How The Shadowy World Of Organized Retail Crime Works

00:17:06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcF257VjFa8

摘要

TLDRThis news video details a police raid on a mansion in San Diego, suspected of being the headquarters for an organized theft ring reselling stolen beauty products from retail chains like Ulta on Amazon. The operation has allegedly generated millions of dollars from illicit sales since 2012. The video highlights the growing issue of organized retail crime, which has soared in recent years, causing significant financial losses for retailers. Police efforts to combat this crime include increasing arrests through operations with California Highway Patrol and collaboration with other agencies and retailers. Online marketplaces, including Amazon, are under scrutiny for failing to detect and prevent the sale of stolen goods by third-party sellers. The segment also covers new legislative measures, such as the Informed Consumers Act, designed to curb these activities by requiring more stringent seller verification to protect both consumers and retailers from the ramifications of organized theft networks.

心得

  • 🚔 Police raided a San Diego mansion linked to a theft ring.
  • 🛒 Stolen goods were sold online, especially on Amazon.
  • 💸 The ring allegedly netted $8 million in sales.
  • 🔍 Authorities observed a surge in organized retail crime arrests.
  • 🔐 Retailers like Ulta heighten security to combat theft.
  • 📊 Online marketplaces criticized for handling stolen goods.
  • 📝 Informed Consumers Act aims to regulate third-party sellers.
  • 👥 Coordination between industries and law enforcement is vital.
  • ❗ Consumers often unaware of purchasing stolen merchandise online.
  • 🔒 Security measures include locking up high-value items in stores.

时间轴

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    In the early morning in San Diego County, law enforcement agencies, including California Highway Patrol, converge on a mansion suspected to be the hub of a theft ring reselling stolen goods from retailers like Ulta Beauty Supply on Amazon. Authorities emphasize the magnitude of organized retail crime, which has cost billions nationally. As they arrest the suspected ringleader, the report discusses the ongoing battle against increasing thefts impacting retailers, with law enforcement committed to addressing these crimes, urging consumers to be cautious online.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The police briefing at dawn for a raid on the mansion reveals a nearly year-long investigation involving multiple states and 13 suspects, primarily focusing on fencing operations that resell stolen merchandise. They arrest Michelle Mack, accused of orchestrating thefts and selling through an Amazon storefront, leading to significant seizures at the property. Concurrently, Ulta and police tally a massive value of stolen goods, revealing how consumers unknowingly purchase stolen items online, leading to legal proceedings against Mack and others, highlighting the complexity and scale of such operations.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:17:06

    The case against Michelle Mack, who allegedly sold $8 million in stolen goods online, raises questions about the role of online marketplaces like Amazon in preventing the sale of stolen items. New legislation demands better seller verification, while retail leaders stress the need for marketplaces to take responsibility against fencing operations. Although Amazon claims robust anti-fraud measures, this and similar cases underscore ongoing challenges. Nationwide, coordinated efforts are crucial as such criminal networks often link to broader illegal activities, affecting consumers directly through increased costs.

思维导图

Mind Map

常见问题

  • What was the crime scene in San Diego related to?

    It was related to a high-profile theft ring suspected of reselling stolen goods from retailers like Ulta Beauty on online platforms like Amazon.

  • Who is believed to be the leader of the theft ring?

    The suspected ringleader is Michelle Mack, believed to be orchestrating a network of thefts across multiple states.

  • What was being sold on Amazon?

    Stolen beauty products from Ulta and other retailers were being resold at a store called the Online Makeup Store on Amazon.

  • How much merchandise did Mack allegedly sell through Amazon?

    Mack allegedly sold nearly $8 million worth of stolen merchandise on Amazon since 2012.

  • What did the California Highway Patrol observe in relation to organized retail crime?

    The California Highway Patrol witnessed a 170% increase in arrests for organized retail crime from the previous year.

  • What challenge are online marketplaces facing?

    Online marketplaces are challenged with effectively detecting and managing the sale of stolen goods on their platforms.

