In Case You Missed It

April's Moving Ups

28 New Senior LP's - 17 Appointments - 11 Promotions

Ace Hardware named Brian Quast, CFI National Manager Loss Prevention
Amazon promoted Howard Stone to Director, Logistics Loss Prevention
Amazon promoted Dayna Howard to Director, NACF, Loss Prevention and Security (L8)
APMEX, Inc. named Adam Walker Manager, Corporate Security and Loss Prevention
Bartell Drugs named Dave Siler, CFI Director of Asset Protection
CarMax named Diana Long Cafritz Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President
The Children's Place promoted Kyle Mellusi to Manager - Fraud Analysis & Investigations
DFASS Group named Robert Sanchez Jr, CFI Director of Loss Prevention
Dollar Tree Stores promoted Chadd Cranfill, CFI to Zone Asset Protection Director
GameStop promoted David Henger to Director of Loss Prevention
Helzberg Diamonds named Kevin Morrison, CFI, LPC Director of Loss Prevention
Holt Renfrow named Rui Rodrigues National Director, Asset Protection
Iverify named James Fanella CEO
Johnson Controls appoints David Grinstead new Global VP, GM of Security Products
Kroger named Mike Lamb Vice President of Asset Protection
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. promoted Brad Piros to National Director of Loss Prevention
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. promoted Paul Isaacson to Regional Loss Prevention Director - Midwest
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. promoted Syd Workman to Regional Loss Prevention Director - Southwest
Loblaw Companies Limited named Ron Kornblum, CFI Director Corporate Security
Memphis Goodwill named Henry Johnson, CFI Director of Loss Prevention
Ross Stores promoted Adam Eaton to Director - Loss Prevention, Corporate Technology
The Monitoring Association named Nigel Spinks Chairman of the Associate Members' Liaison Committee
Total Wine & More promoted John Velke to SVP Risk Management
Tyco Security Products named Linda Wood Regional Account Manager for North England And Scotland
Walmart promoted Jen Drake, CFI to Director Total Loss, Global Security
Walmart Stores named Chris Roberts POS Sales Executive for Digital Safety
Yesway Convenience Stores named Brandon Pohlman Safety & Asset Protection Manager
Zellman Group named Ben Dugan Director of ORC Field Investigations

Melissa Wacha promoted to Director Asset Protection Operations for Walmart
Melissa was previously the Senior Manager Asset Protection Training for the retailer and has been a part of their asset protection team since 2011 when she started as a Market Asset Protection Manager. She's also held positions in the loss prevention department at Lowe's as an Area Loss Prevention Manager and Loss Prevention & Safety Manager. Congratulations Melissa!

DiSa Digital Safety USA Awarded First Place at RILA's
2017 (R)Tech Asset Protection: Innovation Awards
In a ceremony at the Retail Asset Protection Conference in New Orleans last month, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) honored Digital Safety USA as first place winner of the 2017 (R)Tech Asset Protection: Innovation Awards. The Awards showcase emerging, game-changing technologies that mitigate total retail loss, as defined in a groundbreaking research report published by RILA last year.
Read more in today's Vendor Spotlight column below.

Trump & The Media Silent on the Biggest Crisis Facing American Workers
An American jobs threat worse than coal is coming to your hometown
They largely have been silent on the biggest crisis facing these workers: the collapse of the retail industry.

According to government data, general-merchandise stores like Macy's and Sears have bled about 89,000 jobs since October - more than the total number of people employed by the US coal industry, which Trump repeatedly pledged to revive both on the campaign trail and in office.

Since 2001, department stores alone have lost half a million jobs. The coal industry, by comparison, has lost about 22,000 jobs in the same period.

The job exodus in the retail industry, which employs about one out of every 10 American workers, is only expected to continue.

Retailers have announced more than 3,200 store closures so far this year, and Credit Suisse analysts expect that number to grow to more than 8,600 before the end of the year. For comparison, 6,163 stores shut down in 2008 - the worst year for closures on record.

