Three merchant categories most vulnerable to web-related fraud
Omnichannel retailing has ushered in a plethora of ways for consumers to purchase and receive goods. Between e-commerce, m-commerce, click and collect in-store and international orders, the various modes of getting product to the customer have unfortunately also led to new channels whereby merchants can be scammed. Here is a rundown of the top three most vulnerable categories of retailers, and some of the ways scams play out:

Most Vulnerable to Fraud - Retailers Selling Digital Goods:
The category 'digital goods' can take many forms, but for our purposes, we're referring to anything that changes hands by instant delivery. The challenge around instant delivery is that it significantly reduces the time window for fraud checks. If these merchants were selling a physical good, they might otherwise have time between when the order was placed and when it was shipped. Probably the most vulnerable type of product within this class is digital gift cards. There's a significant secondary market for digital gift cards - a number of websites exist with the sole purpose of fencing them. For the e-commerce retailer, if someone buys a gift card using a stolen credit card number, they are not only out that money, as they are often liable for it, and when that gift card is redeemed for merchandise, they get hit again-so they lose both the money and the goods.

Second Most Vulnerable - International Merchants:
In international retailing, the challenges are different - the biggest being identity validation, verification and authentication. It's hard enough knowing who your customers are when they walk into your store, but when it comes to shipping goods across borders (or receiving them), the basic questions become exponentially more difficult to answer. Is the purchaser who they say they are, and where they say they are? Is that a valid address? Is there risk associated with that address? Whenever retailers have to ship product, they have to check both billing and shipping addresses. When you go overseas, the availability of that data becomes very spotty. 

Third Most Vulnerable - Omnichannel Merchants:
The category we're describing here is where the order and pickup channels are different-for example, the customer can buy a product online and pick it up in store, also known as click-and-collect. In this category, the fraud loophole is pretty straightforward, but an astonishing amount of it happens anyway. For a retailer with, let's say $1,000 worth of product stolen a week, more than a quarter of it is being brazenly picked up by individuals claiming to have legitimately purchased it online. internetretailer.com

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Madison, WI: No arrests in shooting at East Towne Mall;
victim refused to cooperate
Police in Madison are still searching for the person who shot a 19-year-old man in the leg at East Towne Mall. Police spokesman Joel DeSpain said no arrests have been made in Saturday's shooting, partly because the victim isn't cooperating. DeSpain told the Wisconsin State Journal two groups of at least 10 young men, including the shooter and the victim, were fighting at East Towne Mall when one shot was fired. The bullet hit the victim's upper thigh and ricocheted off the pant leg of a kiosk employee, who wasn't hurt. The shooting prompted a temporary lockdown. DeSpain said police have video from mall security and some stores, but the shooting wasn't captured. Detectives and the department's gang unit are reviewing the video to try to identify those involved. channel3000.com

Houston, TX: Security Guard killed in shooting at Anderson Mart
A man is dead after a shooting outside a southwest Houston gas station. According to homicide investigators, someone called police about a suspicious vehicle parked outside the Anderson Mart. Arnold Semmelrock with HPD Homicide said when officers arrived they discovered a man dead inside a security patrol car. Semmelrock told abc13 they currently have no witnesses to the crime. He is working to get security footage from the business as the investigation moves forward. "I do not believe the store was open," said Semmelrock. "I do not believe he was hired by the store but may have been hired by the neighborhood or someone nearby." abc13.com

Denver, CO: Theft suspect dies after officer-involved shooting
outside 7-Eleven in Denver
An Aurora Police officer or officers shot and killed a man driving a stolen Jeep at a Denver convenience store late Monday night, authorities say. Denver police are investigating whether the suspect tried to ram an Aurora police squad car, said Sonny Jackson, Denver police spokesman. The stolen jeep crashed into a building, Jackson said. The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment, but later was pronounced dead, Jackson said. Police officers involved in the incident were not injured. denverpost.com

Teen girl, man stabbed in brawl at Park City Mall
More than two dozen young people were involved in fights at the Park City Mall, leaving two people, including a teenage girl with stab wounds. wgal.com

Garfield, NJ: 2 guilty in shooting of undercover Police Officer during Marshall's Armed Robbery last year
Two men pleaded guilty today to charges related to an incident in which an undercover police officer was shot and wounded during an armed robbery attempt outside a Marshall's store in Garfield last year. Melvin Guzman, 20, of Garfield, pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree attempted robbery before Superior Court Judge Susan J. Steele in Bergen County. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Guzman be sentenced to eight years in state prison, nearly seven of which must be served without possibility of parole. Patrick Morel, 23, of Clifton, also pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree attempted robbery, and the state also will recommend that Morel be sentenced to eight years in years in state prison, including nearly seven years without possibility of parole. njtoday.net

UK: London: Thousands of Christmas shoppers evacuated from Regent Street after security scare
Crowds were ushered out if the road, one of the busiest streets in London, following reports of a 'suspicious taxi' abandoned in the road. Around 600ft of the road was cordoned off close to world famous Hamleys toy store as police descended on the scene, shortly before 2pm today. One witness said the car's windows had been 'shot out' by police. A photograph later emerged that shows what appears to be bullet holes in the back window of the cab. The Metropolitan Police have since declared the area safe and have reopened Regent Street. Customers were told to stay inside shops and away from windows as bomb disposal experts reportedly examined the car, which was parked at a taxi rank. A Metropolitan Police spokesman later confirmed there was 'nothing suspicious'. express.co.uk

Pharmacy delivery vans targeted by thieves seeking painkillers -
Up 400% since 2012
Delivery vans that transport prescription painkillers from warehouses to pharmacies and hospitals are the targets of an escalating number of thefts across the country, STAT has learned. Amid a nationwide epidemic of opioid addiction, the delivery vans have become an appealing and vulnerable target for thieves, addicts, and drug dealers.

