From Conclave: Security Measures Jewelers Should Be Taking

Orlando, Florida—As criminal networks and technology evolve, jewelers must remain alert and mindful of new and ongoing threats to their business and personal safety.

During a session last week at AGS Conclave in Orlando, Florida, Scott Guginsky, executive vice president of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, and Howard Stone, vice president of asset protection and claims at Jewelers Mutual, hosted a session on organized retail crime.

They discussed tactics, prevention strategies, and how jewelers can protect their employees, customers, and themselves, as well as their inventory.

Here are a few updates, as well as the tips and tricks they shared during the presentation.

Safe attacks are declining while distraction thefts and smash-and-grab robberies remain prevalent.

Last year at Conclave, Guginsky spoke at length about safe attacks, including incidents where thieves would break in through side walls to access the safe.

“I’m happy to report, year-to-date, that we’ve had no torchings of any safes in the United States and we haven’t had one that was penetrated,” said Guginsky, a milestone he credited to the efforts of law enforcement.

Stone commended jewelers as well for taking Jewelers Mutual’s advice on administrative tasks, shared last year at the Converge event in Carlsbad, California, including testing alarms and making sure the alarm call list is updated.

“While the attempts and the incidents are down, it does not mean by any chance that they’re just going to go away. So, we have to make sure that we are constantly on top of all those things that are in place, not just to prevent it, but also to help law enforcement,” Stone said.

While the number of safe attacks have dropped off, Guginsky said distraction thefts are still occurring all over the United States.

“Some of the groups have made their way back to Romania with the proceeds from everybody’s stores. We follow them on social media; we can tell what they’re doing. Some of the ones on our hit list are gone, but [distraction thefts groups are] still hitting,” he said.

Smash-and-grabs continue to be a problem as well, he said, noting that last year California alone saw 35 incidents and 16 vehicle smashes, meaning smash-and-grabs in which the perpetrators drove a car into the store.

Another concern is groups from Venezuela taking over jewelry stores by force, he said, with around four or five occurring this year. The incidents have been violent, with employees hog tied and zip tied by armed thieves.

Guginsky also noted that grab-and-runs remain one of the most common jewelry crimes. He warned against showing a customer too many items at once, lest they run out the door with some.

Be aware of the warning signs and do a risk assessment.

Many jewelers who’ve been the victims of sophisticated burglaries in recent years were targeted by thieves hiding in plain sight, said Stone.

“Being aware is paramount,” he said.

The thieves were in their stores, walking around, looking at the cameras, and noting when people came in and out of the building. 

It’s important to educate the team on what constitutes suspicious behavior, Stone said, like someone in the store who doesn’t want any help and seems to be looking at things other than jewelry. 

As the holiday season approaches, be sure seasonal hires also know what to keep an eye on, said Guginsky.

Jewelers know the dos and don’ts of store safety, but are all the right protocols in place?

Stone recommends having a risk assessment done to “make sure all the tools and all the training that you’ve done actually is working.”

For example, if a jeweler has just rearranged their showcases, then they should make sure their cameras are repositioned, if necessary. 

Protect your home as you would your store.

In many sophisticated jewelry crimes, the thieves are casing a jeweler’s home, not just the store. They have followed people home to track their routine and behaviors.

“They follow them home with GPS trackers on their car, and [police] have recovered plenty of cameras in front of the jeweler’s house or in a flowerpot, or a phone taped up on a tree,” Guginsky said.

“They want to see if the jeweler’s coming back, if the alarm is set. They’re watching all your movements.”

These groups often will get into town a week before a planned hit, he said, renting homes or apartments through companies like Airbnb and storage facilities to hold their tools, like angle grinders and torches.

Because casing is so common, it’s important to save surveillance footage for an extended period, ideally backed up onto the cloud, said Guginsky.

If someone came into the store who seemed off, jewelers can go back and view that footage. If they were just stopping in, pretending to be a customer, their face likely will not be covered. 

“Now, we might be able to get a picture, and law enforcement might be able to identify them,” he said.

A mechanic could be a jeweler’s best friend.

As more groups utilize GPS trackers, jewelers need to be wary of being followed while driving.

“I tell all jewelers, if you think something is going on, it’s time for an oil change,” Guginsky said.

A mechanic can look under the carriage and alert you to a tracking device that shouldn’t be there.

If jewelers are in their car and feel like they are being followed, call the police, said Stone.

Jewelers should also be wary of certain car issues, like overheating or flat tires.

“Nobody’s driving around in a jalopy anymore. You all have nice cars. The 47th Street parking garage is all BMWs and Mercedes,” joked Guginsky.

A modern car is unlikely to overheat, he said, unless perhaps someone has punctured the radiator to get the driver to pull over.

Similarly, a flat tire may be a tire that’s been tampered with.

“If the right rear tire goes flat while you’re driving with something in the car, you [need to keep] driving on the rim to a well-lit location,” Guginsky said.

“They want you to come out and walk all the way around and then they take the bag off the seat.”

These tools will add a layer of security.

During the presentation, Guginsky and Stone mentioned a few tools jewelers can use to protect their store and inventory.

Some criminal groups will use a cell phone jammer that disrupts communication between a store’s alarm system and the monitoring center, but there are detection devices that will notify the alarm company that one of those devices is near the store, Guginsky said.

Apple Air Tags also can come in handy, he said, and cost only about $29 each.

“There’s no reason you shouldn’t have them in different things in your store,” he said, like inside a watch box in the display case or in the safe.

There are also companies that make jewelry trays with trackers, noted Guginsky.

Stone added that GPS tracking “won’t stop it from happening, but it will certainly help us from a recovery standpoint, and law enforcement would appreciate [knowing] where the car is.”

Jewelers should never follow a criminal’s getaway car themselves, he said. They should let law enforcement handle it.

A door buzzer may seem obvious, but it’s a great tool for safety. Guginsky said it lets jewelers and their employees control the store environment.

“Nobody has the right to come to your store and shop, no matter what they say. This isn’t the right to vote or drive a car. You don’t have a right to come into my store if I don’t feel comfortable with the way you’re coming in,” he said.

“We haven’t had a jeweler sued because criminals couldn’t get in.”

Getting to know delivery people is also important for jewelers. If it’s not the regular delivery person, use caution. Check to see if there’s a truck outside.

“If they come with a box and a uniform they bought on eBay, they can get right into your store,” said Guginsky.

An armed police officer or a security guard is a top deterrent, he said, often leading criminals to find another target.

Alarm monitoring services can also be helpful, said Stone, offering remote monitoring overnight, including checking your cameras.

Stone, who is based in Seattle, said his city is one of several across the country that has implemented an Alarm Validation Scoring Standard (AVS-01), created by The Monitoring Association.

It helps emergency dispatchers and law enforcement prioritize burglar alarm calls.

“If there is an alarm that goes off and it is not verified, either video verified or by someone physically there, police are not going to respond. It’s a grading system that grades the level of response you will get,” said Stone.

Having someone remotely checking the cameras who can verify the alarm may lead to a faster response time, said Stone, and save jewelers from having to wake up in the middle of the night to check.