The retail industry typically pays low wages but employs people in every age bracket, as well as those who are low-skilled and need flexible scheduling options.

Trump has not made any public statements about the decline of the retail industry. He met with eight retail CEOs in February, but it was reportedly more focused on tax reform than jobs. At the time, the retail industry was lobbying heavily against a border adjustment tax on imports that the White House was considering.

As more and more retail workers lose their jobs, a new class of unemployed and underemployed workers is emerging in America that's larger and more geographically far-reaching than the coal industry.

What does this class look like? Nearly half are women, about 17% are Hispanic or Latino, 12% are African-American, and 6% are Asian, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Most are between 25 and 54, with a median age of 38. On average, retail employees are paid about $10.87 an hour, or $22,600 annually, and cashiers are paid about $9.69 an hour, the data shows.

But coal miners and retail workers have something in common: Most don't have a set of skills that's easily transferable to another industry, which makes career transitions very challenging, according to Mark Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School. businessinsider.com
 
2017 Identity Fraud Survey in 2016, 15.4M Americans lost $16B to identity fraud
"The overall fraud incidence rose 16 percent to affect 6.15 percent of U.S. consumers, from 5.30 percent in 2015-the highest on record," the report said. "Unfortunately, risks inherent to growing connectivity combined with weak identity verification, the rise of EMV, and the circumvention of antiquated controls created an environment where fraud thrived, and everyone paid the price."

New account identity fraud: If fraudsters can get an individual's Social Security number, they can use it to open bank accounts and/or sign up for credit cards in the victim's name. "Identity thieves will make large deposits of bad checks into an account on a Friday or Saturday, so they have extra time to withdraw the money before the checks are returned," Connick said. "Or they'll apply for a credit card online, using a stolen Social Security number and birth date and then max out the card and disappear."

Tax identity fraud: Connick moves on to a more insidious type of identity fraud. Using an individual's Social Security number, especially a child's, an identity thief can file a tax return in the victim's name, claim a refund, then take the money and run.

Medical identity fraud: With the push to use Electronic Health Records, identity thieves find it easier than ever to obtain a victim's name, health insurance information, and possibly financial information. Connick said that digital fraudsters can use this information for a plethora of crimes, including getting medical treatment.

Employment identity fraud: This is another identity fraud crime that is discovered after the fact. Online fraudsters either use stolen identities for themselves or sell them to individuals who can't get a job due to some impropriety. "Needless to say, this can cause real problems for future employment opportunities," Connick said. "For example, the IRS may demand that victims pay taxes on income that the fraudster earned in their name." techrepublic.com

Fraud is Common in $2B sports collectibles biz
25% to 50% is Counterfeit
Fraud allegations involving the New York Giants quarterback are exposing the unsavory side of a billion-dollar industry.

The Manning flap, which he strongly deny's, is a reminder that the $2B sports memorabilia business is rife with fraud, despite repeated crackdowns starting in the late 1990s, when the federal government arrested dozens of people, including one who had learned how to expertly forge Mantle's signature.

Prosecutors embarked on another sweep a few years ago, and in 2015 Bill Mastro, a leading Chicago dealer who sold $300 million worth of memorabilia over the years, admitted to arranging fraudulent auctions and altering a Honus Wagner baseball card.

Evans estimates that as much as 25% of all sports memorabilia is counterfeit, but that may well understate things. In 2005 the FBI said more than half of the most sought-after athletes' and celebrities' autographs were forged. Evans said fraud is becoming more common as memorabilia prices rise but no one wants to hear they've been duped. crainsnewyork.com

Cedar Point, Kings Island add metal detectors
The parent firm of the two amusement parks added another level of security to all of its parks. Cedar Point spokesman Tony Clark says the process for passing through metal detectors should go quickly. thenews-messenger.com

Price Chopper institutes Sports Medicine Approach in their DC
Despite having an impressive onsite medical clinic, a Price Chopper Distribution Center (PCDC) still was searching for help with musculoskeletal disorders. That's when the company contacted The Industrial Athlete Inc. (TIA) and decided to implement TIA's sports medicine approach using an industrial medicine specialist (IMS).

