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2012 Archives
ORC ring leader and two gang members of foreign
nationals (Central & South America) busted that had hit
70 Home Depot Stores, mostly in New Jersey, and two
others are wanted. Active on more than
150 days in a recent 6 month period the ring performed
more than 500 illegal transactions valued at more than
$100,000. They are believed to have stolen items by
under-ringing them through self-checkout areas,
according to the attorney general. Ring members
allegedly used various tactics to hide their activity
from security cameras and, in some instances, distracted
store employees until their transactions were finished.
Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said "Our investigation
uncovered a ring of foreign nationals who we allege were
highly systematic and prolific in their thefts from Home
Depot stores in New Jersey and five other states."
(Source
lehighvalleylive.com)
South Florida Victoria's Secret still getting nailed by
ORC Two separate incidents of suspects
stuffing plastic bags with panties with one apprehension
and one dropping a bag filled with sweatpants, T-shirts
and tank tops when being chased and getting away.
(Source
tcpalm.com)
Excerpts from
GAO-11-675: Efforts to Combat Organized Retail
Crime
The U.S. Government Accountability Office ORC report
June 2011
Leading Online Marketplaces Have Taken Steps to
Combat e-Fencing, but It Is Unclear If Additional
Federal Action Is Warranted
eBay, the Largest Online Marketplace, Has Recently
Taken Steps to Deter e-Fencing, but Varying Business
Models and Available Resources Impact Efforts of
Other Online Marketplaces
Continued from yesterday
Law enforcement from four
local agencies, three retailers, and one retail
association also indicated that some criminals are
using Craigslist to sell stolen merchandise, and
some of them would like to see increased information
sharing from the site. However, Craigslist provides
an online classifieds service which functions
similarly to the classifieds sections of newspapers.
As such, Craigslist provides a service through which
sellers of goods can meet potential buyers, but—as
with newspaper classifieds—Craigslist has no
involvement in any actual transaction. Craigslist
does not charge for listings in its “for sale”
categories, nor does it make any money from a
completed transaction, should one occur. Since
buyers and sellers deal with each other directly,
company representatives noted that there is no way
for Craigslist staff to know whether any
transaction—lawful or unlawful—has even occurred.
Additionally, Craigslist does not require
registration to use its site and does not collect
personal information, such as name or address, about
the seller who posts an item for sale. According to
the company, its 32-member staff could not
reasonably vet sellers, as it receives approximately
1 million free “for sale” listings each day. Given
the overall volume of listings, Craigslist
representatives indicated that they feel
illegitimate use of the site is rare. However, the
company does provide a flagging feature on every ad,
so that Craigslist users can flag ads that appear
problematic. Ads receiving a sufficient number of
flags are automatically removed. Craigslist also
captures some electronic information, such as IP
address and email address, which Craigslist provides
to law enforcement when served with appropriate
legal process, such as a subpoena.
Each of the four internet marketplaces that we
reviewed, including eBay, prohibits a range of
specified products from their sites. Some of these
prohibitions are due to federal regulations, such as
those related to the sale of firearms, alcohol and
tobacco products, or other items unlicensed for sale
in the United States. However, other voluntary
product restrictions may be identified in each
site’s internal policy guidelines, and the
development and implementation of these policies is
generally at the discretion of the individual
marketplaces. While all of the online marketplaces
that we reviewed utilize a combination of mechanisms
to identify policy breaches, including technology
filters, it is unclear to what extent other existing
or emerging marketplaces will also implement such
efforts, potentially leaving them vulnerable to
being used for e-fencing.
(Source
gao.gov)
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