The Art of Shoplifting Shoplifting is a topic that is practically relevant to many and it should therefore not become an exclusive craft confined to a small shoplifting elite. On the contrary, shoplifting is an art that deserves the widest possible dissemination. For your convenience we have printed below a step by step guide to shoplifting. Good luck. Within capitalism, most of us are either (1) alienated from our labour and hence dependent on the ruling classes for commodities as basic as food and clothing, (2) excluded from the division of labour, in which case we are likewise dependant on the State, or (3) performing unpaid and/or unrecognised labour and hence dependant on patriarchal relations for food, clothing, etcetera. In any case, our access to resources is severely limited by contemporary relations of domination. One partial solution to this problem may be to STEAL. Sadly, however, many people living precariously on low incomes tend to either: (1) avoid shoplifting for anachronistic moral and/or ethical reasons; or (2) remain ignorant of the better methods and techniques of shoplifting, thus failing to maximise their lifting potential. From the onset, the golden rule of theft should be enunciated: NEVER STEAL FROM SOMEBODY WHO COULD CONCEIVABLY BE A COMRADE. Hence kicking into a house on Bell Street with a beaten up old Mazda in the yard is irresponsible and counter-revolutionary! Be careful, too, about taking stuff from small 'corner store' type shops -- you could be ripping off someone in a situation not dissimilar to your own. On the whole, it is best to play it safe and go straight for the big corporate fuckers. Some people will suggest that shoplifters are a selfish breed, since 'we all pay for it in the end' through inflated prices to cover losses and so forth. However, comrades, this and closely analogous arguments are used to just ify lowering wages, breaking unions, lowering corporate taxation and taxation on the rich and corporate sector we may as well sell ourselves into bonded slavery now, or join the Liberal Party. No, the injunction against stealing from capitalism is itself a capitalist ideology and should be spurned as such. Although we have been taught that 'thou shalt not steal', an order historically backed by threats of divine retribution, this should not for one minute stop us from taking the redistribution of wealth into our own hands. Believe me, no-one is likely to do it for us. What follows is a list of effective methods and observations that may prove useful. Preparing oneself for the big haul: 1. If possible, you should always have some money on you when intending to shoplift, because if you've got none, it's rather hard to argue that to steal the item was a spontaneous decision. As a result, if you've got no money and are caught shoplifting you are more than likely to be charged for burglary as well as theft. 2. Buying something at the same time that you steal stuff doesn't necessarily ensure success. Approaching staff for items you are absolutely sure they don't have is just as good. Think of something that you know they don't have (i.e. a doona cover with a specific pattern on it or something equally obscure) and pretend that you are looking for this, so that you have an excuse for being there. If staff are ever suspicious of you or ask if they can help you, ask them if they've got the thing you are sure they don't have. Never screw this up -- if you do you will have to buy the item or they may realise that you are there to steal. 3. It is always a good idea to carry a bag although you should never stash anything in it -- if security/sales staff are suss on you the first place that they'll check is your bag and it may just get you off the hook if they can't find anything suspicious inside of it. 4. Remember that there is no such thing as a standard store detective -- there is no qualifying dress code, age, race, gender or class. Grandma will bust you this week and next week it'll be a 5 year old kid. 5. Just as there is no typical store detective nor is there a standard shoplifter. Security do not go looking for the poorly dressed people. They may pick on you out of boredom, but remember, only an unsuccessful store detective picks on poorly dressed people. By the same token don't believe the stale myth that suits + dresses = more successes; security anticipate that professional shoplifters will dress up a bit. Wear whatever you want. On entering the maze: 1. As soon as you enter the store, suss out the sales people. First impressions often count here. You could find a valuable blind-eye turning ally in younger or less-affluent employees. Alternatively, an employee can often stand out as a more wishy-washy gullible individual -- so even if they see you they are likely to be too gutless to mention it, either to you or to security. 2. Don't be put off by signs such as 'shoplifters will be prosecuted' or 'security police patrol this store'. Often this is just bluff anyway, and in any case there is no security measure that cannot be undone by a clever shoplifter or a quick talker. Do, however, keep your eye on security and be on the lookout for video surveillance cameras. 3. Try to find where the video surveillance monitors are and who is watching them; often they are not even looking at them. See if you can get a glance at their monitor. Often it is one monitor hooked up to 20 cameras which changes sequentially (every 30 seconds or so). Other times it's one guy in a room looking at 50 screens while reading the paper or glued to the box. These monitors are usually pretty small and have a wide aperture, showing more of the room but not enough detail to adequately see what you are up to. 4. It is a good idea to keep your back to the camera as much as possible without looking suspicious. Check out cameras (hold-up cameras) are often set up to check on employees, so they are not hard to keep your back turned to. Blind-spots and other lifting techniques: 1. A blind-spot is a section of the store where you are barely visible and can thus feel free to both dump and collect stuff, without fear of being seen. Display units can make perfect blind-spots -- they ensure security is confident they have their eye on you, when in fact they can only see your top half -- at the same time they enable you to keep your eye on security. For these reasons, the best blind-spots are usually below the chest -- around waist high. Blind-spots are good for loading into the lip of your jeans or into a jacket. 2. Make sure your blind-spot is not under surveillance. Never hang around your blind-spot for too long. Most of all, be careful to never lead security to your blind-spot. 3. A good method is to take everything you want to your blind-spot and collect it all later in one go, or better still get someone else to collect it for you. Getting someone else to collect for you can be a great system, particularly with exchanges -- which I'll come to later. If you are really pedantic, or you think that they are watching you, then load up, go to the toilets and pass the stuff under the wall/partition of the cubicle to a waiting friend in an adjoining cubicle and get them to leave with it. (No item 4 in original text -- ed.) 5. Speaking of dunnies and change-rooms, one of the oldest tricks in the book is to put more than one garment on a hanger (works particularly well with women's underwear), go to the change-rooms and put the garment underneath what you are wearing. Alternatively, if you are a woman, you can slip your old bra on a hanger and put on the new one. Don't be put off by the staff as you enter the change-rooms -- they are usually quite disinterested and so long as the number of hangers you exit with matches the little plastic number they've given you they'll be satisfied. 6. On the subject of women's underwear, the lingerie department is ideally suited to male shoplifters -- not only is it the perfect excuse for looking embarrassed or suspicious (they have come to expect this), but staff are less likely to harass you by trying to help you and will be more sympathetic generally. Exchanging crap for more crap Exchanging things -- that is, taking the redistribution of wealth into your own hands by refunding yourself for an item you never paid for, or swapping something you stole that you don't want for something you do want, or swapping something that you don't want that is unstealable and therefore refundable -- is a whole new ball game. 1. If you plan to steal something and then make an exchange always take stuff that people are likely to take back like sheets, or other obscure household items. If questioned you can say to them "as if I'm gonna keep the receipt, I didn't plan to bring it back". Books and other small but expensive items such as computer software are also great exchangeables. 2. Stealing women's underwear and cosmetics are the perfect alibi for male shoplifters who specialise in exchanges. Male customers always fuck up buying stuff for their girlfriends/wives/mothers and when it comes to lingerie, it's just too easy for a guy to look goofy, have sales staff sympathise and all too quickly agree to exchange or refund the items. This works particularly well around Xmas time when you can tell them you bought it for your mother but she already had that one. 3. Never take an exchange item to the store you stole it from and make sure the other store (e.g. Myers in Doncaster as opposed to Northland) has the same item before you take it back. 4. Make sure you have chosen your item before you approach anyone for an exchange. Also, tell the people in the first department that you want an exchange without mentioning receipts -- they should send you down to the appropriate department for your other item and then ring up this department providing a referral, which if you are lucky will mean you do not have to provide a receipt given that everything appears legitimate. 