Maurizio Scrofani named Vice President for ALTO U.S.
GRUPO ALTO, a multi-national company specializing in the prevention of property losses, announced the appointment of Maurizio Scrofani; LPC, CCSP to ALTO U.S., where he will oversee the development of the supply chain security and intelligence areas of the business as Vice President. Maurizio brings his 25 plus years of experience in retail and manufacturing where he has held various senior leadership roles for companies such as Macy's Inc, Bloomingdale's, Delonghi and most notably Verisk Analytics, where he was the Co-Founder and President of CargoNet, a supply chain risk management company.

Scrofani received his undergraduate degree from William Paterson University and his Certificate in Supply Chain Management from Penn State University. He is loss prevention certified (LPC) by the Loss Prevention Foundation and certified as a cargo security professional (CCSP) from the American Trucking Association. Congratulations, Maurizio! 

Meijer's announcement of new Vice President of Asset Protection next week

4 to 5 Million Protestors
Civil unrest, protest numbers, at all time high says OU poli-sci prof.
With protests continuing around the nation and county after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, some might be wondering how this period of civil unrest compares with those from recent history. Terri Towner, Oakland University professor of political science, said it simply doesn't.

From the data she's analyzed so far, approximately four million to five million individuals have come out to protest for a myriad of reasons in the past weeks, like the Women's March on Washington which took place in Washington D.C. and around the country.

"The uniqueness about this movement comparably is the numbers," Towner said. "The Los Angeles protest alone broke records, D.C. broke records...It doesn't even compare to the protests at President Nixon's inauguration, which I think was around 200,000."

This is on a much broader scale of political issues and the numbers again are much higher, even compared to the (Civil Rights Movement) Million Man March, the numbers scale very high," Towner said. theoaklandpress.com

Walmart Reduces Law Enforcement Calls By 35%
Restorative Justice Cited as #1 Reason
Wal-Mart Investing More in "More at the Door" Program?
In response to a Western, New York News Inquiry-Walmart spokesperson says it's investing more money in the "More at the Door" program, which places workers at the entrances to some stores. The Western New York locations are included.

Walmart released the following statement to 2 On Your Side:

"No retailer is immune to the challenge of crime. We recognize the importance of this issue at the highest levels of the company, and we are investing in people and technology to support our stores. We're encouraged by a 35% reduction in calls to law enforcement agencies nationwide, on average, since we began implementing Restorative Justice and other crime deterrence programs. We'll continue our outreach to law enforcement across the country as part of our ongoing commitment to meet our customers' and associates' expectations of a safe and enjoyable shopping experience." wgrz.com

UF research team studies stealing and the black market
Experts say razors, detergent, baby formula and diapers are some of the hottest items on the black market.

"These are items they know are highly craved, that are readily converted into cash, that are pretty concealable," said Dr. Read Hayes, with the Loss Prevention Research Council. Part of this lab at the University of Florida is set up like a store. His team studies what people steal and how.

The researchers say the thieves usually fence the items to someone they know or sell them online. "There's actually been cases of product being found overseas," research scientist Mike Giblin said

Bottom line, the black market is costing some retailers billions, according to Hayes. So the research team interviews shoplifters, tests technology and locks and passes that information along to the retail chains. "We want to help them sell more and lose less," Hayes said. fox35orlando.com

PayPal Hit With Money Laundering, Sanctions Subpoenas
PayPal Holdings Inc. on Wednesday revealed that it is being investigated for violations of anti-money laundering regulations and U.S. sanctions.

In a securities filing that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice seeking information related to its "historical anti-money laundering program" as well as new subpoenas related to potential sanctions violations from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  law360.com

"Fictitious pickup," now accounts for 10% of cargo theft, up from 5% in 2011
CargoNet explains in its whitepaper, Cargo Theft By Suspicious Pickup, that in a fictitious pickup criminals trick shippers into willingly turning over loads to them. They may do this by winning a transportation bid at online load posting sites, a scenario where the cargo thief is actually hired to do the job under the guise of being a legitimate operator after having created a seemingly reputable online presence. Another tactic is for the thief to find out about a scheduled load with a reputable carrier, and then arrive early with bogus paperwork to pick it up.