TIA's approach is borrowed from professional sports-treating your workforce as though they are athletes. Based on the physical nature of their job duties, they are, in fact, "industrial athletes." TIA places an IMS on premises at industrial facilities, just like athletic teams have athletic trainers on the sidelines for their athletes.

The results: • OSHA DART (Days Away, Restricted Duty and Transfers) rate of 6.5, a 64 percent decrease. • Cost avoidance of more than $300,000 per year, on average. • ROI of $6 for every $1 invested into the program.  Within the first year, PCDC decided it needed a second IMS. That allowed the facility to eliminate the onsite medical facility-a cost savings of $500,000. theshelbyreport.com

Home Depot Investigated by Three Agencies in Three States
Contractors - Lead Paint Removal Hazards
Home Depot faces investigations and fines for a series of cases in which its contractors mishandled lead paint removal in at least three states.

Three federal agencies have said they are looking into the actions of contractors working for the Atlanta-based home improvement giant in Connecticut, Maine and Colorado, an issue first reported by WSB-TV on Thursday, following the station's own investigation.

A fine of $37,000 has been levied on Home Depot in Colorado, WSB reported.  

A spokesman for the company declined to discuss specifics of the cases but said Home Depot is cooperating with authorities in all the lead paint cases.

"We are going to take care of our customers," said Stephen Holmes. "We will be privately contacting customers whose jobs will require follow-up." oshatoday.com

Retail Slump Pounds Manhattan Landlords
Average prices for ground-floor space in nine of the 11 major retail districts in Manhattan fell in the first three months of 2017, according to real-estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. SoHo recorded the largest percentage drop in average asking rent from the previous year, falling 12% to $488 a square foot. With availability rates as high as 33% in some areas. wsj.com

NYC Expects Reimbursement for Trump Security at $308,000 a day
New York is expecting to receive at least $61 million in reimbursement from the federal government for providing security to President Trump and Trump Tower since last fall.

As part of the proposed national bipartisan budget deal introduced Sunday evening, the government is expected to pay the city $20 million for costs incurred between Election Day and Inauguration Day and $41 million for all costs after Inauguration Day. This funding is in addition to the $7 million that was allocated last fall.

It is estimated that the city spends, on average, $127,000 to $146,000 a day for the NYPD to protect the first family when Trump is not in town. When he's in town it cost $308,000. wwd.com
 
Five Below Opening 12 Store in California in a month

Macy's selling top 7 floors of Chicago Flagship store

Food Lion to remodel 71 stores in Richmond
 
 
Quarterly Same Store Sales Results
Publix Q1 comp's down 2.1%, sales down 0.4%
Canada's Le Chateau Q4 comp's up 1.2%, sales down 4%, full yr comp's up 0.3%, sales down 4.3%

Last week's #1 article --

Home Depot Liable for Regional Manager's Off-Duty Murder?
Companies often assume they are not responsible for interactions between employees that happen off-site after hours and that are unrelated to their jobs. However, if a supervisor and a subordinate are involved and the employer failed to take appropriate action regarding workplace issues between the two leading up to the "off-campus" event, then a different outcome may result.

Employee targeted by her supervisor
In an Illinois lawsuit, the mother of a murdered employee made the following accusations against her daughter's employer, Home Depot:

Brian Cooper worked as a regional manager for Home Depot in Illinois. Young female subordinates were often subjected by Cooper to sexual harassment. His treatment of Alisha Bromfield followed a then-familiar pattern. Cooper called her "his girlfriend," yelled obscenities at Alisha in the presence of customers and co-workers, and threw garden center items in anger.

On several occasions, Alisha complained to Home Depot managers and supervisors about Cooper's mistreatment of her. They acknowledged to Alisha they knew about Cooper's misbehavior. At one point, his supervisors directed Cooper to participate in an anger management program, but he did not complete the course, and no one followed up with him. Astonishingly, Home Depot allowed Cooper to remain Alisha's supervisor through all this.

