York Regional Police have arrested 172 individuals and laid 358 charges in a major operation targeting organized retail crime in Vaughan. The raid, dubbed ‘The Theft Project,’ was launched on December 6th in partnership with Vaughan Mills, the Retail Council of Canada, and retail loss prevention officers. Through the initiative, officers have recovered stolen merchandise worth over $150,000.
Gift card scams are on the rise, prompting state attorneys general and legislatures to take action. In 2023, card draining and other gift card-related fraud made up $217 million of the record-high $10 billion in money lost from scams nationwide. Some states are considering legislation that would require secure packaging for gift cards to conceal activation information, while others are imposing fines on retailers who fail to post warning signs. Industry groups, however, argue that micromanaging gift card sales would hurt small businesses and that the focus should be on educating consumers about these scams.