5. The first time you exchange a stolen item for another product make sure you get something unstealable in return, like a video, watch, or something else kept behind a counter, so that the second time you do it, even if you don't get an exchange receipt they will not suspect that it is stolen. 6. Exchange receipts are a pain in the arse. Sometimes smart arse sales people will write a cross the original docket 'no original receipt' which is a problem, so if you have a bit of money on you, it is a good idea to exchange for something that costs a little bit more so that they have to give you a cash receipt. 7. Don't freak out if they call security while you are acting out an exchange -- as returns will often require security's signature this is quite standard procedure and nothing to worry about. 8. If you're having problems getting an exchange, big department stores normally have consumer rights people located upstairs somewhere -- they can usually be contacted by information telephones. These are people with big egos who like to wield power and the sales staff, who are much lower down the hierarchy, are usually pretty freaked out by this power. If you do get the ego from upstairs on side, they will organise a sales person to look after you and after the egomaniac goes up upstairs again, they sure will -- because the sales person does not want to reprimanded by the same person from upstairs more than once, you will be practically able to get them to do anything that you want them to. A good technique is to tell the person upstairs a different story to the one that you tell the sales person. You can get angry at this stage and tell them that they fucked you around, that you don't want an exchange any more and that you want a refund now and they will usually comply. 9. Be wary of the long term employee -- you've got to know when to stop. Be particularly wary of the head of sales or middle management who have been working there for a long time (sometimes 20 years or more) and are not as scared of the big guys from upstairs as are the newer employees. You can often convince some of the younger staff that they are allowed to do refunds if you tell them that you used to work there. 10. Another commonly used technique is to take an empty bag from the same store with a receipt in it for previously paid for items and then nick the same stuff, which gives you the perfect alibi. 11. Better still, if you've got some money, find two things that are worth however much you've got, take them out of the store and stash them somewhere, then go back in and buy the exact same items. While leaving the checkout, make a big deal about it. "Am I doing the right thing? Will she like it? Will it fit him? etcetera" and then "what the heck!" (Make sure you don't go overboard and push them to mention keeping the receipt or worst of all mention it yourself!) Pay for it. About half an hour to a couple of hours later (not too long) take the stuff back to the same sales people and they'll usually give you cash without a receipt because they remember selling it to you. If you pull it off you've got a cash receipt and your stolen goods which you can exchange at another store. Leaving the store safely: 1. Always double back just as you are about to leave the store so that you can check if anyone is following you (99.9% of the time they will follow you out of the store before they approach you). Alternatively, go up and down an escalator or in a lift and press every button in the lift and it will be obvious if anyone is following you. 2. If people are watching you, whatever you do, do not try to discreetly dump stuff unless you are absolutely sure that you can get away with it. If caught dumping stuff they usually won't charge you but they may fuck you around for a few hours. 3. If you are caught dumping stuff never let a store detective know it was because of them. Always make out it was a result of a sudden guilty conscience. Never let a store detective know that you know that they are on to you, because they won't put them on you the next time. That way you get to know store security and are able to keep your eye on them as much as you can. 4. If you want to have a bit of fun and don't plan to continue shoplifting that day, or ever, or you just don't give a shit, go up to a store detective and treat them like a sales person, asking them for help etcetera. It is just as embarrassing for them to be caught as it is for you. It is always a good thing to break their spirits or at least bring them down every now and again. Alternatively, use reverse psychology on them. Say "I'm going down to such and such department. I'll see you down there". Often they'll be too embarrassed that they've been busted and think that you won't do it now that you're being watched and you will have the run of the mill. 5.NEVER GET TOO CONFIDENT or you will start to make silly mistakes. The end: Finally, if you get caught -- lie your teeth out! Never admit to premeditation. Always say that the opportunity arose, so you took it. Don't act tough or be a smart arse. Cry. Bawl. Admit a guilty conscience. Beg them not to call the cops. Tell them that CSV will take your kids off you and then weep. Even though some stores say they have a policy to call the police it is not necessarily true and they may, after lots of tears and admissions of guilt, just get you to sign a statement which says you'll never enter that store again. If the cops do arrive, it's a good idea to act scared shitless because they may assume you're a first offender and not bother to check your record. Don't antagonise the filth -- it is their personal discretion as to how bad you get busted. You are most likely to be charged with 'theft' if caught shoplifting, but you can be charged with 'burglary' as well if you don't have any money on you. 'Equipped to steal' is what you will be charged with if, for example, you have a slit in the lining of your jacket for concealing stolen goods. 'Obtaining financial advantage' and 'deception' are what you are likely to be charged with as well as 'theft', if caught exchanging stolen items. Carmen Lawrence, with thanks to Joshua and Destroyer 267. Shoplifting Techniques Labels: Shoplifting Techniques Some common techniques in the ancient art of retail theivery. "Accidental" stealing In "Accidental" stealing, a thief takes his place in the queue with the items he intends to steal, and pays for only one of those items while holding what he intends to steal in full view to cause confusion (or places said items into his pockets), while avoiding suspicion due to his apparent intention of payment. In the unlikely event of being caught, the thief can simply pass off the attempt at stealing as accidental. This method is also referred to as "left handing," a reference to the stolen item being held in the left hand while payment is made with the right. Baby stroller boxes This scam involves the use of baby stroller boxes, which tend to be quite large in size. A would-be shoplifter removes the stroller from the box and proceeds to conceal a large amount of merchandise inside. The would-be shoplifter then reseals the box and takes it to a checkout aisle, where he pays the purchase price for the stroller. If the scam is successful the would-be shoplifter walks out of the retailer with concealed merchandise still inside the stroller box. Bagging, Simple The '''Simple Bagging''' Tactic is when a would be shoplifter bags the item in a bag that they have brought into the store (ex. purse or shopping bag from another store). This generally done while no one is watching. Bag switching Bag switching methods are generally attempted by a group of two shoplifters. Typically the first shoplifter will have a large bag and gather a large amount of merchandise quickly to get the attention of a Loss Prevention Investigator. Once the first shoplifter knows that he is being followed he will conceal the merchandise into the bag. The first shoplifter will then switch his bag with the second shoplifter, who usually has a matching bag that is already filled with items that don’t belong to the retailer. Often the Loss Prevention Investigator will miss the switch and arrest the first shoplifter. Subsequently, the first shoplifter may claim false arrest and receive a gift card from the retailer. Barcode counterfeiting In barcode counterfeiting the shoplifter will bring in pre-made barcodes from low value items. They are then applied over the barcodes on higher value items. This allows the shoplifter to go through the check out process, make a payment, have any secruity tags deactivated by the clerk and walk out without any suspicious behavior. The shoplifter might be working with the check out clerk to ensure the incorrect prices are not noticed. Barcode Switching This is when a shoplifter switches the tags/barcodes between to pieces of merchandise most likely putting the cheaper tag on the product they wish to obtain Booster boxes (bag) A booster box is a device that allows a would be shoplifter to conceal a large quantity of merchandise on his person. These boxes are lined with metal or some other substance to prevent security tags from setting off the security gates at the exit. Typically professional shoplifters of large girth most commonly attempt this scam. The use of booster boxes is most prevalent at clothing retailers due to the fact that clothing merchandise can be easily molded to fit inside the box. Some professional shoplifters have been known in the past to attempt to use booster boxes to conceal electronics and DVDs. Coupon returns One of the more common scams involves returning items that were paid for partially with