Sensormatic Hard Tags Aid In Organized Retail Crime Prevention Part 2

Sensormatic Hard Tags Aid In Organized Retail Crime Prevention Part 2

I started this series on Sensormatic Hard Tags based on a news story I came across about a group of three people who had formed an Organized Retail Crime group. The group was caught and police recovered over $100,000 in merchandise but the overall impact to stores in the area over a 5-year period was estimated to be between $5 and $9 million dollars. The group had others stealing for them and then they would sell the merchandise at a discounted price at a flea market. As a former Loss Prevention Manager I have dealt with Organized Retail Crime groups and I know first-hand the financial impact they can have on a store. Loss Prevention Systems, Inc. (LPSI) founder Bill Bregar also knows the financial drain these organizations can place on a store. As a former Director of Loss Prevention for several major retailers Bill has had to find the resources that can stop shoplifting. LPSI focuses on helping small and medium sized retail businesses that can’t afford a Loss Prevention team find a solution to theft issues. One of those solutions is to use Sensormatic tags on merchandise to stop all types of shoplifting, including ORC groups.

Sensormatic Hard Tags - Catch ShopliftersI know what you’re thinking, “A tag is going to stop shoplifting and keep an organized crime ring from stealing me blind?” I won’t go so far as to say they will stop shoplifting completely, there is always going to be a knothead who is going to gamble being caught stealing if there is a promise of quick money for a drug purchase. For the most part shoplifters and even the drug addicts who are the key to the operations of organized crime groups, don’t take unnecessary chances. Sensormatic hard tags are recognizable by nearly everyone and criminals absolutely know what they are and how they work.  Crooks know that trying to steal merchandise with one of these tags attached is a good way to go to jail and that is NOT the place a drug addict wants to be when the urge hits. Sensormatic products deter shoplifters through their visual impact and the alarms they cause when tagged items are carried close to electronic article surveillance towers.

While some of those reading now may have a better understanding of the benefit of using Sensormatic hard tags and why ORC activity is a concern there are some who are still skeptical. I have a few statistics to share that may change the minds of those doubters. According to the National Retail Federation 2017 Organized Retail Crime Survey:

• 94.6% of surveyed retailers believe their company has been the victim of organized retail crime this year (pg. 5).

• Responding companies report an average loss of $726,351 per $1 billion dollars in annual sales volume due to ORC activity in the past 12 months (pg. 5).

• 34 states now have ORC laws on the books (pg. 7).

• The top stolen items for ORC groups: designer clothing, denim pants, razors, infant formula, designer handbags, laundry detergent, cigarettes, high-end liquor, jewelry and teeth whitening strips (pg. 8).

If this information does not convince you that ORC poses a threat to your business then let me give you one last bit of information from pg. 10 of the report. The authors write, “98.5% of responding retailers said ORC gangs are just as aggressive or more aggressive and violent when compared with last year.” Not only does an organized crime group cause financial losses to a store, they pose a safety risk to store employees.

Preventing all theft is important and store owners should be concerned with putting a stop to it. Preventing theft by Organized Retail Crime groups is even more important because they aren’t doing it for the thrill, they are doing it for the money. The fact that they are becoming increasingly more violent and aggressive only compounds the problems they cause store managers. Protect your merchandise with Sensormatic hard tags and make criminals think twice before they bother your store.

Sensormatic hard tags are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547and let’s talk.

What is the purpose of a Social Trace?

What is the purpose of a Social Trace?

Issue concerning employee background checks

Question: What is the purpose of a Social Trace?

Response

Answer: A Social Trace looks for addresses associated with the Social Security Number. These addresses provide what states to be searched for possible criminal records. An applicant can have a clean record in the current state of residency and have a criminal history in another state.


