Alpha Thunder Tag-4 WC Blog 56
i-pad theft-3
Tablet theft-4
Patient Data On Medical Mobile Devices; Protect It With Alpha Thunder Tags
Remember the credit card commercials from several years ago that gave the prices of items and ended with a some touching moment or funny ending and the narrator ended the commercial with the word “priceless”? Here is my version of the commercial:
i-pad mini $299.99
ipad air 2 $374.99
Apple i-pad pro $1,082.89
Microsoft Surface Book $1,499.99
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 $2,199.00
Personal Data Security – Priceless!
In today’s medical field the use of medical mobile devices is becoming commonplace. i-pads, tablets, laptop computers all are taking the place of paper files and records. From the viewpoint of the medical providers I can appreciate what this access means in terms of providing faster service. Patient records are available at the tap of a screen or the few clicks of a mouse. The concern that I have seen expressed in medical related websites has been the breaches of medical information security. Not only is hacking of medical information from external threats an issue, there is also the issue related to laptop theft, tablet theft and i-pad theft. Many of the devices in use today can easily fit into a purse, a book bag and even under clothing. While there are not many anti-theft tools available to prevent theft of mobile devices, there is one effective device on the market, the Alpha Thunder Tag.
So the question you may be thinking is, “Why am I concerned, my devices have gps tracking so if they leave the building they can still be tracked?” Once the device leaves the building you no longer have control over it. What information can hackers retrieve if they do get into your tablet, i-pad or laptop? The Alpha Thunder Tag prevents laptop theft or tablet theft by attaching directly to the mobile device and has three potential alarm mechanisms. The first two alarms work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. If someone were to walk out with a device that has a tag on it, the EAS alarm antenna will activate an audible alarm built into the antenna. The device itself will also activate a built in audible alarm alerting staff to an unauthorized removal of the mobile technology from the building. Should someone attempt to remove the tag from a device in an effort to steal it, there is a tamper alarm that will sound.
Aside from the value of some of the tablets and i-pads being used in the medical field, what does tablet theft, or i-pad theft benefits someone? What could they possibly do with a patient’s medical information? In an April 23, 2014 Reuters (online) article by Jim Finkle, the writer quotes a senior manager from EMC Corporation, a company specializing in data storage, “Some criminals use medical records to impersonate patients with diseases so they can obtain prescriptions for controlled substances.” On the black market, prescription medications can be valued in the thousands of dollars, depending on the drug being sold. This does not include the value of personal information on the black market which I have read in several articles can be valued from $20 to $50 per patient. The buyers can obtain information about patients from billing addresses to social security numbers. The impact can be more severe than the data breaches suffered by major retailers in the past few years. Alpha Thunder Tags keep the devices used in medical offices in the building and out of the hands of criminals and hackers. Any attempts to exit a building with a Thunder Tag protected device and has entry points/exits secured with EAS antennas will activate the alarms and allow office personnel to intervene.
Who can benefit by preventing i-pad theft and tablet theft? Any medical provider that deals with patient information can benefit. This may be the family dentist practice on the corner or the small medical research laboratory. A medical provider that can become a victim does not have to be the regional medical center or medical school it can be the smaller office serving a local town. Any facility that begins converting to the use of mobile medical devices needs to consider the security offered by Alpha Thunder Tags.
For more information on Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Remember the credit card commercials from several years ago that gave the prices of items and ended with a some touching moment or funny ending and the narrator ended the commercial with the word “priceless”? Here is my version of the commercial:
i-pad mini $299.99
ipad air 2 $374.99
Apple i-pad pro $1,082.89
Microsoft Surface Book $1,499.99
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 $2,199.00
Personal Data Security – Priceless!
In today’s medical field the use of medical mobile devices is becoming commonplace. i-pads, tablets, laptop computers all are taking the place of paper files and records. From the viewpoint of the medical providers I can appreciate what this access means in terms of providing faster service. Patient records are available at the tap of a screen or the few clicks of a mouse. The concern that I have seen expressed in medical related websites has been the breaches of medical information security. Not only is hacking of medical information from external threats an issue, there is also the issue related to laptop theft, tablet theft and i-pad theft. Many of the devices in use today can easily fit into a purse, a book bag and even under clothing. While there are not many anti-theft tools available to prevent theft of mobile devices, there is one effective device on the market, the Alpha Thunder Tag.