coupons. Some stores, including Target, refund the entire item amount, including the amount discounted by coupons. Shoplifters involved in this scam often shop at multiple stores, and have family members return items so that no suspicion is aroused. Defective software scam A person buys a piece of software from a computer store, exits, opens software, and records serial number/CD key for single license of the software purchased. After at least a few hours the same person re-enters the store he bought the software at and complains to customer service that the installation disc is defective. Most computer store policies allow same-item exchange for opened computer software, so person is given a different copy of the same software. The scammer now has two licenses after only paying for one. A more convincing variation includes intentionally nicking the top layer of installation CD/DVD, rendering the discs actually defective before exchanging it. Double cart Two shoplifters are usually involved with this scam. They fill two carts with goods and approach the checkout. They load the checkout with the high value goods first. The cashier scans the items and removes the security tags. One of the shoplifters bags the items and places them back into the now empty first trolley. As the second trolley is being scanned the first shoplifter leaves with the first trolley while the second shoplifter stays at the checkout. The remaining goods are scanned and the cashier awaits payment. The second shoplifter puts on an act of a forgotten wallet. This gives the first shoplifter time to load the goods into a vehicle. The second shoplifter then makes an excuse to go and get her wallet, and leaves the remaining goods at the checkout. She then leaves the store and they escape with the high value goods. Fake return Sometimes shoplifters will actually gather an item from the selling floor and try to receive money for it without a receipt at the return station. Although this method is not as fool proof as the receipt matching method, it is very effective particularly when done to an inexperienced cashier. Usually the shoplifter will start complaining to the cashier about his inability to return the merchandise. Typically the shoplifter will state that he lost his receipt or threaten the cashier by stating that he wants to talk to the employee's supervisor. To avoid confrontation the cashier will ring up the return and give the shoplifter the value of the merchandise. (See refund theft.) False alarm scam The shoplifter grabs something with a tag on it, puts it into someone else's bag, and waits for him to walk out. As soon as the alarm goes off the shoplifter walks out with whatever he's stolen without being stopped. Fitting room bagging Typically this scam is seen in large clothing retailers. This scam generally preys upon the common Loss Prevention policy of prohibiting the apprehension of shoplifters when concealment is not actually seen by an investigator. The shoplifter enters a retail establishment with a large bag, and then selects a large amount of merchandise and takes it to a fitting room. Once inside, the shoplifter conceals the merchandise into the bag out of sight of store employees and store investigators. This technique is very effective due to the fact that most department stores do not supervise the dressing room (they do not check the amount of clothes a person has before and after using a dressing room). Also, because it is common to leave clothes in the dressing room that one does not wish to purchase, entering a dressing room with clothing and exiting with none will arouse no suspicion. Gift card cloning In this scam, a normal store gift card with no value attached is stolen from a store. The shoplifter then clones the magnetic strip on the back of the gift card and makes a copy or copies of it. The original gift card is then returned to the store by the shoplifter. The gift card is activated once purchased by another customer, and the dollar amount applied to the legitimate gift card is passed to all the cloned gift cards. Grab and run A common shoplifting technique is known by the Loss Prevention community as a "grab and run." Simply put, a shoplifter enters a retail establishment usually with prior knowledge of what he is looking for. The shoplifter moves very quickly toward the merchandise he or she wishes to steal. Once the shoplifter has found the merchandise, he or she proceeds toward the nearest store exit, usually while running. Due to the short amount of time that the shoplifter is inside the store, persons who attempt this scam are seldom caught or, in some cases, even detected. Less common is for a group of people to rush into a store, grab as much merchandise as possible, and then rush out. The speed at which this happens as well as the large number of people involved make this approach difficult to stop. Metal-lined clothing or containers Metal-lined sacks, containers, or clothing (such as aluminum foil-lined undergarments) allow a would-be shoplifter to shield the RFID tags attached to merchandise concealed on his person from the scanners at the door of a store (see Faraday cage). 2001 Colorado House Bill 01-1221 made it a misdemeanor to possess, use, or know about and fail to report others who possess RFID shielding devices with intent to foil anti-shoplifting devices. Milkshake subterfuge A less common shoplifting technique used for smaller high-dollar items is the milkshake subterfuge. A milkshake is purchased by the shoplifter and taken into the store. The shoplifter proceeds to drop small heavy items like jewelry into the milkshake. On leaving the store her milkshake is unlikely to be searched. Shoplifters using this method must be wary of drinking too much of their milkshake or the items will be revealed in the bottom of their cup. Opening the item This is a very simple form of shoplifting that has been used for years. The shoplifter gets a small valuable item, quickly puts it in a pocket, so that CCTV cameras and store staff don't notice. Then the shoplifter goes to the public toilet, opens up the item, and flushes wrapping down the toilet. The shoplifter is sure to unwrap the item so that alarms will not go off when he or she leaves. After finishing this, the shoplifter simply walks out with it in a pocket. To combat this, many stores have policies barring unpaid merchandise from being taken into restroom facilities. Alternatively, with DVDs or other disc type merchandise, the shoplifter picks up the item and walks away with the look of wishing to buy additional merchandise. In another area of the store, the shoplifter very precisely cuts a slit in the cellophane wrapping on the side the case opens on. Using a plastic knife (most commonly, but can be anything rigid and flat that will do little damage to the disc, such as a popsicle stick) the shoplifter pops the disc off of the internal clasp and slides the DVD out from within the case. They then leave the item's case somewhere in the store and exit with the disc hidden. Often this is not discovered until the item is purchased and opened legally. Another smaller value version of this method is usually used in a grocery store. The shoplifter walks up to an item that they could eat or drink while browsing and does so. An empty can be discarded on any shelf in the store (stores usually do not provide a trash can so no forgetful consumer throws away what they should be purchasing). Even if the shoplifter is not finished with the item, by the time they approach the check out counter the cashier will sometimes think they came in the store with it. Out the wrong door This method requires a common outside door with two diverging doors from the vestibule: one for an entrance (which is not usually supervised) and one for an exit. Two people enter the store. One person retrieves merchandise from the selling floor. When this person is ready to leave the store, he waits at the entrance door. The other person walks around to the exit, walks into the vestibule and activates the entrance door on the way out, and the person with the merchandise also leaves. Sometimes the second person will just distract the cashiers while the person with the merchandise waits for some unknowing customer to enter the store and activate the entrance door. Another variation is to exit through a fire door. Although these are alarmed, by the time staff respond, the shoplifter will be long gone. Many stores now have fire exit doors that operate with a delay - the alarm is set off several seconds before the door can be opened. Power failure In the event of a power failure where all lighting and CCTV goes out, the shoplifter quickly grabs as much merchandise as possible and calmly leaves the establishment before power is restored. Razor Finger This technique involves using a razor blade to remove or destroy security tags on merchandise. The razor blade is taped onto the fingers with medical tape to give the appearance of an injury. The blade is then used to cut off or destroy the security tags. This technique was used in the book ''Evasion''. Receipt matching The receipt matching scam involves using receipts to match merchandise codes from the receipt to items found in a store. Most retailers use company specific merchandise codes on their merchandise so store personnel can identify the location more quickly and efficiently. Additionally the merchandise is used to verify merchandise that was purchased at a particular retailer during a return. This information is printed onto the receipts of purchased merchandise. Typically shoplifters will search either retailer's parking lot or trashcans looking for receipts that have a high dollar item on it. The shoplifter then enters the store and compares the code on the receipt to the codes