In Case You Missed It

FaceFirst + ROC: AI You Can Trust. Accuracy You Can Prove.

Gatekeeper Systems’ Strategic Partnership with ROC Adds Top-Ranked Facial Recognition Algorithm to Industry Leading FaceFirst Software

Foothill Ranch CA, December 3, 2025 — Gatekeeper Systems, a pioneer in intelligent theft prevention solutions, today announced a significant enhancement to its FaceFirst platform with the integration of technology from ROC. ROC is the #1 American provider of facial recognition and vision AI and trusted by the U.S. Department of Defense, numerous law enforcement agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.

FaceFirst’s ROC algorithm integration delivers a new level of accuracy, fairness, and operational trust to enterprise loss prevention programs. It helps retailers reduce false alerts, improve investigative efficiency, and strengthen risk mitigation without requiring new hardware or additional costs.

Read more here
 

Is D.C. Sidelining ORC Bill?
Retailers should matter to legislators

Two issues in particular — organized retail crime (ORC) and credit card “swipe fees” — illustrate how slow congressional action and regulatory inertia are costing businesses and consumers alike.

Yet despite its scale and importance, some of the industry’s most pressing policy concerns continue to be sidelined in Washington. Two issues in particular — organized retail crime (ORC) and credit card “swipe fees” — illustrate how slow congressional action and regulatory inertia are costing businesses and consumers alike.

Organized retail crime is a big problem for retailers. This is not about the occasional theft, but about sophisticated operations involving stolen goods, gift card fraud and cargo theft.

A recent study released by the NRF and the Loss Prevention Research Council, and sponsored by Sensormatic Solutions, called “The Impact of Theft and Violence 2025,” found that retailers reported an 18% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year between 2023 and 2024. Threats or acts of violence during shoplifting or theft events increased 17% during that same time period, the report found.

There’s a legislative solution that retailers see as offering hope. The bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) would strengthen coordination among federal, state and local agencies; provide better investigative tools; and impose tougher penalties on the networks behind these crimes.

A broad coalition of retailers, including the NRF and the Retail Industry Leaders Association, has urged Congress to pass CORCA before year-end, warning that enforcement gaps are leaving stores and employees vulnerable.

“As we approach peak retail and shipping season, the need for stronger tools to combat ORC remains urgent,” retailers and their trade associations stated in a letter to Congress last month. “Criminal networks continue to target certain segments of the supply chain and enforcement gaps across multiple jurisdictions.” massmarketretailers.com


What's Fueling Cargo Theft Wave?
Digital Deception is Driving a New Wave of Cargo Theft

You can’t afford to treat cyber cargo crime as just an insurance issue or an IT problem. The reality is more complex.

Cargo theft isn’t new. For decades, criminals have targeted trucks at rest stops, unsecured yards, or in-transit shipments. What’s new is digital deception. Today, cybercriminals don’t need bolt cutters or stolen keys. They only need an email address, a spoofed carrier profile, or a hacked dispatch system. Bad actors orchestrate physical theft through cyber fraud, costing shippers and logistics providers dearly.

Cargonet noted a 46% increase in cargo theft in the United States between 2023-2024, with cyber-enabled fraud playing a significant role. The same tactics that once diverted wire transfers now redirect entire freight loads. Theft remains the crime, but the methods have grown more sophisticated and more difficult to defend against. These evolving threats are serious, but there are measures you can use today to stay protected.

When cybercrime hits the road

Traditional cargo theft conjures images of stolen trailers or fenced-in lots. But today’s scams involve fraudulent pickups, where impostors pose as legitimate carriers to steal freight. In one real-world case, criminals hacked into a trucking company’s system, identified a scheduled pharmaceutical pickup, and contacted the legitimate driver to “reschedule.” A fake truck with the right branding arrived at the warehouse on time, loaded the shipment, and vanished.

These crimes aren’t opportunistic. Threat actors infiltrate logistics systems, monitor schedules, and insert themselves between shippers and carriers. The rise of load boards and digital freight-matching platforms, while increasing efficiency, has also created new vulnerabilities. Because these systems often allow anyone with minimal documentation to post or accept loads, fraudsters can pose as legitimate carriers, secure shipments, and disappear before verification catches up. The convenience of fast digital matching dilutes the vetting process, giving criminals an easy entry point into the supply chain. And when the fraud succeeds, many companies discover that their insurance can’t handle this new reality.