This nightmare ended in a horrific tragedy at a Wisconsin hotel. At first, Alisha refused Cooper's persistent invitation that she go with him to his sister's upcoming wedding in Wisconsin. When he threatened to fire her or reduce her hours if she did not travel to the wedding with him, Alisha agreed to go. After the wedding, Cooper strangled Alisha to death in a hotel room he had rented for them. employerlinc.com

eBay PROACT Team Assists Retailers & Law Enforcement in Investigation Targeting Knoxville Pawn Shop Selling Stolen Goods

The owners of Big Orange Pawn & Loan are facing theft charges as the Knox County Sheriff's Office investigates them for selling stolen merchandise, the sheriff's office said Tuesday. The owners of the pawn shop, 58-year-old Timothy Duke Gard and his son, 35-year-old Matthew Keith Gard, were arrested and charged Tuesday with felony theft. They are being held in the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on a $15,000 bond. Tramel said the items are anything of any value that could be stolen from area retail stores. Several retailers have partnered with KCSO for the investigation, including Kroger, Academy Sports, Ulta, Marshall's, Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond, PetSmart and Abercrombie & Fitch. eBay was heavily involved in providing key records and assistance on the case. Read more here

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

DiSa Digital Safety USA Awarded First Place at RILA's 2017 (R)Tech Asset Protection: Innovation Awards

In a ceremony at the Retail Asset Protection Conference in New Orleans last month, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) honored Digital Safety USA as first place winner of the 2017 (R)Tech Asset Protection: Innovation Awards. The Awards showcase emerging, game-changing technologies that mitigate total retail loss, as defined in a groundbreaking research report published by RILA last year.

Digital Safety offers Point-of-Sale Activation (PoSA) technology for "intelligent" products and single-scan UPC serialization for both "intelligent" and "non-intelligent" products. PoSA benefits include, but are not limited to, open sell of product which promotes increased sales, reduced shrink, elimination/reduction in cost from current theft deterrent solutions, reduction in returns fraud, promotes PI accuracy, and allows for true, non-assisted self-checkout options for the customer.

Second and third place winners were Profitect and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., respectively. Retailers' Choice Award, which was voted on by conference attendees throughout the week, was awarded to Profitect, for the second consecutive year. The first, second, and third place winners were selected by a panel of top executives from a group eight finalists.

"Each year, we ask companies to bring us their game-changing technologies and each year, they deliver and exceed expectations. This year in New Orleans was no different," said Lisa LaBruno, RILA's senior vice president of retail operations. "Recognizing innovations across the industry and learning more about how we can implement them to improve the field of asset protection are what the Awards are all about. Thank you to all of the participants and judges, and we look forward to seeing more cutting-edge technology in the future."

Winners of the 2017 (R)Tech Asset Protection: Innovation Awards are:

  ● Digital Safety USA (First place)
  ● Profitect (Second place)
  ● Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Third place)
  ● Profitect (Retailers Choice)

The Awards come on the heels of RILA's public announcement of the (R)Tech Center for Innovation. (R)Tech is a new term coined by RILA to describe the confluence of retail and technology. An (R)Tech company embodies the core values of both those industries - global and local, nimble, and entrepreneurial - to win the loyalty of today's empowered consumers. The Center's mission is to is to help retailers navigate the industry transformation, and to spur the adoption of the "(R)Tech" term within the retail innovation ecosystem. To learn more visit www.rtech.org.

Home Depot Settles Investor Suit Over Data Breach
Sets Standards & Final Cost Exposure of $10B
The shareholders who'd accused current and former members of the board of breaching their duty of loyalty to the home improvement retailer by not preventing or immediately remedying the data breach agreed to a series of policy reforms to close out the suit just months after the investors had lodged an appeal in the Eleventh Circuit, according to the docket.

Among other things, the reforms include documenting the responsibilities of Home Depot's chief information security officer, maintaining an executive committee focused on data security, and requiring regular reports on the retailer's information technology budget, including how much of that is spent on cybersecurity measures, according to the proposed agreement.

