10,000 Stores Now Predicted to Close in 2017
34 That Could Announce Mass Store Closures
Over Built - Online - Tech & Value Driven Millennial
More than 3,600 store closures have been announced since January, and up to 10,000 are expected to close before the end of the year, according to a new report on store activity and retail health by the credit consulting firm F&D Reports.

The firm identified 34 companies that are the most vulnerable in the US, meaning they could be next to announce mass store closures and/or pursue more "aggressive alternatives," such as filing for bankruptcy, if sales trends don't improve.

The closures have been a long time coming. The US built too many stores during the 1990s and into the early 2000s, and as a result, the country has an excess of retail space.

But it's not all doom-and-gloom in the retail industry. There are a number of retailers that are opening new stores this year. Most of the companies that are growing store counts are discount chains. businessinsider.com

Here's the full list of vulnerable companies and their store counts, according to F&D Reports:

Walmart Canada pleads not guilty to health charges following 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
Fort McMurray - Walmart Canada has pleaded not guilty to charges that staff at the company's Fort McMurray location failed to throw out a wide variety of food and drinks in the weeks following the May 2016 wildfire.

The plea was made during a brief Wednesday morning court appearance in Fort McMuray. A trial is scheduled to begin sometime in October 2018.

Earlier this year, Alberta Health Services charged Walmart with 174 violations of the Public Health Act, most of them for "failing to ensure that food that has been contaminated or otherwise unfit for human consumption must not be served, offered for sale, processed, packaged, displayed or stored for human consumption."

According to court documents, the alleged violations occurred between May 24 and 29 last year. The province said the food items include baby snacks, yogurt, bacon, cheese, ice cream, frozen fish, steaks and a large amount of assorted snacks, drinks and condiments.

Many of the food items may have been exposed to "unsafe temperatures, smoke, ash, soot, fire retardant chemicals, water and loss of power during a fire," and should have been thrown out, argued AHS.

Four senior Walmart executives, including the U.S.-based director of disaster response and recovery, are included in the health act charges.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

When asked for comment, lawyer Patrick Bigg of Brownlee LLP referred media to the company's statement released after the charges were first reported in January.

"Walmart Canada follows very strict policies and procedures specifically designed to ensure the safety of the food we offer our customers," a statement from Alex Roberton, senior director of corporate affairs for Walmart Canada, sent at the time. "We, at all material times, and during an unprecedented crisis, worked very closely with both food inspectors and the crisis management team of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to reopen the store as soon as reasonably possible in an effort to support and meet the critical needs of the community." edmontonjournal.com

UPS Fined $247 million for Cigarette Smuggling
A federal judge on Thursday ordered delivery giant UPS Inc. to pay New York City and the state nearly $247 million in damages and penalties for illegally shipping cigarettes.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest handed down the penalty after finding the company liable in a civil case in federal court in Manhattan in March, saying the company ignored "red flags" that its brown trucks were being used to transport untaxed cigarettes from Indian reservations, New York state and New York City sued Atlanta-based UPS in 2015. The lawsuit accused it of having a corporate culture that favored sales opportunities over a responsibility to following regulations helping New York enforce tax law.

"As the court agreed, UPS repeatedly violated a number of state and federal contraband cigarette trafficking laws-as well as its own agreement with the State-by shipping hundreds of thousands of cartons of cigarettes to consumers in New York," said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

The suit alleged that tobacco retailers located on upstate reservations were given price discounts for shipping in volume. It said delivery drivers were allowed to accept iPads and other gifts from shippers and that account executives, whose compensation was tied to keeping big accounts, ignored signs that some customers signing delivery contracts dealt in cigarettes.

UPS argued it followed the rules and can only do so much to police what its 1.6 million daily shippers send in sealed packages. UPS said it would appeal the decision, calling it "excessive and far out of the bounds of constitutional limits. crainesnewyork.com

Georgia's cargo theft turnaround
For several years Georgia was one of the top state's in the nation for cargo crime.

But now the state has gone from being one of the worst for cargo theft, to a model other states now study.

The job of fighting back against cargo theft fell to GBI Special Agent John Cannon back in 2008.

