The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Smart Start workshop focuses on theft, fraud prevention
In preparation for upticks in theft during the holiday season, business owners and employees in Amherst were educated about merchandise theft, fraud and online scams.
Main Street Amherst conducted its quarterly Smart Start workshop Oct. 11 at 255 Park Ave.
Amherst Police Department Lt. Mark Cawthon and Dr. Daves PC Clinic president Dave Jones both spoke during the workshop, giving a crash course on how to identify and prevent theft, both online and on a business’s floor.
Cawthon said late fall and early winter months, deemed “the season of thieves,” are notorious for an increase of theft.
Thieves cannot be identified by a quick glance, Cawthon said.
“It doesn’t matter what color, what race, who you are, what demographic, shoplifting occurs through that,” he said.
Cawthon said indicators, instead, lie in what a customer might be wearing, carrying or acting like.
Baggy or ratty clothing, uncharacteristic garb for the season (a down coat in the summer) and hats or hoods covering the face can be physical indicators to take note of, although do not guarantee theft, he said.
Backpacks, umbrellas, garbage, plastic and large open bags and newspapers also can be used to conceal stolen merchandise, he said.
Suspicious behavior includes a customer glancing quickly around the store, interchanging items for new ones, quickly moving around the store, shopping right after opening or before closing hours and distracting employees.
“They have goals; they have plans for the job they’re gonna do,” Cawthon said.
Prevention methods can include security cameras at the front of the store placed at eye level and on top of tall walls or shelves that reduce visibility, mirrors, moving the cash register to the front of the store and good customer service, he said.
If a business is the victim of a theft, Cawthon said being a “good witness” is key and includes giving physical descriptions, license plate numbers and direction of traffic if the police are contacted.
“We want you to do this in a manner that’s safe for you ... You ask yourself: is the property worth you getting hurt?” he asked.
Jones said the best way for a business to avoid online scams is to not open suspicious emails, install high-end anti-virus software, keep Wi-Fi secured with a password and to not use WiFi for the business’s internet connection.
“(Hackers are) coming in and stealing something more important than something on your floor, something not on a shelf,” he said. “They’re there for something way more valuable: data.”