There are a number of steps that supply chain stakeholders can take to help battle fictitious pickups. These include:

• Thoroughly vetting unfamiliar carriers before giving them a load, and never brokering a high value, high risk load
• Establishing a policy of appointments made at least 24 hours in advance, including pickup number, driver's name and driver's license number, and trucking company name
• Thoroughly verifying documentation upon arrival Installing an effective surveillance system, with high-definition cameras covering both outside and inside dock area, as well as driver reception
• Be aware that fictitious pickups occur most frequently on Thursday and Friday, when shippers and warehouses are at their busiest for outbound freight (as opposed to regular cargo theft, which is at its height on the weekend when unattended freight is most vulnerable).  ifco.com

"Department Stores - US: Sector Must Accelerate Revamp in 2017
Following Grim Holiday"
most major chains, including Macy's, Kohl's and J.C. Penney, rang up negative comparable sales in the final three months of last year. Shoppers, however, have continued to leave department stores for fast fashion, off-price and e-commerce options as they prioritize value and convenience.

"And while we believe they are taking the right steps, their 2016 holiday results clarified that they must recalibrate much faster in 2017 or risk falling even further behind their more nimble competitors."

Internet purchases currently account for about 20% of department stores' sales, and to increase that number companies must further shrink their brick-and-mortar presence, Moody's said. Department stores will also need to redeploy investments in technology to keep pace both with their competitors and fast-changing customer expectations. chainstoreage.com

Macerich CEO Blames Retailers - Wouldn't Concede Traffic Declines
Macerich CEO, one of the country's leading owners, operators and developers of major retail real estate, said in a conference call about its fourth-quarter metrics. The mall industry is overly reliant on department stores compared with global benchmarks. Apparel is losing share in malls.

"The apparel market has matured and moved away from smaller specialty stores that trade on foot traffic to large-format fast fashion retailers,

Coppola wouldn't concede that mall traffic is going down, and even if it is, sales at Macerich properties haven't been impacted. "Retailers blaming mall traffic for the fact that they don't have the products in their stores that people want to buy, is wrong. We're putting in cameras and sensors that monitor gender and engagement so we can be smarter about how we tenant the centers."

Editor's Note: Sounds like a perfect opportunity to introduce facial recognition and use the technology for increasing security abilities. wwd.com

House Passes Long-Sought Email Privacy Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday approved a bill that would update the nation's email surveillance laws so that federal investigators are required to obtain a court-ordered warrant for access to older stored emails. krebsonsecurity.com

Cabela's Ends Taped Call Suit With $3.85M Class Deal
A California state judge on Wednesday granted final approval to outdoor retailer Cabela's Inc.'s $3.85 million class action settlement with customers who say they weren't told their calls to its toll-free number were being recorded, in violation of California law.  law360.com

Old Work Out of Your Home Gift Wrapping Scam Hits So. Cal.
Moving stolen goods thieves are hiring innocent, unsuspecting middlemen to send out the stolen items in order to shield themselves from police.

Offering part-time jobs through Craigslist as professional gift wrappers, the innocent mules ship out the goods. One wrapper alone shipped out hundreds of goods suspected of being bought with stolen credit cards.

"Books, computer equipment, pet supplies, everything you can imagine," Johnson said. "Most of them were going to packaging warehouses, most in the SoCal area, some out in Moreno Valley, and then somebody would go to this company and pick up the packages." cbslocal.com

Forklifts hurt nearly 97,000 people every year
Data compiled from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimate 85 forklift-related deaths every year in the United States. In total almost 97,000 forklift-related injuries annually. abc6onyourside.com

LinkedIn's New Design - Time to Clean Up Your Profile
The 2017 updates make for less clutter across the platform and a more focused experience on every front, especially your personal profile.

With that in mind, here are four cuts your LinkedIn profile needs to take these changes to the next level-and show off the parts of your personal brand that really matter.

