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2/27/19 d-ddaily.net







 

ZKTeco USA

Learn How Biometrics & AI Can Reduce Shrink and Generate New Revenue Streams



Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA

ZKTeco is the world’s leading developer of biometric solutions. Their products are used by some of the largest retail chains in the country to help reduce shrink. Retailers use ZKTeco biometric readers most often to prevent their employees from misusing keys and badges to gain unauthorized access to inventory, cash room, computer room and other high value rooms. Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA, discusses how retailers can leverage biometric technology to help reduce shrink and create new revenue streams.


Quick Take 1 with ZKTeco USA

Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA
with MCs Joe LaRocca and Amber Bradley

Biometrics have already reached consumers. Just look at the fingerprint reader or facial recognition camera on your phone. If biometrics are a good idea for protecting photos on your phone, Larry Reed, CEO, ZKTeco USA, tells us why it’s an even better idea for retailers protecting millions of dollars’ worth of product.



Moving Up
Sponsored by Agilence
 

Mark Stinde named Senior Vice President, Asset Protection for J.C. Penney
Previously Mark was the Vice President of Asset Protection for 7-Eleven for the past seven years. He started his career at 7-Eleven in 2010 as their Senior Director of Asset Protection. He was a significant resource to 7-Eleven in helping bring a more proactive approach to all areas of the asset protection department. Mark was a key contributor to 7-Eleven by bringing a greater focus to the asset protection processes, and worked with the IT team to bring significant improvements in the areas of technology, improving the asset protection infrastructure.

Mark also held various other operational and asset protection roles for Protiviti (Business Development, LP Practice), Circuit City (Vice President Asset Protection), Sears Holdings (Divisional VP of Loss Prevention), The Home Depot (Director LP, District Manager and Sr. Director of Safety) and Toys R Us (Regional LP Manager). He is also an Asset Protection Leadership Council Member for RILA, and a Member Board of Directors for The Loss Prevention Foundation. He earned his MBA in Business Administration and Management from Southern Methodist University - Cox School of Business. Congratulations Mark!

Submit Your New Corporate Hires/Promotions
or New Position
 


Top Industry News
 

TOTAL RETAIL LOSS Report - Survey Deadline is Tomorrow, Feb. 28th

HELP REQUIRED WITH NEW RESEARCH ON TOTAL RETAIL LOSS

In 2016 Professor Beck published a report on the Total Retail Loss (TRL) concept (https://tinyurl.com/y8v5o2p2) which aimed to provide the retail industry with a new way to define and measure how losses impact upon retail organisations. Since then it has begun to be adopted by retailers around the world to varying degrees.

He is now starting some new research to develop this work further, looking particularly to:

1. Find out about levels of awareness and use of the Total Retail Loss concept.
2. Understand how it should be adapted to keep it fit for purpose.
3. Consider the barriers to its use.
4. Assemble tools and techniques to help those who may want to use it in the future.

The first part of this research is a short online survey of retailers from around the world on their levels of awareness of the TRL concept. He would be very grateful if you could find 10 minutes to complete this survey, which can be found at:

   TOTAL RETAIL LOSS SURVEY LINK

The deadline for replying is 28th February 2019. Thank you very much for taking the time to contribute to this research - your support is very much appreciated. The results of this work will be made freely available in the summer of 2019. Please do contact Professor Beck if you would like to find out more about this research.


CIS Security Solutions Announces LPQ/LPC Scholarships in Partnership with LPF

                

As a member of the Loss Prevention Foundation, CIS Security Solutions has several LPQ/LPC Scholarships available for 2019. Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2019 and the Winners will be announced by April 30th, 2019. If you are interested, please fill out the survey. Apply Here!



More Media Ramifications of Walmart's Shift to 'More at the Door'
"Walmart says ‘goodbye’ to greeters and ‘hello’ to controversy"
Walmart's elimination of greeters is impacting workers with disabilities

Walmart is eliminating the position of greeter at more than 1,000 stores and replacing it with customer hosts whose responsibilities will include added tasks such as making cart runs, cleaning up spills and being able to lift items that weigh up to 25 pounds. While employing people who can interact with customers and accomplish other tasks seems like a positive for Walmart, there is concern that the change will leave older workers and those with disabilities without jobs.

In Marion, NC, thousands of customers at the Walmart there started a petition to save the job of Jay Melton, another wheelchair bound greeter who suffers from cerebral palsy, reports WYFF News 4. Mr. Melton has worked at Walmart for 17 years. 

In response to reports, Walmart said it would extend its deadline for workers with disabilities to find other jobs and that it would “explore the circumstances and potential accommodations, for each individual, that can be made within each store. This allows associates to continue their employment at the store as valued members of the team while we seek an acceptable, customized solution for all of those involved.” retailwire.com retaildive.com

Walmart Wins Trial Over Shopper's Black Friday Crowd Injury
An Arkansas federal jury has cleared a Walmart Inc. unit in a suit accusing the retail giant of negligently causing a Black Friday crowd to crush a woman at the head of a line to purchase a tablet on a first-come, first-served basis.

