Retail crime can be detrimental to businesses, and new crime trends are on the rise, according to NC Retail Merchants Association’s Senior Vice President Elizabeth Robinson. Organized retail crimes go beyond traditional shoplifting. Professional, organized criminal operations are working together to steal large quantities of goods, sometimes with the purpose of putting that money into more illicit activities in the community.

Some of these ‘crime rings’ consist of dozens of people, according to Robinson. Leaders will provide shopping lists for the items they want to be stolen, which are usually items in high demand or which offer high margins.

“Over the course of several years of operation, one particular ring accumulated about $5 million in stolen goods, between $150,000 and $200,000 worth of drugs, 28 weapons, and 20,000 rounds of ammunition,” Robinson said. “This was all one group that was operating in Western North Carolina. It speaks to the nature of the crime; people hear shoplifting, but this goes beyond stealing on a whim or out of a need.”=

In recent years, retailers have seen an increased use of technology in the types of crimes committed. Criminals are figuring out new ways to use technology to their advantage through fraud schemes, hacking, or social engineering. Criminals have also become more brazen. Reports have documented the willingness of criminals to be more physically aggressive as they enter store locations. 

“I think a lot of retailers are aware of the increased aggression, as many employers have policies in place with the intention of keeping employees safe,” Robinson said. “Maybe instead of seeing someone push items out of a store, they are using a can of mace or another sort of weapon to keep anyone at bay who may have tried to stop them in their path. This is something I don’t know that we saw 10 years ago.”

While large corporate retailers often have loss prevention teams or dedicated employees who are able to focus on theft prevention, local retailers may not have the resources to put that work into place. Small retailers often have an owner who is also the primary person working at the store. The Carolina Organized Retail Crime Alliance works to provide partnerships encouraging independent retail businesses to lean on each other. They also provide informational resources to teach retail business owners about current issues and ways to combat them.

“For small businesses that don’t have the resources otherwise, this provides a built-in resource for them to extend upon what they do have available in their business,” Robinson said. “We hope this helps them combat these types of issues and discover what types of things they may be able to implement in their own stores or policies.”

CORCA has implemented an information-sharing platform called Auror which allows retailers and law enforcement the ability to exchange information through a real-time website and mobile app. The organization also shares training sessions that happen across the state or country. These discuss case studies, trends and other resources for the benefit of retailers.

With the help of the NCRMA and CORCA, recently-passed legislation added clarification to the details of retail property. With the high instance of consignment and antique items, especially with independent retailers, the definition of ‘new property’ was removed to allow those types of stores to be included into the organized retail statute. These regularly-updated statues help ensure organized retail criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

As theft rates and trends expand, Robinson said there is an increase in partnerships between retailers and law enforcement. Awareness of these organized crime rings and their complexities is also increasing, and with law enforcement agencies' growing involvement and expertise, partnerships and shared information are a large asset to retailers.

As many retailers move toward their busiest season in Q4, Robinson said this is the time for retailers to be on high alert and mindful of current activities. This time of year, CORCA often releases additional information on organized crime trends, but with additional inventory coming through the state, it is also a popular time of year for criminal rings to operate.

“It’s important to stay vigilant and be extra mindful of things like checkouts, payment methods, and inventory acceptance,” Robinson said. “There are always new security technologies available, and it’s also important to be mindful about monitoring entry points to your store. The most important is trying to build that network of relationships with local law enforcement and fellow retailers to lean on. Those are some of the best tools available.”