Leading ORC Investigator, Ben Dugan
Making the Transition from Retailer to Solution Provider

By Ben Dugan, CFI
Director of Organized Retail Crime Field Investigations, The Zellman Group

In March of this year, I made what some would consider a drastic career move. I walked away from a very successful ten-year run as an ORC Investigator with Walgreens to become the Director of ORC Field Investigations for The Zellman Group, LLC.

I spent my entire 25-year career in retail working in the field on cargo theft, Organized Retail Crime and large scale financial fraud. Now, not only was I coming off the street to be a Director, I was going to be working for a Solution Provider rather than a retailer.

There was no doubt in my mind that the ORC world was and is, changing. Retailers were looking for fresh solutions to combat ORC and when I began discussing the future with Stuart Levine, CEO of The Zellman Group, I was intrigued by his vision to offer companies an "end to end " ORC solution which included a menu of services that clients could choose from depending on their needs.

The opportunity to be involved in building something new has re-energized my career. Zellman maintains a very diverse client base that provides constant and varied opportunities. We offer solutions over a wide range of investigations and across all types of retail. I work closely with Director of ORC Recovery, Bill Ramos and attorney, James Welborn to strategize about cases and recovery efforts in order to meet the needs of our many clients. Each day presents new challenges and opportunities to solve problems for our clients, whether I am conducting an Open Source investigation, investigating an ORC ring or working with the courts to recover lost dollars.

During this transition, I have discovered that I actually get greater satisfaction out of helping a client's investigator overcome a problem or a client develop a strategy, than I do "catching a bad guy". Don't get me wrong, "A shark is still a shark" and I still enjoy getting out in the field to work cases and teach others any time the opportunity arises.

Most recently, I was honored to give the keynote address to the Carolina Organized Retail Crime Alliance (CORCA) annual conference (pictured to the right). I spoke about the "Future of ORC" and how innovation is not always found through advancements in technology but often in finding new arenas for public and private sectors to interact and collaborate with one another. I challenged law enforcement and the retail investigators in the room to "think beyond traditional limitations" and "use their collective expertise and resources to make a positive impact on both their communities and businesses they represent."

The Zellman Group, LLC, based in Greenvale, NY, is the leader in Civil Recovery, ORC Recovery and ORC Investigation. The Zellman Group is a loss prevention services and consulting company working in the retail, food service and hospitality industries. Visit us at ZellmanGroup.com

Learn more about Ben Dugan & The Zellman Group
in today's Vendor Spotlight below
 

2017 GLPS - Group LP Selfies
Your Team - Your Pride - Our Industry
Building Industry Pride - One Team Selfie at a Time

Stage Stores Asset Protection Support Center Team

"The heart of every hometown"

Our Red Noses Raise Awareness

The Stage AP Team participated in Red Nose Day 2017
to help create a world free from child poverty.

Featured in Picture (Top Row, left to right): Amye Goady, Shaye Maura, Richard Salinas, Bruce Mahler, Colton Neal

Featured in Picture (Bottom Row, left to right): Desirae Paul, Katie Smith

Striking Out the Competition

Our Stage AP Team joined a coed softball league to illustrate
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's quote, "You can't win unless you learn how to lose."

Featured in picture (Top Row: left to right): Lacresia Montgomery, Jason Evans, Colton Neal, Allan Watters, John Rangel, Antwon Carson, Desirae Paul, Bryan LeFebvre

Featured in picture (Bottom Row: left to right): Katie Smith, Blakeley Graham, Ellen Vos

Dennis Douress, CFI named Director of Loss Prevention for CSC Service Works
Dennis was previously the regional Loss Prevention Manager for Payless Shoe Source, before taking this new role as the loss prevention director for the leading provider of laundry solution for multifamily, residential and commercial industries, and air vending services for convenience stores and gas stations. Dennis has been in the loss prevention industry since 2000 when he was a Senior Regional LP Manager for CVS Health. Afterwards he started working for Radio Shack as a Regional LP Manager. Congratulations Dennis!
 

