intentionally. Here's how any leader can build a great team, and what to look for when doing so. Look for loyalists

This Perceived Weakness is One of the Best Ways to  Build an All-Star Team
At work, the fear of looking vulnerable will cause people to go to great lengths to hide their weaknesses and that restricts their ability to connect with employees, or fellow staff. Intuit CEO, Brad Smith, says that connection is what helps build an All-Star team. Being open about weaknesses could be the key to unlocking potential. Vulnerability takes courage

As all of us progress in our careers, we carry our past with us. And as one pointed out yesterday in response to our tip, that past is written in "indelible ink" that can't be simply erased in the process of attempting to reinventing ourselves. On the contrary, it must be recognized, accepted, and critically reviewed for any of us to successfully reinvent ourselves. Self-reflection and self-assessment is a difficult task for all of us, however, without it how are we to truly grow. Reinventing one's self is not a transaction, it's a process that continues through life and can only happen if we're honest with ourselves and truly willing to make changes. But in paraphrasing a famous 20th century philosopher, Joseph Campbell, he said we are today what our yesterdays made us, but we can be tomorrow whoever we wish to be as long as we start being it today. It may not be simple, but it does start with a first step.

Just a Thought,
Gus

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