"Very quickly, very quietly georgia was ranked in the top 5 in the country for several years for cargo thefts. And that was the reason for the implementation of the gbi special theft unit."

The answer, a task force coordinated by the GBI to help different law enforcement agencies across the state work together to solve the theft cases across county lines.

An important tool in the fight is CargoNet. It's a company that tracks thefts across the country to help companies and investigators coordinate their investigations.

In the middle Georgia region it shows 58 thefts between 2012 and 2016, but only 6 in the final year.

Crowell says it's an impressive turnaround. "In all the time we've been involved we've never seen what Georgia's accomplished. We've had a 60% drop in overall cargo theft reports after the task force got up and running".

While the ability to work and coordinate theft information statewide is partly responsible for the success of the task force, there's also a lot of surveillance and old fashioned detective work that they use. Agent Cannon says several times they've actually called to tell companies about items they recovered so quickly, the companies didn't even realize the items were missing yet.  wgxa.tv

Contactless Payment Fraud soars in the UK - up 150%
Almost $8.9m U.S.was taken in 2016, compared to $3.58m U.S.in 2015, according to Financial Fraud Action UK.

In the same period, contactless spending rose from $9.9bn U.S. to $32.2bn. U.S. - a 225% increase.

A judge recently slammed the technology, which does not require a PIN, for making life "too easy" for criminals during the sentencing of a fraudster in Devon.

Contactless cards can be used for transactions of up to $38 U.S.  bbc.com

Fear of feds' tough immigration stance could be slowing LA's wage-theft complaints
Recent federal immigration policy may be deterring some low-wage workers in Los Angeles from coming forward to report employers who cheat them out of their wages, the city's lead wage theft inspector said Tuesday.

John Reamer, an inspector who works out of the Public Works Department, told the City Council their office recovered $250,000 in back wages or paid leave compensation in their first year, but complaints came in slower than anticipated.

The Office of Wage Standards received 109 complaints and resolved 40 in the past year, with much of the wages secured for workers in the restaurant and retail industries, Reamer told the Daily News. Complaints have also come in from industries that might employ security guards, delivery people, construction workers and auto mechanics, he said. dailynews.com

Fresh Out of Prison - Back at it Again
Brooklyn Online Eyeglass Retailer Terrorizing Consumers Charged With Fraud
Vitaly Borker served a three-and-a-half-year stint in prison for threatening to stalk, maim and murder customers of his online eyeglass store, DecorMyEyes. But the court-ordered timeout, it seems, did little to convince him to take a new approach to sales.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday that Mr. Borker had been arrested and charged with wire and mail fraud while running OpticsFast.com, an eyewear site that authorities said hassled consumers mercilessly.

"Borker's shameless brand of alleged abuse cannot be tolerated," Joon H. Kim, the acting United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a news release, "and we are committed to protecting consumers from becoming victims of such criminal behavior. nytimes.com

On Fire & Leading the Retail Industry
Ulta Beauty to open 100 stores this year
Net sales increased 22.5%, same-store sales increased 14.3%, and online, the brand was on fire. E-commerce sales skyrocketed 70.9%.  chainstoreage.com

Noncompete Agreements Under Siege At The State Level
Compared with many other areas of labor and employment law, the law of noncompetition agreements has been relatively static with most changes coming in the form of court decisions addressing particular cases. More recently, however, legislatures in many states have turned their attention to noncompetition agreements and considered significant procedural and substantive changes in how noncompetition agreements are used and enforced. Employers will need to stay abreast of this changing area of law and ensure that employment contracts are updated to keep pace with new developments, as the consequences of being unable to enforce a restrictive covenant against a departing key employee can be devastating and costly.

