How Retailers Are Leveraging Security Integration to Combat Loss and Gain Site-Wide Visibility

Retailers are uniting physical and digital security systems to better prevent loss, improve incident response, and enhance operational awareness. By integrating video surveillance, access control, and analytics under one platform, they’re gaining real-time insights that span the entire store footprint. This shift from siloed tools to unified ecosystems is redefining what modern loss prevention looks like.

Security Info Watch

Inflation has been lower than expected — but don’t get too comfortable

While recent data shows inflation easing more than forecasted, the National Retail Federation warns that retailers and consumers shouldn’t relax just yet. Economic uncertainty, global supply chain pressures, and shifting consumer behavior could still reignite pricing volatility. Staying nimble with inventory and pricing strategies remains crucial as the landscape continues to evolve.

NRF

Workplace Violence: Why Employers Can’t Afford to Ignore the Warning Signs

Workplace violence is an escalating threat—and too often, early red flags go unnoticed or unreported. This article urges employers to implement proactive measures, including clear reporting systems, employee training, and behavioral assessments. Ignoring the signs not only risks employee safety but also exposes companies to serious legal and reputational consequences.

Mondaq

AI Security Crisis: Balancing Innovation with Data Protection

As AI adoption accelerates across industries, a growing crisis looms: the rush to innovate is outpacing the safeguards needed to protect sensitive data. This article explores how poorly governed AI systems can expose businesses to cybersecurity risks, privacy violations, and regulatory blowback. Experts urge organizations to build AI strategies that prioritize transparency, risk assessment, and ethical data handling—before innovation becomes liability.

Security Info Watch

Retail accelerates investments in generative AI

Generative and agentic AI are transforming retail from the front-end to the back office, with companies like Walmart, Target, and Amazon using AI to streamline customer service, automate workflows, and boost efficiency. Tools like Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Alexa+ are reshaping how shoppers browse and buy, while AI-driven HR agents at brands like H&M are slashing hiring time and reducing attrition. Yet as AI takes a more prominent role in the shopping experience, some consumers remain wary—raising concerns about trust, data privacy, and the speed of automation.

Retail Dive

Are you a Holy Fool?

Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief
TalkLPnews
Contact Amber Here

Here's something that's been rattling around in my brain while I’m reading Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers. He writes about this concept called the "Holy Fool" and honestly, it might be the most accurate description of what makes a great loss prevention professional that I've ever come across.

So what the heck is a Holy Fool?

Gladwell describes the Holy Fool as someone who operates under the assumption that everyone is lying. Not in a cynical, bitter way, but as a default setting. They don't trust at face value. They dig deeper. They ask the uncomfortable questions. They're the person in the room who says, "Wait, that doesn't add up."

Sound familiar? It should.

In Gladwell's book, he talks about how most of us are wired to default to truth. We assume people are being honest until proven otherwise. It's actually a survival mechanism that helps society function. But here's the kicker: this default setting is exactly what makes us vulnerable to deception.

The Holy Fool flips this script. They start from a place of healthy skepticism and work their way toward trust, not the other way around.

Why this matters for your daily grind

Think about your last internal investigation. How many times did you hear, "I would never have suspected them, they seemed so trustworthy"? Or remember that vendor who had all the right answers and references, but something just felt off? Your gut was playing Holy Fool, even if you didn't realize it.

The best loss prevention professionals I know, and I mean the ones who consistently crack the tough cases or think differently about a specific business problem, they all have this Holy Fool mentality baked into their DNA. They don't take the first story they hear as gospel. They don't assume the obvious suspect is always the right one. They question everything, especially when it seems too neat and tidy.

But here's where it gets tricky

Being a Holy Fool in loss prevention doesn't mean you have to be a jerk. It doesn't mean treating every employee like a criminal or making everyone feel like they're under suspicion. The best Holy Fools are actually incredibly empathetic. They understand human nature precisely because they study it so closely.