printed on the merchandise in the store. Once the shoplifter finds a match he will take the merchandise to the return area and receive money for it. Typically, to avoid detection, shoplifters will use a piece of paper with the merchandise code they are looking for written on it. Another variation is to purchase the target item, then leave the store, and send a friend back in with the receipt to obtain the same item. The friend can either return the item right then, or leave the store with a second target item. Receipt passing A person walks into a retail store and buys a high-value item, such as an iPod. On the way out he gives the receipt to a friend who enters the store, receipt in hand, picks up the same high-value item and a low-value accessory, at the checkout he shows the receipt to the cashier explaining he already bought the item, but walked back to buy the accessory. The accessory is then purchased, and thus the thieves get two for the price of one. This method is combated by locked merchandise. Rope and fenceline In large retail stores such as Home Depot and Walmart that have Garden areas where there is no ceiling, two shoplifters will attempt to steal merchandise. One shoplifter will wait outside, while the shoplifter inside will take a cart full of merchandise (such as drills or sawblades) to the garden center. The shoplifter inside will then tie the merchandise to the rope, and throw the rope over the fenceline, and the shoplifter waiting on the other side will untie it and take it. Self-checkout scam At some larger retailers, such as Wal-Mart, customers have the option of using self-checkout lanes, in which customers do not interact with employees at all when making purchases but check themselves out at a computer. Customers are expected to scan the items that they wish to purchase, insert payment for the scanned items, then bag the items and leave the store. Shoplifters have been known to purchase small items with these machines, and place additional items in their bags without paying for them. In some grocery stores with salad bars, thieves can find the UPC for a small salad and place a pack of cigarettes on the weighted scanner, type the UPC for a salad, and get away with a cheaper pack of cigarettes. Many shoplifters intentionally act slightly confused when using these machines, and act as if they are attempting to scan the item which they wish to steal, so that, if confronted, they can claim that they took the additional items by mistake. NOTE: The majority of these self check out machines have scales under the shopping bags (where you place the item after scanning). The scale checks that the amount of items in the bag weighs the same that is scanned. If the weight is off, generally, the supervising attendant will be signaled to come to the station for assistance. Shoe-switching This scam involves footwear at major shoe stores or department stores. The shoplifter starts with finding the intended shoes to steal and when ready, asks the store sales associate to retrieve the correct sizes from the back stockroom. Once the shoes are brought out, the shoplifter will try on the shoe and pretend wrong sizing or that the shoe is uncomfortable. They ask for a new size and state that they will do a size comparison in which the shoes being worn are then left with the shoplifter. Once the store associate is sent back to the stockroom to retrieve the 2nd size, the shoplifter simply walks out with the new pair of shoes leaving the old pair in the box. Store associates assume that they must have changed their mind and discoveries are usually made when the same pair of shoes are summoned by a new customer. If seen by other store associates or door/greeting associates, the shoplifter explains that wearing the shoe immediately is preferred. Shoe-switching (Alternative) This scam involves stores that allow customers free access to shoeboxes (the customer does not have to ask an attendant to retrieve shoes). The shoplifter walks in with a pair of old shoes and replaces the new shoes in the box with those. Any security alarm tags on the new shoes are discarded. The shoplifter walks out wearing the new shoes while leaving the old shoes behind. Shoe Box Switching A shoplifter walks into a shoe store and finds an expensive pair of shoes. The shoplifter wears the expensive shoes. Old shoes in hand, the shoplifter finds a cheap shoe box and places his old shoes in it. At the cash register, the cashier looks inside the shoe box and ask, "Are you wearing the shoes right now?" The shoplifter replies, "Yes, I am wearing the shoes right now." The cashier scans the box and the shoplifter leaves the premises with expensive shoes but having paid for a cheaper pair. This works in stores with accessible shoe boxes, such as warehouses like Academy Sports and Outdoors. Shopping cart magic Shopping cart tricks are often disregarded by Loss Prevention personnel. Typically, older or professional shoplifters usually attempt this scam. The scam works in the following way: when the shoplifter first enters the store, they locate an empty shopping cart. The shoplifter finds the item they are looking for and typically place on the bottom or under the baby seat. The shoplifter then continues to gather a small dollar amount of merchandise and places it in the shopping cart. The shoplifter then brings the shopping cart to register and removes all the merchandise with the exception of the item they wish to steal. If the cashier is not paying attention the shoplifter will usually be able to get the merchandise past them without much effort. After paying for the smaller dollar items the shoplifter leaves the store and successfully pulls off the scam. The most prevalent method used to combat this scam is the use of door personnel who are trained to ask for receipts for high dollar and un-bagged merchandise; however, the shoplifter is under no legal obligation to comply with this. Shopping cart passing Shopping cart passing is usually attempted by a two-person group of shoplifters. The first shoplifter will gather the desired merchandise into a shopping cart and take it to the register. The cashier will then ring up all the merchandise and place it in bags. Once the total is rung up, the first shoplifter states that they forgot their wallet in their car. The first shoplifter will then exit the store and most cashiers will put the shopping cart off to the side and resume ringing up customers. At this point, the second shoplifter moves in and grabs the cart and walks out of the store with the stolen merchandise in bags. Wal-Mart TV theft A shoplifter fills a cart with about two weeks' worth of groceries and a DVD and pays for them at the register. In the meantime an accomplice approaches the store's door with a TV. The two meet up at the doors and pass through simultaneously, with the TV on the far side of the associate/greeter. As they pass through the doors the TV will set off the alarm. When the greeter asks the shoplifter carrying groceries to show his receipt, he claims that the DVD in the cart set off the alarm. The person carrying the TV will be outside waiting for the person with the grocery cart at the getaway vehicle. They quickly flee. The scam is said to work best with LCD TVs under 32". Walk out technique The walk out technique is the process of browsing the store, collecting the target item(s), and upon completion, simply walking out of the store with item(s) in hand. This seemingly impractical idea is can potentially be very effective if the shoplifter's appearance and attitude are not of a suspicious nature. This tactic is usually limited to small amounts of clothing and is generally only done in large department stores that have multiple entrances. Walk out technique (Alternative) In the alternative walk out technique, the shoplifter walks casually up to the item that he wants, takes it, then walks to the doors. Once the shoplifter gets there, he simply lifts the item over top of the scanners. The shoplifter may also re-use a bag from the same store to put the item into. Blind spots are quite easy to find and use if you know what you're doing. In this guide, I'll be talking about how to find blind spots, as well as how to use them correctly. What is a blind spot? A blind spot (or blindspot) is an area in a store where one can't be spotted by cameras, and often times has little amounts of people in the area. Blind spots are often used to conceal merchandise, detag items or load up for a walkout. Blind spots can be extremely beneficial if you must conceal any amount of merchandise. How do I find blind spots? Remember this one simple rule: If you can see a camera, assume the camera can see you. Follow this rule to find blind spots. However, do not go around looking at the ceiling and looking at every camera, because if an employee happens to be watching the cameras or you, you're going to stand out and they are going to watch you very closely until you leave. This doesn't mean you can't scan the ceiling however; if you must, scan it subtly. This means do not point your head directly at the ceiling (or wherever your cameras might be). Instead, move your eyes to look at the ceiling, or use your peripheral vision. If you must gain leverage to look for cameras, tilt your head slightly, just enough to be able to see, but not so much that you're staring at the ceiling. If you can't find a blind spot in a store within a few minutes, it's not worth strolling the store for half an hour looking for an isolated corner of the store to conceal something that you could probably unsuspiciously pocket. Blind spots don't always have to be used. That being said, if you can't find one, then turn your back to any cameras, and just conceal or load up. You're essentially creating a blind spot. But