Last Two Months Has Tested Everyone Like Never Before
Since the August 12th demonstrations and riots in Charlottesville we've seen more hurricanes, demonstrations, the largest mass-shooting in history, and now the largest fire in California's history, which tests every retailer's emergency response and business continuity plans to the max.

Couple all of this with the exploding cyber crime, data breaches exposing virtually every American and 25% of the UK population, the malls virtually dying, every retailer scared to death of the Amazon effect, and finally the holiday sales fright for the bricks and mortars and we've got a stressful holiday season in front of us, and that's not even including what all the vendors are going through.

The fact is the retail industry is moving at light speed and everything is virtually real-time including our individual needs to respond to all of these.

To all of the LP and AP executives that have been involved in these incidents we applaud you. Because without all of your efforts some others may not be here today. Just a thank you from The Daily.

California Fires Burn Out of Control; 17 Are Dead
With roads still blocked by the police and fires still raging across broad swaths of Northern California.
The fires ravaging California's wine country since Sunday night - part of an outbreak of blazes stretching almost the entire length of the state - continued to burn out of control Tuesday, as the toll rose to at least 17 people confirmed dead, hundreds hospitalized, and an estimated 2,000 buildings destroyed or damaged. But state and local officials warned that with many people still missing and unaccounted for, and some areas still out of reach of emergency crews, those figures are almost certain to rise.

About 20,000 people heeded evacuation warnings, fleeing on foot and by car as the fires overtook their towns. In some of the most expensive real estate in the country, they could see neighbors' houses going up in flames, their propane tanks exploding with ground-shaking force.

More than 100 people were being treated at Napa- and Sonoma-area hospitals for fire-related injuries or health issues, including burns, smoke inhalation and shortness of breath.

In what has been called one of the worst firestorms in state history, with 16 fires in Northern California in recent days. latimes.com nytimes.com

California Wildfires Trigger Employer Emergency Action Plans
As devastating wildfires spread through Northern California's wine country, threatening to destroy homes and businesses in the area, organizations must activate their workplace safety and emergency action plans.

State Encourages All Businesses to Have a Plan

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) says it's a good idea for all businesses to have an emergency action plan, even if such a plan isn't explicitly required under Cal/OSHA or city or county law. The division suggests that employers form an emergency committee that involves different department representatives and a mix of employees and managers. Plans should address state and local safety laws and must comply with governmental agency regulations. shrm.org

One of Your Wholesalers?
Supplier Used Fake Invoices At Customs
Major Women's Garment Wholesaler 'Notations/NY Collection' Ignored Suppliers Fraud Fined $1M
"We are proud to be the foremost resource for prominent U.S. retailers in the moderate priced ladies clothing market."

Notations, Inc. (Notations), a garment wholesaler based in Warminster, Pennsylvania, with a showroom in New York, has settled civil fraud claims brought under the False Claims Act. 

Notations repeatedly ignored warning signs that its business partner, which imported garments from China, was engaged in a scheme to underpay customs duties owed on the imported garments it sold to Notations. Notations admits and accepts responsibility for failing to act in response to indications of fraudulent conduct, agrees to pay $1 million in damages.

Sold at major retailers like Macy's, Target, BonTon, Beall's, Stage, Steinmart, Fred Meyer, Amazon, and others.

Yingshun Garments an importer of women's apparel manufactured in China, and Marie Rogers, an owner engaged in a double-invoice scheme presenting false and fraudulent invoices to CBP, showing prices discounted by 75 percent or more, for the purpose of avoiding customs duties on the garments. Notations, which was Yingshun's biggest customer, aided the fraudulent scheme by ignoring warning signs that Yingshun's irregular business practices were highly suggestive of fraud.

