Retail Security Threats
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Servers Skimming Credit Cards at High-End NYC Restaurants for $1 Million in Profit
November 18, 2011 - New York state officials are investigating an alleged restaurant scam that could have netted the servers and their associates at least $1 Million according to a story by NBC New York. The servers working at high-end steakhouses in New York city targeted wealthy customers that used American Express Black Cards and other high-limit credit cards according to the article. Law enforcement officials are alleging that the card numbers were stolen by using pocket-sized electronic card readers that save the full magnetic strip information to memory. This type of card theft can net the thieves recent & high quality card information that can be used to create counterfeit credit cards. Five restaurants are named in the NBC New York article that was syndicated nationally, making this a public relations nightmare for these high-end restaurant brands. Since the store employees have to swipe the customer's credit card through both the point of sale system and the card skimming device, Talon DVR can provide an excellent deterrent, detection and video record for this type of theft. See the article here
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Pin Pad Tampering at Craft Stores
May 5, 2011 - A craft store chain has reported that they have opened a case to investigate reports of stolen pin numbers from their Chicago area stores. The investigation, in conjunction with the Secret Service, is looking at the possibility that skimmers or bugs were physically installed on credit card devices at the store. They are also looking at the possibility that the credit card devices at the store were replaced outright with ones that aided thieves in obtaining information. While it's not entirely clear how the information was stolen, it's a potential public relations nightmare for the company as it faces the loss of revenue from customers that no longer feel "safe" shopping with the chain. Physical incursions to the retail store's technology can be relatively hard to detect by traditional methods. Talon DVR can help detect and deter the physical tampering of payment terminals and other security devices in the retail store and provides a superior audit trail once an intrusion is detected. See the article here
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Shoplifting is the $42 Billion Dollar Problem
November 13, 2009 - US retailers have a $42 billion dollar a year problem. A NY Daily News article sites a recent study that shows a 9% increase in shrink due to shoplifting in US retail stores. The article states that the figure translates to a cost of $435 to the average American family as store owners raised prices to recoup theft related losses. “Employees were responsible for about 44% of the (US) thefts,” according to this study. Talon DVR can be an excellent deterrent for many types of retail shrink, including employee theft. Talon DVR is also a great tool for detection of retail shrink and it provides a detailed video record for this type of threat. See the article here
Credit Card Skimming - What's Your Card Number Worth?
October 2, 2009 - Talk about bad press! Wired magazine reports that a recent survey of court cases in Florida shows that credit card information stolen by restaurant employees were selling for as little as $7.50 per card. Here's how it works. The store employees swiped the customer's credit cards through a pocket-sized credit card reader that saves the card information to memory. Later the stolen card information is sold on the black market to be used to create duplicate credit cards. Since the store employees have to swipe the customer's credit card through both the point of sale system and the card skimming device, Talon DVR can provide an excellent deterrent, detection and video record for this type of theft. Since the data theft is localized, customer, credit card companies and law enforcement officials can often trace the theft right back to the merchant putting their business at risk for bad press or even worse. See the article here