Countless judicial opinions nationwide have debated the circumstances under which these post-employment restrictions may be enforced. While employers rely on these agreements to protect their trade secrets and customer goodwill, many employees maintain that noncompetition agreements limit their ability to advance their careers within their field of choice, restrain wage growth and prevent them from earning a living. Given this controversy, and the fact that recent research suggests that as much as 18 percent of the American workforce may be covered by a noncompetition agreement, it is perhaps surprising that the law's development in this area has occurred mainly through the common law, without legislative intervention in most jurisdictions. law360.com

Payless Shoe Source to double store closures from 400 to 800 if court approves


Quarterly Same Store Sales Results

Ulta Beauty Q1 comp's up 14.3%, net sales up 22.5%
Floor & Decor Q1 comp's up 12.8%, net sales up 30.6%
Costco Q1 U.S. comp's up 5%, consolidated comp's up 5%, revenue up 7.8%
Game Stop Q! comp's up 2.3%, sales up 3.8%
Caleres Q1 Famous Footwear comp's up 0.6%- sales up 0.5%, Brand Portfolio sales up 20.4%, e-com. up 56.3%, consolidated sales up 8%
Big Lots Q1 comp's down 0.9%, net sales down 1.2%

In observance of Memorial Day, the D&D Daily
will not be publishing on Monday, May 29.

We will resume publishing on Tuesday, May 30.

Have a great and safe Memorial Day! 

Vector Security® Managers and Senior Executives Build and Donate Wheelchairs to Paralyzed Veterans of America

Travel-version wheelchairs provide increased mobility for paralyzed U.S. veterans.

PITTSBURGH, May 23, 2017 - In a team-building exercise that involved the assembly of wheelchairs for paralyzed U.S. veterans, Vector Security's managers and senior executives constructed travel-version wheelchairs for donation to the Keystone Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The wheelchairs will assist in increasing mobility for supported member veterans.

The event took place earlier this month in Pittsburgh, where Vector Security is based, as part of Vector University, a two-year internal management-level program that instructs on the various areas of the company's business and how team members can contribute to success. In the exercise, the teams built wheelchairs through a series of challenges to earn parts of the chairs that were needed to complete assembly.

"We are pleased to support the Keystone Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America," said Art Miller, Vice President of Marketing for Vector Security. "As a company, Vector Security not only protects the communities we serve, we also support them. We are honored to give back to these veterans who have sacrificed for our country."

The effort is the latest in Vector Security's long-standing commitment to military and first responder support organizations such as Homes for Our Troops, and HEROES, Inc.

Read more here.

IT Security Just Doing Their Jobs
Sephora to Pay $950,000 For Deleting Online Chinese Customers
Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don't
A California federal judge said Thursday he would grant final approval to a $950,000 settlement ending class action claims that retailer Sephora breached contracts and racially discriminated against customers when it deactivated thousands of accounts created with Chinese domain name email addresses because it thought they were created by bots.

The suit stems from a 2014 incident when Sephora's website crashed the day before its sale for Very Important Beauty Insider members was scheduled to begin. The company thought the problem was caused by excessive customer account creation, and it deactivated accounts associated with three Chinese service providers - qq.com, 126.com and 163.com - thinking they were created by bots. By blocking users with emails from the Chinese domains, the company breached its user contract and prevented thousands of Asian customers from benefiting from the 20 percent discount, the class alleged.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said he would approve the deal, which offers either $124 in cash or a $245 gift card to class members. He found class counsel had successfully given notice to 13,879 class members, yielding 1,698 valid claims and only one objection and three opt-outs.  law360.com

Staples Unit, PNI Digital Media, Strikes Data Breach Deal With CVS Customers
A Staples Inc. unit that handled website operation and photo management for retailers such as Costco Wholesale Corp. and CVS Health Corp. reached a deal with customers who said they were damaged by a PNI Digital Media 2015 data breach.

PNI Digital Media Inc., acquired by Staples in 2014, reached a proposed settlement in which the company would pay customers up to $250 each to reimburse claims for bank fees, long-distance telephone charges and other expenses stemming from the exposure of their credit card and debit card information, plus up to $10,000 for "extraordinary expenses" and $650,000 to cover attorneys' fees and settlement costs, according to papers filed on Thursday.  law360.com

Ransomware: Carding's Replacement for the Criminal Masses
Ransomware is not only here to stay, it's going to proliferate by orders of magnitude and cause substantial risk to businesses for the foreseeable future.

Today, the cyber black market economy for credit cards is ending. Card not present (CNP) fraud - using stolen credit cards over the Internet or phone - will remain a lesser problem, but banks are employing recent technology advances to spot and deny CNP fraud much quicker.

