Cheltenham woman accused of stealing nearly $1 million worth of lingerie to sell online
A Pennsylvania woman is accused of repeatedly stealing merchandise from Victoria’s Secret stores and reselling the items online through an eBay storefront. Investigators say the thefts occurred over an extended period and involved a significant amount of merchandise. Authorities were able to connect the stolen products to online listings during the investigation. The case highlights how resale platforms continue to play a role in organized retail theft operations.
6 teens accused of attacking female inside Pittsburgh Sephora, causing $30K in damage
Six teenagers are accused of attacking a female inside a Sephora store in Pittsburgh and causing approximately $30,000 in damage. Authorities say the incident escalated quickly, resulting in destruction throughout the store and injuries to the victim. Police are continuing to investigate the incident and identify everyone involved. The case reflects growing concerns around group retail violence and coordinated disruptive behavior inside stores.
‘They just shoveled cards into bags’: Thieves get away with $45,000 worth of Pokémon and Magic cards
Thieves made off with approximately $45,000 worth of Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering trading cards in a targeted theft. The growing value of collectible trading cards has made hobby stores and specialty retailers an increasingly attractive target for criminals. Investigators believe the suspects specifically targeted high-value inventory due to strong resale demand. The incident highlights how niche collectibles are becoming a growing category within organized theft activity.
Missouri woman pleads guilty to over $2.3M in counterfeit goods
An online boutique is facing accusations of selling counterfeit goods while marketing them as authentic products. Customers reportedly began raising concerns after noticing inconsistencies in branding, quality, and packaging. The case underscores the continued challenge counterfeit merchandise presents across both physical and online retail channels. It also highlights the importance of consumer trust and authenticity in e-commerce operations.
Legislative Update: Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA)
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) says the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) is expected to advance in the U.S. House with strong bipartisan support. The legislation is designed to strengthen federal coordination and give law enforcement additional tools to combat organized retail crime networks operating across state lines. Retail leaders argue the bill is necessary as ORC continues impacting stores, supply chains, and consumer safety nationwide. Supporters see CORCA as a major step toward a more unified federal response to increasingly sophisticated retail crime operations.
The whole cart and kaboodle
How leading retailers are re-thinking the role of the shopping cart
Target shopping carts get a new feature... a place for your Stanley cup!
Woman admits to organizing 13+ ‘pushout’ thefts at Ulta stores
Smart Shopping Cart Market Is Going to Boom
CONTROLTEK, a global leader in asset protection and intelligent security solutions, will host an interactive workshop at NRF Protect focused on applying Design Thinking to real-world loss prevention and asset protection challenges.
“Solve Smarter, Innovate Faster: A Hands-On Design Thinking Workshop for LP/AP Leaders,” introduces a human-centered, results-driven approach to solving complex retail challenges. CONTROLTEK’s method of Design Thinking helps teams understand the end user, rethink assumptions, reframe problems, and build solutions through rapid iteration. The result is faster, clearer, and more effective decision-making for LP and AP teams operating in increasingly complex environments.
“Stronger solutions start with a deeper understanding of the problem and the end user,” said Tom Meehan, CFI, CEO of CONTROLTEK. “Design Thinking helps teams reframe challenges, uncover meaningful insights, build more effective solutions and move from idea to execution with greater speed and clarity.”
Shoplifter charged after four-month theft spree
A suspected shoplifter stole thousands of dollars’ worth of electronic appliances from two different big box stores over a four-month period.
According to a probable cause statement from the St. Louis County Police Department, the thefts happened between Nov. 28, 2025, and March 25, 2026, at the Walmart on Gravois Bluffs Boulevard and the nearby Target in the Gravois Bluff Plaza.
Police said Anthony J. Moore would enter the stores, grab a shopping cart, and fill it with high-end electronic appliances. He’d then leave the stores without paying.
Florida Arrest Exposes $2.8M Food Aid Scam Built on Stolen Grocery Store Identities
A man in Florida was arrested today for allegedly committing $2.8 million worth of food stamp fraud.
Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia announced the arrest of Rehman, who took $2.8M meant for hungry, low-income Florida families through SNAP.
The CID Bureau discovered that Rehman submitted fraudulent merchant applications and manipulated bank deposit information by using the stolen business identities of four retailers authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Will Increased AI Security Halt the Selective Rollback of Self-Checkouts?
