The Week in Electronics Retail Crime
November 10, 2009US. retailers will lose $9.6 billion in return fraud this year, including $2.7 billion this holiday season, according to a forecast released last week by the National Retail Federation. According to the Retail Customer Experience Web site, NRF found that 6.4 percent of returns this holiday season will be fraudulent, a drop of around one percent from last year.
Walmart Thief Wanted in Multiple Counties
Police all over Pennyslvania are searching for a single thief who they believe is responsible for as many as six thefts of Walmart stores. According to the Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, Pa., the man steals high-end electronics such as expensive computers, and his M.O. consists of distracting store employees and then fleeing, usually through a fire exit.
Thieves Grab $3,000 From Wisconsin Best Buy
Police in Oshkosh, Wisc. are searching for four men, believed to be professional thieves, who they say stole $3,000 worth of merchandise from an area Best Buy. The men stole the merchandise and escaped in a red van; the local Fox affiliate has posted photographs of the suspects on its Web site.
Six-Figure Theft From Kmart
A break-in at a Kmart in Albertville, Ala., yielded more than $120,000 in electronics and jewelry, after the store had closed at night. According to the Sand Mountain Reporter, the thief or thieves tripped an alarm but escaped before police arrived. The incident remains under investigation.
Baltimore Mayor's Trial Begins
The trial of the mayor of Baltimore, who stands accused of failing to report gifts which included gift cards to several electronics stores, began this week. According to the New York Times, prosecutors accuse Mayor Sheila Dixon of taking $1,000 worth of gift cards, which were meant for needy families, and used them on family and friends.
Alaska Thief Sentenced
A man in Alaska who plead guilty to breaking into an electronics store last year has been sentenced to nine months in jail. According to the Daily News Miner newspaper the man, who has a "lengthy criminal history," accepted the sentence as part of a plea bargain. He admitted he was part of a five-man team that crashed into Shimek's Audio last May and stole a pair of televisions.