"These provisions make data security a corporate focus and improve the company's ability to prevent and respond to future attacks," the investors said in the filing. The deal also calls for Home Depot to pay up to $1.125 million in attorneys' fees to the lawyers who represented the investors, according to the papers filed Friday.

The August 2015 suit relates to the massive customer security breach in 2014 that compromised the financial data of up to 56 million Home Depot customers, resulting in a net loss to the company of $152 million, with a total cost exposure as a result of the breach expected to reach nearly $10 billion.  law360.com

Home Depot customers' private data is at risk...again
Up to 8,000 shoppers who visited the retail chain had their personal information stored in vulnerable Excel documents.

According to the Consumerist on Friday, the Atlanta-based retail chain has been storing massive amounts of customer data on unencrypted, publicly available web pages, leaving it open to hackers and identity thieves. Some customers' files were even findable through search engines like Google. Up to 8,000 shoppers' personal information was stored in vulnerable Excel documents, which included some customers' photos and past purchases.

Did not compromise any financial data, such as credit or debit card numbers and bank account information.

Customers had filed a complaint with Home Depot's MyInstall service - a method of communication that helps customers connect with the store's installers. Each entry included the type of product the customer purchased and the reason for the complaint. It has been removed from the home improvement company's site, but it's unclear how long they were accessible.

"The information was out there, and as hard as it would have been for anyone to find, it shouldn't have been [out there]," Home Depot said in a statement to the Consumerist. "This was an inadvertent human error that we addressed as soon as we discovered it. Although the data was low-risk and not the type of information commonly used for fraud or identity theft, we take the matter very seriously." wbaltv.com

Hacking the Big Boys is Getting Serious
Should the Retail Industry Be Concerned?
It's Time To Audit Third Parties - Big Time
With Google, Facbook, Netflix, and Other Big Studios getting attacked this should raise all types of red flags for everyone including the retail industry.

Especially with the $100M Business Email Compromise scam at Google and Facebook. Being able to scam those organizations who represent the heartbeat of our tech industry is a major sign that the hackers can basically hack, con and forge to the point that even the best in the business gets hit and especially for $100M.

Even with EMV slowing down the POS hacks we're still representing 15% of the Global POS hacks according to a recent study just last week.

The back door started at third partie with Target's breach and shows up today in Netflix's hack of a post production company.

Evidence that Corporate America needs to revisit third party audits and contracts to the point that it becomes a huge priority on everyone's part. Including anyone using an outside vendor that's linked to company programs, software, or in anyway is electronically sharing data in any form.

Its time to put this at the top of the list. Just a thought.

Business Email Compromise "BEC" Scam Hits Big Boys
Google, Facebook Swindled in $100M Payment Scam
Lithuanian man impersonated an Asian-based manufacturer to trick Facebook and Google into paying him $100 million.

A new investigation has uncovered details of a payment scam targeting Facebook and Google, Fortune reports. Lithuanian Evaldas Rimasauskas impersonated an Asian-based manufacturer, which often did business with both companies, to trick them into paying for products.

Rimasauskas used fake email addresses, invoices, and corporate stamps to convince accounting departments at Google and Facebook to transfer money over the span of two years. By the time they caught on, he had tricked the two companies out of $100 million.

At the time Rimasauskas was arrested in March 2017, a press release from the Department of Justice did not specify the victim companies. The manufacturer Rimasauskas impersonated was Quanta Computer, a prominent supplier for US tech companies. darkreading.com

Third Party Breach
Hacker Leaks Episodes From Netflix Show and Threatens Other Networks
A hacker who claims to have stolen unreleased television shows from several major networks shared the coming season of the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black" on Saturday after the person said the streaming service failed to meet its ransom requests.

The breach appears to have occurred at the postproduction company Larson Studios, a popular digital-mixing service in Los Angeles for television networks and movie studios. The hacker or hackers, who go by the name "thedarkoverlord," also claim to have stolen unreleased content from ABC, Fox, National Geographic and IFC. The Federal Bureau of Investigation learned of the episode at Larson Studios in January but did not start notifying the content companies until a month ago.