Hitting the right pharmaceutical courier can yield a payoff similar to robbing an armored car. But the pharmaceutical van drivers usually receive little security training, work alone, and rarely carry weapons.

Known in the shipping industry as last-mile thefts, the courier robberies are causing alarm because in addition to putting addictive prescription drugs in the hands of criminals, these incidents often involve the use of weapons and take place in busy public areas, such as pharmacy parking lots.

In the last two years, there have been nearly 100 last-mile pharmaceutical thefts nationwide, according to FreightWatch International. That's nearly four times the rate of similar incidents in 2012, although the company said some of that increase could be the result of better reporting. Pharmaceuticals made up 98 percent of all last-mile cargo thefts over the last two years, according to FreightWatch.

An industry group, which has recently focused on improving pharmacy delivery van security, reported 87 cases of robbery, theft, and what it calls suspicious activity related to last-mile deliveries in the first 11 months of this year. That is up from 72 such incidents in 2014, according to the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Coalition. statnews.com

Rapid City, SD: Thief arrested; stole the Safe from a Goodwill store
The man suspected of stealing a safe containing cash as well as the Christmas spirit from the local Goodwill store was arrested on Saturday after he was found hiding in the attic of his north Rapid City residence. Pennington County Sheriff's deputies arrested Cory Croyle, 28, of Rapid City, on charges that on the night of Saturday, Dec. 12, he broke into the Goodwill of the Great Plains store and stole several items, including the safe and cash. The safe has not been returned to the store, she said, adding she expected it to be kept as evidence for at least 30 days. Rhode said the thief was able to open the safe, "And all the money was gone, of course." rapidcityjournal.com

Natchitoches, LA: Police agencies nab suspects in multiple Armed Robberies
A group of men have been linked to at least three armed robberies that happened recently in Natchitoches Parish, including one on Saturday during which one of the suspects fired a weapon as the group fled with cash and credit cards taken from the business and shoppers. The Natchitoches Police Department got several 911 calls not long after midnight Saturday from employees at the Popeyes restaurant. As detectives were investigating that incident, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office responded to an armed robbery around 9:30 p.m. at the Dollar General store. Store employees told deputies that four armed suspects wearing ski masks robbed the store of about $1,900 and took money and credit cards from two shoppers. thetowntalk.com

Decatur, IL: Police arrest two suspects in jewelry store smash-and-grab
Police arrested two suspects Sunday in a smash-and-grab burglary of a downtown jewelry store. Bruce L. Freeman, 19, of Decatur, was arrested about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in connection with the burglary of Flora Gems, which occurred the afternoon of Oct. 31. He is being held in the Macon County Jail on $85,000 bond. A 16-year-old male was also arrested in connection with the burglary. He is being petitioned to appear in juvenile court, said Decatur deputy police chief Cody Moore. Two males wearing Halloween masks had entered the store with hammers while customers were present, smashed display cases and stole jewelry, including a necklace valued at $972. The suspects in the jewelry burglary were identified through a tip to CrimeStoppers, said a news release by Moore. herald-review.com

Detroit, MI: Target Asset Protection agent assaulted inside security office
Police were dispatched to Target on Allen Road, in reference to an assault and retail fraud at about 8 p.m. Dec. 17. A loss prevention officer told police he observed a 51-year-old Detroit man stole $549 worth of merchandise. He said he was able to apprehend the man and took him into an office to wait until police arrived. While there, the man attempted to leave while the employee blocked the exit. He is seen on surveillance video grabbing the employee by the neck and then striking him in the head before forcing his way out of the office. The man exited the store, went to a truck and left the parking lot. The man left his cell phone and driver's license with the employee before leaving. thenewsherald.com

Charleston, WV: Mexican nationals sentenced for credit card fraud
Two Mexican nationals were sentenced Monday for credit card fraud, according to information from U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin's Office. Marco Carrillo, 22, and Luis Vazquez, 24, both of Sonora, Mexico, were each sentenced to eight months in federal prison. Carrillo and Vazquez previously pleaded guilty in September of 2015 to federal charges of conspiring to commit credit card fraud. Carrillo and Vazquez traveled to Charleston from Mexico to pick up a package at Federal Express (FedEx) that contained 100 fraudulent credit cards. They intended to use the fraudulent cards to buy electronic goods and gift cards. wsaz.com

Tonawanda, NY: Charges filed in $7,500 theft at 84 Lumber
An East Franklin man faces theft charges after he was accused of taking checks, cash and a crowbar from the 84 Lumber store in North Buffalo. North Buffalo Police charged Heath D. Kuntz, 40, with felony charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy, a misdemeanor count of possession of an instrument of crime and a summary charge of retail theft. He is accused of taking about $550 in cash and about $6,900 in checks, along with a blue crowbar, from the store on Aug. 20. triblive.com

Louisville, KY: Self-proclaimed bishop forces alleged shoplifters to apologize on camera
A self-proclaimed church bishop has been banned from a Louisville business after he recorded himself confronting alleged shoplifters and forcing them to apologize -- in a video he then posted to social media. Employees at a Dollar General on Dixie Highway say Kenneth Hopkins volunteered his time doing security at the store, but they say he was not employed with the company. "This is Bishop Kenneth Hopkins -- pastor and founder of Beyond the Walls Outreach," Hopkins is heard saying in one of several videos on his Facebook page. "I'm gonna have mercy on another individual because God has had mercy on me." Hopkins posted that he would then let the alleged shoplifted leave and he would not call police. In one video a woman is seen crying as she tries to shield her face. wdrb.com

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