With recent news emerging that Walmart — alongside Target and Costco, among others — is rolling back self-checkouts in certain locations, both the reasons as to why as well as the proposed improvements are hotly debated.
While Walmart itself is stating that customer and associate feedback, as well as a desire to improve the checkout experience, are behind the move, many analysts are suggesting that rampant shoplifting and checkout theft are more likely drivers.
From Backpacks to Truckloads:
The New Battlefront of ORC
While everyone is focused on the store floor, the real ROI for criminal networks has moved to the road. Cargo theft is up 60%, and it’s not just a logistics headache—it’s a targeted evolution of Organized Retail Crime. Criminals have realized that hijacking a shipment is far more lucrative than shoplifting a bag’s worth of goods, and they’re exploiting the massive blind spots in the supply chain to do it.
The problem is often rooted in fragmented data. When security systems across distribution centers and retail stores are managed in silos, it creates gaps in the chain that are difficult to investigate and even harder to prevent. Our latest report analyzes this shift in criminal activity. It outlines how retailers are fighting back with centralized, cloud-based security that provides the end-to-end oversight needed to close these gaps. Learn how to gain total visibility from the warehouse to the checkout line.
Organized crime groups are behind grocery store theft across Canada
The Retail Council of Canada is calling grocery store theft a national crisis, with losses now approaching $10 billion annually across the grocery sector and it’s only growing.
The rise is due to more than people stealing an apple. According to multiple sources who spoke to CTV National News, organized crime is now also involved.
In an email to CTV News, the Retail Council of Canada says that “grocery theft is rising in Canada, driven by a mix of economic pressure and increasingly organized retail crime.
Asda trialing new in store ticket system to tackle shoplifting
Asda could introduce vending machines for products such as razor blades in an effort to curb rising shoplifting incidents. It is understood that the idea would build on a trial concept at the company's Ashton-under-Lyne store in Greater Manchester, where similar machines are already used for products like vapes and cigarettes.
The system would see customers select an item on a screen and receive a ticket to take to a checkout for payment.
Once payment has been made, the customer would be issued a second ticket that activates the vending machine to dispense the product.
Gift cards are becoming a core payment layer in global retail
Gift cards used to sit at the edge of retail strategy. They were seasonal products, last-minute presents, or loyalty incentives handed out during promotions. Today, they are becoming something more important: a flexible payment layer that helps connect consumers, merchants, wallets, marketplaces, and cross-border commerce.
As global retail becomes more fragmented, gift cards are increasingly acting as a bridge between different payment systems. They allow consumers to move value into retail ecosystems without always relying on traditional card payments, bank transfers, or local payment methods.
A big thank you to March Networks
for supporting the TalkLPnews APEX Conference. From September 27–30 in Nashville, asset protection leaders will come together for meaningful conversations, fresh perspectives, and the original Xchange format built around one-on-one executive discussions. March Networks’ continued focus on intelligent video solutions, operational visibility, and actionable business insights continues to help retailers strengthen security and make smarter decisions across their operations. We’re grateful for partners like March Networks who help make APEX possible and continue pushing the industry forward.
RFID Technology Gives Retailers Real-Time Exit Visibility
CONTROLTEK’s Enhanced Exit uses RFID technology to give retailers immediate visibility into what leaves the store the moment it happens.
Real-time SMS and email alerts help loss prevention teams quickly respond to suspicious activity, including internal theft and organized retail crime (ORC).
The solution also integrates with video monitoring and POS systems to streamline investigations and reduce false alarms.
By combining intelligent alerting with inventory visibility, Enhanced Exit helps retailers strengthen asset protection and improve operational control.
Self‑checkout skimmers swipe $38K at Pennsylvania Walmart, police say
Four scammers have been charged with stealing at least $38,000 from Walmart shoppers in Pennsylvania by allegedly using skimmers placed on self-checkout terminals.
Eighty people reported missing money, totaling at least $38,000 from a Walmart in Erie, Pennsylvania, Erie Police Department Detective James Becker told the Erie Times-News, part of the USA TODAY Network, on May 5. The money was stolen mainly through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards by skimmers placed on point-of-sale terminals.
Skimming scams surged 90% in 2025, with more than 3,500 financial institutions encountering skimming-related compromises last year.
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