Following a three-day trial and less than one hour of deliberation, the jury found that Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas LLC was not negligent and did not cause back and finger injuries suffered by shopper Krystal Delima. The pro se suit claimed that Walmart negligently managed the sale of Samsung Galaxy tablets during a “pre-Black Friday” sale that took place on Thanksgiving night in 2014 and failed to conduct the sale in a safe manner. law360.com

'Puppet Vendors & Paper Companies'
Samuels Jewelers Laundered Money in $2B Indian Bank Fraud, Probe Finds

U.S. retailer used shell companies, sham deals to shuffle millions in cash and diamonds

A court-appointed investigator said he has found evidence that Samuels Jewelers, a century-old U.S. retail chain that filed for bankruptcy last year, laundered money as part of an alleged $2 billion fraud on India’s Punjab National Bank.

The investigator, John Carney, was appointed by a judge last year to look into the U.S. end of an alleged international fraud that ran for years across the U.S., India, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. His probe of Samuels homed in on a complex in Austin, Texas, where a collection of businesses controlled by Mehul Choksi shuffled tens of millions of dollars in cash and diamonds around, creating the illusion of deals with outside companies, the report said. Mr. Choksi, chairman of the company that owns Samuels, is wanted by Indian authorities and contact information for him isn’t available.

Samuels was used to circulate money, through deals involving “puppet vendors” and “paper companies,” that engaged in sham transactions among Choksi-controlled entities, helping to deceive Punjab National Bank into providing international trade financing to entities controlled by Mr. Choksi, according to the report filed late Wednesday in a bankruptcy court in Delaware.

Mr. Carney also found that Mr. Choksi misled customers about the quality certification of the jewelry Samuels was selling. Customers were told the jewelry was certified by an independent grading company, when that company was actually under Mr. Choksi’s control, the report said. Additionally, laboratory-made diamonds were at times substituted for naturally sourced stones, the report said. wsj.com

Everything Must Go - Literally Everything
Payless Launches The Largest Liquidation Sale In Retail History
Store-closing sales events at all 2,300 North American Stores

Payless' liquidation event will continue until all pieces of merchandise - currently valued at a whopping $1 billion - is sold. The sale will also consist of the liquidation of all stores' furniture, fixtures, and equipment. narcity.com

Judge blocks subpoena for CEO of Walmart on Shoplifting Case
The chief executive officer of Walmart won't be called to testify in an upcoming Daviess County shoplifting case, at least not unless the defense can show his testimony is essential, a Daviess Circuit judge ruled earlier this week. But said a hearing could be held in the future if Shafizadeh felt their testimony was important and answers couldn't be provided by local officials.

Circuit Judge Joe Castlen quashed subpoenas on Monday for Walmart CEO Douglas McMillan and for Thomas Arigi, director of Walmart's asset protection, safety and security. Both are based at Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Shafizadeh said he issued the subpoenas so Walmart officials could testify about the security procedures and so they could testify about the value of the items Kiper and Wallace are accused of stealing. As head of security for the company, Arigi could testify about how Walmart uses security cameras, Shafizadeh said. "There were no eye-witnesses" to the thefts, Shafizadeh said. "All they did was review the video."  messenger-inquirer.com

Retail Leaders Doubling Down on Brick-and-Mortar–For Good Reason
"The future of retail lies in its past: brick-and-mortar stores"

Retailers around the world are stepping up their data analytics game in the physical shopping realm, leveraging new technologies such as AI, cloud and robotics to not just enrich the customer cross-channel experience but dramatically improving operational execution and the employee experience as well. At a time of growing concern over how technologies such as AI and robotics will negatively affect the retail workforce, that last point is a welcome revelation.

And even though cultural and political security and privacy issues may be preventing American retailers from matching some of the more leading-edge innovations currently deployed in Asia, there’s no doubt leaders such as Walmart, Kroger, Home Depot, Gap, Kohl’s and other traditional retailers in the U.S. recognize the in-store opportunity.

Looking beyond Amazon’s physical stores in America and toward Alibaba’s Hema superstores, JD.com’s connected stores and Ocado’s fully automated warehouses has provided inspiration for some U.S. retailers. Some are even forging new partnerships with these overseas leaders to accelerate their own brick-and-mortar and fulfillment capabilities. chainstoreage.com

OSHA Whistleblower Complaints Increase by 29% From 2014 to 2018
Staff Cuts Cause Delays in OSHA Decisions & Adjudication of Claims
OSHA is charged with enforcing more than 20 whistleblower statutes. From fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2018, the number of whistleblower complaints filed with OSHA increased by 29 percent: from 7,408 to 9,566. Over this same period, the number of investigators available to investigate these claims decreased by 24 percent: from 100 to 76.

The staffing restrictions resulted in OSHA opening full investigations into only 3,007 whistleblower cases in FY 2018, the fewest number of new investigations since 2013. This means, on average, each investigator opened approximately 40 new investigations in FY 2018, in addition to their already existing caseloads. Also during FY 2018, OSHA closed 2,964 investigations, down 15 percent from the prior year and the lowest since FY 2012. The average time to complete an investigation in FY 2018 for all types of whistleblower cases was 284 days, seven days more than the FY 2016 average. natlawreview.com

Panera Trying to Stop Founder & ex-CEO From Hiring 3 Recently Fired Panera IT Execs
Three recently fired Panera IT execs have urged a Missouri federal court to toss the restaurant chain's lawsuit seeking to enforce noncompete agreements as they try to join a new firm formed by Panera's founder and ex-CEO, saying the suit is an attempt to forum-shop after Panera agreed to litigate in Delaware.