They know that good people can make bad choices under pressure. They know that sometimes the person who seems the most helpful is trying to deflect attention. They know that patterns matter more than individual incidents.

The Holy Fool in action

Remember that case where the cash shortages kept happening on different shifts, but always seemed to involve the same register? Everyone assumed it was a mechanical issue because the shortages were "random." But the Holy Fool in your department probably would have mapped out every single transaction, every employee who touched that register, every time someone had access to the cash drawer.

Or think about that employee who was always the first to report suspicious behavior from coworkers. Most people would think, "Great, we have an engaged employee looking out for us." The Holy Fool would think, "Why is this person so eager to point fingers? What are they trying to hide?"

The gift and the curse

Here's the thing about being a Holy Fool in this industry. It's exhausting. You're constantly questioning, constantly digging, constantly being the person who won't just accept the easy answer. Your brain never really gets to rest because you're always looking for the story behind the story.

But it's also your superpower. While everyone else is defaulting to truth, you're seeing the patterns others miss. You're asking the questions that need to be asked. You're the reason your organization doesn't get blindsided by the fraud that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Embrace your inner Holy Fool

If you're reading this and thinking, "Yeah, that sounds like me," then congratulations. You've found your calling. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for being the person who asks the hard questions or doesn't take things at face value.

And if you're thinking, "I need to be more like this," then start small. Next time someone gives you an explanation that seems perfectly reasonable, ask yourself: "What would I need to see to actually believe this?" Then go look for that evidence.

The Holy Fool isn't about being negative or suspicious of everyone. It's about being rigorous in your pursuit of truth. It's about understanding that in our line of work, the cost of being wrong is too high to just hope for the best.

So go ahead, be the Holy Fool. Question everything. Trust but verify. And remember, in a world full of people defaulting to truth, someone needs to be asking if the emperor is actually wearing clothes.

Your organization is counting on it.

Do you have a different take? Or more to add?  Tell me here.

Face Matching Solution Providers Respond

SAFR Guard

Learn More Here

The Met Reached a Milestone

Why Retailers Should Pay Attention

Chaos steals energy from everyone it touches: the cashier who hands a smile to a customer, the manager who lends an ear to a worried employee, the customer who brings patience to an already-long day. The retail floor carries all those invisible exchanges, and when theft or violence sweeps in, it steals something deeper than merchandise - it takes away ease, stability, even hope.

What the London Test Really Tells Us

Early this year, the Metropolitan Police handed a simple tool to their officers. They were given live facial recognition (LFR). The result? More than a thousand dangerous criminals taken off the streets. One arrest spared a woman from another night of stalking; another pulled a repeat robber from the next convenience-store hit. Facts, not fear, wrote that story.

Yet numbers alone feel flat without faces. Imagine the relief a mother feels when an abuser is stopped at the doorway to her workplace. Picture a store supervisor who can finally promise safety to her late-shift crew and mean it. Technology didn’t replace judgment there; it offered time to the humans who still make every call.

[Read More Commentary Here]

VIDEO: ICE agents use taser to detain man at Albuquerque Walmart

KRQE News

Return fraud is rising. E-commerce platforms are done playing nice.

Return fraud has become a multi‑billion‑dollar problem for U.S. retailers.

According to a joint Appriss Retail and Deloitte report, Americans returned an estimated $685 billion worth of merchandise in 2024—about 13.2% of total retail sales—with fraudulent or abusive returns accounting for approximately 15.1% of that, costing retailers a staggering $103 billion in losses.

Online channels are particularly vulnerable: 24.5% of e‑commerce purchases are returned, compared with just 8.7% in physical stores, making online fraud roughly three times more common than in‑store abuse.

TalkLPnews

Security Through Quality: Navigating the Latest Cybersecurity Executive Order

Security Magazine

New role for Everseen founder Alan O'Herlihy as he announces transition from CEO to board seat

Alan O'Herlihy, founder of AI technology specialist, Everseen, is moving away from the position of CEO and taking a place on the board. The search for his replacement is now underway.