  • What measures are retailers taking against organized retail crime?

    Retailers like Ulta are increasing security measures, locking up valuable goods, and utilizing technology to track stolen merchandise.

  • What is the Informed Consumers Act?

    The Informed Consumers Act mandates online marketplaces to obtain more detailed information from high-volume third-party sellers to spot stolen or counterfeit goods.

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  • 00:00:03
    It's a chilly, clear morning in the picturesque
  • 00:00:05
    foothills of San Diego County as we head to a
  • 00:00:08
    suspected crime scene.
  • 00:00:09
    A convoy of law enforcement vehicles is
  • 00:00:12
    about to descend on an unlikely place a mansion
  • 00:00:15
    complete with its own vineyard and chapel rented
  • 00:00:18
    out as a wedding venue and Airbnb.
  • 00:00:21
    Police believe it's also the headquarters for a
  • 00:00:24
    lucrative theft ring, where items stolen from
  • 00:00:27
    Ulta Beauty Supply and other retailers are being
  • 00:00:30
    resold on Amazon.
  • 00:00:32
    As we pull up, authorities tell us they
  • 00:00:34
    have the suspected ringleader in handcuffs.
  • 00:00:37
    What are we looking for?
  • 00:00:38
    There they are right there. Okay.
  • 00:00:43
    And it's happening everywhere.
  • 00:00:45
    For months, we got exclusive access to the
  • 00:00:47
    California Highway Patrol watching up close how it
  • 00:00:51
    fights organized retail crime, which including
  • 00:00:54
    external theft, totaled $40.5 billion in the U.S.,
  • 00:00:59
    according to the National Retail Federation's most
  • 00:01:01
    recent estimate.
  • 00:01:04
    The fight is constant.
  • 00:01:06
    On another day in another California city, we see
  • 00:01:09
    more truckloads of what police say is stolen
  • 00:01:12
    clothing, mostly from TJ Maxx, plus cleaning and
  • 00:01:16
    beauty supplies.
  • 00:01:18
    Hands on your head. The California Highway Patrol
  • 00:01:20
    is also California's state police.
  • 00:01:22
    Sean Duryee is commissioner of the
  • 00:01:24
    California Highway Patrol, which has seen a
  • 00:01:27
    170% increase in arrests for organized retail crime
  • 00:01:32
    in 2023 over the previous year.
  • 00:01:34
    The public's had enough.
  • 00:01:36
    I think retailers have definitely had enough.
  • 00:01:38
    They've been victimized enough. And at this point,
  • 00:01:40
    law enforcement has had enough.
  • 00:01:42
    While organized retail crime is getting more
  • 00:01:44
    attention from the public, retailers and
  • 00:01:46
    lawmakers, there's debate about if it's actually
  • 00:01:49
    increasing. Retailers specifically pointing to
  • 00:01:52
    theft as a growing problem in recent years
  • 00:01:54
    include Target, Foot Locker, Walgreens and
  • 00:01:56
    Ulta, but few quantify the impact or offer many
  • 00:02:00
    details, raising questions in the industry
  • 00:02:03
    about whether retailers are using the attention
  • 00:02:06
    around theft to cover their own operational
  • 00:02:09
    missteps. A National Retail Federation survey
  • 00:02:12
    of companies identified Los Angeles, San
  • 00:02:15
    Francisco, Oakland, Houston, New York and
  • 00:02:17
    Seattle as the top major cities hit by retail crime
  • 00:02:21
    organized rings as opposed to lightning,
  • 00:02:23
    flash, smash and grabs use what are called
  • 00:02:25
    "boosters" to steal items that then go to fencers
  • 00:02:29
    who resell them for cash.
  • 00:02:31
    I think people feel like it's hopeless, you know,
  • 00:02:33
    nobody's going to do anything. I want the
  • 00:02:35
    retailers and the victims of this to know that
  • 00:02:37