The suits from Missouri-based Panera and its former CEO highlight a clash that pits the longtime chain of 2,300 bakery-cafes — which zealously guards its trade secrets and proprietary data behind a wall of noncompetes and computer security measures — against Shaich, who now finances competing brands such as Tatte Bakery and Cafe and the recently merged Cava Mezze Grill and Zoe's Kitchen since his departure from Panera in 2018. law360.com

When the Bully Is the Boss
No Upside to Abusive Leadership
The presumption that tough bosses get results — and fast — compared with gentler leaders is widespread, and rooted partly in the published life stories of successful C.E.O.s. Bobby Knight, the Indiana University basketball coach and author of “The Power of Negative Thinking,” was notoriously harsh, and enormously successful. So was Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple.

But researchers who study organizations, productivity and leadership styles attribute the achievements of such figures to exceptional ability. The research thus far has found no evidence to support the axiom that tougher bosses get better results.

“We’ve been looking for it,” said Rebecca Greenbaum, a professor in Rutgers University’s school of management and labor relations, who formerly worked in the insurance industry. “We’d love to find out if there are good aspects of abusive leadership. There’s been a lot of research. We just can’t find any upside.”

The study of leadership style has blossomed in the last decade. Psychologists, business analysts and organization experts have conducted all kinds of investigations, from anonymous surveys of employees to studies of worker behavior over time. Various measures of productivity, performance and well-being have been called upon.

Women are no less likely than men to be abusive as bosses, across all levels of management, although they are slightly more likely to be targets of workplace abuse, researchers find. nytimes.com

Protecting Your Mobile Workforce: How to Create a Duty of Care Committee
Complacency in creating, offering and facilitating travel risks programs has proven to greatly impact safety of employees during business trips. To avoid complacency, businesses should offer travel risk programs that are current, efficient and easily accessible and not only prepare business travelers to mitigate risks ahead of business trips, but also allow travelers to mitigate risks during business trips. Creating a Duty of Care committee is a resource that is strongly encouraged to ensure the safety of business travelers within an organization.

The creation of this committee will facilitate a safer and more confident workplace, along with greater engagement and more confidence from employees. The committee’s first responsibility is to draw a charter outlining the responsibilities of the group. This document should be based on the vision and mission of the company in a way that protects and supports employees. The actions taken by the committee should always be cognizant of the best interests for the business. securitymagazine.com

Macy's to Add 45 Backstage Locations & Renovate 100 Macy's

Bumble Bee Settles US Foods' Tuna Price-Fixing Suit


Quarterly Results


TJX Companies Q4 comp's up 6%, net sales up 2%; full-year comp's up 6%, net sales up 9%
Best Buy Q4 comp's up 3%, revenue down 3.7%; full-year comp's up 4.8%, revenue up 1.7%
Ahold Delhaize U.S. Q4 comp's up 2.7%, U.S. sales up 2.6%; full-year total sales up 2.5%
Lowe's Q4 comp's up 1.7%, net sales up 1%; full-year net sales up 3.9%
Office Depot Q4 retail comp's down 5%, total sales up 3%; full-yr retail comp's down 4%, total sales up 8%

All the News - One Place - One Source - One Time
The D&D Daily respects your time
and doesn't filter retail's reality
  



The Hump Day 'Big Hump'
 








GDRP for the U.S. - We're Probably Closer Now Then Ever
Lawmakers and Businesses Hash Out Prospects for a Federal Privacy Law

The creation of federal privacy legislation has drawn widespread support from lawmakers, industry groups and privacy advocates during congressional hearings this week. But the big question of what the law should look like remains unresolved.

State and federal lawmakers are energized to consider legislation that would protect personal data after a string of privacy abuses involving the misuse of consumer data. Many congressional leaders and business executives say a federal privacy law is preferable to a patchwork of state regulations, many of which are already under consideration.

Members of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation are scheduled to meet Wednesday with representatives from the technology, retail and advertising industries to discuss potential federal privacy regulations. Senators also plan to review whether the Federal Trade Commission has enough power to enforce privacy laws.

A federal privacy law could preempt state efforts to pass their own. It could also serve as the U.S. version of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect last May and allows for multimillion-dollar fines against violators.

Lawmakers and industry groups are also hoping to get ahead of state efforts to enact their own privacy regulations. A patchwork of state privacy laws would make compliance difficult, critics say.

“I think it’s highly, highly likely that a number of states will pass privacy laws this year.” cybersecurity.cmail19.com

Customers need to be at the centre of GDPR plans
Responding to a breach is not just about data, it is about taking care of, and protecting, customers.
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has shone a light on how businesses prepare for, and respond to, a data breach.

The most robust cyber defenses operate and evolve on this basis but, when faced with such an incident, many firms will instinctively focus their resource and efforts on containment,
rather than on their most important asset: their customers.

