10 OF THE BEST USES FOR ALPHA SPIDER WRAPS
Here’s my conclusion for the 10 best uses for the Alpha Spider Wrap that I can think of. While my list is certainly not all-inclusive, I think it represents a good cross-section of the retail industry. Some of you reading may not carry every single item that I have listed, but instead of taking this line by line, perhaps think of the often-overlooked items in your store that could use a little theft prevention love.
Electric Razors / Trimmers
As a guy with a beard, I know just how expensive a good trimmer can be. I’d love to pay half that price, and that’s exactly what boosters rely on. As long as there are people who want to pay less than retail for an expensive item, there will be a market to steal it. Most come in a box-shaped package, making them perfect shape for an Alpha Spider Wrap.
Game / Trail cameras
If you’re a hunter, you know how pricey a good trail camera can be. As a merchant, you have to Prevent Shoplifting in this category, as the losses can quickly add up. These cameras can either be re-sold on online marketplaces, or even worse, can be fraudulently returned back to you and the thief can get a great gift card on your dime.
Activity trackers
These are the hot product this year, and sales for these items have really taken off in my stores. Think Up, or Fitbit. Due to the high sales volume these tend to have, it’s difficult to keep them under lock and key, but the price-points are high enough to warrant some additional security. The Alpha Spider Wrap is the perfect tool to use, since packages are mostly uniformly shaped.
Cookware
Bet you never thought about pots and pan, did ya’? I recently went out with my girlfriend to purchase some new pots, and holy cow! There were some cookware sets that were nearly $500! I couldn’t believe that. For that price, they better cook my food for me. Bottom line, you need to Prevent Shoplifting of these items, and an Alpha Spider Wrap is the way to do it.
Drones
Drones are another one of those items that have just exploded in sales recently. Funny how 5 years ago, no one was thinking about how to Prevent Shoplifting of a drone. Personally, I own a higher end model, but you can get a basic drone for a few bucks and just about any retail store. I mean, they’re easy to fly, cameras get better each month and they’re just plain fun. They’re also a strong target for thieves, since you can resell them basically anywhere and make a quick buck.
Get more information on Alpha Spider Wrap, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Here’s my conclusion for the 10 best uses for the Alpha Spider Wrap that I can think of. While my list is certainly not all-inclusive, I think it represents a good cross-section of the retail industry. Some of you reading may not carry every single item that I have listed, but instead of taking this line by line, perhaps think of the often-overlooked items in your store that could use a little theft prevention love.
Electric Razors / Trimmers
As a guy with a beard, I know just how expensive a good trimmer can be. I’d love to pay half that price, and that’s exactly what boosters rely on. As long as there are people who want to pay less than retail for an expensive item, there will be a market to steal it. Most come in a box-shaped package, making them perfect shape for an Alpha Spider Wrap.
Game / Trail Cameras
If you’re a hunter, you know how pricey a good trail camera can be. As a merchant, you have to Prevent Shoplifting in this category, as the losses can quickly add up. These cameras can either be re-sold on online marketplaces, or even worse, can be fraudulently returned back to you and the thief can get a great gift card on your dime.
Activity trackers
These are the hot product this year, and sales for these items have really taken off in my stores. Think Up, or Fitbit. Due to the high sales volume these tend to have, it’s difficult to keep them under lock and key, but the price-points are high enough to warrant some additional security. The Alpha Spider Wrap is the perfect tool to use, since packages are mostly uniformly shaped.
Cookware
Bet you never thought about pots and pan, did ya’? I recently went out with my girlfriend to purchase some new pots, and holy cow! There were some cookware sets that were nearly $500! I couldn’t believe that. For that price, they better cook my food for me. Bottom line, you need to Prevent Shoplifting of these items, and an Alpha Spider Wrap is the way to do it.
Drones
Drones are another one of those items that have just exploded in sales recently. Funny how 5 years ago, no one was thinking about how to Prevent Shoplifting of a drone. Personally, I own a higher end model, but you can get a basic drone for a few bucks and just about any retail store. I mean, they’re easy to fly, cameras get better each month and they’re just plain fun. They’re also a strong target for thieves, since you can resell them basically anywhere and make a quick buck.