Notations agreed to pay $1 million in damages. Notations also admits and accepts responsibility for its failure to take action in response to multiple warning signs that Yingshun, was undervaluing their imported goods and therefore paying less in import duties. Notations also has agreed to implement a written compliance policy which will include measures to educate its employees on identifying red flags for fraud in import transactions, to monitor the conduct of its business partners who act as importers of overseas goods and to report all potentially fraudulent conduct to CBP. ice.gov

Editor's Note: You might want to ask your merchant if they know about this or if Notations notified them? Remembering it only takes one tweet to go viral.

Leading Industry Consultant & CEO Journalist Calls It
The Rise & Still-Falling Iconic American Brand
"Financial Brilliance Isn't Enough to Save Two Titanics"
This article is not not another bashing of Eddie "the magician" Lampert, or "fast buck" Eddie, or whatever I have called him. It is a long, really long, but serious story of one of the greatest brands in the history of the world. At its pinnacle, it was bigger than Walmart. So I believe the story is worthy of its length. I also believe there are many strategic lessons to be learned from the incredible "rise" of Sears and from its nearly four decades of "falling." I know the attention span of some of my readers will be challenged, but grab a Starbucks and plow through it. I think you will be glad you did. therobinreport.com

CBL Properties to Remain Closed on Thanksgiving
Mall landlord will close it's 62 properties
CBL said the closures will affect 62 of its malls and open-air shopping centers. Like last year, the only tenants allowed to open early at the real estate investment trust's enclosed malls are department stores or shops with an exterior entrance. All access to common areas will be restricted. CBL's open-air centers will also be closed, but since those tenants have exterior entrances, they have the option to open on Thanksgiving.

See the complete list here cnbc.com

Burlington, VT., businesses see uptick in shoplifting
Police say problem started a few years ago as symptom of opiate crisis
While some stores are seeing an uptick recently, he said the problem has been on the rise for a few years, a symptom of the opiate crisis. "If a person is stealing to feed their habit, the only way they are going to stop stealing is if their habit is addressed," Burke said.

The Burlington Business Association is working with the state's attorney's office to toughen the laws against shoplifters. Right now, someone has to steal $900 worth of goods in a single spree to get a felony charge. Sarah O'Donnell with the association said the goal is not just to put people in jail but to prevent it all together. mynbc5.com

Loss Prevention Meetings Benefit City Retailers
Fond du Lac Police are once again meeting once a month with loss prevention leaders for businesses in the city. Information is shared at the meetings about known shoplifters and how they operate, which can benefit retailers who don't have that information. Pecore says there is a lot of retail theft especially leading up to Christmas so he felt getting the loss prevention meetings going again would be a benefit to retailers. Anyone who would like to know more can call him at 322-3700, extension 1040. kfiz.com

Now Wary Of Holding Big Rallies, White Nationalists Resort To Tiny 'Flash Mobs'
White nationalist Richard Spencer says he first learned of "flash mobs" from a viral YouTube video. He told TPM he's trying to adapt that absurdist concept for an entirely different purpose: unannounced public expressions of pro-Confederate, white nationalist sentiment, like Saturday's 15-minute long torch-lit rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Both the last-minute rally organizers and policing experts point out that this is one of the few types of events that white nationalists can expect to pull off after their 1500-person strong August rally in Charlottesville devolved into deadly chaos.

Organizers can't use public social media accounts to attract participants; need attendees to live in close proximity to the chosen location so that they can travel there on relatively short notice; and only so many participants can be invited without word leaking out.

"We want to show that we have the logistics and the apparatus to do these things on short notice and without any warning to the places where we're gonna show up," Enoch said, adding that "the statement we wanted to make didn't require 1500 people." talkingpointsmemo.com

$12 million in fake S'Well water bottles seized at Port of Charleston
Officials at the Port of Charleston seized counterfeit water bottles this summer which they say valued to about $12,341,820 in illegal goods.

A press release issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operates states the water bottles were seized in five different incidents, and all were cases where the product originated from China -- destined for a California distributor.