    that's not true.
  • 00:02:38
    Law enforcement is all in on this, not just the
  • 00:02:41
    California Highway Patrol, all of our allied
  • 00:02:42
    partners throughout the state.
  • 00:02:44
    If you're a consumer and you're buying on an online
  • 00:02:45
    marketplace, how do you know if the good you're
  • 00:02:47
    buying was a stolen good or a good that was
  • 00:02:50
    acquired legitimately?
  • 00:02:52
    It's tough, and I don't know if anybody expects
  • 00:02:54
    the consumers to do due diligence on every product
  • 00:02:57
    that they're buying online. But I'll tell you,
  • 00:02:58
    if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
  • 00:03:01
    And it's probably coming from some nefarious
  • 00:03:03
    activity.
  • 00:03:04
    So you guys all got the out plan, correct?
  • 00:03:05
    Yes.
  • 00:03:06
    It's a few minutes after six in the morning as the
  • 00:03:08
    police briefing starts for what's about to happen
  • 00:03:10
    at that mansion outside San Diego.
  • 00:03:12
    We have all our entry tools.
  • 00:03:14
    Everybody bring them. Got 'em?
  • 00:03:16
    Okay. And we got the ram, we got the pick.
  • 00:03:19
    How long has this taken to gather the information?
  • 00:03:21
    This investigation has been going on for almost a
  • 00:03:24
    year. We've identified a total of 13 suspects who
  • 00:03:26
    were responsible for multiple deaths statewide.
  • 00:03:29
    And in some of our neighboring states.
  • 00:03:33
    And these individuals, you suspect, are sort of
  • 00:03:36
    bosses running an operation.
  • 00:03:37
    Is that correct?
  • 00:03:38
    These individuals today are the fencing
  • 00:03:40
    operations. These are the ones that are putting out
  • 00:03:41
    the orders to the boosters to obtain this
  • 00:03:43
    merchandise, and then ultimately resell it to
  • 00:03:46
    the unsuspecting buyer.
  • 00:03:47
    At the mansion, CHP and agents from the Department
  • 00:03:50
    of Homeland Security fan out looking for potential
  • 00:03:53
    stolen items.
  • 00:03:54
    The woman in custody is Michelle Mack.
  • 00:03:56
    According to the search warrant, she's in charge,
  • 00:03:59
    giving a group of a dozen women across the country a
  • 00:04:03
    list of retail stores to target, along with the
  • 00:04:05
    retail merchandise.
  • 00:04:07
    Those Ulta Beauty products then ending up on
  • 00:04:09
    an Amazon digital storefront called the
  • 00:04:12
    Online Makeup Store at deep discounts.
  • 00:04:15
    Where are the goods being sold?
  • 00:04:16
    Our investigation leads us to believe that the
  • 00:04:19
    majority of these goods are being sold through
  • 00:04:20
    online marketplaces.
  • 00:04:22
    Box after box are removed from the home, the search
  • 00:04:25
    warrant alleges. Mack has sold nearly $8 million
  • 00:04:29
    worth of merchandise on the platform since 2012.
  • 00:04:32
    In one text message to a booster, Mack wrote did
  • 00:04:35
    you get some new girls?
  • 00:04:36
    I really need product.
  • 00:04:38
    She's taken into custody.
  • 00:04:42
    The next morning, a team from Ulta unloads the
  • 00:04:45
    haul, along with CHP officers, sorting and
  • 00:04:48
    carefully organizing everything, most of it
  • 00:04:51
    $387,000 in stolen items from Ulta, according to
  • 00:04:56
    authorities, but also some items from Sephora,
  • 00:05:00
    Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works, Sunglass
  • 00:05:03
    Hut and LensCrafters.
  • 00:05:05
    And these boxes of manila envelopes, they were being
  • 00:05:08
    mailed to customers who ordered from the online
  • 00:05:10
    makeup store, who now aren't getting anything
  • 00:05:13
    like Donna Washburn, who says she bought her
