According To New Study, One Third Of Workers Save Passwords On Scrap Paper

A study released on Oct. 17 by global research firms Nucleus Research and Knowledge Storm found companies' attempts to tighten IT security by regularly changing passwords and making them more complex by adding numbers as well as letters had no impact on security.

It then goes on to say that companies should start looking at more advanced technologies such as biometrics in order to insure that their systems are safe.

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Avoiding eBay Scammers

In a the book, Dawn of the eBay Deadbeats: True Tales of Treachery, Lies, and Fraud from the Dark Recesses of the World's Largest Online Auction Marketplace, authors Ed and Steve Klink compile a list of scams and bad eBayer's who make eBay shopping a sorry experience.

Here are a few tips to avoid the scams:

• Be wary if the person requests only one form of payment.
• Read carefully, some scams depend on a lengthy description that can be deceptive.
• Never be put off for two weeks on a deal or you risk being unable to stop the credit card transaction.
• Don't use Western Union or MoneyGram when paying for auction purchases.
• Ask yourself the following: Who is this person? Is there a sob story? Does this money have to be sent immediately? Does this offer sound too good to be true?
  

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New Study Finds Interior Design May Be Best Front Against Shoplifting

Study: Store's Interior Design May Be Best Front Against Shoplifting

Getting the goods on a thief may not be necessary if a store's interior is designed to deter shoplifting in the first place, a new University of Florida study finds.

Making stores attractive and alluring to shoppers has long been the aim of retail designers rather than preventing theft, but a store's interior layout often influences shoplifters in whether to steal there, said Caroline Cardone, who did the research for her master's thesis in UF's interior design department.

"Shoplifters enter a store, scan the space and quickly judge whether it's unprotected, understaffed or offers a quick escape," she said. "Once they recognize a store's vulnerability, they'l take advantage of it again and again." Some common patterns emerged in Cardone's analysis of data collected by the Loss Prevention Research Council, a multidisciplinary team of UF researchers, which included interviews with 20 apprehended shoplifters in Orlando, Dania, Fla., and Chicago.

The criminals often sought stores with chaotic, overpacked aisles or crowded, cramped spaces because they offered good camouflage, she said.

Wide, clear aisles, a clean, well-maintained interior and a logically planned store make it less likely for thieves to escape detection, Cardone said. Aisles should be visible from the checkout lane, and the cashier's view of the store should not be blocked by high shelves overstuffed with merchandise, she said.

"Such design tactics will help contribute to the perception of the store being orderly and well-monitored, which seems to make shoplifters feel more vulnerable," Cardone said.

Thieves reported seeking "blind spots" hidden from the view of employees and closed-circuit television cameras where they would take products they had picked up in other parts of the store and stuff them into a sock or pocket, Cardone said. Often these were easily concealable items such as batteries, film and tooth-whitening products that could easily be resold on the street, sometimes to support a drug habit, she said.

Some stores place these sought-after goods behind counters or in locked cases, frustrating legitimate customers who must go out of their way to ask for them, which hurts sales, Cardone said. A less threatening approach might be to station employees in the aisles in direct sight of these coveted items, perhaps at a "customer service station" by the cosmetics counter or pharmacy, where they can answer questions from customers while watching for suspicious activity, she said.

"One CVS pharmacy had a regular employee camped out in the aisle with a folding table and her job was to market cosmetics to people," she said. "It makes a lot of sense to have an employee in cosmetics talk about the benefits of the products. By the same token, you don't dare steal anything with this person standing two feet in front of you."

Stationing a store "greeter" near the exit and lengthening the amount of space between the cashier and front entrance also increases the odds that shoplifters will be caught, she said. Alternate exits create stealing opportunities, as many large mass-merchant chains find with attached garden areas that sell plants and garden accessories, Cardone said.

"The offender simply brings the stolen goods to the garden area, tosses them over the fence and leaves the store," she said. "Either the thief retrieves the merchandise later or an accomplice is waiting on the other side to catch it."

Electronics store Best Buy's practice of placing cameras, iPods and other electronic products on counters with flexible cords allows customers to touch and test the products without walking away with them, Cardone said.

"The best displays are able to both protect and market the product," she said.

Few studies examine how a store interior design affects shoplifting despite the crime's high toll, which in 2004 totaled an estimated $10 billion in losses, Cardone said.

"Retailers have tried everything to minimize shoplifting -- stringent apprehension policies, high-tech protection devices and increased security measures -- but none have solved the problem," she said.

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It's Time For Your Winter Inspection

It's time for you winter security system inspection. With Hackett Security’s winter inspection we will conduct a check-up to help maintain your alarm system, so it can continue to provide you with optimum performance.

With Our Inspection We Will:

• Check the battery
• Check door and window contacts
• Check passive infrareds
• Check the panic button
• Check the bell circuit
• Check and clean all smoke detectors

Call 314.432.4200 For More Details!

http://www.hackettsecurity.com

Article On Our IP Monitoring From Security Systems News

We offer IP monitoring for faster service, and/or for service when a phone line is not available. This is especially useful for a younger customer base, one's who may only have cell phones or have an Internet based phone line.

Click Here for the entire article from http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/.

False Burglar Alarms In Decline

False burglar alarms have long been a problem for any big city, and St. Louis has been no different in this regard. However false alarms are now in decline, because of new technology, new penalty's regarding false alarms, among other items.

Click here to view the Fox 2 news clip

Crime Statistics From Secuirty Sales & Integration

Hackett Security would like to report the following statistics from Security Sales & Integration:
(http://www.securitysales.com/)

There were 1.8-percent fewer robberies nationwide in 2003 compared to 2002, continuing a two-year downward trend. More than 43 percent of robberies took place on streets or highways, while 14 percent were committed in residences. Comparatively speaking, bank robberies accounted for a small percentage — 2 percent — of robberies in the U.S. in 2003.


While there was an increase in burglaries nationwide for the third-straight year, the increase was slight — 2,212 more burglaries in 2003 than 2002 for a 0.1-percent increase. Residential burglaries accounted for 66 percent of 2003 burglaries and, contrary to popular belief, more residential burglaries took place during daylight hours than at night.

Some Crime Statistics:

Every 22.8 Seconds in the U.S. One Violent Crime
Every 31.8 Minutes One murder
Every 5.6 Minutes One forcible rape
Every 1.3 Minutes One robbery
Every 31.8 Seconds One aggravated assault

Every 3 Seconds in the U.S. One Property Crime
Every 14.6 Seconds One burglary
Every 4.5 Seconds One larceny-theft
Every 25 Seconds One motor vehicle theft


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