CBP reports 345,597 plastic and stainless steel bottles were manufactured in a style that mimicked the unique shapes and features trademarked by S'Well Bottle Company. Investigators say S'Well confirmed their trademarked design was infringed, "from use of the same cap to the fluting on the bottom of the bottle and everything in between." abcnews4.com

Senior Vice President, US Security Operations for Westfield Corp. in Los Angeles, CA
We're looking for a Senior Vice President - Security who is a collaborative and experienced Security, professional. This is the top security executive in the US Region. The role reports to the Head of Westfield's Property Group with a strong dotted line reporting to the Head of Global Security who is based in Sydney. This role will oversee and coordinate all Corporate/physical security efforts across the US Operations. westfieldcorp.com

Our strategy is to create and operate flagship assets in leading markets that deliver great experiences for retailers, brands and consumers. We create flagship retail destinations in London, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles among our portfolio of 35 centres. Westfield began with one shopping centre in the outer suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and ' has grown to become one of the world's largest shopping centre owners and managers, playing a major role in changing the way the world shops. westfieldcorp.com

Properties: Brandon, Fl., Broward FL., Citrus FL., Countryside FL., Culver City CA., Fashion Square CA., Century City CA., Galleria at Roseville CA., Garden State N.J., Horton Plaza CA., Meriden Conn., Mission Valley CA., Montgomery MD., North County CA., Oakridge CA., Palm Desert CA., Plaza Bonita CA., Old Orchard ILL., San Francisco CA., Santa Anita CA., Sarasota FL., South Shore N.Y., Southcenter WA., Siesta Key FL., Sunrise N.Y., Topanga CA., Trumbull Conn., UTC CA., Valencia CA., Valley Fair CA., Wheaton MD., World Trade Center N.Y. westfieldcorp.com

Director of Fraud, Risk and Identity for lyft in San Francisco, CA
The Business Operations org is looking for a rockstar leader to join Lyft's fast-paced and transformational team at Lyft to manage crucial fraud and risk initiatives. This position will manage fraud and risk operations, analyze, investigate and identify solutions to prevent and mitigate third party fraud and is responsible for proactively identifying sources of and patterns of fraud, to minimize the company's total exposure to financial and reputational risk associated with fraud. lever.co

Kroger Considers Sale of 784 Store C-store Division & Launches Revitalization Plan

1st Lawsuit Against Mandalay Bay Hotel - Lawsuits will change hotel security

Staples Closed for Thanksgiving

Coach Inc. to Change Name to Tapestry Inc.


Quarterly Results
Levi Strauss Q3 direct to consumer business up 16% (approx. 2,900 retail stores and shop-in-shops), total revenue up 7%

 

Night Optical, Flir employee arrested in over $15,000
merchandise theft, selling on eBay

Jennifer Tanguay, 33, was arrested, accused of stealing more than $15,000 of Flir products and selling them on eBay, police said. Flir designs, manufactures and markets thermal imaging, night vision and infrared camera equipment. Detectives searched eBay records and found that $56,962.58 in Flir products had been sold through the site. Read more here.

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

Israel hacked Kaspersky, caught Russia using the software to hack U.S.
Israel hacked Kaspersky and caught Russia using Kaspersky software to search for and steal U.S. government classified programs.

Instead of promoting goodwill relations with Israel, U.S. intelligence threw Israeli intelligence under the bus when explaining how Israel hacked Kaspersky and caught Russia using Kaspersky to search for NSA exploits and other U.S. government classified programs.

The New York Times reported, "It was a case of spies watching spies watching spies: Israeli intelligence officers looked on in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for the code names of American intelligence programs."