if you're concealing or loading up high amounts of items, this shouldn't be attempted unless you can guarantee you have a 10 second window per item. In the unlikely event your store has no cameras then your entire store will act as a blind spot. See below. How do I use blind spots? If you've managed to find a spot where you can't see any cameras, that's good. Now the only thing that can possibly spot you is other people. If there's people in your spot, you're going to want to wait until they leave, assuming you have merchandise in your hand or cart. You can act like a regular shopper there, or leave until they're gone. If you choose to leave the aisle, you may be able to find another spot, but customers should be out of your spot within a few minutes, so it may not be worth it. Be cautious around everybody, and assume any person could report you or try being the good guy and stop you, especially if it's an employee. If your spot is clear of people, and you know that you can't see any cameras, this would be your prime opportunity to start concealing, detagging, or loading up for a walkout; you just need to be very aware of anyone coming towards or into your aisle, and stop what you're doing if you feel like or know someone is coming. That is how you use blind spots to your greatest ability. I hope this helped. The question's been asked time after time; "How do I get started with shoplifting?" Well I, u/thief, am here to answer that for you. Well, first of all, welcome to the world of professional thievery. You'll find that this may become very beneficial to you, as shoplifting (and all its other forms that are practiced) may save you money and sometimes earn you money when you get more professional and skillful at this type of crime. Why do people shoplift? Some people do it because they need to. Some people do it because they want to save money. Others may do it for fun because it gives them a surge of adrenaline. However, before you start, you have to remember that shoplifting is a criminal offense. It can be classified as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on your state laws. If you're caught and lift over the felony limit your record is fucked for a long time. Be sure this is the type of thing you want to get into before you start, or before you get caught. You need to remember, however, that nervousness and strange behavior is the main reason people get caught. Now, I'm not saying if you're anxious about lifting, it's not for you; however, if you're even going to think about getting into the world of theft, you need to control yourself, your worries, and your anxiety before you get yourself caught by displaying erratic behavior. Now that we have the introduction out of the way, let's get right into the basics. 1 - Your First Lift (Basics) The Day 2 - Success 1 - Your First Lift (Basics) If you've lifted at least once before, you can skip this step. Well, if you've decided you want to start stealing, welcome again. Here's how you can plan out your first lift. Plan a day to start. When will you be the most ready to swipe your first product? Are you feeling daring and want to go right after reading this? Are you feeling nervous and want to go tomorrow? It doesn't matter when you go, you just have to make sure to trust your gut and go when you're ready. Your first lift can be a nerve racking experience. Pick out a store to hit your first lift at. Never, and I mean never, attempt a store you know will be difficult, or that has a lot of security measures. This is how you will get fucked in the ass the first time and get a criminal record. My greatest suggestion is to try a superficially easy store such as Dollar Tree or Dollar General (or whatever the easiest store is in your country). Those are two easy stores with almost no security features at all. Do not attempt gas stations. Decide what you want. You should know this so you're not strolling the store looking for useless objects. Take something you can actually take advantage of. This includes things such as food items or drinks. You should actually need the item you're taking. Well, not necessarily need, but you should always take something that you can actually use. For example, don't steal a phone case you don't have the phone for. Take a soda, or maybe a pack of gum. Take something concealable that you can fit on your person without it being very obvious. That's the basics. You just have to make sure you're ready for.. The Day Alright, so it's the day you're going to attempt your first lift. You're ready for action and planned it out. Go to your location. Picked an easy location? Good, go there. However you get there doesn't matter. Open the door and walk in with confidence. You've opened the door and you are now mere minutes away from taking off with a product of theirs. Avoid suspicious behavior. Do not look at the counter. Do not walk too slow, but do not speedwalk or run. If you make eye contact with anyone else, including employees, flash a quick smile and be on your way. Walk to your item. Once you're there, do not act suspicious. You ready? Pocket your item. Obviously you're going to want to look out for employees and customers in your area. This is often a very tense and scary situation for many beginners, but do not act suspicious under any circumstances. Once you can confirm you have at least ten seconds alone, shove your item in your pocket, in a purse, under your shirt, wherever you know it won't be bulging out, or slip out, and is comfortable. Tip: It is advised you do not conceal more than one item unless it is small and you are confident. Leave the store. And make sure you leave quickly. Again, do not run, but do not walk slow enough for anyone to apprehend you if you were caught. Do not stare at anyone or the counter. Look at the door and walk forward. Flash another smile to fellow shoppers and employees. And keep your hands out of your pocket. Push open the door. Success. 2 - Success You made it out of the door. You made it past the point of sale (POS). Now you officially, by law, committed an act of shoplifting. Keep walking. Go home. If you drove, keys in the ignition, put it in reverse, and leave. If you walked, just walk home. If no one's stopped you at this point, you made it clean. Congratulations on your first lift. Now what? Now you can move onto larger lifts. Not large, but slightly more each time now that you're confident. Plan to do slightly larger lifts each time. Lift two packs of gum this time. Take two sodas. The time after that, take three, maybe take a larger object that's still concealable. I would personally say, after your third lift you should be ready to move up to intermediate lifting. Yes, I'm talking about stores with some degree of security measures. Not anything too difficult, but maybe a store with security towers. Maybe one with a little bit of cameras to get used to using blind spots. Pace yourself. Tagged items should only be attempted by the advanced. Be sure to read the intermediate guide once you're ready to step your game up. But it should go without saying: Never get too cocky. Are you confident enough to step your game up? If so, then I, u/thief, am here to help you out. In this guide, we will be expanding on the methods you can use against stores with a bit more security than maybe the dollar store you've been taking packs of gum from for the past couple of weeks. Before you think about stepping it up, there are some things you should ask yourself. Are you stealing things like a pro, not showing any obvious signs of nervousness? Have you completed more than 3 lifts, giving yourself the experience you require to move up in skill? Have you gotten away clean every time? Do you still think this is the direction you want to head in life? If you answered 'Yes' to all four questions above, then you might just be ready to step it up. Let's get into the basics. 1 - The Basics 2 - Planning 3 - Going In 4 - The Lift 5 - Expanding on Methods 1 - The Basics Well, before we dive into planning your next lift, or next store to hit, let's just make ourselves familiar with the definition of intermediate when it comes to shoplifting. Here's what I would suggest completing before you start lifting more. All of these will ensure you have the skill and experience to hit harder later: Complete 3 or more lifts totaling at least $25 Never have been caught Act professionally when lifting and have confidence in your abilities So that seems easy enough. Do you meet every single criteria? Then you're ready. Those are the basics. Let's head into planning your bigger lifts. Intermediate does not include lifting tagged items, that should only be attempted by the advanced and professionals that we'll get into in the next few guides. Never attempt lifting a tagged item until you're an advanced shoplifter. 