In a statement, Netflix said: "We are aware of the situation. A production vendor used by several major TV studios had its security compromised and the appropriate law enforcement authorities are involved."
Ransomware attacks have increased in the past five years and were up 50 percent in 2016 compared with 2015, according to a data breach investigations report published last week by Verizon.

This specific breach highlights a risk posed by the weak security practices in the postproduction studios that manage the release of proprietary entertainment content. While companies like Netflix and Fox might invest in state-of-the-art cybersecurity defense technology, they must also rely on an ecosystem of postproduction vendors, ranging from mom-and-pop shops to more sophisticated outfits like Dolby and Technicolor, which may not deploy the same level of cybersecurity and threat intelligence.

In a message posted Saturday, thedarkoverlord criticized Netflix for not meeting its blackmail requests. "It didn't have to be this way, Netflix," the message said. "You're going to lose a lot more money in all of this than what our modest offer was."

The hacker threatened to release content from other studios on Saturday if its demands were not met. ABC, Fox and IFC declined to comment, and a message to National Geographic was not immediately returned.

The alias thedarkoverlord has popped up in other recent attacks, including one last January on a small charity in Muncie, Ind., the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana. In that case, the hackers wiped the organization's servers and backup servers, and demanded 50 bitcoins - valued at $43,000 - to restore the data. The organization did not pay.

Last summer, the same hacker claimed to have breached at least three health care companies in the United States and a health insurer, and attempted to sell their stolen data on the dark web, on a website called TheRealDeal, for $96,000 to $490,000. nytimes.com

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2017 Proving eCommerce Fraud is set to Explode
Stolen Credit Card Number Testing Increases 200%
To date in 2017, data shows a 200-percent increase in credit card testing, a tactic used by fraudsters to test stolen credit card numbers with small incremental purchases before making large-dollar purchases on the card, compared to the same quarter in 2016.

Fraud also is up 30 percent year over year, proving to already struggling retailers that this is just the beginning of online fraud in the post-EMV world.  prnewswire.com

Online pet store, FuturePets.com, left thousands of credit cards exposed on open internet - at least 6 months
A US online pet store has exposed the details of more than 110,400 credit cards used to make purchases through its website, researchers have found.

In a stunning show of poor security, the Austin, Texas-based company FuturePets.com exposed its entire customer database, including names, postal and email addresses, phone numbers, credit card information, and plain-text passwords.

The database was exposed because of the company's own insecure server and use of "rsync," a common protocol used for synchronizing copies of files between two different computers, which wasn't protected with a password.

Researchers at the Kromtech Security Research Center found the database in November. But after numerous efforts to contact the company by phone and email, the database was only secured this week.

Kromtech researcher Bob Diachenko found that the leaked data wasn't limited to just FuturePets.com, but also appeared to contain several folders, including one that shows several backup files and databases of transactions within the DataWeb network. zdnet.com

Chanel Faces Pushback in $60M Counterfeit Suit Against Amazon Sellers
Chanel is facing some pushback in its $60 million suit against a set of Amazon sellers that have been suspended from the online marketplace for allegedly offering counterfeit merchandise.

In response to having their Amazon accounts suspended over claims by Chanel made earlier this month in Florida federal court, two sellers apparently operating outside the U.S. tried different tactics to placate the luxury powerhouse and escape litigation that could cost them millions of dollars.

One seller identified by the Amazon store name "Angela Pasecha" urged Chanel to drop the claims against it, characterizing the sale of logo phone cases as an accident caused by "mistakenly uploading some photos of Chanel-branded products," according to a Thursday e-mail sent to Chanel counsel.

Another Amazon seller identified as "Juanjuan Liu" simply denied selling any counterfeit Chanel in a brief e-mail to counsel.

Attorneys for Chanel declined to comment on the case or the seller responses, which are somewhat rare in online counterfeit litigation.