  • 00:05:16
    daughter a $42 makeup item for Christmas.
  • 00:05:19
    I looked at a different places with prices, and
  • 00:05:22
    then I said, you know, it's Amazon.
  • 00:05:24
    It'll come fast.
  • 00:05:25
    It was the beginning of December, so I really
  • 00:05:27
    didn't want to wait too much longer for Christmas.
  • 00:05:29
    So I figured and then when I ordered it, they
  • 00:05:32
    said, okay, December 11th delivery.
  • 00:05:33
    So when December 11th came and went and the product
  • 00:05:36
    didn't appear, what did you start to think?
  • 00:05:39
    I got an email that said it's out for shipment but
  • 00:05:43
    it is delayed. It will be on the 14th.
  • 00:05:45
    I'm like mm, okay.
  • 00:05:47
    And then 14th came and it wasn't here.
  • 00:05:50
    And then I got the message that said this
  • 00:05:53
    little store can't take your orders anymore.
  • 00:05:56
    Amazon refunded her the money.
  • 00:05:58
    Did it ever occur to you that buying a product off
  • 00:06:02
    of Amazon, you could be buying a product that was
  • 00:06:05
    stolen?
  • 00:06:06
    No. Never.
  • 00:06:10
    You put in the trust in a store like that, that
  • 00:06:13
    they're checking these things and but then you
  • 00:06:15
    think, 'How can they check those things?' It's
  • 00:06:18
    above me.
  • 00:06:18
    As for Michelle Mack, California Attorney
  • 00:06:20
    General Rob Bonta announced she and her
  • 00:06:22
    husband, Kenneth, are facing charges of
  • 00:06:24
    conspiracy, grand theft and receipt of stolen
  • 00:06:27
    property. The Macks have pled not guilty.
  • 00:06:30
    Seven others connected to the ring were also
  • 00:06:33
    charged.
  • 00:06:34
    This is a multi-million dollar criminal scheme.
  • 00:06:37
    It was complex. It was orchestrated.
  • 00:06:39
    The crimes occurred from the West coast to the East
  • 00:06:40
    coast in this country, Bonta tells us.
  • 00:06:42
    This case shows more needs to be done to root out
  • 00:06:45
    stolen items being sold online.
  • 00:06:47
    This Amazon Marketplace site, called the Online
  • 00:06:52
    Makeup Store that was selling the stolen goods
  • 00:06:54
    year after year, and it wasn't detected.
  • 00:06:57
    You have to ask yourself, what more can we do,
  • 00:06:59
    should we do to make sure that incidents like this
  • 00:07:01
    don't occur in the future? That's the right
  • 00:07:03
    thing to ask. I think they have the ability to
  • 00:07:05
    root out more sales of stolen goods on their
  • 00:07:10
    platform, and should ask themselves, what more
  • 00:07:12
    could they have done here and what more can they do
  • 00:07:14
    going forward?
  • 00:07:15
    We asked Lisa Labruno, senior executive vice
  • 00:07:17
    president of the Retail Industry Leaders
  • 00:07:19
    Association, how this could happen.
  • 00:07:22
    You're going to have to ask Amazon that question,
  • 00:07:24
    Courtney. You know, how is it that someone is able
  • 00:07:27
    to sell that large a quantity of product?
  • 00:07:30
    And I'm going to guess, I don't know the particular
  • 00:07:32
    case that you're talking about, but I'm going to
  • 00:07:34
    guess that it was the best sale ever of that
  • 00:07:38
    Ulta Beauty product.
  • 00:07:39
    Right? It's clear to the industry, the retail
  • 00:07:42
    industry, that the online marketplaces either don't
  • 00:07:46
    have the stop gaps in place to proactively
  • 00:07:50
    identify product that's stolen, that's being sold
  • 00:07:53
    on their on their marketplaces or they don't
  • 00:07:56
    want to.
  • 00:07:57
    Congress passed the Informed Consumers Act
  • 00:07:59
    last year to address situations like this by