Israel told its U.S. buddy about the spying and reportedly provided proof in the form of screenshots and documentation it had access to, since it was buried deep into Kaspersky's network. This is according to unnamed government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to classification rules. csoonline.com

Cybersecurity in the Workplace is Everyone's Responsibility
In today's digital world, IT professionals aren't the only ones responsible for protecting a company from cyber criminals. Every person in an organization - from the custodian to the CEO, and the intern to the administrative assistant - shares a responsibility to be vigilant about online threats. govdelivery.com

Policing in the future involves citizen detectives and a Pokémon Go-like app
How can the police induce citizens to help investigate crime? By trying to make it "cool" and turning it into a game that awards points for hits. At least that is the premise for a "Pokémon-like app called Automon" that cops are developing to get citizens more involved in investigations.

That was one example of "police of the future" technology initiatives provided by Dutch Police Chief Erik Akerboom, who has previous experience working in intelligence and counterterrorism units. Akerboom told The Telegraph that citizens would use the Automon app to photograph license plates to help police locate stolen cars. csoonline.com

The Hits Keep Mounting
Equifax Says 15.2M UK Client & 700,000 Consumer Records Hacked As Well
That's 24% of the UK's entire population.
Equifax said it would notify the 693,665 affected UK consumers by post and offer them several of its own and third-party risk-mitigation products for free to help minimize the risk of possible criminal activity.

Equifax said earlier this month that it had determined some 8,000 Canadian consumers were also impacted by the breach, far fewer than the 100,000 it had previously warned were at risk. nytimes.com

User Behavior Analytics Alone is Not Enough for Combatting Insider Threats
UBA alone, as most organizations use it today, will not solve the insider threat problem.

UBA is most commonly used today as an anomaly detection tool. It detects unusual behavior and alerts investigators. A misconception exists in the marketplace that UBA, as a detection tool, is the be-all-end-all for combatting insider threats, which is far from the truth. It takes an army to win a war, not one soldier. Similarly, it takes technologies, data and people working in concert to detect and mitigate insider threats before it's too late.

Two frequent types of insider threats are those that enable sensitive data to leave the organization and those that enable bad actors to break into valuable assets to steal sensitive data.

For the first one, UBA working in concert with data loss prevention (DLP) technologies significantly minimizes the risk of valuable data walking out the door. When integrated with DLP, UBA adds detailed contextual user data to DLP investigations to prioritize response.

For the second scenario - preventing bad actors from breaking into valuable assets to steal sensitive data - UBA must go beyond just anomaly detection. Security Operations Centers are flooded with false positives and noise. When UBA solely detects anomalies, it just adds more alerts to the mountain.

To simplify, combatting insider threats using UBA boils down to two things: firstly that UBA should be integrated with additional security tools such as DLP; and secondly that UBA must incorporate much more than just detecting unusual behavior. infosecurity-magazine.com

Sears Canada To Shutter - Close ALL Stores - 12,000 Jobs Lost
Sears Canada has announced that it will be applying to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for approval to liquidate all of its remaining assets, following announcements of previous store closures. Some mall landlords will struggle to repurpose some of the spaces vacated by Sears.

The Ontario Superior Court is set to hear the motion on Friday, October 13, and pending court approval, it is expected that liquidation sales at Sears Canada retail locations will commence by October 19, continuing for between 10 and 14 weeks.

In total, about 12,000 people will lose their jobs as a result of the Sears Canada store closures - about 75% of those are part-time. Sears currently operates 74 full-line stores in Canada, as well as 8 Sears Home stores and 49 Hometown locations.

Malls Will Suffer
One landlord noted that it would be a "pain in the ass" to have to fill space, and that some landlords will have a lot of work ahead of them to repurpose the large spaces vacated by Sears Canada. The same landlord noted the complexities around 'co-tenancy clauses', where other retailers (usually smaller) may exercise their right to vacate a mall if another tenant leaves. "This can be a struggling tenant's get out of jail free card if they have the proper co-tenancy clause," said the one landlord who wished not to be identified.

