Hi-Tech-Consulting

Shady Shoppers Beware
Wall Street Journal (11/24/09) Maltby, Emily

Merchants are taking a number of steps to fight back against so-called “friendly fraud” schemes, which can include dishonestly disputing a charge made to a credit card or taking advantage of a retailer’s return policies. The Bountiful, Utah, auto accessories store Sun Tints, for example, has begun using a site called BadCustomer.com, which alerts merchants when a credit card has had a chargeback at their store or at a nearby retailer. Merchants can then choose to deny the card. Jamon Robinson, the president of Sun Tints Inc., says the service could save his business 20 chargebacks on items costing anywhere from $100 to $1,000 during the upcoming holiday season. Meanwhile, the Estes Park, Colo., clothing store Indigo has implemented stricter return policies in order to prevent “serial return artists” from buying clothes, wearing and washing them, and trying to return the items for cash refunds. The shop’s owner, Sandra Petrie, says Indigo will now only accept returns in exchange for store credit within two weeks of the purchase, and all tags must still be attached to the items.

We typically do not comment on articles posted here but this one really caught our eye:

Stickups and Burglaries Are On the Rise - at Work
Wall Street Journal (11/16/09) Needleman, Sarah E.

Corporate offices have seen an increase in robberies as traditional cash-heavy businesses, such as banks or convenience stores, have stepped-up security to avoid becoming targets during the recession. Many of these robberies involved small companies with ground-level offices that offer easy access for thieves. According to FBI statistics, the number of annual reported burglaries increased 3.4 percent between 2004 and 2008. Sometimes the perpetrators are armed, heightening fear among office workers. Office thieves can be hard to detect at first glance. In the past year and a half, intruders got into Crosby-Volmer International Communications LLC’s Washington, D.C., office three times during normal business hours. “All of these people had on ties and were wearing dress pants,” says Robert Volmer, president of the public-relations firm. “People in offices tend to give [strangers] the benefit of the doubt.” Volmer e-mailed a letter of complaint to the building’s owner, Blake Real Estate Inc., in July but says he hasn’t seen any signs of increased security. Stephen Lustgarten, Blake Real Estate’s executive vice president, says, “The crime in that building would be no higher than any other urban environment in Washington. [Crosby-Volmer employees] left their back door open and unattended which is why they had a problem.” After receiving the complaint e-mail, Lustgarten says the company briefed tenants on how to prevent future incidents by reminding them to be prudent, and avoid leaving personal items and entrances unattended. Crisis Care Network Inc. provided counseling to employees at 206 workplaces following incidences of armed robbery in the third quarter of 2009, a significant uptick from the 185 workplaces the company counseled during the same time in 2008. Experts say the actual increase in robberies may be higher than the counseling network’s figures indicate since such organizations are often only called in when employee’s lives have been threatened. In light of these figures, companies who may not be traditional theft targets are encouraged to enhance their security measures.

More Job Seekers Scramble To Erase Their Criminal Past
Wall Street Journal (11/12/09) Belkin, Douglas

Due to increased corporate background checks and the continually tight job market, many job hunters are looking to legally clear their criminal records. Michigan state police report that they will set aside 46 percent more convictions in 2009 than in 2008 while Oregon expects to set aside 33 percent more. In addition, Florida says it sealed and expunged 43 percent more convictions. Attorneys report that past offenses are increasingly being discovered, and hindering employment rates, for both blue-collar and middle-class applicants with solid work histories. Background checks have become more commonplace since Sept. 11. More than 80 percent of companies performed checks in 2006, compared to fewer than 50 percent in 1998, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Employers defend these background checks, saying that liability from workplace theft and on-the-job violence are both major concerns, particularly in the current economic climate. In addition to rising background checks, the number of Americans who have been arrested has increased significantly in the past 50 years. In 1967, 50 percent of American men had been arrested. Since that time arrests made largely in connection to domestic violence and illegal drugs have pushed that percentage to 60 percent.

Oxycontin Thefts Keeping Authorities Busy
Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN) (11/04/09) P. AT1; Koch, Jacqueline

Several drug store chains are dealing with thefts of Oxycontin, the painkiller known as the “poor man’s heroin” because it is cheaper and its effects are similar to those of the street drug. Walgreens, for example, is taking steps to curb pharmacy robberies in Washington state, which records more of these crimes than any other state in the nation. According to Walgreens spokesman Robert Elfinger, the company trains its employees on how to react in certain situations and uses digital surveillance cameras to provide clearer images of pharmacy robbers. He also noted that the cameras capture a snapshot of everyone who enters the store, though these snapshots are not retrieved unless an incident occurs. Drugs stores in the Chattanooga, Tenn., area, meanwhile, are also taking steps to curb the theft of Oxycontin, including immediately alerting police to thefts of the drug and sharing information. Although the theft of Oxycontin is rare in Tennessee, several incidents have occurred over the last several weeks. Police say that a Walgreens in East Ridge, Tenn., and a Rite Aid in Chattanooga were recently robbed of Oxycontin. Authorities were able to arrest those involved in the robbery of the East Ridge Walgreens, though they are still working the case of the Chattanooga Rite Aid robbery.