LPSI (Loss Prevention Systems Inc.) is the leading nationwide seller inside the U. S. for Checkpoint Systems and Alpha High Theft Solutions. We have nationwide sales, supplies, and services. Loss Prevention Systems delivers more than shoplifting prevention products; it also brings knowledge in retail industry while providing actual guidance on using methods to prevent retail thefts and merchandise losses. Prevent Retail Loss NOW with Loss Prevention Systems and Checkpoint Systems solutions.

For additional info on Checkpoint Systems, go to the website atwww.LossPreventionsystems.com or call 1 (770) 426-0547.

Why should’t I do background checks myself?

Why should’t I do background checks myself?

 

Why do I need Loss Prevention Systems to conduct a pre-employment background checks when I could do some of this myself?

  • A Background Check Company does the work for you, on time and quickly.
  • We understand and abide by the extensive and ever changing Federal, State and Local government laws and regulations.
  • We search actual court house records for criminal histories. Many background check companies use commercial databases that are not complete, do not have current information and in most cases do not have any real information
  • Would you want to know if the applicant is a registered sex offender? If you own a daycare center or other company where children are at this is important information. But this also applies to your employee’s safety. Having a male sex offender working with a woman could cause you extensive risk. How would you feel if something were to happen you could have prevented. By the way, the laws do not allow a defense of “I did not know”. As an employer you have an obligation to know.
  • Does your company employ drivers? A motor vehicle check could uncover a suspended license and prior traffic convictions. Do you want a driver with your name on his uniform driving your vehicle on a suspended or revoked license?
  • We have tools to uncover details that an applicant may be trying to hide from you such as previous employers they do not want you to see. Did you know that one of the most lied about items on resumes and applications are the dates of employment?
  • In special investigative cases we can dig even deeper into a candidate’s background. In many instances the tools we use can give us so much information it can be overwhelming. In those special investigation we can give you the raw data or we can sort through it for you.
  • Loss Prevention Systems sticks with you throughout the process. Do not understand what all of those criminal charges mean? We can help you with that.
  • Need a rejection letter because the candidate did not meet your background check standards? We provide that template to you.
  • Want your background checks FAST? How about same day or next day turnaround as the norm for most checks.
  • Want to talk to a real person where you are not just some account number? In fact we do not even have account numbers. We have clients that we know by name and their changing needs. Loss Preventions goal is to be your partner and stand with you. When you call or email us you reach the same person that knows who YOU are.
  • Our software platform is state of the art. We are connected in some cases directly to the government databases that provide criminal records. This eliminates the middleman and gives us much more reliable information.
  • If we see something suspicious we let you know. This give YOU control over your background investigations.

Questions you would like to ask a job candidate

Q: What questions can I ask employee candidates in the interview (not really!)? Okay we know what we would like to ask!

  • Are you lying?
  • Why is there a gap between employments? Were you in jail….or prison?
  • Have you been convicted of a crime?

If “yes” answer the follow up question is: Do you need a separate piece of paper to list them?

  • Do you intend to steal from my company?

If “yes” answer the follow up question is: Will it be more than $5000 or less?

  • Have you murdered anyone in the last 7 years?
  • Are there any undiscovered bodies buried anywhere on your property or under your basement floor?
  • Has your photo or likeness ever been on a Post Office bulletin board?
  • Have you ever appeared in an episode of COPS and not either wearing a uniform or as the Camera Man?
  • Do you have any prison tattoos?
  • Do you restrict the use of illegal narcotics to weekends only or just on trips funded by the money and merchandise you will steal from me?
  • Have you ever left a crime scene before the Police arrived?
  • Do you intend to steal from my customers?
  • Which illegal narcotics do you use on a daily basis?
    • Heroin
    • Cocaine
    • LSD
    • Meth
    • All of the above
  • Have you ever appeared on a sex offender list in ANY country?
  • After answering “yes” to any of these questions do you really think I am going to employ you?

LPSI Customers – If you would like a real list of 100 questions you CAN ask please contact us.

Identity Theft

Let me jump right to it – stealing someone’s identity is fairly easy.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (www.FTC.gov/idtheft ), ID theft strikes nearly 10 million U.S. consumers every year. That’s a bit unnerving.