Once the data is gone, it is the customers who need protection. As the very visible outcome of the breach takes hold, organizations with significant customer databases that do not prioritize customer needs risk magnifying the crisis exponentially. This could include the triggering of regulatory fines but also customer loss, a hit to brand reputation, trust and, potentially, even share price.

There are key steps a business can take to ensure readiness and enable an effective, customer-centric response during a breach. computerweekly.com

Trend Micro Blocks Over 48 Billion Threats in 2018
91% Increase in Ransomware Threats
BEC, cryptojacking, phishing and fileless malware attacks all surged in 2018 as cyber-criminals increasingly moved away from one-size-fits-all approaches, according to Trend Micro.

The security vendor's 2018 roundup report, Caught in the Net: Unraveling the Tangle of Old and New Threats, revealed it blocked over 48.3 billion threats over the 12 month period.

The vast majority of these (41.5 billion) were email borne.

They included over 269 million instances of phishing URL detections compared to 2017, a 269% increase. Also targeting users with social engineering is BEC, of which Trend Micro detected an extra 28% attempted attacks.

Trend Micro noted a 91% decrease in ransomware threats over the year and a 32% drop in new ransomware families, but warned that it still remains a serious threat.

Fileless techniques showed the biggest rise in detections, up 819% over the year. The vendor warned that these attacks, which typically try to circumvent traditional filters, can usually be detected only via other means such as traffic monitoring, behavioral indicators or sandboxing. infosecurity-magazine.com

Mozilla & 11 Privacy Advocate Groups Pen Letter to Retailers
Stop Selling IoT Devices Without Minimum Security
Will security concerns handicap IoT devices?

In a letter that began, “Dear Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon,”
11 privacy advocates recently urged the retail community to stop selling internet-connected devices that don’t meet minimum security requirements.

As an example of related risks, the letter pointed to the 2017 CloudPets breach, when connected teddy bears exposed 2.2 million voice recordings made between parents and their children.

The letter arrives as a number of studies attest that many IoT devices, from industrial sensors to webcams, televisions and other smart home devices, have little or no security. And while the damage from credit card breaches has led to surprise charges on billing statements, hackers of IoT devices may gain access to video feeds, conversations, an individual’s location in real time, their health data and more.

The 11 privacy advocates urged five minimum requirements: using encryption for all network communications, on-by-default and automatic security updates, the use of strong passwords for remote authentication, a vulnerability management program maintained by the vendor and the inclusion of a privacy policy. mozilla.org retailwire.com

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)
IoT Data as a Service (IoTDaaS)

The Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) is the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure to achieve more efficient IoT operations, improve human-machine interactions and enhance data management and analytics. AI can be used to transform IoT data into useful information for improved decision making processes, thus creating a foundation for newer technology such as IoT Data as a Service (IoTDaaS).

Many AIoT applications are currently retail product oriented and often focus on the implementation of cognitive computing in consumer appliances. For example, smart home technology would be considered a part of AIoT as smart appliances learn through human interaction and response. techtarget.com

Huge Blind Spot for Enterprise Defenses
Social Media Platforms Double as Major Malware Distribution Centers

Because many organizations tend to overlook or underestimate the threat, social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are a
huge blind spot in enterprise defenses.

New research from Bromium shows that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other high-traffic social media sites have become massive centers for malware distribution and other kinds of criminal activity. Four of the top five websites currently hosting cryptocurrency mining tools are social media sites.

Bromium's study also finds one in five organizations have been infected with malware distributed via a social media platform, and more than 12% already have experienced a data breach as a result. Because many organizations tend to overlook or underestimate the threat, social media sites are a huge blind spot in enterprise defenses, the study found. darkreading.com

Putin Gets His Pound of Flesh
Former Kaspersky Lab Expert Sentenced in Russia for Treason
Helping FBI Bust Biggest Spam Networks

The former head of Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab's computer
incidents investigation unit was sentenced to 14 years today in Moscow's District Military Court for treason.

Ruslan Stoyanov, who had been with Kaspersky Lab since 2012, was arrested in December 2016 along with Sergei Mikhailov, deputy head of the information security department of Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, and another officer of the FSB for alleged treasonous activities.

Stoyanov received a 14-year prison sentence and a fine, and Mikhailov, a 22-year sentence and a fine, according to an NBC News report today.

Russian media previously had reported that Stoyanov was contacted by Mikhailov to
provide FBI cybercrime analysts with information on an investigation into the activities of a Russian businessman, Pavel Vrublevsky. Details of the case have been slim.

While at Kaspersky Lab, Stoyanov led the firm's cybercrime investigation that ultimately led to the 2016 arrests of 50 members of the so-called Lurk cybercrime gang that stole more than $45 million from Russian financial institutions — Russia's largest-ever crackdown on financial cybercrime.

In 2015, Stoyanov authored a report for Kaspersky Lab on the inner workings of Russian financial cybercrime that noted that the risk of prosecution is low for cybercriminals in Russia. darkreading.com

Former Operator of Illegal Booter Services Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Computer Damage and Abuse


News from the NRF
 



Canadian Connections
Sponsored by Vector Security Network

 

Plagued by shoplifting, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries using courts to make offenders pay

Efforts to get money from shoplifters a 'colossal waste of time,' defence lawyer says

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is ramping up legal efforts to make chronic shoplifters pay. The Crown corporation, beset in recent months by a rise in shoplifting at Liquor Marts, has started registering criminal compensation judgments against convicted thieves in the Court of Queen's Bench.

