Flash Mob + Robbery - Could be a BIG Problem

We've all seen the videos, masses of people breaking into song in crowded malls or subway stations. It's all in good fun and puts a smile on people's faces, but there is a darker side. The video below shows a mild but still costly and criminal side to the flash mob trend.

At around 1:45 a.m. on a Saturday a surveillance camera recorded a flash mob descending upon and departing a local 7-Eleven in Washington DC. About three dozen young people walked in and grabbed items including: candy, sodas, ice cream and other small ticket items, and walked out without paying.

Mohammad Jebanzeb, the store owner's son, was on duty and called the police, but the mob had dissipated by the time they arrived. He did not confront any of the suspects as he was clearly out numbered.

Flash mobs can pop up and disappear in a matter of minutes leaving retailers scratching their heads, employees helpless and law officials a day late and a dollar short.

Police said they would be checking social networking sites to see if any of the suspects had posted videos. Luckily several of the suspects had been identified through the video.

Loss Prevention professionals classify this type of crime as a multiple offender crime. This label includes gangs, groups of teenagers and robbery crews, any large group involved in criminal activity. Flash mobs fall into this category when they engage in illegal activity such as assault, theft or vandalism.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) polled 106 US retail companies to judge the impact of multiple offender crimes. According the to the poll 79% of retailers reported being a victim of a multiple offender crime, 10% had been hit by flash mobs and 50% had 2-5 incidents in the last 12 months.

A few minutes on the web produces more than a few incidents to make any retailer worried. From small groups in lingerie stores to 40+ crowds at a Sears store, this trend is taking a once innocent and fun activity and turning it into a criminal enterprise. The participants
may think it is funny but they will not be laughing when the law and/or their parents catch up with them.

To prepare retailers for this emerging trend the NRF created a set of guidelines concerning theft, civil disturbance, crowd management, workplace violence and/or safety policies. You can download your copy here

Thoughts from our in-house Security Guru

Social media and other technologies causing headaches for retailers and loss provention professionals are here to stay. Hopefuly they are not just the cause, but also part of the solution. If you notice  a post on Twitter, Facebook or any other site that sounds like it is targeting a business with criminal intent notify your local police at once. 

Sources

Flash Mob Robbery, Brandon Benavides, NBC Washington

Chilling surveillance shows criminal flash mob of young people looting store, Joe Larocca, Retail's BIG Blog

NRF issues guidelines for retailers in handling “criminal flash mobs”, Joe Larocca, Retail's BIG Blog