Get more information on Alpha Spider Wrap, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
Overhead EAS System-4 WC Blog 507
Checkpoint Overhead System-4
Promote Safety And Security With A Checkpoint Overhead System
What is one big advantage of an overhead EAS System versus a traditional EAS system? You will not walk into the towers! I guess this may sound a little silly to some of you but I point this out for a couple of reasons. First, I have walked into them absentmindedly! I have been walking with my wife and talking with her and I have walked smack dab into a tower. Aside from the embarrassment I was fine but I have seen some other people walk into them and smack their faces. This leads to my second point, I work in a college library and we have two sets of sliding doors that limit the number of people that can enter or exit at the same time to one. Considering the large number of students and professors that come and go at any given time and many of them are focused more on their cell phone than their surroundings, this leads to a lot of “tower bumps”. So aside from my own clumsiness my concern is also for the safety of others, especially in this age of cell phone absorption. A Checkpoint Overhead System can help prevent accidents in your retail business and potentially save you an injury lawsuit.
Before continuing I do need to tell you what an overhead EAS system is, especially if you are not sure what a standard Checkpoint System is. An EAS system is a retail anti-theft system that deters theft through its presence in a store. A system consists of towers that receive radio waves that are sent out by EAS tags and labels. The other parts of a system are the actual tags and labels, deactivation pads and detachment keys. EAS (electronic article surveillance) tags and labels come in a variety of forms but each type is attached directly to merchandise or to packaging depending on the merchandise itself. The way a system operates to stop theft is when tagged merchandise is carried into the area of a tower. Alarms in the tower blast out a loud alert and trained employees immediately react and determine the cause of the alarm. In the majority of cases it is the result of someone attempting to take unpaid merchandise out of the store. A well trained responder can conduct a receipt check, recover merchandise and/or get the person to pay for the item with little distraction. Over time the savings from recovered merchandise and the resulting shortage reduction pays for the system. The Checkpoint Overhead System operates in the same manner as the traditional system with one stark difference, there is no tower on the floor to walk into (or, as a concern for some store owners, present a visual distraction). All of the equipment is overhead mounted to the ceiling and out of sight for the customers.
The question some may be raising is whether safety is the only reason I would recommend investing in a Checkpoint Overhead System? No, it is simply one reason that a store owner or manager should consider purchasing an overhead EAS system. The primary objective of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. as well as my own is to assist retail owners and managers in theft prevention and shortage reduction. We want to see stores be successful and grow profits. If theft is left unaddressed it will grow and it can get to the point where it causes irreparable damage that could end up forcing a store to close. Bill Bregar, CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., has an extensive background in retail Loss Prevention having served as the Director of Loss Prevention for national retail chains. Mr. Bregar has drawn upon the knowledge he gained preventing shoplifting and employee theft to assist stores that don’t have the resources for a Loss Prevention department of their own. He recognized the benefits that EAS systems offer in theft prevention and with the introduction of the overhead EAS system he recognizes the benefit to smaller stores that struggle with limited floor space. The Checkpoint Overhead System eliminates the pedestals at the front doors that take up floor space and prevent tagged merchandise from being stocked too close to the entrance/exit doors. EVERYONE can now enjoy the benefits of merchandise protection and maximization of floor space. More products on the floor means more potential sales.
Safety may not have crossed your mind when you were thinking of reasons not to purchase a theft prevention system but selling floor space may have been. Now you can cross both excuses off your list by installing a Checkpoint Overhead System. Prevent shoplifting and bumps and bruises to customers who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings. You can save money in BOTH instances.
A Checkpoint Overhead System is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
What is one big advantage of an overhead EAS System versus a traditional EAS system? You will not walk into the towers! I guess this may sound a little silly to some of you but I point this out for a couple of reasons. First, I have walked into them absentmindedly! I have been walking with my wife and talking with her and I have walked smack dab into a tower. Aside from the embarrassment I was fine but I have seen some other people walk into them and smack their faces. This leads to my second point, I work in a college library and we have two sets of sliding doors that limit the number of people that can enter or exit at the same time to one. Considering the large number of students and professors that come and go at any given time and many of them are focused more on their cell phone than their surroundings, this leads to a lot of “tower bumps”. So aside from my own clumsiness my concern is also for the safety of others, especially in this age of cell phone absorption. A Checkpoint Overhead System can help prevent accidents in your retail business and potentially save you an injury lawsuit.