A vibrant market remains for financial malicious code (malware) destined for victims' computers and phones, but monetization of online bank accounts is neither quick nor simple, as defensive technology improvements have also made account takeovers less profitable than they once were.

Ransomware is the new answer to sustainable criminal profits for three reasons:

-Ransomware provides straightforward revenue mechanisms.
-Ransomed data may be far more valuable than payment cards
-Bitcoin provides anonymity for ransom payment tracking

Ransomware is ideal for the online criminal masses because it's simple to purchase, relatively easy to use, and it quickly and directly produces victim payments. Criminals love the simplicity of the ransomware business model. No middle men, no social engineering, only a decision. Victims are paying.
 
Ransomware business models continue to evolve, and future data breaches may automatically be accompanied by ransomware. Criminals quickly notice models that work, and ransomware as a service (RaaS) has proven itself particularly effective.

Criminal specializations in spam, phishing, drive-by (watering hole) exploit kits, adware/spyware (potentially unwanted programs, or PUP) malvertising, Web server exploitation, and stolen credential reuse are all likely to become more popular as criminal actors continue to improve the RaaS model for the singular goal of delivering ransomware to the maximum number of victims and increasing profitability.  darkreading.com

Retail Automation Threatens 6M-Plus Jobs
Mobile ordering, self checkout among in-store initiatives
Retail cashiers are at highest risk for automation technologies, and women hold 73 percent of these positions.

That's according to a new study, Retail Automation: Stranded Workers? Opportunities and Risks for Labor and Automation, conducted by Cornerstone Capital Group and commissioned by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi).

The report identifies the structural factors catalyzing change in the retail industry - which employs roughly 16 million U.S. workers.

The shrinking of retail jobs in many ways threatens to mirror the decline in manufacturing in the U.S. Moreover, in this case, workers at risk are already disproportionately working poor, so any disruption may cause strains in the social safety net and stresses on local tax revenues," Lukomnik added. csnews.com

All Generations, All Risks, All Contained: A How-To Guide
It's important for organizations to recognize that security vulnerabilities reach across generations - they don't discriminate. So although some of us may be more vulnerable than others to certain attacks, it's important for businesses to also have a security strategy that spans their full employee base.

We each have a different view of security, whether that's because of the technology we used as we grew up, the career path we chose, or how technology touches our daily lives. Regardless of how often we interact with technology, people need to understand their role in securing their own information and, as employees, keeping their company's business information safe. Employees need to adopt a more security-minded and aware culture. darkreading.com

Don't Forget Basic Security Measures, Experts Say
"A lot of the security threats we face day to day are not fancy, sexy, technologically new stuff," If these issues were written down, they would be perceived as obvious, but they remain problems.

"We're reminding people -- hey, taking the right steps is important," says Diana Kelley, global executive security advisor for IBM Security. "Threat actors are a lot more motivated than they were 15- to 20 years ago." darkreading.com

E-commerce retailers need to pick their chargeback battles

In the digital marketplace, consumers are quick to change retailers in search of a better deal, and nearly 90% of consumers now rely on online reviews to gage the trustworthiness and reliability of a business. As a result, online retailers strive to keep their customers sweet with competitive prices and top range customer service. But how far should retailers go to maintain a good relationship with clients?

Since EMV cases of 'friendly fraud' are on the rise but despite this many retailers are reluctant to challenge illegitimate chargebacks in fear of disgruntling clients.

So when should retailers contest chargebacks? And does it put brand reputation at risk?

Many retailers are hesitant to challenge chargebacks from customers in fear of receiving poor reviews, which could tarnish their brand reputation. However there's no proven data that shows chargeback challenges impact brand reputation or growth in a company.

Generally, a client will request a chargeback for four reasons. 1) They genuinely believe they have been a victim of online fraud. 2) They don't recognize the transaction on their credit card statement, or didn't make the purchase themselves. 3) They are unhappy with a product or service 4) They are maliciously trying to get money back for something they have bought or used.

When a client demands a chargeback for legitimate reasons, in cases of fraud, or simply because they are unhappy with the service or product provided, there is no motive for the retailer to challenge the chargeback. In which case, with their money returned, there should be no reason for a customer to leave a negative review. The worst case scenario would be that they take their service elsewhere.

