Coalition Against Organized Retail Crime

Organized retail crime, already a large national problem, is growing rapidly. According to the FBI, the losses attributed to organized retail are in the tens of billions of dollars a year.

The face of retail crime used to be petty shoplifters who were eyeing a pack of gum. That’s no longer the case. Today, sophisticated crime rings move from store to store and even city to city. Working in teams, some create distractions while others steal everything from infant formula to DVDs. Often, they are stocking up on specified items at the request of the organized crime leader.

To sell stolen goods, criminals once relied exclusively on the black market or locations like flea markets. Now, retail criminals have embraced technology and more and more are using Internet marketplaces.

Today there is no effective federal, state or local deterrent for this rapidly growing criminal activity. State and local law enforcement cannot always chase criminals across state lines and onto the Internet – and criminals know it. Criminals who sell on the Internet can evade antiquated shoplifting laws that were written in an era of pawn shops and flea markets.

This Web site has been created to provide information about this growing problem.