Before continuing I do need to tell you what an overhead EAS system is, especially if you are not sure what a standard Checkpoint System is. An EAS system is a retail anti-theft system that deters theft through its presence in a store. A system consists of towers that receive radio waves that are sent out by EAS tags and labels. The other parts of a system are the actual tags and labels, deactivation pads and detachment keys. EAS (electronic article surveillance) tags and labels come in a variety of forms but each type is attached directly to merchandise or to packaging depending on the merchandise itself. The way a system operates to stop theft is when tagged merchandise is carried into the area of a tower. Alarms in the tower blast out a loud alert and trained employees immediately react and determine the cause of the alarm. In the majority of cases it is the result of someone attempting to take unpaid merchandise out of the store. A well trained responder can conduct a receipt check, recover merchandise and/or get the person to pay for the item with little distraction. Over time the savings from recovered merchandise and the resulting shortage reduction pays for the system. The Checkpoint Overhead System operates in the same manner as the traditional system with one stark difference, there is no tower on the floor to walk into (or, as a concern for some store owners, present a visual distraction). All of the equipment is overhead mounted to the ceiling and out of sight for the customers.
The question some may be raising is whether safety is the only reason I would recommend investing in a Checkpoint Overhead System? No, it is simply one reason that a store owner or manager should consider purchasing an overhead EAS system. The primary objective of Loss Prevention Systems Inc. as well as my own is to assist retail owners and managers in theft prevention and shortage reduction. We want to see stores be successful and grow profits. If theft is left unaddressed it will grow and it can get to the point where it causes irreparable damage that could end up forcing a store to close. Bill Bregar, CEO of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., has an extensive background in retail Loss Prevention having served as the Director of Loss Prevention for national retail chains. Mr. Bregar has drawn upon the knowledge he gained preventing shoplifting and employee theft to assist stores that don’t have the resources for a Loss Prevention department of their own. He recognized the benefits that EAS systems offer in theft prevention and with the introduction of the overhead EAS system he recognizes the benefit to smaller stores that struggle with limited floor space. The Checkpoint Overhead System eliminates the pedestals at the front doors that take up floor space and prevent tagged merchandise from being stocked too close to the entrance/exit doors. EVERYONE can now enjoy the benefits of merchandise protection and maximization of floor space. More products on the floor means more potential sales.
Safety may not have crossed your mind when you were thinking of reasons not to purchase a theft prevention system but selling floor space may have been. Now you can cross both excuses off your list by installing a Checkpoint Overhead System. Prevent shoplifting and bumps and bruises to customers who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings. You can save money in BOTH instances.
A Checkpoint Overhead System is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I was browsing an online auction site and found several items that I purchased. During my search I was finding a lot of video game units and video game system software. While most of the prices of the games appeared reasonable for how new they were and how recent the release of those games were there were some that caught my attention. It seemed to me the prices were low considering the item being offered by the buyer. My experiences as a retail Loss prevention Manager started to make me question those prices. Something just didn’t appear legitimate about those items. If I had purchased them would I sell them at such a discounted rate? I am reasonably certain there are stores I could take them to and get more money for my game. My inclination tells me that there are some stolen games being sold on these sites. I can remember numerous cases I had involving the theft of video games and I knew some were being pawned and some were suspected of going to flea markets. Some games were being traded for drugs and others were being sold to video game stores or mom and pop shops. Most of the theft involved shoplifters but I did apprehend a dishonest employee every now and then who was also stealing from the store. I had several options for trying to prevent shoplifting and pilferage but at the time Alpha Keepers were not one of my choices. Had they been we would have prevented even more video game theft than we already were.
Alpha Keepers are a line of retail anti-theft devices that provide showcase quality security with the added benefit of a tamper alarm. They eliminate the necessity of having an employee with a key readily available to open it at any moment of the day. Keepers are boxes made of a clear, solid material that allow your patrons to pick up and carry merchandise through the store as they continue to shop. Since they are clear your customers will be able to look at the product packaging and read the information on the labels without waiting for someone to open a showcase and babysit while the customer looks over the item. Keepers have a locking hinged door that can only be opened by a cashier at a register. Any effort by a would-be thief to try to get to the merchandise and steal it results in a tamper alarm. The alarm is a shrill, obnoxious screech (for lack of a better description) that can be heard throughout a store. The sound draws employees over and they provide extreme customer service in order to recover merchandise.
