Thieves in New York take goods from stores and then sell them on eBay and Facebook: some steal from the list

The shoplifting epidemic costs New York state retailers $4,4 billion annually, reports New York Post, the resale of stolen goods led to the growth of an underground economy.

According to the Criminal Justice Council (Council on Criminal Justice), in New York from June 2019 to June 2023, the number of shoplifting increased by 64%. Thieves and middlemen are selling stolen goods on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, and filling warehouse space in illegal pawn shops.

The raid in Queens uncovered a premises filled with apparently stolen merchandise and a garbage bag filled with removed security tags. They even “deliver” perishable goods like Häagen-Dazs ice cream directly to stores.

In one scam, scammers stole expensive items from large national chain stores, then returned the stolen items to a branch of the same chain in another state to receive a credit for the returned items. They then sold the loan document for cash outside the walls of this branch.

Shopping lists

Thieves are often sent by special organizers with “shopping lists” that tell them exactly what to steal. “They receive lists of items that include cell phones, power tools, bags,” said a law enforcement source who specializes in fraud. “And then they bring these stolen goods to wholesalers.”

On the subject: Eight ways scammers are scamming New Yorkers and how to protect yourself from them.

The master dealer then distributes them through his own network, through stores if he has them, or lists them online and sells them to consumers through Facebook Marketplace.
To appear typical of online marketplace users, buyers, according to the source, “sell one item, list the next one, and act like that all day long. Or they use several accounts on the network.”

National Retail Federation (National Retail Federation) collaborated with private security firm K2 in 2023 to produce a report that found evidence of widespread use of Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. They allow users to directly list products for sale.

The report looked at advertisements for items that are commonly targeted by organized retailers, such as Tide capsules, diapers and items listed as “new with tags.” In New York, 26% of advertisements for the sale of these products have signs of “organized retail crime.”

Tricky return schemes

Ray Tierney, the Suffolk County district attorney, said he was able to uncover a super-large version of such an operation.

“We observed the buyers and saw them transport their items to the EZ Cash Pawn & Jewelry pawn shop in Brentwood,” Tierney said. “The stolen goods were stored in a room behind the pawnshop.”

There were DeWalt power tools, KitchenAid mixers, Singer sewing machines and Ninja Foodie Delux pressure cookers. These included building materials, designer clothing and handbags. According to court documents, the items were sold on eBay and Tradesy (a now-defunct luxury goods marketplace).

As for how thieves find buyers, Tierney said, “Our investigation suggests that buyers learn about locations for stolen goods through word of mouth within the criminal community.”

Some buyers open their own stores where they mix stolen, counterfeit and discontinued goods, creating an additional problem for law enforcement.

Store scammers use return policies to make a profit. For example, a thief will steal a $600 power saw from Home Depot. Due to possible persecution, he will travel to Pennsylvania. Someone with a fake driver's license will then return the item to Home Depot and receive a credit. A single driver's license can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds.

Some thieves sell their credit slips for cash right outside the store where they made the fraudulent chargeback. They may even return to the store with the person to whom they sold the receipt, in case the staff asks for identification when using the credit receipt.

Quick resale

Often, illegal sales happen much easier and faster: when city supermarkets become the target of thefts, thieves immediately resell the stolen food.

“Shoplifters are stealing our bacon and steaks, and then going down the subway and selling them to people,” said a Morton Williams store employee.

As for other perishable goods, thieves have to sell them quickly.
“Shoplifters are stealing all the Häagen-Dazs from our supermarket and taking it four blocks away to the nearest grocery store,” noted John Catsimatidis, CEO of Gristedes and D'Agostino.

Dominic Albergo, head of security at Catsimatidis, explained: “The thieves come with a garbage bag, put 30 containers in it and leave.” Then we find them in grocery stores and tell the owners that if we find them again, we will go to the station. The good news is that at this point most of these sellers become nervous about buying stolen goods.”