Chanel, long a fierce protector of its intellectual property, is taking action against 30 Amazon sellers, all of which allegedly had been actively selling a range of counterfeit Chanel products, such as handbags, T-shirts and cell phone covers emblazoned with the brand name. wwd.com

Louisville, KY: Simpsonville Police need help finding suspect accused of stealing over $4,000 in merchandise from Kay Jewelers
The Simpsonville Police Department is asking for help identifying and locating a suspect wanted for questioning in connection with a theft. Police say the woman stole over $4,000 in merchandise from the Kay Jewelers in Simpsonville on Saturday, April 29. According to a post on the department's Facebook page, the woman told a sales associate she and her husband were tattoo artists in Bagdad, Kentucky. She is also wanted for questioning in connection with another theft of over $4,000 in merchandise at a Tennessee Kay Jewelers. wdrb.com

Galesburg, IL: Burglars steal 52 phones from US Cellular store; valued at $31,637
At 6:14 a.m. Saturday, police responded to multiple alarms at the store and found the back door pried open and multiple cabinets and displays opened, with phones and Apple products missing. The police reported 52 phones with a combined value of $31,637 were taken, with $3,000 in damage done to the store.

Walmart security cameras reportedly saw a white SUV with multiple suspects at U.S. Cellular at the time of the burglary. Reportedly, the U.S. Cellular store in Moline was a victim of a burglary about an hour before the Galesburg store. The Pekin and Peoria stores were also burglarized two weeks ago. galesburg.com

San Diego, CA: Thieves hit two Apple Store in less than an hour
Brazen thieves stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Apple Stores in University City and Mission Valley over a roughly half-hour period Friday. The first theft took place at Westfield UTC mall about 10 a.m. The three bandits, each wearing a hooded sweat shirt, escaped with an estimated $20,000 worth of electronics. About 10:30 a.m., a trio of similar-looking men, stole a dozen iPhones and four computers from an Apple store at Fashion Valley mall. patch.com

Wyncote, PA: Fresh Grocer employee busted for $2,100 theft of Baby Formula
Wardell Quitman, 50, was arrested and charged with retail theft after taking $2,178.90 worth of baby formula from Fresh Grocer. Quitman, an employee of Fresh Grocer, also had a warrant from the PA State Police for a parole violation, police said. montgomerynews.com

Shootings & Deaths

Hood River, OR: Walmart shoplifter runs from Police, dies in fall off cliff
An Oregon man accused of shoplifting from Walmart died after falling off a cliff while trying to elude authorities. The incident took place Sunday, Edwin Charge Jr., 20, and two accomplices were accused of stealing items at a Hood River Walmart. Police were called and the two accomplices were arrested, but Charge ran from the scene. Charge crossed an interstate that is adjacent to a bluff. Police said they did not pursue the suspect because of the dangerous terrain, A Union Pacific railroad employee found Charge's body Monday. oregonlive.com

Victorville, CA: Man Accidentally Shoots Himself in Road Rage Fight Outside Best Buy

Robberies & Thefts

Long Island, NY: Serial Knifepoint Robber Strikes In Lake Ronkonkoma
A serial knifepoint robber is believed to have struck again Sunday morning, this time hitting a convenience store in Lake Ronkonkoma, Suffolk Police said. The latest robbery occurred at The Barn, located at 370 Hawkins Ave. at 11:53 a.m. The robber was wearing a hood with his face covered. He stole money and then fled. "Detectives believe the robbery is part of the previously established robbery pattern," Assistant Police Commissioner Justin Meyers said. The serial robber has now struck 10 businesses in Nassau County and seven in Suffolk since Feb. 15. patch.com

Kansas City, MO: Jimmy John's worker calmly hands over cash with gun to his head; video goes viral
Kansas City police say thanks to the public's tips they have identified and arrested the man accused of pulling out a gun while ordering a sandwich at Jimmy John's. On Thursday police released surveillance video. The robbery happened just after 9:00 p.m., Wednesday. The man entered the restaurant, placed an order, then pulled a gun instead of a wallet out of his pocket and pointed it at the cashier. The cashier handed over the money and then tried to give the robber the whole cash register tray, but he pushed it back. fox4kc.com