Why insurance isn’t always a safety net

Many companies assume their cargo policies will respond in the event of theft. But cyber-enabled thefts are exposing dangerous coverage gaps. sdcexec.com


Top Theft State Searches for Solutions
As WA ranks No. 1 in U.S. for retail theft, lawmaker pushes for reform
Washington is the nation’s unfortunate leader when it comes to retail theft — an issue that some state lawmakers are signaling needs urgent attention.

In a 2024 Forbes Advisor survey, Washington ranked as the No. 1 state in the nation most impacted by retail crime. Now state Rep. Mari Leavitt, a University Place Democrat, is sounding the alarm on organized retail crime (ORC), the coordinated stealing and reselling of goods for financial gain, typically by large-scale crime rings.

Last session Leavitt introduced legislation that sought to crack down on organized retail theft via sentencing enhancements, but it didn’t move beyond a public hearing. (Opponents of the measure argued that harsher sentences don’t deter people from committing crimes.) Since then, Leavitt said she’s worked on the bill, which attracted bipartisan support.

Leavitt said a King County prosecutor recommended language to make her bill stronger, which will be incorporated into an amendment. Still, she added, money is needed to prosecute these cases.

Leavitt noted that in 2022, then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson developed an Organized Retail Crime Theft Task Force in the AG’s office to help tackle the problem.

State Rep. Roger Goodman, a Kirkland Democrat who chairs the House Community Safety Committee, called retail theft a “huge problem” during a Dec. 4 work session, noting that legislators will be considering ways to address it. Organized retail crime has surged nationwide, according to a 2024 report from the National Retail Federation. Retailers reported that in 2023, the average annual number of shoplifting incidents was 93% higher compared with 2019. theolympian.com


ILORCA Sounds the Alarm Over Gift Card Fraud
Gift Card Fraud: Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association urges vigilance this holiday season

As gift card fraud surges, consumers and businesses should learn warning signs

Gift card fraud is a growing threat across the United States, as criminal networks steal, tamper with, and drain gift cards to launder money and finance further illegal activities. The Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association (ILORCA) is sounding the alarm, urging consumers and businesses to stay vigilant this holiday season.

Gift card fraud has grown increasingly sophisticated, with organized criminal groups using a variety of tactics. Common methods include tampering with cards, hacking online accounts, and scamming victims into providing redemption codes. Stolen funds are often used to buy goods for resale, helping finance criminal operations. These thefts could be particularly devastating for families stretching their budgets during this time of economic uncertainty and inflation.

"This time of year, people are spending more money and may be especially busy and distracted as the holidays approach, making our communities vulnerable to crimes like gift card fraud,” said Anne Sagins, Executive Director of the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association. "We’re urging consumers to check gift cards carefully for any signs of tampering so their gifts reach loved ones as intended.”

To spread awareness, ILORCA hosted a virtual briefing for retailers and law enforcement. The session provided insights from the Department of Homeland Security about how these criminal schemes operate and offered strategies to help businesses detect and prevent gift card-related fraud. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) implemented Project Red Hook, a groundbreaking initiative that became federal law enforcement’s longest running and most successful operation against organized retail crime. springfieldherald.news


Top Items Stolen From Self-Checkouts?
More shoppers admit to stealing from self-checkout. What do they take?
The fact that shoppers are admitting to stealing essential staples and not expensive products like electronics is a signal that Americans are struggling with the affordability crisis, Matt Schulz, Lending Tree's chief consumer finance analyst, told USA TODAY.

The percentage who admit to self-checkout theft has also grown by 12% since Lending Tree last did the survey in 2023.

"It's just further confirmation that a lot of people are still really struggling with high prices," Schulz said. "There are certainly plenty of people who are doing just fine, but there are also an awful lot of people in this country who are really struggling to make ends meet."  usatoday.com


DC police chief resigns amid Trump pressure and crime data manipulation probe

NYC ends record 12-day streak of no murders with man shot in the Bronx