  • 00:08:02
    requiring online marketplaces to obtain
  • 00:08:05
    information from high-volume third party
  • 00:08:07
    sellers as a way to identify possible stolen,
  • 00:08:10
    counterfeit, or unsafe merchandise.
  • 00:08:13
    So if you're Amazon, should you have had some
  • 00:08:16
    kind of an algorithm that flagged it, even if all of
  • 00:08:19
    the rest of the business appeared legitimate?
  • 00:08:22
    This is not just about Amazon. There's other
  • 00:08:24
    online marketplaces who serve as fences for the
  • 00:08:27
    sale of stolen product, but I don't see the online
  • 00:08:30
    marketplaces raising their hand and saying, we
  • 00:08:33
    acknowledge that this is dirty money.
  • 00:08:35
    Labruno says the issue will get worse as
  • 00:08:37
    organized retail theft is a significant problem on
  • 00:08:40
    the rise.
  • 00:08:41
    The online marketplaces, they profit from the sale
  • 00:08:45
    of stolen goods.
  • 00:08:46
    And last time I checked, none of them were raising
  • 00:08:49
    their hand to say here, retailer, you can have it
  • 00:08:53
    back.
  • 00:08:54
    Retail CEOs have been largely mum about
  • 00:08:57
    organized retail crime, but Ulta Beauty CEO Dave
  • 00:09:00
    Kimbell spoke to us about the issue.
  • 00:09:03
    Well, we're taking ownership of it and we are
  • 00:09:05
    taking a lot of action.
  • 00:09:06
    This is a top priority for me, primarily because
  • 00:09:10
    of the safety and security risks that it
  • 00:09:13
    brings to our team.
  • 00:09:15
    He says Ulta stores around the country have been
  • 00:09:17
    targeted, with the company locking up
  • 00:09:19
    fragrances and bolstering security.
  • 00:09:22
    We invested in fixtures that make it harder for
  • 00:09:25
    these thieves to come in and just swipe the shelf
  • 00:09:28
    clean in seconds and walk out the door.
  • 00:09:30
    We've invested in training for our team to
  • 00:09:32
    help them during the event, and to deal with
  • 00:09:34
    some of the trauma that these events can bring.
  • 00:09:37
    We invested in technology and other tools that allow
  • 00:09:41
    us to, through cameras and trackers and other
  • 00:09:44
    things that allow us to bring more insights into
  • 00:09:46
    what's going on in the marketplace.
  • 00:09:48
    Are you shocked by the sheer volume that one ring
  • 00:09:51
    could have been doing over more than a decade?
  • 00:09:54
    Well, unfortunately, I'm not that shocked because
  • 00:09:57
    we've seen it in other parts of the country and
  • 00:10:00
    the magnitude of this one is significant.
  • 00:10:03
    But this is what's happening, and this is the
  • 00:10:06
    environment in which we're operating.
  • 00:10:08
    The network that she had built across the country
  • 00:10:11
    was impacting multiple stores.
  • 00:10:13
    And so by eliminating that, it's a step.
  • 00:10:16
    But unfortunately, I know there's others that are
  • 00:10:18
    out that are just like that.
  • 00:10:20
    In this particular case, much of it was being sold
  • 00:10:23
    on Amazon for over a decade.
  • 00:10:26
    Are online marketplaces a bigger part of this
  • 00:10:29
    problem?
  • 00:10:30
    Well, I'd say it's a big part of the challenge that
  • 00:10:34
    we face is that there has grown over the last
  • 00:10:37
    several years, an ease of distribution of stolen
  • 00:10:42
    goods. You used to have to sell stolen goods at
  • 00:10:45
    flea markets or out of the trunk of your car, or
  • 00:10:47
    maybe just locally. Now you have, you know, more
  • 00:10:51
    sophisticated tools to have a broader reach
  • 00:10:53
    across the country or even internationally.
  • 00:10:55
    Kimbell says more can be done to ensure stolen