1. Stale Professional Experiences Details about your ancient professional history draw attention away from your most recent and relevant experiences. So, allow your past two roles to sell you and boil anything seven to 10 years in the past down to the essentials.

2. Unendorsed Skills Prune your skills section and attract new endorsements on a regular basis.

3. Lackluster Accomplishments Many of your once-independent profile sections such as Projects, Honors & Awards, Patents, and others are now gathered in a new "Accomplishments" section. It's pretty genius, because organizing the content this way removes a ton of unnecessary bulk. The idea is to only highlight those items that build the personal brand you want reflected right now.

4. Old Recommendations Outdated recommendations can undersell you, or sell skills you're not interested in using anymore-which means they can undermine who you are today.

LinkedIn is a place to shape a precise, meaningful, persuasive story about your talents-not a career catchall. Cutting distracting content might feel odd at first, but it's vital to refining the message you deliver. So really try to make the most of its new streamlined design to wow everyone who visits your profile. fastcompany.com


Dollar General to open 1,000 stores & 2 DC's in '17
 
FBI Launches Wanted Mobile App

Bass Pro Shop's $5.5 Billion Deal for Cabela's Inc Is Falling Apart
 

Quarterly Same Store Sales Results
Dunkin Brands Q4 total sales up 12.1%
   Dunkin Donuts U.S. comp's up 1.9%
   Baskin Robbins U.S. comp's down 0.9%
   Dunkin Brands Intern. comp's down 1.1%
   Baskin Robbins Intern. comp's up 0.7%

Yum Brands Q4 comp's up 1%, sales up 4%
   KFC comp's up 3%, sales up 8%
   Pizza Hut comp's down 2%, sales up 3%
   Taco Bell comp's up 3%, sales up 12%

CVS Q4 comp's down 0.7%, pharmacy comp's up 0.2%, front store comps' down 2.9%, net revenue up 11.7%
Whole Foods Q1 comp's down 2.4%, sales up 1.9%

How Retail Firms Can Counter Cyber Threats In The Digital Age
The Cisco 2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report, highlights some of the newest cyber threats introduced by digitization, and the well-organized adversaries focused on exploiting them.

The research identified retailers' key areas of cybersecurity vulnerability and concern, where nearly one-third of retail organizations have experienced loss of revenue due to an attack.

Retail organizations perceive targeted attacks as their highest risks (followed by insider exfiltration). Nearly 54% of retail organizations have managed public scrutiny due to a security breach (other industries - 49%). Only 52% of retail organizations perceive their security infrastructure is very up-to-date and constantly upgraded with the best tech (other industries - 59%). Only 61% of retail organizations strongly agree that they are able to maintain full PCI compliance, the study said.

Brian McDonald, Global Retail & Hospitality Industries Marketing Lead, mentioned in a Cisco blog post that these statistics highlight how cybersecurity must be a key factor during your journey to digitally transforming your retail business, and ingrained at every stage.

"Just as you would ensure that your brick-and-mortar store has locks and security systems of the highest quality, your digital storefront must have the same levels of security, if not higher. If consumers do not trust your digital storefront with their data, or if that trust is broken because of lackluster website performance, or worse, a data breach, the cost to rebuild that trust is incredibly high. cxotoday.com

Fast Food Chain Arby's Acknowledges Breach
Arby's told KrebsOnSecurity that it recently remediated a breach involving malicious software installed on payment card systems at hundreds of its restaurant locations nationwide.

The company was first notified by industry partners in mid-January about a breach at some stores, but that it had not gone public about the incident at the request of the FBI.

"Upon learning of the incident, ARG immediately notified law enforcement and enlisted the expertise of leading security experts, including Mandiant," their statement continued. "While the investigation is ongoing, ARG quickly took measures to contain this incident and eradicate the malware from systems at restaurants that were impacted."

They have fully contained and eradicated the malware that was on our point-of-sale systems.  krebsonsecurity.com
 
2nd Canadian Retailer Gets Hacked in Same Week
Canadian Tire website breached, consumer accounts in question
One of Canada's oldest retailers has shut down customer access to all accounts online saying it wants to "protect the personal information" of customers.