2 - Planning Do you remember when you planned your first store? You could have either followed the guide I wrote, or maybe you just thought "Hey, I think I'm gonna steal from this store I'm in/going to right now." Well, this time it may be more difficult to choose a store. We have to familiarize ourselves with the definition of an intermediate/medium difficulty store. What would be classified as an intermediate store? A medium difficulty store would be one with security features, although moderate or minimum in amounts. I would suggest taking notes from the Master List and choosing a store with a score of 4/10 or below. An example store might be one with cameras in minimal amounts, tagged items in moderation, or scanners at the entrance, as these are all security features. Only lift from retailers. Do not lift from mom/pop stores. Dickhead move. Don't worry. I will teach you how to work around these to make sure you make a clean getaway. Well, now it's time to decide a store. Maybe it's one you've been at before, maybe it's not. If it is one you've been at, remember the security features. If you've never been to the store, look for it in the Master List. If it's not on there, do not attempt it as it may be actually supremely difficult to hit. -Plan out a date and time. Yes, we're doing this just like your first lift, because every lift should be planned, as security in many stores fluctuate. Maybe you're feeling confident enough to go right after you read through this. That's alright. Maybe you want to wait a week to gain that confidence. That is also alright. Pace yourself so you don't display erratic behavior. Only go when you're feeling confident in your abilities. -Plan what item you want. And make sure it's something you can take use of. Don't go into a store looking around because you will probably be in too long and that will be suspicious. Make sure it's concealable, and an item you don't think will be tagged with a security tag. Research, research, research. Do not hit a store you do not know the security details of. Very dangerous and stupid move. Always research the store before going in before you get caught. If you cannot find any information on your store, it's not a bad idea to do some recon before attempting a lift if you really want something there that bad. Go into the store and act like a regular shopper, notice the scanners, take note of how many cameras there are, look for tags on your item, but do not lift it right then and there unless you can confirm there's too little security measures for you to get caught. By that I mean very minimal cameras, no tags and scanners. If all 3 of those sound like your store, then you're golden. If not, hold off and lift a different time. This is to keep you safe. Once you've decided and researched, go to step 3. 3 - Going In Hey, it's the day of your first medium difficulty lift. You're going to want to follow the same procedure as the first lift you've ever planned: Dress nicely. This one's new, but important. Don't go in with a whole ass suit, but don't go dressed like someone who lives out on the street (if possible). Dress like a regular well-prepared civilian. Dress appropriate to the weather. Go to the store. Obviously. Have confidence and act normal. Okay, so you've just stepped into the store. Remember; do not act nervous, act like a normal shopper. Greet everyone you make eye contact with a friendly smile, or a wave, and keep it pushing. If an employee asks if you need help, respectfully decline. Remember, don't power walk toward the item you want, but don't walk slow enough for everyone to know your face, but don't be in a rush. Past this point you're probably scanning the store for all the security features. If you're walking around the store and looking at every single camera dangling from the ceiling you're going to be treated no differently than someone who acts very nervous and conceals in front of cameras and all that kind of unprofessional stuff. Especially if someone happens to be monitoring the cameras and witnesses you making direct eye contact with every fucking dome in the store and decides to watch you. So don't. You should only look at cameras with your peripheral vision, maybe out of the corner of your eye. Well, you're at the aisle of what you want now. You're looking it right in the eyes, and you're about to walk out with it. Well, ask yourself these questions: Is it concealable? Are no tags visible anywhere on the item? If your answer is yes to the above two questions, then you're golden, because other methods such as booster bags should only be attempted by the advanced who know their state laws and are professional enough to go undetected/under the radar. 4 - The Lift Okay, so you're probably familiar with how this goes down. You take the item, pocket it and leave, right? Not so fast. Make sure you've fully examined the item before concealing. No tags, right? (Barcodes are not tags.) Is it not too large to conceal without making a massive bulge in your clothing or bag? If not, alright, your item is good. Make sure there's no one in your aisle, or any employees nearby. Make sure to take note of any cameras in your aisle, and if there is, be prepared to turn your back to it. Your body will essentially act as a blind spot, which we will dive further into at step 5. Well, conceal. Or put the item in your bag, if you brought one, and be quick, but don't look suspicious. If you took use of a blind spot, you're already getting more skilled. If you would like to learn how to use blind spots, refer to this guide. The item is now yours. Now repeat what you've learned from your beginner moments. Walk out of the store with confidence. Flash a smile to employees and customers. Point finger guns! Okay, maybe no finger guns because that's being too confident, and weird. Get to the exit. Then leave. And now you're free. That wasn't too bad, was it? Didn't think so. Good job. You've just completed your first intermediate lift. Celebrate, and take use of your new prized possession. Repeat as often as you want, but don't hit the same store constantly. 5 - Expanding on Methods Some methods you can use as an intermediate shoplifter are things such as *blind spots and the use of bags. -Blind spots are places in a store that are hidden from cameras and potentially other people when the moment is right. You can take use of these greatly, and I suggest you do. Read this guide on how to find and use blind spots. -If you want to, you can take use of bags for big lifts. This can include things such as a personal handbag, purse, or maybe a backpack if it's the right kind of store. Backpacks are usually suspicious however, and you may just be watched, but it's not completely ruled out. NEVER use very odd things you wouldn't typically take into a store such as a briefcase or duffel bag. That will only make you be watched closer. Thank you for reading, I hope this helped. Stay safe! So, you're ready to step your lifting game up once again? Or maybe you're reading this to get more information on various methods. In this guide, we will be going over the definition of an advanced lifter and an advanced store. Advanced lifters should now have the skill to pull off various techniques that require high skill, and that will be covered in this guide. 1 - Criteria Definition of an Advanced Store 2 - Advanced Shoplifting Methods Security Tags (& Detagging) Detagging Booster Bags Loss Prevention/Asset Protection (LP/AP) 1 - Criteria First of all, let's define what an advanced lifter looks like: Complete 30 or more successful lifts totaling half of your area's felony limit for shoplifting/petty theft Never have been caught once in the past year Have great knowledge of security features of an intermediate/advanced store including towers, security tags and cameras/blindspots Do these criteria sound like you? If so, let's move on. Definition of an Advanced Store Now it's time to take a look at what an advanced store looks like: Has some degree of loss prevention/asset protection Has tagged items to any degree. We will cover detagging later Has the basics of an intermediate level store (towers, cameras) Stores on the Master List: Has a rating between 5/10 - 8/10 This is the definition of an advanced store. Advanced level lifters should have the skill to pull off lifts there with ease. But it should go without saying, only lift from stores you're confident lifting from. Well, if you're this far, you already know how to shoplift from stores. So, we're not going to cover that again. We will instead jump right into the methods you can pull off for your skill level. 2 - Advanced Shoplifting Methods Security Tags (& Detagging) Items with security tags aren't too difficult to get away with if you know what you're doing. Let's go through the various types of security tags: Check the Shoplifter's Guide to Tags. It has information on very common security tags you should see on various tagged items, as well as how to remove them. Not all magnets are removed the same way, so be sure to check the guide for information on how to remove specific types. Take note of source tagging. Source tagging is the placement of security tags inside the box/packaging of expensive items by the manufacturer. Source tagging is not done by the establishment. Often times, it is simply an RFID or soft tag, the most easy to remove. A list on source tagged items can be found here. Remember, the purpose of security tags is to protect merchandise from leaving the store. For this reason, every security tag known will set off alarms, and some such as Spiderwrap or 3alarm have their own built in electronic alarms that will start loudly chirping if not removed. The only tag known to not set off alarms are common ink tags, but even they have a variant that sets off the alarms that's extremely difficult to tell apart. For this reason, assume all tags can get you caught, and remove them before walking out. Security towers/alarms are simply deterrents, but always play it safe. Nearly every single store will not make a stop just for the towers going off, but this does not mean play it dumb around security towers. Setting the towers off is not only very suspicious, and will only make you be watched closer the next time you come in, but all it takes is one curious/suspicious employee to check the cameras and find that you managed to steal merchandise from them, get your picture/physical description and possibly call the police. For this reason, always remember to detag. Got it down? Let's jump into what you need to detag items. You have probably heard about people talking about magnets, S3 handkeys and golf detachers. I mean, if you've heard of them, you've probably heard about it 50,000 times over, maybe even studied it a