Stepping Back in Time: ORC Gangs 100 Years ago in the UK
1915 - All-Female Gang - The "Forty Elephants" Ran by
"Queen of Hoisters" Alice Diamond
Using booster clothes and various techniques used by gangs even today, they literally raided and terrorized shops in London and throughout the UK for an entire generation.

With the 'Queen' arriving at stores in magnificent furs in chauffeured driven limousines she'd loot a fortune in jewelry and clothes while her gang kept the store employees busy with all kinds of schemes. From false arms in blouses, booster coats and blouses, distracting associates, using decoys, 'crushing' counters with a crowd of women, using 'ringers' to fluster associates, and forging exact imitations of jewelry. dailymail.co.uk



Tucson, AZ: Tucson police crack down on retail theft
The Tucson Police Department launched Operation Everyone Pays, arresting people who were stealing from stores. Sgt. Michael Jennings' unit works on retail theft all year, but worked the extra effort in the area near the Tucson Mall over the weekend. The crime increases with holiday shopping. "Organized retail theft is a multi-billion-dollar trade in this country," Jennings said. "It's really hitting retailers very hard. And it affects us all in terms of prices. The prices that you pay at the register are reflective of losses that the retailers face, so it hurts us all." The unit focuses on organized retail theft, which is different from shoplifting. Shoplifters face a misdemeanor charge when they steal for personal use. When a thief steals in order to sell something for cash or return it for a gift card, the penalties are much worse. Most offenders are feeding a heroin habit. Officers often find needles and other paraphernalia when they make arrests. Jennings attributes much of his unit's success to cooperation with security employees at stores. kvoa.com

Hoover, AL: Police arrest 2 women who spent $16,500 at Sam's Club using cloned credit cards
Hoover police arrested two women accused of using stolen or cloned credit cards to make more than $16,500 in purchases from Sam's Club over two days. Liyipsi Lopez-Lima, 34, of Hialeah, Fla., and Olga Lidia Gonzalez-Diaz, 40, of Miami were arrested after Hoover police responded to a report from loss prevention employees who suspected the women of using stolen credit cards. Police found the women to be in possession of at least 42 cloned cards. The women purchased more than $3,500 in goods using the bogus cards before police arrived at the store at around 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to Hoover police. Police say the women also used the stolen cards to buy more than $13,000 in merchandise and gift cards from the same store the previous day. The cloned cards appear to belong to multiple victims whose credit card numbers were stolen using a gas pump skimming device, according to Hoover police. al.com

Somerset, PA: Four arrested after Police find 88 fake credit cards;
$4,000 in merchandise recovered
Authorities in Somerset County say four people were arrested Friday night after attempting to buy gift cards with bogus credit cards. Somerset Borough Police Chief Randy Cox says the four people first tried to purchase more than $300 worth of gift cards from the Dollar General in Somerset Township. When their credit card was denied, police say they left as a store cashier called other Dollar Generals in the area. Police said the suspects stopped at the Dollar General on East Main St. in the borough a short time later and again tried to purchase more than $300 worth of gift cards, but again their cards were denied. Police said they left quickly, which raised the suspicion of the clerk, who called 911. Through the help of Somerset State Police, Cox said all 88 credit cards, which had the names of the four occupants of the car, were fake. Police said they also discovered more than $4,000 worth of merchandise inside the car that had been purchased with the fake cards. The four are believed to be from the Philadelphia, PA and Brooklyn, NY area. wjactv.com

NYC, NY: Man, Woman Stole Jewelry From Madison Avenue Store
Police are searching for a man and woman they say stole several pieces of jewelry from a Madison Avenue store last week. The duo entered Links of London just after 3 p.m. Monday. The woman removed eight pieces of jewelry from a display case while the man blocked the employee's view of the theft, police said. cbslocal.com

NYC (west Village), NY: Thief Leaves Verizon Store With 13 Electronic Devices in His Pants
The 33-year-old man was spotted in the closed store at 154 W. 14th St. about 5:25 a.m. on Dec. 8 by someone who was walking home from work, police said. The witness noticed the man in the Verizon Wireless store, taking items off the shelves, and called 911, police said. When officers arrived at the store, the door was ajar and the man was spotted putting electronic devices in his blue scrub pants in front of the store, police said. Police said he tried to walk away, but officers noticed several large bulges in his pants. Officers stopped him and took approximately 13 devices out of his pants, police said. An assistant store manager said he took 61 cellphones in all, but carried some of them in Rite Aid bags. dnainfo.com

New Hartford, NY: Women stole $1,400 worth of goods from Wal-Mart

Racine WI: Man Accused of Stealing 64 DVDs from Family Video valued at $830

Cedar Grove, NJ: Woman stole $670 in baby formula from a Foodtown Supermarket