In cases where the customer is at fault, or is simply trying to cheat the system, it is unlikely that the customer will leave a negative review even if their chargeback is declined after an appeal by the merchant. Those who attempt credit card fraud and get caught out are unlikely to want to publicize this on the internet for all to see.

As outlined above, there is no reason that fighting chargebacks should affect a brand's reputation online, assuming they play fair and only contest chargebacks which they view as being illegitimate.

In the case where compelling evidence suggests the fault is on the side of the consumer, such as cases of 'friendly fraud' or 'family fraud' - when a consumer denies making a payment when in fact their card was used by a family member - the retailer is well within their rights to contest the chargeback. In cases of family fraud, merchants should provide proof of the person who placed an order and their relationship with the cardholder, if this information can be found in the public sphere online.

In the case of friendly fraud the merchant should challenge if they have the following compelling evidence: Invoice copy, transaction receipt, AVS/CVV match, delivery confirmation (tangible products), proof of product usage (digital goods), IP Address (matching location of billing address).

Merchants should fight chargebacks only when in possession of supporting documents to prove that they as a merchant have met the terms and conditions of the product or service opted by the customer.

While mistakes and oversights do occur, in the majority of 'friendly fraud' cases, retailers are challenging claims by people who are actively trying to defraud their businesses. Rather than worrying about damaging their relationships with these customers, merchants should actively try to cut all ties with the customer as soon as a fraud activity is discovered.

According to recent studies, once a customer has filed a chargeback, they are nine times more likely to do so again if it is approved. To combat this, retailers should create databases known as 'blacklists' which can be used to flag users who have claimed a suspicious chargeback despite having been sent a product or used a service. Retailers should flag blacklisted user's name, phone, IP address and card on file to prevent future orders from them or from their family members.

If merchants want to stay on the safe side and avoid any malicious 'pay back' negative reviews on their site, they could simply make comments and reviews only available to registered users, and then block the offender's account.

While offering the highest level of customer service is extremely important in the world of e-commerce, merchants should always stand their ground and fight their battles when evidence suggests they are being defrauded intentionally. There is no evidence to suggest this will affect their brand reputation. If the best service is offered, the volume of positive reviews should be enough to keep new and existing clients coming back for more. paymentssource.com 

Oakland, CA: Lengthy investigation turns up $500,000 in stolen make-up
ORC Task Force including CVS, Walgreens & JC Penney helps solve the case
Berkeley police say they have recovered an estimated $500,000 worth of stolen make-up and arrested a San Leandro couple tied to a theft and robbery series targeting CVS and Walgreens stores around the Bay Area.

The arrests and cosmetics recovery, which required two truck trips to haul away, were the result of "lengthy investigations" involving multiple law enforcement agencies, authorities said Friday morning.

Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., officers arrested 43-year-old Rosa Jimenez and her boyfriend, 50-year-old Enrique Rodriguez, in San Leandro on suspicion of receiving stolen goods and being an accessory to a felony, according to Berkeley police. They were arrested after police searched Jimenez's home in the 2000 block of San Leandro Boulevard and a nearby storage unit.

Police said they found "a large amount of stolen cosmetics and other items," including property with CVS and Walgreens stickers still on them. Tallying is still underway, but a ballpark estimate put the value of the cosmetics and other stolen goods at half a million dollars, authorities said. The cosmetics may have been sold at flea markets and online.

Berkeley police investigators worked with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and Police Department, and the Organized Retail Crime Task Force - which includes CVS, Walgreens and JC Penny investigators - to solve the case.

Editor's Note: According to a source, investigators are making some headway in the Bay Area, despite the parameters of California's Prop 47 and Prop 57. This booster crew is good for approximately 25 counts of burglary and robbery, with 3 of the 4 suspects probably facing 2 to 5 years for each count. berkelyside.com

Brooklyn, NY: 3 men dressed as construction workers steal $850,000
in jewelry, gold, cash from Downtown Brooklyn store;
67-year-old owner assaulted, hospitalized
A 67-year-old store owner was hospitalized following the robbery of a jewelry store in Downtown Brooklyn. Around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Court Street Jewelers on Court Street, three men dressed as construction workers went into the store, took out a handgun and assaulted the owner.

