Shoplifting has plagued retail businesses for decades, but this year, it has loomed larger than ever. Authorities say shoplifters have increasingly become the engines of organized theft rings, which systematically ferry stolen goods from thieves to the “fencers” who knowingly resell them. Organized theft has also found a new niche in profiting off gift cards obtained for “returning” stolen goods.
The problem has sent Raleigh criminal attorneys, law enforcers, and storeowners looking to a new Organized Retail Theft Act. This law should make it easier to prosecute suspected ring members and deal harsher penalties on those convicted. But solving the problem might not be as easy as it appears.
The online black market
Gone are the days when shoplifters or fencers resell items on the shadier corners of town. Nowadays, seemingly legitimate vendors on Craigslist, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace could be trading stolen goods to unlimited audiences. The ubiquity, and relative anonymity, of online platforms make them harder to catch, though federal officials have made a number of key arrests in recent years. Read more from this article: http://bit.ly/2Adrhdg
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