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Case Study
’FOILING’ THE FRAUDSTERS
Soren Sorensen of Alert MetalGuard looks at the history of
’booster bags,’ the Balkans and why a simple domestic household
material could be set to beat sophisticated anti-theft technology
T
IN foil has long been the tags or illegally opened security tags Door
’friend’ of the fraudster. are found in the shop, only empty antennae
This inoffensive metal hangers and shelves. These losses with
sheet used mainly to foil are very often explained away by MetalGuard
the Christmas Turkey has staff theft or simply written off as technology
been actively used to foil retailers “inexplicable absence” probably
the world over after shoplifters due to incorrect supplies or other
discovered its properties for imprecise procedures.
disabling many store alarms.
If lined in a bag, the tagged THE ITALIAN JOB
stolen goods that would ordinarily Last year a big Carrefour near Milan
activate the alarms, would not be tried to estimate the size of the
able to detect the items as the problem during one month. Security
metal foil ’kills’ the signal between guards and detectives were briefed
the two devices. to be vigilant for shoplifters using
It came to notice of retailers one or another kind of tinfoil lined
during the late 1990s in the “tool” and report the findings to
aftermath of the wars in former the management. This resulted in
Yugoslavia when a refugees poured 38 thieves being caught, without
into north eastern Italy to buy use of metal detection!
products not available back home. One local manager said: “when
Soon the Italian shops in the area we, without use of any technical British music-video chain in the
started talking about inexplicable instruments, are able to find 38 presence of the MetalGuard sales
large losses. booster baggers we know that the team and the loss-prevention
Investigations revealed that less real number is probably 138 since manager, but even that episode did
scrupulous customers were helping these guys are smart and this theft not trigger a roll-out order!
themselves to goods and that the in general is the most difficult to Lack of training is one
stolen items were leaving the shops reveal!” explanation. There is a belief that
in aluminium lined bags – later The biggest multimedia shop in the detected persons will not
known as Booster Bags. Italy became aware of the problem actually be dealt with by the staff,
Although contained to a small back in 2004. Booster baggers were and that the investment is
part of Europe, the story became caught weekly by the numerous therefore wasted. I would argue
global when reported on the security staff and it was decided to that the preventative quality alone
Internet, immediately giving the install MetalGuard systems. Since would deter many booster baggers.
impression that the “booster bag” then the problem has almost been Secondly staff training will enable
issue was already widespread and eliminated. them to intervene in a professional
common problem in shops all over Perfume shops are among the and controlled way. Thirdly, there is
the world. hardest hit victims. Sephora in a political resistance from some EAS
In reality it was not until 2004 Poland invested in the technology companies who sell the
that it really started to create and reduced losses from 4-5% to MetalGaurd systems as a back-up to
serious problems in America, less than 2%. their own product. The need of a
followed by Europe where stories ‘back-up’ is often seen as a
about big losses started appearing. THE UK MARKET AND THE shortcoming in their own system
Today booster bag theft is still the OBSTACLES and they may try to convince the
biggest single loss-maker in many The MetalGuard deterrent has retailer that their system is able to
shops selling quality clothing, music- proved its ‘metal’, so to speak, in detect tags inside booster bags.
video, perfumes and sports Europe, but in the UK, there has Fortunately, this is rapidly vanishing
equipment. It is still grossly been a more conservative approach in Europe where it is accepted that
underestimated because, now made despite objectively evaluated no existing EAS-system can detect
by the professional shoplifters, it successful pilots. Indeed, one security tags inside well made
leaves no trace. No cut off security shoplifter was caught in a major booster bags. RF
ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2008 • 27
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