The 2024 ANZ Retail Crime Study by Griffith University found that over the past financial year, crime-related costs reached $7.79 billion in Australia. Professor Michael Townsley said online fraud can also be perpetrated from overseas, making it difficult for authorities to respond effectively.
“Before COVID, crime was slowly rising, but when a lot of shops closed due to lockdowns, we saw a bit of a pause and crime went down,” he said.
“Since then, it just got picked up again, and with added cost-of-living pressures, police-recorded instances of shoplifting and employee abuse have gone through the roof.”
Online fraud tactics range from using stolen credit cards to purchase products to falsely claiming packages weren’t delivered to obtain additional products and/or refunds.
Customer theft remained the most significant cause of losses; however, the report also highlighted the impact of employee theft.
“Online shopping has really grown, and largely its adoption was accelerated due to COVID. Many retailers had to roll things out faster than they probably planned to, which left some vulnerabilities for a lot of merchants,” Townsley added.
“Particularly during peak times, such as Christmas or Black Friday, retailers have a far higher volume going through their systems, and fraudsters will tend to play on that.”
The report also highlights the value of loyalty programs in preventing retail crime via tracking and identification measures.
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