Lewis County, WA: Suspects Get 5-Year Sentences for Fast-Food Burglary Ring That Hit Several Counties
Two suspects in a burglary ring targeting fast-food restaurants along Interstate 5 pleaded guilty this week. Each were sentenced to more than five years in prison for the multiple break-ins. Four suspects have been charged in the criminal enterprise, which dates back to spring 2015 and includes burglaries of similar circumstances at fast-food restaurants in Lewis, Thurston and Franklin counties. Prosecutors also suspect the ring extended to Pierce and King counties. Suspects have been accused of entering restaurants by cutting holes in roofs, then sawing through safes to steal cash. Suspects also allegedly trashed restaurants as they left, destroying computer equipment and spraying a fire extinguisher through one building. chronline.com

Winter Haven, FL: Walmart Self Checkout Register goes Rouge;
gave $20 bills out instead of $5's
Surveillance footage released by police shows a man scanning two items at the register, paying cash and then walking off. In the video, it appears the shoppers compare the bills and notice the change given was incorrect. The group continued the activity for more than 20 minutes. Authorities say a self-checkout register went "rogue", spitting out $20s instead of $5 bills to the tune of more than a $1,000 loss to the store. Security tapes showed the group of suspects lining up repeatedly to pay for small items in transactions that would require a five-dollar bill in change. faebook.com

Sydney, AU: Couple arrested for running down a hardware store employee
A man and woman have been arrested in Sydney's west after they allegedly ran down a hardware store employee who was trying to stop them from shoplifting. Around 2pm Saturday, the couple was approached by a loss prevention officer outside a hardware store in Bankstown. The 57-year-old officer was then allegedly assaulted by the man. The man then ran to his car where he had three children waiting inside and allegedly drove into a 41-year-old employee, knocking him to the ground. The pair was later arrested. tenplay.com.au




Tucson, AZ: Burglary suspects caught trying to use stolen credit card at Foothills Mall

Piercing Pagoda in the Queens Center Mall, Elmhurst, NY reported a theft on 4/28, item valued at $380

Kay Jewelers in the Shops at Simpsonville, Simpsonville, KY reported a Grab & Run on 4/29, items valued at $4,048

Jared Vault in the Monroe Outlets, Monroe, OH reported a Grab &Run on 4/30, items valued at $2,899

Counterfeit

Memorabilia vendor sentenced to 5 years in prison for selling $2.5M counterfeits
The former owner of a group of internet sports memorabilia businesses with facilities in Maryland and the midstate has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for a $2.5 million fraud scheme.  Prosecutors say Shores owned and operated internet businesses in York County and Maryland to traffic in counterfeit and fraudulent sports memorabilia. witf.org

Skimming Theft

Seattle, WA: Man arrested after skimmer found on ATM in Pike Place Market

New Columbia, PA: Police Remove Skimming Device From Gas Pump

Coaldale, PA: Credit card skimming device found at Pappy's Mini Mart

Bomb Threats

Tulsa, OK: Sam's Club Evacuated Due To Bomb Threat

Kansas City, KS: Walmart cleared after bomb threat

Katelyn Dube named Loss Prevention Zone Manager for The Fresh Market 

Osmany Benitez named District Loss Prevention Manager for H&M 

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At the end of the day, interviews are based on three basic questions or concerns every executive has about every candidate. 1) How are you going to fit in our culture? 2) Are you really a subject matter expert? and finally 3) What's your plan and how are you going to approach our business and make the biggest impact? And while certainly there's a number of subtopics and other questions about leadership and conflict management, at the end of the day the senior management team is focused on these top three. And while many candidates think they don't have the information necessary to answer those questions in a first interview -- they're wrong because it's all about the preparation and the homework you do before that first interview. And if you do it well you will be able to answer all three. 

Just a Thought,
Gus