ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME
Organized Retail Crime (“ORC”) refers to groups, gangs, or individuals who are engaged in an illegal business enterprise: obtaining retail merchandise through theft and fraud. These products are then resold at smaller stores, pawn shops, flea markets, swap meets and internet auction sights.

According to the FBI, ORC thieves are stealing over $15 billion annually. Everyone shoulders this cost from consumers who unknowingly buy altered or stolen items, to communities that lose tax revenue and of course the retailers that are victimized by thieves.   

The National Retail Federation 2009 Organized Retail Crime Survey features responses from 115 different retail companies, including department/large box, discount, drug, grocery, restaurant and specialty retailers. Among the findings:

• 92% of retailers reported that their companies were victims of organized retail crime in the past year.  Up 8% from the 2008 survey.
  
  
• 60% have identified stolen merchandise or gift cards at physical locations like smaller stores, pawn shops, flea markets or swap meets.
  
  
• 60% have identified stolen merchandize at internet auction sites.
  
  
• 1/3 of retailers believe that more than 50% of “new in box” merchandise sold through online auctions sites are stolen or fraudulently obtained. Up 34% from the 2008 survey.
  
  
• Criminals can make close to 70 cents on the dollar for stolen merchandise sold on an internet auction site as opposed to roughly 30 cents on the dollar for stolen merchandise sold through the traditional black market or physical locations.

The Coalition Against Organized Retail Crime partnered with the Food Marketing Institute and estimated  that in Texas over $1.2 billion worth of merchandise was stolen by ORC gangs resulting in a loss of over $76.8 million in sales tax revenue.
 

WANTED FOR ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward		Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward
	Organized Retail Crime Press Release up to $5,000 Reward