Credential Harvesting Becomes Top Retail Data Threat

Cybercriminals are targeting retailers harder than ever, with credential harvesting — often through phishing — now accounting for 38% of all compromised retail data, surpassing payment card theft. Retail cyberattacks surged 56% in 2023, pushing breach costs to an average of $3.48 million and placing the U.S. retail sector at the center of global ransomware activity. The good news? Retailers that invest in phishing simulations and security training can slash employee click rates from over 40% to under 5% — a critical defense in today’s high-stakes cyber threat landscape.

Security Magazine

Violent crime is falling rapidly across America

Across the U.S., violent crime is falling rapidly, with cities like Baltimore seeing dramatic drops in homicides—down a third from last year and on pace for a historic low. While the reasons aren’t fully understood, experts point to a mix of cheaper drugs reducing street-level drug trade, anti-theft technologies, and significant investments in community-based violence interruption programs, especially following the post-2020 policing crisis. Baltimore’s focused deterrence strategy, which combines law enforcement pressure with charity-led rehabilitation for at-risk youth, is emerging as a national model—but its future may be uncertain amid shifting federal priorities.

The Economist

Reclaiming OSHA’s Mission: Ensuring Safety Without Overreach

During the Subcommittee hearing on Workforce Protections, Republicans criticized OSHA for regulatory overreach, arguing that recent mandates under the Biden administration have been confusing, overly broad, and out of touch with industry realities—especially for small businesses. Witnesses from manufacturing and legal sectors called for more flexible, jobsite-specific safety standards, emphasizing that diverse industries can’t be governed by one-size-fits-all rules. While Democrats pushed for more aggressive OSHA enforcement, Republicans insisted that empowering employers—not punishing them—is the better path to safer workplaces.

EdWorkforce Gov

Returns Fraud is Draining U.S. Retailers of $103 Billion a Year — Here’s How to Fight Back in 2025

Return and refund fraud is hitting U.S. retailers hard, with losses soaring to $103 billion in 2024—over 15% of all returns—driven largely by deceptive practices like wardrobing and false damage claims. First-party fraud, particularly among Gen Z, is fueling the surge, with 42% admitting to abusing return policies, and every dollar lost to fraud now costs merchants $4.61. To fight back, retailers are turning to stricter return policies, AI-powered fraud detection, tiered risk strategies, and continuous monitoring to balance customer satisfaction with stronger protections.

TalkLPnews

Industry Leaders Unite to Combat Gift Card Fraud with Innovation and Collaboration.

Gift card fraud is escalating globally, threatening consumer trust and prompting fragmented legal responses. To address this, industry leaders will unite at the 2025 ICMA Expo for a panel titled “Combating Gift Card Fraud,” focused on cross-sector collaboration, tech innovation, and legislative readiness. Experts will explore evolving fraud tactics, DHS partnerships, Maryland’s Bill 760, and packaging technologies that enhance security, with Pack-Smart Inc. leading insights on real-time tracking and tamper-proof solutions to protect the industry and consumers alike.

openPR

Do you hate your boss?

Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief
TalkLPnews
amber@talklpnews.com

The micromanager, the unapproachable, the unapproachable, the resistant to change, the no-feedback stoic, and everyone’s favorite: the avoids accountability while playing favorites. There’s so many potential characteristics of a bad boss. If you’re lucky, you haven’t experienced someone with all of these, but most certainly you’ve had a boss with some of them.

What do you do? How do you handle dealing with a less-than-ideal boss in a career that you love? Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries is the author of Narcissistic Leadership: Narcissus on the Couch, and recently described several strategies for dealing with this exact situation.

First, Manfred suggests that we understand it’s in our power to improve a bad situation. We must take responsibility for what we can do to improve our relationship with said boss and guess what that process starts with? Yep. Empathy. As I’ve learned in my years of executing training programs – empathy is essentially one of the keys to life. In this instance, it’s about trying to understand that your boss is under external pressure too. They might not be acting this way just because of you or a perceived personality clash. They might also have something going on in their personal lives or within their own personal hierarchy. Neuroscience suggests that if you work on empathizing with your boss, chances are he or she will start empathizing with you.

The action: Look for the right moment to deliver a display of empathy in an informal setting (over a business dinner or coffee).

Next, look at yourself. I know, right. C’mon Manfred – can’t we just blame the other person and keep complaining? Nope, we’re professionals’ folks. Start with looking inward and truly access your own personality toward your boss – what might cause your personalities to clash? Manfred describes “transferential figures” meaning, you subconsciously see your boss as someone in your past and it brings up unproductive feelings or actions within you. For instance, your boss reminds you of this bully that bothered you in high school. Once you try to understand any transference you might be having, it will be easier to step back from the situation and potentially handle it better.