Alternatively, rent reductions may be given if an anchor leaves - all potentially bad news for landlords. retail-insider.com

'A complete joke'
Laid-off Sears workers say hardship fund cash amounts to nothing

Sears Canada employee hardship fund missing $200K

Safeway Integration Failure Forces Canada's #2 Grocer to Take Drastic Action
Sobey's Parent Empire Reveals 1st Round of Layoffs - 20 Corporate Management Jobs
The company, which is still officially based in Stellarton, has been struggling to get back on its feet after acquiring Canada Safeway for $5.8 billion in late 2013 but failed in its attempt to properly integrate the newly acquired business, based in Western Canada, with its Sobeys operations.

It turns out that many customers in Western Canada were disappointed when Sobeys replaced the familiar Safeway private-label products with its own Our Compliments brand. There were also problems with empty shelves in many of the Safeway stores, which made customers leery about shopping there.

New CEO introduced Project Sunrise this past June, a three-year $500M coast savings plan to simplify organizational structures and reduce costs by 2020. It means a number of layoffs at the company centre in first half of current fiscal year.

Most industry analysts agreed, however, that Empire and Sobeys needed to take drastic action to bring the business back from the brink.

The company indicated it would be reducing the size of regional headquarters across the country and is now concentrating more of the decision-making in one national office, thus reducing the amount of duplication within the company. thechronicalherald.com

Tim Hortons franchisees sue corporate parent for $850M, alleging bullying and intimidation

Revenue Canada to tax employee discounts but Ottawa says it's not 'targeting' retail workers
2 million retail workers could now face new taxes on merchandise purchased with employee discount

Equifax updates impact on Canadian citizens: 8,000 Canadians impacted, not 100,000

Alberta and Ontario increase minimum wage as they aim for $15

Courtenay, BC: Medical marijuana retailers battle city hall, RCMP over raids

Saskatchewan-based jewellery company Hillberg & Berk to embark on a cross-country expansion

Mr. Pretzels Sees Explosive Growth as it Expands Canada-Wide

Canadian Las Vegas Survivors facing expensive medical bills; total shooting costs may top $600M

North York, ON: Police arrest man after knife attack at shopping plaza
Police said around 9 p.m. on Tuesday that they were investigating a person with a gun at Empress Walk Plaza, near Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue East. The report stated a man was attacked by two other men and was struck in the head with a knife. A later update from police said they had arrived on scene and found the victim with non-life-threatening injuries. globalnews.ca


Mission, BC: Man and woman brutally injure clerk in violent store robbery
On Friday (Oct. 6) morning at about 9 a.m., police responded to a report of a robbery of the Hatzic Prairie Store on Farms Road. According to an RCMP press release, a male and female suspect had just fled the scene after assaulting the clerk who sustained significant injuries. Police have reviewed security video footage from the store and have identified the male and female involved in the robbery, but are not releasing their names at this time. missioncityrecord.com






Nanaimo, BC: Knife-wielding, bat-swinging skeleton robs Nanaimo beer store





Ontario: Man wanted for 12 pharmacy robberies arrested in Sarnia

Ottawa, ON: $2,500 in merchandise stolen in overnight jewelry store burglary

McAdam, NB: Man charged after using sledgehammer to burglarize gun shop; Other suspects likely involved

Chestermere, AB: Two suspects wanted in armed grocery store assault

Vancouver, BC: Man gets 30 years in armed robbery of pharmacy

Ontario: Theft and loss of Opioids from hospitals on the rise

St. Georges, QC: Arrest made in serial scratch ticket theft case

Elliot Lake, ON: Four suspects charged in counterfeit currency investigation

Robberies and Burglaries

• Harewood Arms Beer - Nanaimo, BC - Armed Robbery
• Hatzic Prairie Store - Mission, BC - Armed Robbery
• Mac's - Saskatoon, SK - Armed Robbery
• Variety Store - London, ON - Armed Robbery
• 7-Eleven - Saskatoon, SK - Armed Robbery

Online Commerce And Crime Keep Pace
Cybercriminals keep changing the predominant types of digital fraud and their trickiest strategies, keeping pure eCommerce players and anyone with an online retail presence on their virtual toes.