A review of online court registry records shows it appears to be the first time the company has turned to the civil courts to try and recoup theft-related losses. A flurry of filings last week saw nine criminal restitution orders filed against six separate people (five men and one woman) on Wednesday alone. Each was endorsed by a provincial court judge as part of the separate criminal sentencing process.

The orders pave the way to allow Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries to try and recoup shoplifting losses through various means, including potential garnishment of wages, seizing assets, or even placing liens on property, according to a Manitoba Justice document detailing what victims can do if court-ordered restitution goes unpaid.

Most people who steal from Liquor Marts are either poor, have some kind of addiction that's fuelling their actions, or both. cbc.ca

Warning from Winnipeg Law Enforcement & Consumer Advocates
Shoplifted Items Ending Up For Sale Online

Winnipeg police and consumer advocates are warning people to ask questions before they buy to avoid purchasing stolen goods. Cst. Jay Murray said many shoplifted items are sold through apps, online marketplaces and internet classifieds.

Murray urged people to ask sellers to see proof of purchase like a photo of a receipt, and warned that stolen items could be confiscated by police. Both Winnipeg police and the Consumers’ Association of Canada Manitoba Branch stressed that buyers need to be aware before purchasing anything from apps, internet marketplaces and online classifieds.

Gloria Desorcy, executive director of Consumers’ Association of Canada Manitoba Branch, said if buyers come across someone selling large quantities of one item, to ask the seller where they got it and why they weren’t returning it to the store.

Desorcy also said that people should consider the health and safety perspective before purchasing any food items or personal products like makeup and perfume.
ctvnews.ca

From facial recognition to extra staff:
High and low tech tools used to combat rising shoplifting in Winnipeg
First Published in the Daily on Feb. 22
Stats from Winnipeg police show a steady increase in shoplifting over the past three years. In 2016, there were 1855 reported incidents of shoplifting. That number jumped to 2790 shoplifting incidents in 2017. In 2018, from January to November, there were 4465 incidents.

Patrol Sgt. Phil Penner told CTV News the increase can largely be attributed to the meth crisis.

Meanwhile, six Canadian Tire stores in Winnipeg are now using facial recognition software to combat the issue.

Downtown Family Foods co-owner Kevin Schmidt said many software programs are too expensive for small business owners. Beyond the regular surveillance cameras he has covering his store, Schmidt said he’s added staff on some shifts. Along with an extra set of hands, Schmidt said the decision provides him with an extra set of eyes in the aisle.
ctvnews.ca


$2-billion building collapse lawsuit against Loblaws could reach Supreme Court
The bodily injury lawsuit against Loblaw Companies Limited was filed in 2015 in Ontario by victims of a 2013 commercial building collapse in Bangladesh. More than 1,100 died and thousands more were injured. Some of those victims worked for a company making Joe Fresh-branded clothing intended for sale to Loblaws.

Vicarious liability is a risk for commercial clients if they are accused of bearing responsibility for negligence on the part of an employee or contractor.

The lawsuit against Loblaws was originally thrown out of court in 2017 by Justice Paul Perell of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Perell’s ruling was upheld in Das v. George Weston Limited, released Dec. 20, 2018 by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Loblaws anticipates the plaintiffs will seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, the grocer said in a securities filing released Thursday. The company has more than 500 retail stores across Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Provigo, Superstore and Zehrs. 
canadianunderwriter.ca

Black market 'significantly' hurting cannabis sales?
Saskatchewan store owner thinks so
Business has slowed down “significantly” at Eden, a cannabis store located just outside Pilot Butte and the first to open in the Regina area, since Oct. 17. This isn’t a surprise to owner Allen Kilback. Three more cannabis stores have opened in the Regina area since Oct. 17, pulling some business away from Eden, but Kilback believes there is another player picking up business in the cannabis sector.

“I think they’re still purchasing, whether it’s the black market or they’ve got to be coming from somewhere because our sales are definitely too low for the amount of consumption there is in Saskatchewan,” Kilback said.

Despite having the same proportion of cannabis users, Saskatchewan’s sales are significantly less than Alberta, even accounting for the population difference. Between Oct. 17, 2018 and the end of December, Saskatchewan saw just under $2.5 million in sales. Alberta stores racked up nearly $33 million in sales.
globalnews.ca

Register Today
RCC's Retail Cannabis Forum coming March 26 in Toronto
Retail Council of Canada's Retail Cannabis Forum will inspire attendees to explore retail opportunities and innovation in this new market, as well as discuss the challenges associated with industry regulations. This is a must-attend event for anyone who is interested in learning about the opportunities and challenges for retailers in this highly regulated market. Supplier and industry partners will want to hear from Canada's leading cannabis retailers and distributors to learn how they can better engage with this sector of the retail industry. Click here to register and learn more.
retailcouncil.org


Canada Store Openings & Expansions

Canadian Tire plans to build store at Carlingwood, close Carling location
Luxury Sportswear Brand ‘Stone Island’ Secures Canadian Flagship Retail Space
Paradies to open four new stores at Vancouver Airport
Plant-Based Concept ‘Copper Branch’ Announces 26 Locations for 2019


HBC to shutter 37 Home Outfitters locations; May close 20 Saks Off Fifth stores

Shoppers Drug Mart to shrink hours at 24-hour stores in Winnipeg

Allied Universal to receive major investment from CDPQ

Pot shops may open in Edmonton malls, city council decides

Roof collapses on 24-hour supermarket in Terrebonne, Que.