The action: Take a hard look internally to discover if you might be relating your boss to construct in your past.

Finally, (and it’s a scary one) observe and seek advice from colleagues who work successfully with your boss. If you try to understand your boss’ quirks, hot buttons, and preferences from your colleague’s point of view, it may help bring a new perspective to your interactions.

The action: Be careful if you choose to approach colleagues to make sure you’re phrasing your questions carefully so it’s not misconstrued as talking crap about your boss. For instance if you always feel interrupted in meetings, Manfred suggests trying something like, “How do you know whether to speak up or not? How can you tell when the boss does or doesn’t want input?”

If all this fails, it’s time for the talk – whether it’s with your boss, or human resources or with your partner or spouse about moving on from your company. Manfred makes it clear if you decide to go to HR you better have a well-documented business case for why your boss is a liability. But given the potential for unknown internal politics, lodging a formal complaint should be considered a last resort.

Disclaimer:  It was about 12 years ago that I started my own company because I didn’t like “bosses” and being treated unfairly – so admittedly I did none of the above well back then. However, Manfred’s suggestions ring true to me in so many other aspects of life when dealing with difficult people or situations. The bottom-line is you are the creator of your own happiness. Take ownership. You’re too valuable to be miserable!

Do you have a different take? Or more to add?  Let us know by emailing comments@talklpnews.com.

We'll run your comments Monday.

Updated New York Retail Worker Safety Act Takes Effect Soon

The National Law Review

Eyes wide open: How AI and vision tech are transforming loss prevention in grocery

Grocery merchants have endured shoplifting since the first shop opened its doors—probably a bazaar in ancient Persia.

Mitigating theft has always hinged on watchful store employees.

For the most part, the snagged can of soup or bag of chips amounted to so much petty pilfering.

But grocery theft today is evolving into something more organized and frequent.

New Hope Network

Kohl's gets hit by yet another controversy

TheStreet

Tech-Driven Strategies: Enhancing Retail Safety & Reducing Loss? 

Missed the LPF webinar Tech-Driven Strategies: Enhancing Retail Safety & Reducing Loss? Industry leaders Mike Lamb, Craig Greenberg, and Dara Riordan shared how Purchek® and FaceFirst work together to prevent theft, protect employees, and deliver real-time insights.

From stopping pushout theft with no confrontation to identifying repeat offenders before incidents occur, this webinar highlights how smarter tech leads to safer stores.

Video Analytics Market Projections: Key Trends, Opportunities, and Growth Factors

The video analytics by The BRC provides a comprehensive analysis of the industry, covering market size forecasts from 2025 to 2034.

The report explores key trends shaping the market, major growth drivers, and detailed segmentation based on [key segment categories].

WhaTech

Amazon claims warehouses are getting safer. Critics say progress is too slow

Injury rates in Amazon warehouses fell in 2024 for the third year in a row, but a coalition of labor unions that tracks the data said Amazon isn’t making improvements fast enough.

In 2020, founder and then-CEO Jeff Bezos said the company was committed to become “Earth’s safest place to work.”

The Seattle Times

What is price tampering? Police investigating increase in retail theft

A Walmart in Beavercreek is reporting that two people paid for items not at their intended price, in an act known as price tampering.

The Beavercreek Police Dept is looking to identify two individuals accused of price tampering at the Walmart on Pentagon Blvd.

The store says the two suspects paid $972 less than the actual value of the items.

WDTN 2 News

The Senior Manager, Global Investigations, will lead investigations focused on identifying counterfeit/stolen products sold online, the use of proactive analytics to review potential risks in the marketplace environment, and proactively examining other potential e-commerce criminal activity. Additionally, this individual will mitigate known risks by providing solutions and process refinements and support where necessary investigations on our cyber team.

Teen Arrested for Shoplifting, Carrying Firearm

Leesburg Police officers yesterday arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with a retail theft at the Wegmans store.

At approximately noon May 14, officers responded to a report of a person who was wearing what appeared to be a firearm in a holster on his hip shoplifting from the store.

Officers located the suspect outside of the store with the stolen merchandise and determined he was a juvenile and was carrying a weapon that appeared to be real.

LoudounNow

U.S. Business Inventories Show Modest Growth Amid Robust Retail Sales

The advance gross domestic product (GDP) estimate for the first quarter indicated that business inventories increased at a $140.1 billion annualized rate, a significant leap from the $8.9 billion pace in the previous quarter.

Inventories contributed 2.25 percentage points to GDP, the largest since Q4 2021.

However, this was offset by a record 4.83 percentage points drag from the trade deficit, leading to a GDP contraction of 0.3% last quarter, marking the first contraction in 3 years.

IndexBox