There was a shoplifting case I had that was hurting my shortage in the electronics department. The store had $29.99 games and under on open shelf display. We had a problem with criminals removing the cellophane on the games and removing the discs from the plastic case. The cases were left on the shelf making it more difficult to see where concealment was taking place since the suspects were not walking around the store. After a number of situations where we would see members of the group in the store and being unable to see the theft take place I decided to try to deter them. I walked up on one suspect who started digging through the game packages. When I found one that was empty the suspect got nervous and started to walk away. Eventually he walked behind a fixture of jackets and came out. I went behind him and checked the pockets of the jackets and found several discs in one of them. I knew I could not stop him but I also knew he was aware that we knew who he was. I did not have a problem from this group again. The thing about this story is, if we had Alpha Keepers at that time there wouldn’t have been a problem removing the games from a locking showcase and putting them on open shelves. Keepers would have allowed us to still prevent shoplifting and provided easy access to the majority of the customers in the store who were honest. In fact Keepers not only prevent shoplifting they encourage sales since customers no longer have to wait for assistance.
There can be no argument, access to merchandise drives sales. Retail anti-theft devices deter and prevent shoplifting. Combine the two and the sky is the limit on how profitable a store can be. Start reaching for the sky today.
Alpha Keepers are important and we can help you with them. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Manager Training To Stop Employee Theft-4 WC Blog 520
Stop Shoplifting-5
Manager Training To Stop Employee Theft Is More Than A Crash Course From LPSI
I work in a college library and not long ago one of our student workers left a locked book drop open and it made me think about manager training to stop employee theft. What is the correlation you may be asking? I come from a Retail Loss Prevention background and still work in a retail store on a part-time basis. I know the necessity of keeping buildings and property secure and it requires training to get others to understand it as well. When they don’t have a good grasp of it or training isn’t reinforced mistakes are made and eventually it leads to a theft problem especially in the world of retail. Is a book drop left unlocked a big deal? Not when it is empty but when someone disputes a replacement charge for a book they say they returned in an outside book deposit and we know we have had security lapses we don’t have a leg to stand on. In fairness to the customer we would have to err on the side of the customer and give the benefit of the doubt that the book may have been returned and one of our students left the drop opened after checking it. That security lapse can be costly. The same can be true in retail. Procedures may be in place to protect merchandise and prevent shoplifting or employee theft but if managers are not properly trained or receive refresher training it can cost money. This is where Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can help retail businesses improve profits through manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting.
Training comes in different forms. It may be from reading a book or manual and it may be self-taught training through trial and error. C.E.O. and founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar wants store owners and managers to know that the best training comes from experts in a field. You may be able to learn about employee theft and how to stop shoplifting to a certain extent from trial and error but what will it cost you in monetary terms? Will your lessons learned be adequate to help identify the signs that an employee may steal or has started stealing? Is shoplifting an amateurish prank or can it be an organized group working together to clean out stores? Who is responsible for tossing out the store trash at the end of the day and is this an opportunity an employee is using to steal from your store? LPSI offers manager training to stop employee theft and training to stop shoplifting. Live seminars and online training opportunities are administered by a professional with extensive experience in the retail business. There is nothing that can substitute for the training provided by those who have caught, interviewed and investigated dishonest employees and shoplifters.
I know there is someone reading this and saying, “Wait a minute, I read a drivers manual and got my driver’s license! I can surely stop shoplifting in my store the same way.” Hmmm, you didn’t get a driver’s license simply from reading a manual. You obtained the book knowledge required to receive a permit but you didn’t just hop into a car and start driving on your own. You had someone by your side who showed you the basics. They showed the proper way to start the vehicle, accelerate and brake. Some people learn faster than others and catch on to how to drive but it is a progressive experience. Loss Prevention is sort of like driving. You can read articles, newsletters and information but it will only get you so far. The LPSI team are the equivalent of the driving instructor who will guide and train you from the experiences they gained in the field. In the process they will get you to the point where you can safely operate on your own. As a business owner this means you will be able to operate your store share your knowledge with your employees.
Your store is much more important than a library book drop. The merchandise you carry, the cash in the registers, the team that works for you all are much more valuable than a few books. Lose that money, merchandise or property or put employees at risk by hiring the wrong people and it can put you out of business. Find out just how much of an impact manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting can have for your business.