Countries that are further along in the EMV transition - about four years into the cycle, compared to two in the U.S. - have seen a 70 to 73 percent shift in criminal activity from retail point-of-sale (POS) settings to online channels. That's because card-not-present (CNP) fraud is a much easier tactic, said Byrnes, since challenging a cardholder's identity is more difficult online than in person.

New payment and delivery technologies have invited even more innovation from fraudsters, forcing retailers to up their defenses. Vesta's Tom Byrnes said an annual study conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research showed companies spent 13 percent more on fraud defenses this year than last year and are investing 10 times more in fraud defenses than they are losing to chargebacks. In-house fraud shops are costing organizations as much as one-fifth to a quarter of their entire operating budget.

Surely there is a more efficient way to be using those funds?

Aside from streamlining and outsourcing, "there's no silver bullet here," Byrnes said. "The key to any effective eCommerce defense system is a layered defense."

Defense Mechanism

A 10-to-one fraud management to fraud loss ratio sounds expensive to those who're not on the front lines fighting fraud. However, Byrnes said the ratio is comparing the wrong numbers. Rather than comparing spend to losses, it should compare spend to prevented losses.

Still, there's no denying that organizations are spending more and more on fraud management as the years go by. One way to cut back, said Byrnes, is to consider outsourcing. In-house solutions are often spread across multiple departments, and the reason the cost is so high is simply that no one is looking at the aggregated cost.

In addition to the five or six departments involved, in-house solutions can also involve just as many outside vendors. It's hard to shore up defenses when no one will admit where the weak spot is. A single-source solution is one way around that issue. pymnts.com

Alibaba one-ups Amazon by building a mall for retailers

63% of Amazon Advertisers Plan to Spend Even More Over the Next Year

Make Way for Virtual Stores
Alibaba And The Emergence Of VR eCommerce on Singles Day

Vietnamese Man Extradited Over Role In $500,000 Online U.S. Shopping Scam
Using U.S. Mules To Wire Funds Overseas
A Vietnamese national living in Melbourne, Australia, appeared in Massachusetts federal court on Tuesday to face charges of participating in a international scheme to use stolen payment card data and personally identifiable information to purchase and re-sell hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of consumer goods, approximately $500,000 worth of goods online.

Tuan Dinh Nguyen, 29, also known as Lucky Nguyen, was extradited from Melbourne, Australia, last week after being arrested in June. A federal grand jury indicted Nguyen in 2015.

The unsealed indictment against him alleges that from 2007 to 2013, Nguyen conspired with at least three others to use stolen credit card details and other personal data to buy goods online that they would then resell at a discounted rate through online marketplaces, such as Amazon.com Inc. and eBay Inc. Purchasers were unaware of the origins of the goods, which included Apple Inc. products and books.

Nguyen and the other participants would create fake accounts on auction sites, and on some occasions they would take over the accounts of legitimate users. But the products that were advertised through these accounts were not actually owned by Nguyen and his co-conspirators.

U.S. residents were allegedly recruited to withdraw the money that consumers paid on the auction sites. The money was then wired overseas to accounts that Nguyen and his co-conspirators could access, according to court documents.

Nguyen faces up to 20 + 2 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. justice.gov

Scottsdale, AZ: Crime syndicate uses fraudulent credit cards to buy jewelry
A criminal syndicate involved in forgery, fraud, identity theft and money laundering was busted after a lengthy investigation by the Scottsdale Police Department. 

Scottsdale police report that on October 5, three men were arrested for their involvement in a criminal operation that involved prostitution, the purchasing of jewelry with fraudulently obtained credit cards and a call center that would rip off people around the country.

