Pair Charged with Shoplifting $1,3K Worth Of Clothes
Two Bronx, New York, residents were charged with stealing more than $1,300 worth of goods from the Victoria’s Secret store on Tuesday at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack, according to the Clarkstown Police. Deja Medley, 21, and a 15-year-old male, were arrested around 8:50 p.m. after Clarkstown police responded to the mall for a report of shoplifting, said Pete Walker, Clarkstown Police spokesman. The two suspects were reportedly observed by loss prevention employees taking the women’s clothing valued at $1,371, Walker added. They were charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, police said. [Source: Orange Town Daily Voice]
Three Men Accused of Trying to Steal Box Truck with $800,000 Worth of Cellphones Inside
Miami-Dade police’s cargo theft squad and detectives from the Airport District arrested three men last week after they tried to steal a box truck that had $800,000 worth of cellphones inside, authorities said. The suspects were identified Thursday as Daniel Ramirez-Castillo, 29, Yoel Brito, 42, and Luis Miguel Cordova, 39.
Police said undercover detectives watched the men for two weeks as they conspired to steal the truck, and the men followed the truck for several days last week. They said the men tried to steal it Friday outside a business at 6640 NW 22nd Ave. after an undercover officer who was posing as a deliveryman entered the store. The suspects used a copied key to gain access to the truck, authorities said. The trio was arrested on charges of stalking, attempted grand theft of a vehicle and conspiracy to commit grant theft cargo, among other charges. Police said they are seeking information about a 2007 Honda Odyssey with Miami Heat tag L3AJP whose driver fled the scene when the men were taken into custody. Anyone with information about the vehicle is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. [Source: Local 10 News]
NFC Technology and Holograms May Soon Secure Government Ids
A new partnership may soon mean that a combination of hologram and NFC technology could fight counterfeit government documents. The companies involved are Thinfilm, a printed electronics firm, and Holoptica, an authentication solutions provider. This use of NFC technology in combination with holograms could create a government document that can’t be forged. Moreover, it could also be possible to invalidate a legitimate document in the case of theft.
The SpeedTap tag is produced by Thinfilm. It includes an NFC chip that would make it possible for consumers and government officials to connect to the certified digital replica of a document. This way, a single tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone could be all that is required to verify a document’s authenticity. According to the Holoptica CEO, George Perkous, “Combining Thinfilm’s SpeedTap tags with Holoptica’s high-security SmartMark hologram creates a highly effective yet economical solution in the fight against counterfeiters.” He went on to say that the company is looking forward to seeing the outcome of the role played by the NFC tags in boosting document security on a global scale.
Thinfilm CEO Davor Sutija explained that “Document fraud costs governments and businesses billions of dollars each year and directly contributes to the growth of global terrorist activity.” He expressed that his company is glad to be working on the NFC technology and hologram solution as a part of a meaningful anti-counterfeiting strategy.
Sutija feels that this effort will contribute to making the world a safer place for everyone. It will help to minimize the risk of counterfeiting among important government documents in countries worldwide. [Source: Mobile Commerce Press]
Two Arrested after Stabbing at Walmart
Police arrested a couple after a Gilroy man stabbed an employee at Walmart in Morgan Hill, CA, according to authorities. MHPD officers responded to the store located on a report of a possible stabbing that had just occurred in front of Walmart, reads a press release. While responding to the call, police learned a man and woman fled the scene in a small silver SUV, and were last seen traveling south on U.S. 101, police said. The information was broadcast to surrounding law enforcement agencies.
During the investigation, police determined a man and woman had entered the store and were acting suspicious while selecting store merchandise, according to police. The store’s loss prevention officers suspected the two subjects were preparing to leave the store without paying for the items. A loss prevention officer and the assistant store manager contacted the couple as they left the store, police said. The man pulled out a small knife and stabbed the assistant manager on the forearm, causing a non-life threatening injury. The man and woman then fled the area. [Source: Morgan Hill Times]
Target’s Thanksgiving Day Shopping Is Back, Bigger
If nothing says “Thanksgiving” to your family like ferreting out the best bargain gifts, then plan to be at your local Target store by 6 p.m. on Nov. 24. The retailer has announced its Black Friday hours and deals, eschewing the move by some businesses to keep stores closed on the holiday.
This is the third consecutive year Target has opened its stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving night to grab a segment of the spending-spree holiday shoppers. Debate has been fierce in recent years as Black Friday spills over into Thanksgiving evening; some object to employees having to work that night, while some workers love getting paid double or triple time. Target shoppers can find Black Friday deals online early at Target.com and at all stores via Cartwheel on Wednesday, Nov. 23, as the chain works to boost its share of the online market. Starting early Thanksgiving morning, consumers can shop all of Target’s Black Friday deals online with free shipping or when stores open at 6 p.m. on Nov. 24, the company announced Wednesday.
Target’s stores chief Janna Potts defended the 6 p.m. opening time, saying it works based on the positive response from customers and workers and that it boosts sales.
“Shopping on the evening of Thanksgiving really has become an activity for the entire family to enjoy,” Potts said on a media call. The push-back on Thanksgiving shopping has dozens of national stores vowing to keeps their doors closed on Thanksgiving 2016. Those taking the day off from the Nov. 24 shopping frenzy include Apple, Barnes & Noble, Burlington Coat Factory, DSW, Nordstrom and T.J. Maxx. And in a change from past years, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, will stay shuttered on Thanksgiving and open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. The mall has been open on Thanksgiving Day since 2012, but mall officials told The Associated Press they want to offer workers time with their families on the holiday. [Source: Annapolis Patch]