Canadians increasingly concerned about fraud, identity theft

Woman with disability banned from store after failing to pack groceries fast enough

New Westminster, BC: 'Suicidal' Man killed by police inside Walmart store
A man has died in New Westminster, B.C., following a police-involved shooting. A release from New Westminster police says it happened just before 10 p.m. Sunday. Officers were called to a report of a suicidal man, possibly carrying a firearm, at the rear of a Walmart store in the Queensborough neighbourhood. Shots were fired as officers arrived and the man died of his injuries. The release does not state who fired the shots, but it says no officers or bystanders were hurt.
ottawacitizen.com


Alert for Retailers
Victoria, BC: Credit card fraud spree costs local businesses $50,000

Victoria police are currently investigating multiple fraud incidents that they say have cost businesses more than $50,000. Police say the illegal transactions happened when customers manually entered stolen or fraudulent credit card numbers into the point-of-sale machine that accommodates debit and credit cards. If retailers notice a customer is manually entering credit card numbers, or accessing menu options on the machine, they should call police.
cbc.ca

Saskatoon, SK: Armed robbery arrest leads police to Ont. teen, 181 pieces of crack cocaine
Police were told a suspect entered the store with his face covered and produced a gun. The suspect allegedly fled with stolen cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of cash. Further investigation led officers to a home on Ramsay Court, where a 15-year-old Toronto boy was arrested, police said. According to police, a search of the home yielded a loaded gun and stolen cigarettes. Police say they also seized around $5,000 in cash and 181 pieces of crack cocaine packaged for distribution.
globalnews.ca

Winnipeg, MB: More than 45,000 illegal and 3,500 stolen cigarettes, plus over $10,000 cash seized from 3 stores

Foiled Halifax mall shooter interviewed on NightTime Podcast

Toronto, ON: Eaton Centre gunman awaits April sentencing hearing


 



Robberies & Burglaries


C-Store - Saskatoon, SK - Armed Robbery
C-Store - Oshawa, ON - Robbery
Undisclosed Store - Kitchener, ON - Armed Robbery





e-commerce
Sponsored by The Zellman Group
Retailers have become the top target for credential stuffing attacks
Bots are being used to complete rapid-fire fraudulent purchases with very little effort from the hackers behind them.

According to Akamai's 2019 State of the Internet report, released on Wednesday, the retail sector was the top target for credential stuffing techniques in the second half of 2018.

Credential stuffing attacks are automated and make use of lists of stolen data -- such as financial or online service credentials -- to send barrages of user authentication requests without the need for human interaction.

Akamai says that "All-in-One" (AIO) bots, which are capable of deploying multi-functional tools including credential stuffers, have found particular value to criminals when it comes to product purchases.

An emerging trend is the use of these bots to perform credential stuffing attacks, successfully compromise online retail accounts, make purchases, and then allow operators to resell these fraudulently-purchased items for a profit.

Over a period of eight months in 2018, Akamai detected 27,985,920,324 credential abuse attempts, with the majority of attacks stemming from the United States, followed by Russia, Canada, Brazil, and India. On average, this equates to 115 million user account compromise attempts every day.

In total, 10 billion of these attempts were focused on retail targets, spurred on by the general pattern that individuals often reuse their account credentials across different online services.

Clothing websites are most often targeted, followed by department stores, office merchandise suppliers, and accessory retailers. In addition, the media, entertainment, and banking sectors are all common victims of these types of attacks. zdnet.com

Fake Amazon reviews draw fraud charges in groundbreaking FTC case
The US Federal Trade Commission has successfully brought the first ever case against using fraudulent, paid Amazon reviews to falsely advertise an online product, the agency announced Tuesday evening. The company in question, named Cure Encapsulations, Inc. and owned by Naftula Jacobowitz, paid a third-party website to write five-star Amazon reviews for a weight-loss supplement called garcinia cambogia. The plant, native to Indonesia, is widely mischaracterized as contributing to weight loss, but is in fact known to cause acute liver failure.

Cure Encapsulations paid a website called amazonverifiedreviews.com to keep the product’s Amazon rating above 4.3 out of 5 stars, with reviews stating that the supplement worked as a “powerful appetite suppressant” and “literally blocks fat from forming.” The FTC found those claims to be false and unsubstantiated. theverge.com

Costco bests Amazon as most satisfying company for Internet retail, survey finds

Foot Locker invests $12.5 million in an online children’s apparel brand Rockets of Awesome

Study: Digital-first retailers drive m-commerce growth
 
"Fraud is not a person - it is a dynamic grouping of statistics that deviate from the norm."
Stuart B. Levine, CFI, CFCI
CEO, The Zellman Group & Zelligent