Police say the other main part of the operation was to use fraudulent social security numbers to get credit cards, then use those credit cards to buy nearly $100,000 worth of jewelry in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Police allegedly have a recording of Wilcox saying "I got people who will buy Rolexes with credit cards and IDs that I give them. It's a quick way to make $3,000, $4,000, $5,000." abc15.com

Redlands, CA: Shoplifting call at Target unveils Crime Ring responsible for
$18,000 in thefts
Redlands police investigators arrested several Riverside County men authorities say are linked to a crime ring responsible for $18,000 in theft. Police were called to Target on Oct. 5 for reports of several people trying to steal Blu-Ray movies. Several people ran in different directions as soon as officers arrived. After a search and following up on leads, officers caught up with five men who police say were part of the theft ring and arrested them on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy to commit a crime. About $3,000 in merchandise was recovered. Through an investigation assisted by Target retail theft officers, authorities learned the theft ring was responsible for similar crimes at other area Target stores and taking $18,000 in merchandise. redlandsdailyfacts.com



Update: Cranston, RI: Thieves steal nearly $4K in goods from Victoria's Secret
The Cranston Police Department is asking the public to help them identify three people who they said are connected to the theft of nearly $4,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria's Secret in Cranston. Authorities said the suspects stole 81 items from the store, which is located in Garden City. turnto10.com



College Station, TX: Three women caught stealing almost $3,000 worth of makeup from JCPenney
The loss prevention manager said he saw the three women make their way to the makeup counter. He said one of the women started grabbing merchandise and hiding it in the waistband of her skirt. The other two women were trying to hide her from view, during the theft. The group was caught in the parking lot after walking out of the store with over 150 items. kbtx.com

Paducah, KY: 5 women suspected of theft at Kentucky Oaks Mall
Police in Paducah, Kentucky are asking for the public's help in identifying five women suspected of theft. Police said there have been several thefts from the Victoria's Secret store over the past month. this resulted in the loss of several thousand dollars in merchandise. While there are multiple suspects, police said five women were caught on surveillance video. kfvs12.com

Helena, MT: Theft of sunglasses leads to assault at Sportsman's Warehouse

Submit Your New Hires/Promotions or New Position

Featured Job Spotlights

 

Featured Jobs

To apply to any of today's Featured Jobs, Click Here

Sponsor Today's Internet Jobs 

A Leader's Greatest Tool: Their Team
 

A 6-Year Study Reveals the Surprising Key to Team Performance   A recent study cites the ability to manage conflicting tensions in teams is the most critical predictor of top-team performance and success. The strongest teams believe conflict is essential and beneficial to their work. Here's how you can cultivate healthy debate in your own team. Separate person and point

9 Easy Ways to Show Your Employees You Value Them  A great employee is hard to find, but once they are a part of your team, you are quite lucky. That's why showing your appreciation can go a long way to improved employee performance. Here's how you can show you value your team. Little things make big difference

Highly Motivated Employees Have a Boss That Always Does This One Thing  Motivating employees can be tricky for leaders: not everyone is motivated with higher wages, free food or other office perks that are commonly used. Motivation should be about setting a vision for the future, and here's how you can let your team see where their job is headed. See how each cog fits together

Give Your Employees a Seat at the Table for Greater Success  There's probably nothing worse for your team, and even leaders, than toxic and negative company cultures. Management has the power to create such a positive culture that empowers employees and increases success. Give everyone the same voice

Virtually every executive can talk about the basics of their craft, how things should work, what to do in different situations, and the results they got in every position. But what separates the good ones from the great ones is their ability to articulate exactly how they achieved every result and are able to express how they influenced change and dealt with individual conflict situations. The ability to verbalize in detail individual accomplishments, results, mistakes, lessons learned, and how they achieved certain goals in a clear and understandable way is an incredibly powerful trait and one that takes practice, confidence, and a willingness to be self-reflective in order to truly develop it.

Just a Thought,
Gus

Not getting the Daily? Is it ending up in your spam folder?
Please make sure to add d-ddaily@downing-downing.com to your contact list, address book, trusted sender list, and/or company whitelist to ensure you receive our newsletter. 
Want to know how? Read Here