Need information on manager training to stop employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
I work in a college library and not long ago one of our student workers left a locked book drop open and it made me think about manager training to stop employee theft. What is the correlation you may be asking? I come from a Retail Loss Prevention background and still work in a retail store on a part-time basis. I know the necessity of keeping buildings and property secure and it requires training to get others to understand it as well. When they don’t have a good grasp of it or training isn’t reinforced mistakes are made and eventually it leads to a theft problem especially in the world of retail. Is a book drop left unlocked a big deal? Not when it is empty but when someone disputes a replacement charge for a book they say they returned in an outside book deposit and we know we have had security lapses we don’t have a leg to stand on. In fairness to the customer we would have to err on the side of the customer and give the benefit of the doubt that the book may have been returned and one of our students left the drop opened after checking it. That security lapse can be costly. The same can be true in retail. Procedures may be in place to protect merchandise and prevent shoplifting or employee theft but if managers are not properly trained or receive refresher training it can cost money. This is where Loss Prevention Systems Inc. can help retail businesses improve profits through manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting.
Training comes in different forms. It may be from reading a book or manual and it may be self-taught training through trial and error. C.E.O. and founder of Loss Prevention Systems Inc., Bill Bregar wants store owners and managers to know that the best training comes from experts in a field. You may be able to learn about employee theft and how to stop shoplifting to a certain extent from trial and error but what will it cost you in monetary terms? Will your lessons learned be adequate to help identify the signs that an employee may steal or has started stealing? Is shoplifting an amateurish prank or can it be an organized group working together to clean out stores? Who is responsible for tossing out the store trash at the end of the day and is this an opportunity an employee is using to steal from your store? LPSI offers manager training to stop employee theft and training to stop shoplifting. Live seminars and online training opportunities are administered by a professional with extensive experience in the retail business. There is nothing that can substitute for the training provided by those who have caught, interviewed and investigated dishonest employees and shoplifters.
I know there is someone reading this and saying, “Wait a minute, I read a drivers manual and got my driver’s license! I can surely stop shoplifting in my store the same way.” Hmmm, you didn’t get a driver’s license simply from reading a manual. You obtained the book knowledge required to receive a permit but you didn’t just hop into a car and start driving on your own. You had someone by your side who showed you the basics. They showed the proper way to start the vehicle, accelerate and brake. Some people learn faster than others and catch on to how to drive but it is a progressive experience. Loss Prevention is sort of like driving. You can read articles, newsletters and information but it will only get you so far. The LPSI team are the equivalent of the driving instructor who will guide and train you from the experiences they gained in the field. In the process they will get you to the point where you can safely operate on your own. As a business owner this means you will be able to operate your store share your knowledge with your employees.
Your store is much more important than a library book drop. The merchandise you carry, the cash in the registers, the team that works for you all are much more valuable than a few books. Lose that money, merchandise or property or put employees at risk by hiring the wrong people and it can put you out of business. Find out just how much of an impact manager training to stop employee theft and to stop shoplifting can have for your business.
Need information on manager training to stop employee theft? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Wardrobing-5 WC Blog 441
Return Fraud-3
Do Gift Cards Remove The Incentive To Commit Return Fraud? Part 1
As a Retail Loss Prevention Manager I remember getting frustrated at the growing trend I was seeing over the years of people returning merchandise without receipts and we stopped issuing cash back or credit card credit and started giving refunds back in the form of a store credit or gift card. I wanted to see more even exchanges for no-receipt refunds. The concept behind the gift cad issuance as I understood it was, if we give a gift card we are keeping the money in the store so we really don’t lose anything. On the surface it sounds right. The person committing the fraud can only use the store gift card in our stores so I guess it really does stay in the store. Then I started finding that those committing return fraud were turning right around and attempting to sell the gift cards to customer in the parking lot or in the store. We would chase them off letting them know we had a no-solicitation policy. That worked for a bit and then we found out through an apprehended shoplifter that he was returning stolen merchandise, getting gift cards as a refund and then taking the gift cards to local pawn shops and selling them. Added to the mess of fraudulent returns were those who engaged in wardrobing. Their returns were more complicated because while fraudulent they didn’t meet the criteria of fraud for any type of prosecution.
What is wardrobing you may ask? It is a type of return fraud when the person intentionally buys an item to wear once or twice and then return for a full refund. The customer makes the purchase, keeps the tags on the clothing by hiding them and of course keeps the receipt. They may also carefully remove tags and replace them when they are ready to take the garments back to the store. The merchandise is worn to dinner, an event or party and it appears the person has a new addition to their clothing repertoire. Rather than keep the clothes and continue to wear them in the future they go back to the store for a full refund. Making matters worse for the retailer is that many times the clothing being returned by a wardrobing customer is that the merchandise has odors from perfume, cologne, food or cigarettes or there may be make-up stains or food stains.