ORC News
Sponsored by Auror
 

Fresno, CA: Four women hit Ulta Beauty stores in Fresno and Turlock
Police are looking for four women who allegedly robbed an Ulta Beauty store in Fresno, then committed the same crime in Turlock a few hours later. Surveillance video shows the women carrying large bags and entering the Ulta Beauty on Blackstone and Nees around 11:20 a.m. Monday. They stole cologne and perfume, according to Fresno police. When an employee tried to stop one of the women, the bag tore and the merchandise fell to the floor. The woman assaulted the employee to prevent her from picking up the items, police said. fresnobee.com

Nappanee, IN: Mother-daughter accused of defrauding Victoria's Secret of over $100,000, re-selling clothes
A woman and her daughter are charged with bootlegging Victoria’s Secret merchandise through a racketeering scheme. Wendy Skwarcan-Stoll, 41, and Alexis McCartney, 18, are both charged with felony counts of corrupt business influence and forgery after cases were filed Tuesday.

The two allegedly counterfeited coupons, used them to purchase clothing and items from Victoria’s Secret stores throughout the Great Lakes region, and then re-sold the merchandise through a Facebook group.
Corporate security, through Victoria’s Secret’s parent company L Brands Inc., contacted Nappanee Police around Feb. 13 while investigating spoofed coupons that were used at a store in Racine, Wisconsin.

The agent tracked credit card information from a purchase to Skwarcan-Stoll and her home address in Nappanee, the probable cause affidavit in the case describes. The agent also matched store security camera images with Facebook pages to confirm Skwarcan-Stoll and McCartney’s identities. The investigation found the two, with fake coupons, bought more than $100,000 in merchandise at stores in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan for about a year, the affidavit shows. Skwarcan-Stoll and McCartney then allegedly put the items up for sale on Facebook.

“It was also soon learned that Ms. Skwarcan had a Facebook group called Pink Ladies Closet through which she would sell the merchandise and ship it throughout the country,” the affidavit reads. After speaking to L Brands security, Nappanee police searched the trash outside Skwarcan-Stoll’s house, 502 N. Clark St., and found Victoria’s Secret receipts and bags, as well as shipping labels and lists of sales. A handheld receipt generator and credit card scanner was also found, and police confirmed it was reported stolen from a Victoria’s Secret store in Flint, Michigan, the affidavit shows.

Police, with a warrant, later searched the home and found Victoria’s Secret clothes and accessories, fake coupons and items for counterfeiting the vouchers. Skwarcan-Stoll also allegedly admitted, while questioned by police, she and McCartney ran the coupon-resale enterprise for approximately two years, the affidavit shows. goshennews.com

Front Royal, VA: Three men connected to $4,300 theft from AT&T store
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 3 men who stole 5 cell phones and an iPad from an AT&T store in Front Royal at around 7:30 p.m Monday. The three men entered the store in the Riverton Commons shopping center and took the phones and iPad before fleeing the store on foot. None of the men appeared to have a weapon, and nobody was harmed at the store. The total value of the merchandise is $4,350. nvdaily.com

Los Angeles Man Found Guilty on All Counts in Nationwide Credit Card Fraud Scheme with Links to Sacramento and Moscow
Ruslan Kirilyuk, 41, of Beverly Hills, guilty on Tuesday of 24 counts of wire fraud.

Between approximately October 5, 2011, and March 5, 2014, Kirilyuk conspired with Mihran Melkonyan, 38, of Sacramento; Rouslan Akhmerov, 42, of Studio City; Alexandr Maslov, 38, of Sacramento, and others in a credit card billing scheme that involved creating approximately 71 fraudulent online companies established with the sole purpose of fraudulently charging approximately 119,000 stolen credit card numbers. In total, the members of the scheme billed the stolen credit card numbers for over $3.4 million in unauthorized charges. justice.gov

Women stole 40 Apple devices worth over $10,000 from Ormond Beach Walmart, officers say

Citrus Heights, FL: Man arrested following theft of $3,000 of cigarettes while distracting the Circle K employee

Sparks, NV: Police searching for 2 suspects in $2,000 theft from Target

Modesto, CA: Pricey Collectible Comic Returned To Modesto Comic Book Store After Break-Ins: $5,000 of merchandise stolen, $1,400 returned

Rostraver Township, PA: Man steals $1,000 of merchandise from Walmart, later sells items to GameStop


Retail Crime News
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Shootings & Deaths

Charleston, SC: Search underway for gunman after woman dies in Citadel Mall parking lot
A search is under way for the gunman in the shooting of a woman who died at a South Carolina shopping mall Tuesday, the Charleston Police Department said. A man was arguing with the woman in a parking lot at the Citadel Mall about 5:30 p.m., police said in a news release. Police added the man and woman knew each other. The man shot the woman before driving away, according to the news release, which said “police are trying to identify the suspect.” thestate.com

San Antonio, TX: Baby killed Dollar General shopping cart hit by suspected drunken driver
A 1-year-old baby who police said was killed Monday afternoon after a suspected drunken driver hit a shopping cart at a Dollar General store parking lot has been identified. Police identified the child as Corinna Tovar. Police said the baby's mother and another woman were also injured in the collision. Authorities have not yet identified them. ksat.com