"We recently noticed unusual traffic on our website and suspended customer sign-in capabilities while we investigate," said Canadian Tire communications manager Stephanie Nadalin.

Since the beginning of the week, customers trying to access their points and credit card information on their computers have been greeted with the following message:

"Our sign-in option is temporarily unavailable and we are working to resume services as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience." A different message greeted mobile users: "Uh oh, It looks like something's broken. We're working on it! Sorry for the inconvenience."

This isn't the first time the 94-year old retailer has been the target of a security breach. In 2009, the company was a target of one of the largest and most serious data breaches to that point. It was forced to cancel and reissue about 16,000 of its MasterCard credit cards.

Canadian Tire isn't the only retailer trying to manage a security breach at the moment. Loblaw is warning its PC Plus rewards collectors to beef up passwords after points were stolen from some members' accounts. globalnews.ca

Social Media Phishing Attacks Soar 500%
Social media phishing attacks jumped by a massive 500% in Q4, driven by a huge increase in fraudulent accounts including many posing as customer support for big name brands, according to Proofpoint. The security vendor revealed the findings in its Q4 2016 Threat Summary and Year in Review report.

It claimed fraudulent accounts across sites like Twitter and Facebook increased 100% from the third to fourth quarter. infosecurity-magazine.com

Point-of-Sale Malware Declined 93% Since 2014
Highlights alarming growth in ransomware
That's one of the main points of a new SonicWall study, which reports a 93% decline in point-of-sale (PoS) malware creation since 2014, but counters that news with a reality-check that ransomware grew by a rate of 167 times year-over-year. darkreading.com
 
Can the FTC save the IoT?
Most of the IoT's billions & billions of connected devices remain catastrophically insecure
lacking what experts call the most basic "security hygiene." The flaws include hard-coded credentials, simple and default user names and passwords and the lack of any way to patch or update exploitable vulnerabilities.

So, perhaps the way to kick start what everybody but criminals, terrorists and tyrannical regimes says they want is the old-fashioned way: An aggressive increase in lawsuits against developers and makers of the billions of devices that comprise the IoT. The threat of crippling sanctions, fines or liability damages are usually enough to get the attention of the C-suite.

The Federal Trade Commission has had a measure of success with lawsuits against IoT vendors who promise, but don't deliver, security.

 FTC's 170 settlement agreements since 1997, "are functionally equivalent to a body of common law ... (and) about as close to 'rules' as you might want ... Their rulings are effectively the law of the land for businesses that deal with personal information."

In most cases, the FTC relies on the legal prohibition of, "unfair or deceptive acts ..." to bring actions against IoT device vendors - they are accused of the "deception" of promising security but not delivering it.

Over time, the FTC has also moved from invoking not just company promises, but also "reasonable" consumer security expectations. csoonline.com

2016 Data Breach Legislation Roundup: What To Know Going Forward

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Alibaba says it is being falsely accused of selling counterfeit goods
Alibaba Group Holding on Thursday alleged that several intellectual property agencies were filing false complaints against vendors on its e-commerce platforms.

The company called for a boycott of these IP agencies, also known as "reputation-protection" firms, which are hired by businesses to help manage their IP rights.

Alibaba's comments come at a time when the Chinese e-commerce company has started cracking down on counterfeiters amid persistent allegations that fake goods are widely available on its sites.

Critics, however, have said that counterfeits remain prevalent and argue the company has not done nearly enough.

The United States in December returned Taobao, China's most popular consumer-to-consumer shopping website, to its blacklist of "notorious marketplaces" known for the sale of counterfeit goods and violations of intellectual property rights. fortune.com

Verizon rolls out new solution to fight fraud
Verizon Communications has launched Digital Security Pro, a solution that combines services from LifeLock and McAfee to fight cybercriminal attacks.