As gift cards have become a more popular form of credit for retailers to avoid the “incentive” of giving cash back for fraudulent transactions the need for selling the cards on the street or in pawn shops has been eliminated. There are now online web sites that will purchase gift cards from people. One web site claims a gift card seller can get up to 92% of the value of a gift card. As I perused the site I found I could buy a $100 CVS gift card for $90 and another website offered a $25 American Outfitters gift card for $19. I found that the website tells a seller that a credit card has to be on file so they will charge it if it is found a gift card was obtained through fraudulent or illegal means. What was not clear to me is how they make this determination? While there are some gift cards I was able to put a stop on because I could prove they were obtained through fraudulent means, such as the use of a stolen credit card or stolen checks, those situations were the exception. I don’t know how or if the site can determine gift cards were obtained through return fraud.
By the way, if someone is committing wardrobing fraud in most cases they don’t worry about getting the gift card. They are receiving cash back because they have all of the proper tags and receipts. There may be a few situations where they receive the gift card because of excessive wear and tear on the garment but often they raise their voices and create a scene to get their way. In part 2 of this article I will discuss how retailers can deal with wardrobing versus other types of fraud.
Get more information on return fraud contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
As a Retail Loss Prevention Manager I remember getting frustrated at the growing trend I was seeing over the years of people returning merchandise without receipts and we stopped issuing cash back or credit card credit and started giving refunds back in the form of a store credit or gift card. I wanted to see more even exchanges for no-receipt refunds. The concept behind the gift card issuance as I understood it was, if we give a gift card we are keeping the money in the store so we really don’t lose anything. On the surface it sounds right. The person committing the fraud can only use the store gift card in our stores so I guess it really does stay in the store. Then I started finding that those committing return fraud were turning right around and attempting to sell the gift cards to customer in the parking lot or in the store. We would chase them off letting them know we had a no-solicitation policy. That worked for a bit and then we found out through an apprehended shoplifter that he was returning stolen merchandise, getting gift cards as a refund and then taking the gift cards to local pawn shops and selling them. Added to the mess of fraudulent returns were those who engaged in wardrobing. Their returns were more complicated because while fraudulent they didn’t meet the criteria of fraud for any type of prosecution.
What is wardrobing you may ask? It is a type of return fraud when the person intentionally buys an item to wear once or twice and then return for a full refund. The customer makes the purchase, keeps the tags on the clothing by hiding them and of course keeps the receipt. They may also carefully remove tags and replace them when they are ready to take the garments back to the store. The merchandise is worn to dinner, an event or party and it appears the person has a new addition to their clothing repertoire. Rather than keep the clothes and continue to wear them in the future they go back to the store for a full refund. Making matters worse for the retailer is that many times the clothing being returned by a wardrobing customer is that the merchandise has odors from perfume, cologne, food or cigarettes or there may be make-up stains or food stains.
As gift cards have become a more popular form of credit for retailers to avoid the “incentive” of giving cash back for fraudulent transactions the need for selling the cards on the street or in pawn shops has been eliminated. There are now online web sites that will purchase gift cards from people. One web site claims a gift card seller can get up to 92% of the value of a gift card. As I perused the site I found I could buy a $100 CVS gift card for $90 and another website offered a $25 American Outfitters gift card for $19. I found that the website tells a seller that a credit card has to be on file so they will charge it if it is found a gift card was obtained through fraudulent or illegal means. What was not clear to me is how they make this determination? While there are some gift cards I was able to put a stop on because I could prove they were obtained through fraudulent means, such as the use of a stolen credit card or stolen checks, those situations were the exception. I don’t know how or if the site can determine gift cards were obtained through return fraud.
By the way, if someone is committing wardrobing fraud in most cases they don’t worry about getting the gift card. They are receiving cash back because they have all of the proper tags and receipts. There may be a few situations where they receive the gift card because of excessive wear and tear on the garment but often they raise their voices and create a scene to get their way. In part 2 of this article I will discuss how retailers can deal with wardrobing versus other types of fraud.
Get more information on return fraud contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.