Olathe, KS: 1 person shot outside Olathe strip mall
Police in Olathe are investigating a shooting outside a strip mall that left one person injured. The incident happened shortly after 6 p.m. in the area of Mur-Len road and East Cedar Street. When officers arrived on the scene, the found a 48-year-old woman who was suffering from gunshot wounds. She was transported to an area hospital where she is in stable condition. Officers said a 28-year-old male is in custody after a vehicle collision at an intersection. thestate.com


Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Spokane, WA: 15 year old Arrested for $10,000 Jewelry Store Theft
Police are investigating a 15-year-old suspected of burglarizing Dodson’s Jewelry in December and stealing $10,000 worth jewelry along with cash and a couple of smartphones. On February 13, police arrested the suspect and booked him into the Juvenile Detention Center for one count of theft and one count of burglary. Investigators filed search warrants on Monday to search his cellphone for evidence of the robbery. In the middle of the afternoon on Thursday, Dec. 20, the teen allegedly stole two iPhones, $250 in cash and two pieces of jewelry, totaling $9,500, from co-owner Debra Schultz’s office in Dodson’s Jewelry while she was in the restroom. spokesman.com

Chico, CA: Suspect arrested in Rite Aid Pharmacy robbery
Damian Hockaday was arrested Feb. 7 for his suspected role in the January robbery of the Rite Aid pharmacy on Mangrove Avenue. Police said two men entered the Rite Aid store about 7:15 p.m. Monday and jumped over the pharmacy counter, ordering employees to tell them where to find specific drugs. One employee was physically assaulted by one of the men, police said. The men took several different pharmaceuticals and fled the store using an emergency exit, police said. chicoer.com

Littleton, CO: JC Penney Burglars steal thousands in merchandise in Jewelry Department Smash & Grab
The JCSO is trying to ID two suspects who broke into the JC Penney around 3am Friday & stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. denverpost.com

Hoover, AL: FBI and Police believe Jared store robbery is connected to other cases

Fort Wayne, IN: Two charged in the December Armed Robbery of T- Mobile; $58,000 of merchandise stolen

Minneapolis, MN: US Army Recruiter With Baby In Stroller Helps Nab Shoplifters

Modesto, CA: Police Say Rite Aid Robbery Suspects Led Officers on 60-Mile High-Speed Chase

Anchorage, AK: Operation Warrant Round-up ends with 28 Arrests

Southlake, TX: Jamba Juice Manager Invented a Robbery to Cover Up Alleged Theft

 


Sentencings

San Francisco, CA: ISIS Supporter Sentenced to Almost 16 Years for Attempting to Provide Material Support to Foreign Terrorist Organization and Identity Theft
Amer Sinan Alhaggagi was sentenced today to 188 months for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and identity theft charges. “The highest priority of our counter-terrorism efforts is to prevent acts of violence before they occur,” said U.S. Attorney Anderson.

“Amer Alhaggagi hoped and intended to carry out acts of great cruelty in order to sow terror in our community. Through the combined efforts of local and federal law enforcement, Alhaggagi was identified, apprehended, and prosecuted before he was able to commit the violence he schemed to commit. This prosecution stands as an example of how homegrown extremists who seek to sow fear and panic into our communities can be stopped when law enforcement agencies work together.” justice.gov

Corpus Christi, TX: Suspect in Kingsville C-store Armed Robbery sentenced to prison
Richard Fonville faces 30 years in prison for kidnapping, and 30 years for aggravated robbery, along with another 10 years for assaulting a police officer. kiiitv.com

Cantonment, FL: Man found to be Mentally Competent will stand trial for the Armed Robbery of a Circle K, twice

Auburn, NY: Dry Cleaner Armed Robber sentenced to 3.5 to 7 years

Fort Wayne, IN: Two Charged With $58K cell phone store robbery

Atlanta, GA: Violent felon convicted of serial armed robberies of Waffle House restaurants and other businesses


 


Robberies and Burglaries
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Scarsdale Security Systems

AT&T – Front Royal, VA – Robbery
Auto Repair – Kokomo, IN – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Longview, TX – Armed Robbery
C-Store – Roy, UT – Armed Robbery
Comic Store – Modesto, CA - Burglary
Dollar General – Killeen, TX – Robbery
Dollar General – Davidson County, NC - Armed Robbery
Grocery – Sparks, NV – Robbery
Grocery – Dexter, MO – Armed Robbery
Grocery – Millbrae, CA – Robbery
JC Penney – Littleton, CO – Burglary
Pawn Shop – Houston, TX – Burglary
Restaurant – Southlake, TX – Armed Robbery
Restaurant – Baytown, TX – Robbery
Rite Aid – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Robbery
Rite Aid – Modesto, CA – Robbery
Ulta Beauty – Fresno, CA – Robbery
Ulta Beauty – Turlock, CA – Robbery
7-Eleven – El Paso, TX – Armed Robbery

Daily Totals:
16 robberies
3 burglaries
0 shooting
0 killed

 





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Professionalism or the lack thereof is a reflection of a person's inner self. How an executive presents themselves and talks about their former jobs, bosses and colleagues is a real indication of how they'll talk tomorrow about who they're working with today. And while it's human nature to be interested in the gossip, it's usually the wolf in sheep's clothing and the one who has the need to rationalize that has the most to say.

Just a Thought,
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