So the question you may be thinking is, “Why am I concerned, my devices have gps tracking so if they leave the building they can still be tracked?” Once the device leaves the building you no longer have control over it. What information can hackers retrieve if they do get into your tablet, i-pad or laptop? The Alpha Thunder Tag prevents laptop theft or tablet theft by attaching directly to the mobile device and has three potential alarm mechanisms. The first two alarms work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. If someone were to walk out with a device that has a tag on it, the EAS alarm antenna will activate an audible alarm built into the antenna. The device itself will also activate a built in audible alarm alerting staff to an unauthorized removal of the mobile technology from the building. Should someone attempt to remove the tag from a device in an effort to steal it, there is a tamper alarm that will sound.
Aside from the value of some of the tablets and i-pads being used in the medical field, what does tablet theft, or i-pad theft benefits someone? What could they possibly do with a patient’s medical information? In an April 23, 2014 Reuters (online) article by Jim Finkle, the writer quotes a senior manager from EMC Corporation, a company specializing in data storage, “Some criminals use medical records to impersonate patients with diseases so they can obtain prescriptions for controlled substances.” On the black market, prescription medications can be valued in the thousands of dollars, depending on the drug being sold. This does not include the value of personal information on the black market which I have read in several articles can be valued from $20 to $50 per patient. The buyers can obtain information about patients from billing addresses to social security numbers. The impact can be more severe than the data breaches suffered by major retailers in the past few years. Alpha Thunder Tags keep the devices used in medical offices in the building and out of the hands of criminals and hackers. Any attempts to exit a building with a Thunder Tag protected device and has entry points/exits secured with EAS antennas will activate the alarms and allow office personnel to intervene.
Who can benefit by preventing i-pad theft and tablet theft? Any medical provider that deals with patient information can benefit. This may be the family dentist practice on the corner or the small medical research laboratory. A medical provider that can become a victim does not have to be the regional medical center or medical school it can be the smaller office serving a local town. Any facility that begins converting to the use of mobile medical devices needs to consider the security offered by Alpha Thunder Tags.
For more information on Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Alpha Shark Tags-4 WC blog 32
Wardrobing-5
Wardrobing tags-3
Improve Inventory Results With Alpha Shark Tags
According to the 2014-2015 Global Theft Barometer Report, the major causes of Shortage were 39% employee theft, 38% shoplifting and 16% administrative/non-crime causes. According to a 2013 online BloombergBusiness article the retail industry estimated the cost of wardrobing to be about 8.8 billion dollars a year in return fraud. As stores prepare for the New Year and upcoming annual inventories, it is a great time to begin evaluating operational procedures and anti-theft and fraud strategies. Occasionally businesses want to try to fix everything at once and they try to roll out a laundry list of new strategies and plans that don’t always work as planned. I believe the best strategies focus on improving one or two things at a time (unless you have a really broken store) and build on those successes. If your store sells clothing, perhaps one area you could focus on for the New Year is return fraud prevention, specifically wardrobing. Alpha Shark Tags are a great way to prevent return fraud and improve inventory control.
It can be easy to forget that inventory is more than just counting what you have on hand and what your books say you should have on hand and determining the difference. Inventory takes into account damaged merchandise that has to be marked out of stock, mark down losses, vendor credits, and so much more. This is why I believe clothing retailers could significantly improve profitability by using Alpha Shark Tags. The customers who practice wardrobing are buying clothes, wearing them for an event and returning them. They have no intention of keeping the clothes and in many cases those clothes are returned in poor condition. Clothing may be returned with stains or odors from perfume, foods, deodorant, perhaps even body odor. The effect on you, the retailer is you have to try to resell the item at a price reduction losing profit margin or you are forced to mark it out of stock and toss it out altogether, losing all profit. The only recuperation you receive is in tax write offs.
When a store uses Alpha Shark Tags they can eliminate nearly all wardrobing fraud. The wardrobing tags are placed on a piece of merchandise in a visible location that cannot be covered up or concealed by the person intending to wear the item. A prime example would be placing a tag in the outer seam of a suit jacket lapel. There is no way to hide this tag from view if worn to an event, such as a dinner party. When purchased the Alpha Shark Tag remains on the merchandise and is removed by the customer once it is taken home. It is only used once and has to be cut off to be removed. A warning label can be pinned with the wardrobing tags to let the buyer be aware that once the tag removed the garment cannot be returned to the store.
Inventory results often put retailers into a reactive mode as managers see their results and begin to try to create plans for addressing their top shrink departments. I do agree that results need to be analyzed and action plans are important to address problems, but why be reactive when it is just as easy to be proactive? Using Wardrobing tags can be an immediate action that your store takes to prevent fraud you may not have paid much attention to in the past. If wardrobing has not been a significant problem it could become one if other retailers are addressing the issue and they send their problems to your location.