  • 00:10:58
    merchandise doesn't end up for sale online.
  • 00:11:01
    Everybody that sells online products should be
  • 00:11:03
    committed to ensuring that nothing that they
  • 00:11:07
    sell is stolen goods.
  • 00:11:10
    I can tell you with 100% certainty, nothing that we
  • 00:11:14
    sell at Ulta.com or any online platform is product
  • 00:11:18
    that's been stolen from another retailer.
  • 00:11:20
    What do you think in this case, as we're speaking of
  • 00:11:23
    in California, that Amazon could have done to
  • 00:11:26
    know that these were stolen goods, if it was
  • 00:11:29
    operated as a third party marketplace where Amazon
  • 00:11:31
    never saw or touched any of these items.
  • 00:11:34
    Yeah, I, I'm not going to comment specifically about
  • 00:11:37
    that case or what any individual company could
  • 00:11:41
    do. What I would say more broadly is there is
  • 00:11:45
    technology available.
  • 00:11:46
    There's, you know, use of advanced analytics and
  • 00:11:49
    data capabilities to try to understand behaviors
  • 00:11:53
    that are indicative of reselling stolen goods.
  • 00:11:58
    And when they're sold at scale at online
  • 00:12:00
    marketplaces. This is not some individual that, you
  • 00:12:04
    know, bought too many lipsticks and they want to
  • 00:12:07
    resell it.
  • 00:12:07
    Amazon declined an on camera interview, but a
  • 00:12:09
    spokesperson said we invest more than $1
  • 00:12:12
    billion annually and employ thousands of people
  • 00:12:15
    to fight fraud.
  • 00:12:16
    The company says it uses "sophisticated detection
  • 00:12:19
    and prevention solutions...allowing us to
  • 00:12:22
    quickly spot a range of organized retail crime
  • 00:12:25
    schemes." The company also has "referred
  • 00:12:28
    thousands of ORC bad actors to law
  • 00:12:30
    enforcement," resulting in "arrests, product
  • 00:12:33
    seizures and recoveries." It says it's "untrue" that
  • 00:12:37
    the company is profiting from the sale of stolen
  • 00:12:39
    goods. Despite all these measures, in this case,
  • 00:12:42
    Amazon acknowledged "we did not receive signals to
  • 00:12:45
    identify the seller was engaged in selling stolen
  • 00:12:48
    goods." Sephora and Bath and Body Works declined to
  • 00:12:52
    discuss the case.
  • 00:12:53
    Victoria's Secret, Sunglass Hut and
  • 00:12:56
    LensCrafters didn't respond to our request for
  • 00:12:58
    comment. And it's not just the online
  • 00:13:02
    marketplaces where authorities say stolen
  • 00:13:04
    items frequently end up.
  • 00:13:07
    Wheelers up. I want a map drawn of the house
  • 00:13:10
    separated into two groups, and then we can
  • 00:13:12
    start loading.
  • 00:13:13
    This is the police department.
  • 00:13:14
    We have a search warrant for the residence.
  • 00:13:16
    In San Jose, California, another case, this time
  • 00:13:20
    targeting suspects police say are running a large
  • 00:13:23
    fencing operation, stealing clothes and
  • 00:13:25
    household goods for resale at flea markets.
  • 00:13:28
    We're riding with CHP Officer Andrew Barclay.
  • 00:13:31
    So we are about a block away.
  • 00:13:34
    Just about a minute out.
  • 00:13:35
    We are passing target location so we do not want
  • 00:13:39
    to stare.
  • 00:13:39
    That's the, location one?
  • 00:13:41
    Yep.
  • 00:13:42
    Manny from Andy, we're in position whenever you guys
  • 00:13:44
    are ready.
  • 00:13:44
    We have a search warrant for the residence.
  • 00:13:46
    Come out with your hands up now.
  • 00:13:48
    As the residents exit the home, there's piles of
  • 00:13:51
    merchandise, mostly from TJ Maxx, whose employees