Police said one man dressed in a white protective/Tyvek suit stayed outside the store as a lookout. According to the New York City Police Department, he obstructed the view into the store with an umbrella.

The men took more than $850,000 of jewelry, gold and cash from displays and a safe, police said, then fled northbound on Court Street. abc7ny.com brooklyneagle.com

Kenner, LA: Supervisor accused of stealing $25k from At Home furniture store
Police say 33-year-old Jasmine Clark of Metairie used UPC labels and merchandise to ring-up sales on the store's cash register. They say she would then credit the purchases back to her personal credit card. According to police, Clark was a supervisor at the At Home store in the 1000 block of West Esplanade Avenue in Kenner. Clark was booked with felony theft. Police say she admitted to store workers that she was responsible for the thefts. She was released from jail after posting a $2,500 bond. wgno.com

Hong Kong: 3 suspected members of fake credit card ring arrested
Three men were arrested on suspicion of working for a criminal syndicate that used fake credit cards to buy luxury goods and resold them for profit. Zhou and Yeung were charged with possession of false instruments and use of a false instrument, while Lee was charged with using a false instrument. Chief Inspector Tam Tsz-wai of the anti-triad section of New Territories North Police District, which is in charge of the case, said the group specialized in making fake credit cards. Investigation showed that the group created fake credit cards using information stolen from legitimate cardholders. Aside from arresting the three suspects, police also seized 22 fake credit cards, a card-making machine, and other evidence. ejinsight.com

Dublin, NH: Woman arrested on warrant for bail violations following ORC/larceny charge

Shootings

Bakersfield, CA: 3 people shot at a Fastrip Gas Station; no arrests made
The Bakersfield Police Department says three people were shot in the area of 34th and Q streets. The victims suffered minor to moderate non-life threatening injuries. No arrests have been made and there is no suspect information. turnto23.com


Dekalb County, GA: Gas station shooting sends bystanders running for cover
Chamblee police are investigating a shooting at a gas station that left two people injured and sent others running for their lives. Police said two people were shot Tuesday night at the Mobil Food Mart on the corner of Savoy Drive and North Peachtree Road. Police said two groups in an ongoing feud had a verbal altercation in front of the gas station, which resulted in gunfire. One bullet went through the front window of the Mobil station. One man was shot twice and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. A second victim was taken to Gwinnett Medical center by his girlfriend. Both are expected to be OK. wsbtv.com

Sentencing Update

Freehold Township, NJ: Eatontown Man Indicted For Shooting At Police Officers During Drugstore Robbery
Monmouth County grand jury has indicted an Eatontown man for shooting at police officers after he fled the scene of a December 2016 pharmacy robbery, Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said. Aaron Riley, 32, Wedgewood Circle, Eatontown, was indicted on first-degree armed robbery, first-degree attempted murder, second degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth degree aggravated assault, third- degree aggravated assault - pointing a weapon at law enforcement officers and fourth-degree resisting arrest. patch.com

Robberies & Thefts

Cleveland, OH Crime Spree
Four businesses robbed at gunpoint in seven hours on same Cleveland street
Armed robbers stormed into four businesses on the same stretch of road in a seven-hour span, pistol-whipping one employee and robbing three elderly men inside a bar. No arrests have been made in the Monday morning robbery spree. All four robberies happened between 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in a three-mile stretch on St. Clair Avenue. The robberies occurred at two Family Dollar stores, a Subway, and the Erie Tavern. cleveland.com

Robstown, TX: Armed robbery suspect in ICU after store clerk fights back with step stool
A robbery suspect was sent to the intensive care unit Thursday morning after the convenience store clerk he was trying to rob fought back and managed to stop him. Robstown police said it was just before 3:30 a.m. when 30-year-old John David Lopez tried to rob the Snappy's Convenience Store off Highway 44 near 77. The convenience store clerk told officers he had stepped outside for a smoke break when Lopez approached and pointed a gun at him, demanding money. The clerk struggled with Lopez, trying to take the gun away, and managed to run inside the store to call police. Police said Lopez had turned his attention to a bystander, attacking the bystander with a knife. That's when the store clerk came back outside and struck Lopez several times in the head with a step stool. kiiitv.com

Leesburg, FL: Burger King employees robbed, forced into freezer
Three Burger King employees were robbed and two of them were hit in the head with handguns during a robbery in Leesburg, police said. One of the workers was walking out of the restaurant at the end of his shift when one of the masked men forced him back into the store. Police said two masked men robbed the workers, got money from the safe, forced them into the freezer and took their cellphones. Police won't say how much money was taken.