I once had a store manager who told me, “Focus on what YOU can control, not on what you can’t.” You can’t control the economy, and you can’t make people buy from you. You can encourage customers to shop in your store and you can provide outstanding customer service that makes people want to buy from you. You can control much of your clothing return fraud by using Alpha Shark Tags.
For more information on Alpha Shark Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
According to the 2014-2015 Global Theft Barometer Report, the major causes of Shortage were 39% employee theft, 38% shoplifting and 16% administrative/non-crime causes. According to a 2013 online BloombergBusiness article the retail industry estimated the cost of wardrobing to be about 8.8 billion dollars a year in return fraud. As stores prepare for the New Year and upcoming annual inventories, it is a great time to begin evaluating operational procedures and anti-theft and fraud strategies. Occasionally businesses want to try to fix everything at once and they try to roll out a laundry list of new strategies and plans that don’t always work as planned. I believe the best strategies focus on improving one or two things at a time (unless you have a really broken store) and build on those successes. If your store sells clothing, perhaps one area you could focus on for the New Year is return fraud prevention, specifically wardrobing. Alpha Shark Tags are a great way to prevent return fraud and improve inventory control.
It can be easy to forget that inventory is more than just counting what you have on hand and what your books say you should have on hand and determining the difference. Inventory takes into account damaged merchandise that has to be marked out of stock, mark down losses, vendor credits, and so much more. This is why I believe clothing retailers could significantly improve profitability by using Alpha Shark Tags. The customers who practice wardrobing are buying clothes, wearing them for an event and returning them. They have no intention of keeping the clothes and in many cases those clothes are returned in poor condition. Clothing may be returned with stains or odors from perfume, foods, deodorant, perhaps even body odor. The effect on you, the retailer is you have to try to resell the item at a price reduction losing profit margin or you are forced to mark it out of stock and toss it out altogether, losing all profit. The only recuperation you receive is in tax write offs.
When a store uses Alpha Shark Tags they can eliminate nearly all wardrobing fraud. The wardrobing tags are placed on a piece of merchandise in a visible location that cannot be covered up or concealed by the person intending to wear the item. A prime example would be placing a tag in the outer seam of a suit jacket lapel. There is no way to hide this tag from view if worn to an event, such as a dinner party. When purchased the Alpha Shark Tag remains on the merchandise and is removed by the customer once it is taken home. It is only used once and has to be cut off to be removed. A warning label can be pinned with the wardrobing tags to let the buyer be aware that once the tag removed the garment cannot be returned to the store.
Inventory results often put retailers into a reactive mode as managers see their results and begin to try to create plans for addressing their top shrink departments. I do agree that results need to be analyzed and action plans are important to address problems, but why be reactive when it is just as easy to be proactive? Using Wardrobing tags can be an immediate action that your store takes to prevent fraud you may not have paid much attention to in the past. If wardrobing has not been a significant problem it could become one if other retailers are addressing the issue and they send their problems to your location.
I once had a store manager who told me, “Focus on what YOU can control, not on what you can’t.” You can’t control the economy, and you can’t make people buy from you. You can encourage customers to shop in your store and you can provide outstanding customer service that makes people want to buy from you. You can control much of your clothing return fraud by using Alpha Shark Tags.
For more information on Alpha Shark Tags, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Alpha Security-1 , Bottle Locks-3, Liquor Bottle Security-2, Bottle Lock-2
Don’t Let Them Lift Your Spirits
There seems to be a new taste for high priced specialty spirits. With the boom in craft distilleries and new cocktails being all the rage, many retailers have also seen a big rise in thefts of these products. It’s all about supply and demand. The people demanding the products are willing to pay, and the people willing to steal from the suppliers are pulling off more daring heists than ever. If your inventory is not protected with bottle locks now, you should consider them after reading this.
The following instances have all been reported in local newspapers, evening newscasts, and internet news sites. These were all produced by just a couple of keyword searches. Although all amounts are reported at retail, don’t forget there is an associated cost to the retailer as well. Unfortunately, none of these stores had any type of liquor bottle security tools in place. They all relied on their clerks behind the counter and in some cases, their loss prevention associates.
*A pair of men stole about $500,000 worth of high end vodka from one package store during one rush hour. This was a specialty store that only deals with this type of highly coveted products and brands at exorbitant prices.