The company’s Visual AI solutions help retailers to improve their bottom line by minimising shrink, streamlining operations, and delivering a better customer experience.

In a LinkedIn post, O'Herlihy said: “I founded this company 15 years ago because I knew we could bring huge, measurable value to retailers and solve a very real, very big business problem and that is just what we did! We’re now number one in our sector.”

He added that the Vision AI platform processes nearly six petabytes of video data daily across 120,000 Edge AI endpoints, and Everseen is driving hundreds of millions of dollars of recovery for its customers.

Boston takes steps to deter shoplifting, will target repeat offenders

As retail theft continues to rise across the country, Boston is ramping up efforts to deter shoplifting, protect consumers, businesses and retail workers through their Safe Shopping Initiative. 

"What we are working on every single day is for Boston to be a home for everyone," said Mayor Michelle Wu during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

CBS News

Phoenix police arrest 3 suspects in ‘sophisticated’ retail theft crime ring

Three people have been arrested after the PHD detectives dismantled what they called a sophisticated retail theft crime ring in the Valley.

On Thursday, police identified the suspects, all of whom have been indicted on felony charges stemming from the alleged operation.

According to the Phoenix PD, detectives identified a crew believed to be responsible for stealing $160,000 worth of products, mainly from Bath & Body Works locations across the Valley.

CBS News

Authorities arrest four hackers linked to retail hacking spree

Authorities confirmed on Thursday they had arrested four individuals for allegedly carrying out a series of hacks earlier this year targeting the retail sector, including Marks & Spencer, Harrods, and the Co-op.

The National Crime Agency said a woman aged 20, two men aged 19, and a youth aged 17 were arrested on Thursday at various locations under suspicion of hacking, blackmail, money laundering, and participating in an organized crime group.

Tech Crunch

Reflections on the First 100 Days

It’s been just over 100 days since Gatekeeper Systems and FaceFirst came together in a merger that brings together two companies with a shared mission: making retail environments safer, smarter, and more secure. As with any meaningful transition, much has happened in a short time—and I’d like to take a moment to reflect on our progress and what lies ahead.

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Dara Riordan and the many dedicated current and former members of the FaceFirst team. Their passion and perseverance built FaceFirst into the trusted, industry-leading face-matching platform it is today. That legacy endures. The vision and leadership that shaped FaceFirst’s foundation lives on through the many talented team members who continue to drive innovation, support our customers, and guide our evolution forward.

In these first 100 days, we’ve prioritized listening—to our customers, our teams, and our partners. We’ve sought to understand how we can enhance the FaceFirst experience by streamlining deployment, strengthening support, and accelerating time to value. These conversations have already led to action. We’re rolling out pilot programs that bring together FaceFirst and Gatekeeper’s Purchek® technology and investigative services in a coordinated effort to deliver even greater value—helping retailers quickly identify repeat offenders, build cases, and protect their people and profits more proactively than ever before.

Cybercriminals increasingly target retailers via digital, social channels

In this joint report called The Retail and eCommerce Threat Landscape Report, IntSights scoured the Clear and Dark Web to assess retail data and goods being sold illegally, new cyber scam tactics and how cybercriminals impersonate brands online to trick unknowing consumers.

Riskified analyzed the transaction-level results of hundreds of millions of purchases for indicators of fraud to identify trends and new tactics used by fraudsters.

The Paypers

San Angelo restricts movement in flood zones for safety and to combat looting

The City of San Angelo has issued an order restricting ingress and egress in specific flood-impacted areas as detailed in ‘Exhibit A’ of the ordinance.

According to a social media post made by the city, the restricted area has been deemed hazardous to the safety of individuals and accessing the area would impede law enforcement and safety operations in the area.

MSN