Leesburg police said the robbery is similar to another robbery May 18 at McDonald's in Mt. Dora. The robbery is also similar to two incidents at a Denny's in Eustis. wftv.com

Walnut Creek, CA: Video Shows Brazen Robbery of Display MacBooks at Apple Store
An Apple Store in Walnut Creek was hit Thursday by a group of brazen robbers who made off with several display laptops. Police said four male suspects entered the store and grabbed five to seven laptops before running off. Cellphone video captured by a customer in the store shows one of the men snatching several MacBooks before fleeing. An employee can be seen trying to detain another suspect by the store's exit door. The incident marks the second time the store on Main Street has been robbed in the past two months. nbcbayarea.com


Be on the Lookout
Falls Church, VA: Distraction Thieves Take $80K of Loose Diamonds
Police authorities have reported to JSA that the suspects pictured below carried out a distraction theft in a retail jewelry store. At 2:30 p.m. the older male and female distracted a sales associate, while the younger male, pictured alone below, reached behind the counter and stole a black bag containing loose diamonds. The suspects then exited the store. If you have information on a similar case or suspect information, please contact Detective R. Henderson of the City of Falls Church Police Department at 703-241-5050.

Madison, WI: Teen charged with 8 convenience store robberies over 18-day period
A 17-year-old boy admitted to police that he robbed eight Madison convenience stores in just under three weeks this month using a BB gun that he later told police wasn't loaded, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday. madison.com

Washington, DC: Police arrest man in connection with five armed robberies
A 19-year-old man has been arrested by D.C. police and charged in connection with five armed robberies that occurred in April and May in Northeast and Southeast Washington, according to authorities. Police said the victims included three store clerks, a delivery driver and a pedestrian. Police said they are also looking for an accomplice. washingtonpost.com

Gaston, SC: 3 arrests made in string of robberies at Moto-Vated Sports store totaling $100,000

Macon, GA: Fleeing robbers leave trail of coins in Reliance Food Mart parking lot

Watertown, NY: Police seek help in counterfeit money investigation

DDutchess County, NY: Police Ask Public's Help In Pleasant Valley ID Theft Probe


Carson, CA: Kay Jewelers at South Bay Pavilion Mall reports grab and run on 5/23 valued at $3,899

San Jose, CA: Piercing Pagoda at Oakridge Mall reports grab and run on 5/24 valued at $699

Counterfeit

Bowling Green, KY:
Federal charges brought against man accused of selling knockoffs
A Barren County man accused of selling counterfeit merchandise disguised as designer-brand goods faces federal criminal charges.Yan Chen, of Cave City, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green to five counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, according to federal court records.

Chen is alleged to have sold or attempted to sell clothing, electronics, accessories, trading cards, perfume and other items carrying the purported labels of companies such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Michael Kors, Nike, The North Face, Under Armour, Gucci and Beats by Dre at Flea Land Flea Market in Bowling Green, Retail and Wholesale Market in Cave City and an unspecified Nelson County location. bgdailynews.com

Retail Fire

Los Angeles, CA: Explosive fire erupts at Van Nuys strip mall, 3 businesses impacted

Jeff Meyer has been promoted to Area Asset Protection Manager for LBrands supporting Victoria's Secret Stores in the Mid-Atlantic. 

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Education is a broad term usually defined by an individual as a singular focus with an end result that oftentimes stagnates the brain and limits horizons. Reaching milestones is incredibly important, but keeping your curiosity and wonderment is the key to reaching beyond. No singular degree or certification will bring you the success - it merely opens the door to more learning and the realization that if you don't know something, you go find someone who does and learn it from them. 

Just a Thought,br /> Gus