  • 00:13:54
    are there to identify and organize what police
  • 00:13:57
    seize. This box was just taken out of one of the
  • 00:13:59
    houses it's full of over-the-counter drug
  • 00:14:02
    store type items.
  • 00:14:03
    So you've got medication stills, a retailer's label
  • 00:14:06
    on it from Safeway, but you also have beauty
  • 00:14:08
    products. And these store tags in plain sight strewn
  • 00:14:12
    on the sidewalk.
  • 00:14:14
    The sheer volume of stolen goods fills a
  • 00:14:17
    truck. This is just one of several u-hauls that is
  • 00:14:21
    full of merchandise suspected to be stolen.
  • 00:14:24
    Everything from tools, hardware, blow up items,
  • 00:14:27
    drugstore items, you name it, it's in here.
  • 00:14:30
    Police department. We have a search warrant.
  • 00:14:32
    At another home connected to the ring, police say
  • 00:14:35
    they find evidence of storage lockers with
  • 00:14:37
    stolen items.
  • 00:14:40
    And when they search the lockers, they find even
  • 00:14:43
    more merchandise they say was stolen from TJ Maxx
  • 00:14:46
    and other retailers.
  • 00:14:48
    If you have somebody who is stealing large amounts
  • 00:14:51
    of product or fencing large amounts of product,
  • 00:14:53
    if you need somewhere to store it, storage
  • 00:14:55
    facilities are an option.
  • 00:14:56
    The total value seized in San Jose $553,000.
  • 00:15:02
    TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx, tells us
  • 00:15:06
    "organized crime is an issue for the retail
  • 00:15:08
    industry as a whole, and we are taking it very
  • 00:15:11
    seriously at TJX," adding, "we are
  • 00:15:13
    laser-focused on ways to mitigate theft in our
  • 00:15:16
    stores," including "initiatives like
  • 00:15:19
    increased merchandise protection and operational
  • 00:15:21
    controls as well as industry-wide
  • 00:15:23
    initiatives." Safeway declined comment, and we
  • 00:15:26
    didn't hear back from Nike or Ross.
  • 00:15:29
    What we saw in California mirrors a retail crime
  • 00:15:32
    crackdown around the country.
  • 00:15:34
    So some people look at organized retail crime or
  • 00:15:37
    theft and think it's a victimless crime.
  • 00:15:40
    Is it?
  • 00:15:40
    It is not a victimless crime.
  • 00:15:43
    What we see is that the consumer is the victim.
  • 00:15:46
    Those costs will be put back on the consumer.
  • 00:15:50
    Michael Kroll is special agent in charge at the
  • 00:15:53
    Department of Homeland Security.
  • 00:15:55
    How is the government working with big box
  • 00:15:58
    retailers or retailers that tend to be higher
  • 00:16:00
    targets for organized retail crime?
  • 00:16:02
    It is so important for HSI to partner with the
  • 00:16:08
    private sector.
  • 00:16:09
    They are a wealth of information for us.
  • 00:16:12
    Certainly their data, their information and
  • 00:16:16
    their intelligence will help us to better target
  • 00:16:20
    bad actors, but also become aware of threats
  • 00:16:23
    that we may not know of at that time.
  • 00:16:26
    Ultimately, Kroll says, it's all about following
  • 00:16:29
    the money and merchandise.
  • 00:16:31
    How often is an organized retail crime network just
  • 00:16:36
    sort of one symptom of bigger criminal
  • 00:16:39
    activities?
  • 00:16:40
    This is what we see in 21st century criminal
  • 00:16:43
    organizations. They have become masters at all
  • 00:16:48
    trades. Where they can make money is where
  • 00:16:51
    they're going to go.
标签
  • Organized Retail Crime
  • San Diego
  • Ulta Beauty
  • Amazon
  • Theft Ring
  • California Highway Patrol
  • Retail Theft
  • Michelle Mack
  • Online Marketplaces
  • Informed Consumers Act