You guard your credit card with your life, you don’t give out your social security number to just anyone and your passwords are all cryptic and yet – you could still be a victim and not know until it’s too late.

Part of protecting yourself is education. I want to talk to you about five areas of identity theft.

1. Social Security Number Theft – You might be surprised to find out that your child’s SS # is even more at risk than yours. Credit accounts are opened, jobs are obtained, medical insurance is purchased – all with a SS number belonging to a child. Why? Because most likely, you won’t ever check THEIR credit score – you assume they don’t have one. CBS news conducted a segment on this very thing in 2010.

2. Medical Identity Theft – With healthcare insurance premiums at an unbearable high – desperate people are committing desperate acts. Stealing an insurance ID card and having surgeries or other procedures done, is becoming more common. Women are having babies in hospitals and then leaving the medical bills, and sadly the child, behind. All the while, the woman whose identity is stolen can potentially be jailed for leaving “their” child behind and given the burden of having to prove the child is not their own.

3. Criminal Identity Theft – This happens when someone is arrested or violates a law and uses your name and address as their own. This could result in a criminal record, in your name! It could prevent you from getting that job you wanted or worse, you could end up in jail.

4. Financial Identity Theft – Typically, this involves using your personal information to obtain credit cards, loans, bank accounts, etc. You end up buying things, you’ll never see.

5. Driver’s License Theft – This is primary identification used for most of your transactions. Once a driver’s license is obtained the thief can potentially ruin, among many other things, your driving record.

Yes, this is scary, but there are things you can do to help prevent your identity from being stolen.
• Guard your information
• Shred anything that has personal information on it before you throw it away,
• If your wallet is stolen, report everything that was taken, including ID cards, credit cards, banking info.

Restoring your identity can take a tremendous amount of time and a lot of money. The key is that you must be proactive to keep this from happening to you. If you’d like to find out more about how you can protect yourself in the event that your identity is stolen please contact me.

Lisa Moore is with Work Site Connect. She has 9 years in the insurance industry. You can reach Lisa at [email protected]

Would you consider Employee Background Checks as Foolproof?

Regardless of what your opinion is of employee background checks, they should never be considered as foolproof. Several factors contribute to the fact that they may not be foolproof but one of them involves identify theft which can happen anywhere and to anyone.

I know of a manufacturing company that conducted criminal background checks and social security traces on all employees after hiring them permanently from a temp to hire agency. One particular employee who had been on the job several weeks was hired permanently and the company proceeded to conduct the employee background check according to its standard procedures. The social security trace indicated that the employee had a previous residence in a western state and this lead to the discovery of several serious charges and convictions. In the current state of residence, the employee background check uncovered an open warrant from the previous state.

After some negotiations with the employer, the state investigative agency came to the workplace and took the employee into custody for extradition to his previous residence. Once the individual was fingerprinted, it was determined that he was not the one that the warrant had been issued for. The employee actually turned out to be an illegal immigrant who had purchased the identification, a driver’s license and a social security card from a “broker” dealing in these falsified papers.

Several weeks later the employee showed up again at the plant with a new ID. But despite him having been an excellent worker, he was not rehired. Since the occurrence of this incident, this manufacturing company has changed its procedures requiring that criminal background checks are run on all contract workers that are being sent to their location.

By providing the background company with accurate identifying information, the hiring company can help ensure that it is obtaining accurate results whenever an employee background check is conducted. The hiring company should check a prospective employee’s identification carefully and ask additional questions of the applicant, if any read flags appear.

Keep in mind that it is best to run a criminal background check in every jurisdiction where the applicant has lived, worked, or attended school. Many metropolitan areas include several counties which should also be checked. But even then, it is possible to miss some information, such as a shoplifting charge that occurred while on vacation.

However, you should always conduct employee background checks regardless whether something may be missed or not since only through comprehensive employee background checks most criminal history will be uncovered.

For more information, please contact us or call 1 770-426-0547