*Four men stole $16,000 worth of wine and liquor in sixteen different instances. Their biggest one time haul was $3,700.
*One rare fifty year old bottle of whiskey, worth $26,000, concealed in a shoulder bag and never seen again. (Authorities have no leads on this one.)
*A group of three women on a “shopping” spree went store to store stealing. They racked up over $7,000 worth of wine in one week.
There were many more stories; that’s just a sampling of the newest ones. I work for a small retail pharmacy, and if I lost that much inventory in one day, I’d be fired. I realize the type of store is totally different, but in my store, we utilize bottle locks. That’s one small difference that means my wines and spirits aren’t walking out the door. These are tools offered by Alpha Security that, in my mind, have been designed for two big reasons. One: to give sellers of wines and spirits peace of mind. Two: to make it almost impossible for thieves to get away with those wines and spirits. These awesome gadgets fit right over the tops of almost any size bottle. If the criminal makes any attempt to remove or tamper with the bottle lock, it has the capability to self alarm. Basically, the only way the cap is coming off is if it is removed at the checkout with the proper key. Otherwise, the bottle itself will more likely shatter before the bottle lock is going to come off. If they’re going to steal an extremely old $26,000 bottle of whiskey, they probably either plan to drink it or sell it. I’m just saying. But if it’s got a bottle lock on it, they’re out of luck. If I’m that crook and I see you’ve got bottle locks on all your inventory, I’ll quickly decide to go somewhere else to steal my booze.
That’s the biggest key reason to invest in bottle locks. Deterrence of theft is so much more effective than chasing shoplifters. Having liquor bottle security can mean two different things for your store: word gets out in the community that your store always prosecutes thieves, or word gets out that there’s no use to try and steal from your store. I think the return on investment here is a no brainer.
For more information on Bottle Locks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
There seems to be a new taste for high priced specialty spirits. With the boom in craft distilleries and new cocktails being all the rage, many retailers have also seen a big rise in thefts of these products. It’s all about supply and demand. The people demanding the products are willing to pay, and the people willing to steal from the suppliers are pulling off more daring heists than ever. If your inventory is not protected with bottle locks now, you should consider them after reading this.
The following instances have all been reported in local newspapers, evening newscasts, and internet news sites. These were all produced by just a couple of keyword searches. Although all amounts are reported at retail, don’t forget there is an associated cost to the retailer as well. Unfortunately, none of these stores had any type of liquor bottle security tools in place. They all relied on their clerks behind the counter and in some cases, their loss prevention associates.
*A pair of men stole about $500,000 worth of high end vodka from one package store during one rush hour. This was a specialty store that only deals with this type of highly coveted products and brands at exorbitant prices.
*Four men stole $16,000 worth of wine and liquor in sixteen different instances. Their biggest one time haul was $3,700.
*One rare fifty year old bottle of whiskey, worth $26,000, concealed in a shoulder bag and never seen again. (Authorities have no leads on this one.)
*A group of three women on a “shopping” spree went store to store stealing. They racked up over $7,000 worth of wine in one week.
There were many more stories; that’s just a sampling of the newest ones. I work for a small retail pharmacy, and if I lost that much inventory in one day, I’d be fired. I realize the type of store is totally different, but in my store, we utilize bottle locks. That’s one small difference that means my wines and spirits aren’t walking out the door. These are tools offered by Alpha Security that, in my mind, has been designed for two big reasons. One: to give sellers of wines and spirits peace of mind. Two: to make it almost impossible for thieves to get away with those wines and spirits. These awesome gadgets fit right over the tops of almost any size bottle. If the criminal makes any attempt to remove or tamper with the bottle lock, it has the capability to self-alarm. Basically, the only way the cap is coming off is if it is removed at the checkout with the proper key. Otherwise, the bottle itself will more likely shatter before the bottle lock is going to come off. If they’re going to steal an extremely old $26,000 bottle of whiskey, they probably either plan to drink it or sell it. I’m just saying. But if it’s got a bottle lock on it, they’re out of luck. If I’m that crook and I see you’ve got bottle locks on your entire inventory, I’ll quickly decide to go somewhere else to steal my booze.
That’s the biggest key reason to invest in bottle locks. Deterrence of theft is so much more effective than chasing shoplifters. Having liquor bottle security can mean two different things for your store: word gets out in the community that your store always prosecutes thieves, or word gets out that there’s no use to try and steal from your store. I think the return on investment here is a no brainer.
For more information on Bottle Locks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