The service aims to protect a customer's online identify, shield them from malware and viruses along with access to a set of parental control tools. Among that group, Verizon said McAfee's security component lets customers manage and monitor devices from a centralized location. thepaypers.com

Online sales in 2017 will grow three times faster than the retail industry
In the fourth quarter of 2016, nonstore sales topped $145.49 billion, a 12.8% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2015. Online and nonstore sales are projected to nearly triple the year-over-year growth rate for the entire retail industry in 2017. internetretailer.com

The online sales tax may see new life in Congress

Harris County, TX: 9 Detained after stealing $12,000 in iPhones from AT&T
Nine people are in custody after a robbery at a local AT&T store in north Harris County. A deputy who was eating dinner at a nearby Boston Market restaurant was alerted to people running out of the store, and that is when he called for backup. Patrol cars rushed to the scene of the robbery at Louetta and Kuykendahl. According to investigators, the suspects went into the store and stole $12,000 worth of iPhones around 8pm Wednesday. abc13.com




Palm Coast, FL: Deputies seek suspects in $2,400 Ulta cosmetics theft
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office needs your help to identify two woman suspected of stealing items from an Ulta cosmetics store in Palm Coast on Saturday. The women are accused of steaming multiple bottles of nail polish, valued at more than $2,400. Authorities said these same women are suspects in a shoplifting incident at an Ulta store in Orlando. fox35orlando.com


Tahlequah, OK: Coordinated effort spurs arrest of $600 Stage store thief
Quick action by store personnel, an eyewitness who jotted down a license tag number and follow up on the part of multiple shifts of Tahlequah police helped in the apprehension of a shoplifting suspect within hours after the incident on Tuesday. Arrested Tuesday evening was Corey James Hooper, 26. He was charged with theft of merchandise from a retailer. Tahlequah Police Officer Pam Bell responded to a shoplifting call about 11:36 a.m. Tuesday at Stage Store, 907 S. Muskogee Ave. Missing was an estimated $600 worth of merchandise. tahlequahdailypress.com

Chattanooga, TN: 2 Tampa, FL Men Arrested For Attaching Skimming Devices At Local Gas Station; suspected in Organized Crime Ring
The Chattanooga Police Department has arrested suspects attaching skimming devices to a local gas station pump (the Mapco at Highway 153 and Gadd Road). The suspects are suspected to be a part of a national organized crime ring involved in credit card data theft, police said. Police said they were caught "red-handed." Two suspects are in custody along with more devices and two laptops that are pending forensic examination. The United Sates Secret Service was informed of the arrest and will be investigating the suspects for potential federal prosecution. chattanoogan.com


Palisades Park, NJ: One of 2 arrested in $18,000 Liquor Store heist

Shootings

Kannapolis, NC: Two men charged in theft at Rent-a-Center, shooting, chase and wrecks
Two men were arrested after reports of gunshots fired, a brief chase and at least two accidents. Willie Anthony and Jamarqua Davis were captured after a vehicle and foot chase. About 2 a.m. Wednesday, Kannapolis police got a call about someone firing shots into the Rent-a-Center store at 906 S. Cannon Blvd. Officers saw two men trying to put a TV into a vehicle. The two then jumped into separate vehicles and collided with each other as they tried to leave the parking lot. The vehicles were involved in separate crashes a short distance away, and both suspects fled on foot, but were later arrested. salisburypost.com

Fountain, CO: Fight between juveniles breaks out in gunfire at local strip mall
Police are investigating a shooting that involves as many as eight juveniles between the ages of 16 and 20. It happened at a local strip mall in Fountain, off Mesa Ridge Parkway. Fountain Police said they had several calls come in around 9:30 Wednesday night reporting they heard gunshots. According to police, a fight between at least six juveniles broke out at the 7/11 in the shopping center. "At some point, the altercation spilled out into the parking lot over here by Dominos where shots were fired from the three gentlemen in the parking lot of 7/11 that were parked at the gas pumps and they fired three shots at the juveniles walking away. kktv.com

Robberies & Thefts

Spring, TX: Target Robbery suspects arrested
Deputies caught and arrested two of the suspects accused of robbing a Target in Spring on Wednesday afternoon. Three suspects entered Target, jumped over the counters and demanded money from a store clerk before leaving the scene. Two of the suspects were arrested with the help of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. They are still looking for the third suspect. Deputies believe they recovered all of the money and the weapon used during the robbery. khou.com


San Diego, CA: Armed Robberies of Metro PCS Stores Continue Across San Diego, Rolando Store Hit
A gunman robbed a Metro PCS store Wednesday in the Rolando area of San Diego. The suspect, holding a handgun, walked into the store on El Cajon Blvd. about 5:20 p.m. and demanded cellphones from an employee. The gunman took phones and money from the employee, who was then ordered, along with a customer, to walk to the back of the store, while the suspect made his getaway. Wednesday's robbery is the latest in a string of Metro PCS store robberies across San Diego. It is not immediately clear if police suspect Wednesday's crime is connected to the spate of robberies. timesofsandiego.com

Cleveland OH: Brink's driver robbed at Gunpoint; suspect dressed in a Security Guard uniform
A man dressed in a security guard uniform robbed a Brinks armored car security officer Wednesday morning in the city's Lee-Miles neighborhood. The robbery happened about 10 a.m. at the PNC bank branch. FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson said. The Brinks employee got out of his armored vehicle in front of the bank and carried a canvas bag filled with cash and ATM servicing tools toward the bank, Anderson said. The masked, armed robber - dressed in a METRO security uniform - approached the Brinks employee from behind and pinned him against the front door of the bank. fox8.com

Spring Township, PA: Weis Markets employee stole $1,500, but tells police it wasn't for 'anything elaborate'
A woman is facing felony theft charges after Weis Markets claimed she took about $1,500. Kayla Stonerook had been detained by the loss prevention manager, police said. The assistant store manager showed paperwork indicating Stonerook had taken about $1,424 but believed there was more to be found. Stonerook told the officer she had cashed in unused coupons for cash, saying the first time she did this, she cashed in about $20 worth of coupons. She continued over the next few weeks, saying the largest amount she cashed in was about $400. A preliminary hearing is slated for Feb. 15. centredaily.com



London, ON, CN: Shoppers Drug Mart Armed Robbery ends with 2 smashed Police cars and 2 Arrests
An armed robbery in the south end of the city resulted in a car crash involving two police cruisers. Just after 8pm Wednesday evening police received a call regarding an armed robbery at Shoppers. Police said the suspects fled the scene in a stolen pickup truck. ctvnews.ca


Troy, MI: Neiman Marcus Shoplifter returns to store and apologizes;
gets arrested
A shoplifting suspect returned to the Neiman Marcus store in Troy, telling the loss prevention officer who pursued him that he had a change of heart and he was sorry he stole. The apology did not spare the 18-year-old Detroit man from being arrested for second-degree retail fraud. He came to the store at about 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4 with a second suspect, who was able to escape from loss prevention officers. Troy police say the two attempted to steal $295 of merchandise from the store. dailytribune.com



Beachwood, OH: Police urged to be on the lookout for ATM smash-and-grab robbers

UK: Thames Valley: Police search for suspect in $150,000 Accordion theft

Madrid, Spain: 23 Arrested in ATM Burglaries and ID thefts - Gang would use explosives to gain access to cash inside ATM, cover the streets with nails so Police could not follow

Kay Jewelers in the Southland Mall, Hayward, CA reported a Diamond Switch, item valued at $4,499

Cargo Theft

Truck with $100,000 of blueberries stolen in Hamilton, Ont.
Investigators say a refrigerated tractor-trailer containing an estimated $100,000 worth of blueberries and some fruit was stolen in Hamilton on Sunday. They say the transport was driven into the Toronto area. Police have posted a picture of blueberries with the slogan "have you seen these berries?" across social media to bring attention to the theft. ctvnews.ca

Skimming Theft

Potter County, TX: Deputies arrest duo with card-skimming equipment

Tampa, Fla.: 2 Men Arrested For Attaching Skimming Devices At Gas Station; Tampering Caused $10,000 In Damage To Pump

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