little bit. But we will go through the types of detaggers you can use for shoplifting: Magnets. If you're not looking to buy a specialized tag detacher, many people lift neodymium magnets and stack them. But often times, it takes a few neodymium magnets to do the job. Typically, a stack of 15-20 magnets work sufficiently, but it depends on the magnet rating. These are used by placing the flat end of the stack on the tag, releasing it. This works similar to a golf detacher. See below. N52 magnets are known to work the best, as just one single magnet often times pulls off tags with ease. However, many stores do not carry N52 rated magnets, leaving you without an option to lift them; therefore you will have to buy them online; Amazon is a good option. S3 Handkey. S3 keys are typically used to remove electronic tags such as spider wrap and 3alarm, which are all very common tags that are placed on expensive electronics and other expensive merchandise items. The only way these can be removed quietly is with and S3 handkey. S3 keys have 2 distinct bumps on the body of the key that fit on 2 similar sized holes on the smaller rear end tag of spiderwrap and on the body of 3alarm that release the wires of the tag. Cutting the wires does not work. Once the wires are cut, said tags sound their very loud and distinct built-in electronic alarms. For this reason, an S3 key should be your only method of removing these tags. Check this video for a demonstration by the manufacturer of spiderwrap. Golf detachers. Golf detachers are specialized, very strong magnets that are designed for the application and removal of security tags. They come in 2 different strengths: 12000 gs and 16000 gs. 16000 is the stronger option, and it is a favorite of the shoplifting community. Golf detachers are large, and are about the size of your palm. Golf detachers work as following: The base of the tag is placed on the flat part at the top, and the tag is pulled apart to remove the pin half from the other to be easily pulled apart. There are many videos online that will demonstrate how they are used. Choose your option for a detagger. This will help you with various expensive items. Detagging Let's recap on how these common detaggers are used: Magnets: Flat end of magnet stack can be placed on the tag to release it, similar to a golf detacher. S3 Handkey: Two bumps on the key fit into distinct, similar sized areas on electronic tags. Golf detacher: Tag is placed on flat top area, releasing both halves of the tag. Well, now you know what to use and how to use them. But now, we have to consider how to get away with detagging without being caught. -Restrooms are good areas to detag because in almost all cases nobody can follow you into the bathroom, especially not into the stalls. Many lifters detag in the stall, and throw the tag into the garbage, sometimes covered in paper towels. However, remember that in many stores, taking merchandise into the restrooms is not allowed, and it is very suspicious, and I mean very, to take something inside. If it's not concealable, do not take it into the restroom/fitting room for detagging. Attempt a walkout. See below. -Fitting rooms are also good areas in clothing stores because they are also high-privacy areas. However, these have more security than restrooms typically; some stores may count your fitting room items and flag you if you come out with less than you had. Some stores install pinhole cameras in their fitting rooms, and it is allowed in 37 states. The only states that do not allow these cameras are SD, NH, MI, ME, MN, UT, KS, DE, HI, GA, CA, AR, AL. Be careful when using fitting rooms if it is your only option. -Walkouts are common options for those in stores with low security, such as no towers or garden centers. Only attempt a walkout if you can confirm it is safe enough to not set off the towers, or alert employees. Garden centers of stores are common because in nearly every case they do not have scanners and little to no cameras. Garden center walkouts usually take place at night or near closing time, and are usually very successful. Booster Bags A booster bag is a device used for shoplifting to bypass security towers or other security features. It is a typical bag; a purse, a backpack, etc. that is lined with material that blocks the magnetic signals security tags send to the towers, essentially silencing them from going off. Common booster bag materials are foil and Faraday material. Foil can be tin foil or aluminum foil; however, it takes many layers to make it work. Many find that 15+ layers will work. Faraday material is designed to block signals, making very little layers efficient. However, it should be noted that being in possession of a booster bag while shoplifting is a felony no matter the amount stolen. It is classified as possession of shoplifting gear. Take note of this and decide if this is the risk you would like to take. Loss Prevention/Asset Protection (LP/AP) Loss prevention (also known as asset protection officers) are employees that have the designated job of preventing theft and organized retail crime. In almost all cases, stores with loss prevention will assign them to stop shoplifters, or monitor people that are exhibiting strange behavior typical of a shoplifter. You will see them commonly abbreviated to LP/AP. Some high shrink or high-security stores employ what is known as plainclothes LP. These individuals are employed by the store, but do not have a uniform, and instead dress like typical civilians, making any person you may encounter in a plainclothes-employed store dangerous. Plainclothes may follow you around the store if you are suspected. Sometimes, they will have walkie-talkies, making them obvious. Plainclothes stand out from a mile away. However, it is an essential rule in shoplifting to remember: Anyone could be LP. For this reason, you should be careful in any high-security store. The following is an incomplete list of items known to have source tags in them. Also listed are expensive items known to not have source tags (at the time of writing). A source tag is an anti-theft tag applied by the manufacturer, either on the inside of the box or on the item itself (Usually within 3 inches of the UPC barcode). If you're thinking of stealing something expensive, consult this list to see if you need to open up the box to remove a source tag. If you want to add an item to this list, please try to mimic the formatting of the rest of the list, and please keep it in alphabetical order. Abreva Cream tube - Double source tagged (RFID & soft) hidden inside the paper part of package. You would have to cut through the plastic outer layer first to remove them both. Easier method would be to make an incision to remove the tube and ditch packaging altogether. Abu Garcia fishing reels - Source tagged. Altec Lansing powerbanks - Not source tagged. Anker products - Not source tagged. Apple products - Not source tagged. Benzedrex Nasal Inhalers - Source tagged, with a soft tag. Beoplay Headphones & Speakers - Not sourced tagged. Blu-Ray Discs - Sometimes source tagged with a soft tag inside the case. Blue Yeti - Not source tagged. Bluetooth headphones/earbuds - The following products have been confirmed to have no source tags: Skullcandy Hesh 2, Skullcandy Hesh 3, Skullcandy Ink-D, Zolo Liberty, Jam ultra, Jaybird freedom, Jaybird freedom x3, Sony MDRXB650BT/B, JLab Audio JBuds Air True, JLab epic2, LG tone pro, LG tone triumph, JVC Sport True wireless, JVC Marshmallow, Jabra Elite 65t wireless earbuds, Sony-WI-c400, 3M Bluetooth hi-fi worktunes hearing protection headphones, 3M Bluetooth heavy duty worktunes jobsite hearing protection headphones, Bose soundsport, and Liberty Air soundcore wireless earbuds. Bose Products - Not source tagged. Bushnell flashlights - Not source tagged. Bushnell trail cams - Source tagged. Open the bottom of the box to remove the tag. Calvin Klein Sweaters - Source Tagged. Inside of sweater sewn to material. Charlotte's Web CBD Hemp Oil - Not source tagged. Cobra radar detectors - Source tagged. Corsair Gaming Mouses and Keyboards - Not source tagged. Crest Whitestrips - Not source tagged. Crossman, Daisy, or other air pistols - Not source tagged. DivaCup - Source tagged, on a piece of cardboard on the bottom of the box. Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts - Double tagged (RFID sticker, soft). These are found when you pop open the plastic case, they're hidden under the lid. Best thing to do is either swipe the inserts and leave the plastic behind in a blind spot. Dremel Rotary Tools - Source tagged, with soft tags. The cordless variety have their tags stuck to the inside of the box. The corded variety have the tag inside of a piece of plastic clamped to the cord. This piece of plastic is very difficult to pry open (Tip: if you get a set of aviation snips and cut the side carefully, it cuts through it like butter and doesn't make much noise). All of the Dremel bit sets have a soft tag on the bottom side of the white plastic inside. DVDs - Sometimes source tagged with a soft tag inside the case. FitBits - Some are source tagged, some have soft tags outside of the box. They all have some sort of tagging. Flash Drives - Usually source tagged with a soft tag. Flonase Allergy Relief - Nasal spray is source tagged inside the packaging Funko POP! - Not source tagged. Google Home - Not source tagged. HP printer inks - Source tagged, inside packaging. Imported figures (SHF, Revoltech, Tamashii model kits) - Specifically targeted for Barnes and Noble. RFID source tagged, can be easily removed. Some locations will spiderwrap however, keep that in mind. Camera locations, employee number also varies per store. Kershaw knives - Source tagged (soft). Likely found behind the blade. JBL speakers/headphones - not source tagged. (no JBL product is sourced.) Leatherman Wave+ - Source tagged with a soft tag (bottom of the plastic container on the back, inside packaging). Leuchtturm1917 (hardcover/medium) - Not source tagged inside the notebook, nor under/on the paper wraparound, but it may have an RFID sticker (possibly under a barcode sticker) on the shrink wrap. LG Ultrawide Monitor - Not source tagged. Lifx Smart Bulbs - Not source tagged. Logitech G Pro mouse - Not source tagged. Midland Radio Corporation X-TALKER - Source tagged (safe to assume any other brand may be too). Nest Cameras - Not source tagged. Nintendo Switch - Not source tagged. Supposedly, no Nintendo consoles, controllers, amiibos, games, etc. are source tagged. Olay Regenerist - Source tagged on the inside of the box. Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes - Source tagged, on the inside of the box, on the side of the barcode. Phillips Hue Strips, Color Bulbs, and White Bulb Set - Source tagged with a soft tag that's pretty visible as soon as you open the box. Philips OneBlade shaver & replacement blades - Sources tagged, both inside the box with RFID sticker and AM tag. Have to open the boxes. Plan B One-Step Emergency Contraceptive - Source tagged, usually with a soft tag. Playstation VR - Not source tagged. Polk Audio Soundbars - Not source tagged. Predator 144hz G-Sync Gaming Monitor - Not source tagged. Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils - Not source tagged. PTY SD/mSD cards - Source tagged, with a soft tag on the bottom of the package. Some 16GB cards are untagged. Razer Products (mice, keyboards, and all other varieties) - Not source tagged. Rephresh feminine care Source tagged inside box under the UPC code on the outside of box Samsung Products - Not source tagged. SanDisk Portable Hard Drive (250GB & 500GB) - Not source tagged. SanDisk Portable SSD (250GB)(500GB) - Not source tagged. SanDisk SD/mSD cards - Sometimes source tagged. The tag is sealed inside the packaging. Open it up, keep the SD card, and ditch the packaging. SD Cards - Usually source tagged with a soft tag. Seagate Portable Hard Drives (1TB & 2TB) - Source tagged. In one case, the 2TB model had two source tags in different locations inside the box. Be very thorough when checking for tags here. Sony Products - Not source tagged. Stanley Black Chrome or Chrome mechanics tool sets - Source tagged. Texas Instruments (TI) Graphing Calculators - May vary per model, but the TI-83 Plus is known to have a source tag in its battery compartment. Tile (Bluetooth finder tool) - Occasionally source tagged. Tommy Hilfinger shirts - Most have "remove before wearing" tags on the inner bottom of the shirts. Uniqlo - Source tagged, inside the price tag. Waterpik - Source tagged, on the inside of the bottom flap of the box. Western Digital Blue SSD (250GB) - Not source tagged. Same goes for the 3DNAND version. Western Digital MyBook portable hard drive - Not source tagged up to 4TB. (The source-tag status of hard drives over 4TB is unknown.) Xbox products - Not source tagged (excludes seagate hard drives.) Zircon stud finders - Source tagged, some may have a tag in battery compartment. This is a guide for common security tags you will often find on items. The purpose of security tags is to protect items, therefore every single one listed sets off the towers (with the exception of ink tags). Always remember to search for, and remove all tags before leaving the store to avoid setting these off. Watch this Video 2alarm/Spider Wrap 3alarm Alarming Ink Gator Tag Hard Tag Ink Tag Lanyard Tag Pencil Tag "Remove Before Washing or Wearing" Tag Radio Frequency (RF) Tag Acousto-Magnetic (AM) Tag Watch this Video https://invidio.us/watch?v=HLT3zAD8r8I The above video shows how to remove just about every common type of anti-theft tag (that can't be removed with just your finger). 2alarm/Spider Wrap Big alarm that wraps around high end products with wires. Removal: S3 Handkey 2alarm, or Spider Wrap, is very common on high end electronics. These are commonly removed with an S3 Handkey. Do not remove the tag by cutting the wires. Spiderwrap tags are designed to know when a wire is cut, and will set off its very loud and distinct built-in alarm. Always remove them with an S3 handkey. 3alarm Padlock security tag. Electronic. Also sets off security gates. Removal: S3 Handkey 3alarm can also be removed with an S3 Handkey. Alarming Ink Ink tag variant that sets off alarms. Removal: Magnet Remove these exactly as you would with a regular ink tag and a magnet. As these tags set off the alarms, these may be more difficult to get by than regular ink tags, as you will have to remove them in-store so that you do not set off the alarms. Gator Tag Long security tag with a spike. No ink. Removal: Rubber band, pliers Wrap a rubber band around the pin several times and twist off. You can also use 2 pairs of pliers. Put them on each side of the tag and bend downward to break the tag. Hard Tag Square security tag with a spherical end. Removal: Magnet A magnet can fit on the small circular area on the back, then you can easily pull the pin out and remove the tag. Ink Tag A tag that releases ink when someone attempts to remove it manually. Removal: Magnet, freeze You can use a standard magnet to remove these by placing it near the pin. You can also freeze the liquid and leave it in the freezer overnight, then remove it manually (the easiest option without a magnet). Important note: These tags do not set off the alarms, but they have a variant known as Alarming Ink that do. Refer to Alarming Ink above. Lanyard Tag Large boxy tag with a cable. Removal: Scissors Very easy to remove. The cable can be easily snipped. Pencil Tag Hammer-shaped security tag. Removal: Magnet You will need a small stack of neodymium magnets. Stack them, and place them on the flat part of the "head". "Remove Before Washing or Wearing" Tag A label included on clothing items that has an AM tag embedded inside. Removal: Scissors These can be removed as easy as a regular clothing tag. Just snip it off and discard the AM tag. Radio Frequency (RF) Tag Small sticker tag. Removal: Your finger These are stickers, and need to be intact to work. They are pathetically easy to remove; you can peel them off or they can be mutilated on the package to be disabled. Acousto-Magnetic (AM) Tag Small rectangular adhesive security tag. Removal: Your finger These are a similar situation to RF tags. These are small and adhesive and can also be peeled off with just your finger. What's up fellow lifters? I've been using magnets and experimenting with them for awhile now. They have a lot to do with shoplifting so I'd love to share that with you. At request of Pesky-Wabbit. In my opinion there's three types of magnets you need to shoplift, each one I will cover in depth. Those being: An S3 key A golf magnet or detacher Regular neodymium magnets S3 key Image:Link https://gateway.xwx.moe/ipfs/QmdY4XispnHyPVLd2z2UZH1rGZNVjZHvYRN23UcP2o4msT?filename=./qpS7FQS.png I'll go over the uses the S3 key first. An S3 key has a series of two separate magnets inside. One where each notch is on the S3 key. The most useful and pretty much the only use for an S3 key is to open SpiderWrap. (The black circle with the wires surrounding the box, usually on electronics) I've heard people say you can use them to open other things, however in my experience they really only unlock SpiderWire. Where you can purchase an S3 key? Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress are a select few! They can be had for as cheap as 8 bucks. (Here's one for $11.00) link s.aliexpress.com/rquqaime You can also lift one, if you don't want to wait the 30 days it takes to get here from China. I personally went with this method, although I wouldn't do it again. The easiest place to lift an S3 key is probably Walmart. To be successful this is going to take some effort on your part. To find my S3 I ended up going to 4-5 different Walmarts in my area. First you're going to be looking for a Walmart with a garden section and an S3 attached to that register. You need to case each of your Walmarts until you find exactly what you're looking for. Go into the Walmarts garden section and casually look for an S3 attached to the register. Most Walmarts have S3s on every register, MOST. This is where you might need to shop around!! Once you find a register in the garden section look at what's keeping it tied to the register. Most the time it will be a metal wire attached to the register looped to the key. Have a game plan when you come back. You're going to return at night, because there is absolutely no one in the garden section at midnight. I had wire cutters in my jacket and proceeded to cut the wire and slip it into my jacket. That's the easiest way, If it's connected that way. IMPORTANT!! Each legit Alpha systems S3 key has a RFID chip inside. This will activate the EAS towers when you leave the store. You'll need to wrap it in tinfoil before you leave. Honestly it's not that hard to make a tinfoil pouch to throw the key into. Once you get home open up the key and take out the RFID chip. Image:Link http://coinsh.red/p/Q016Lux.jpg I highly recommend you buy it instead. If you buy a third party S3 key they won't have an RFID inside. Crafting your own S3 I've made a couple S3 keys and they've left me with a certain longing. They just don't do anywhere near as good a job as my factory alpha key. Sometimes they would work sometimes they wouldn't. Again I highly recommend you buy it, but I will link how to make an S3 below. It can get very frustrating because you're working with two magnets very close to each other trying to keep them separate. I pinched my finger on multiple occasions. Here's that link http://totseans.com/more-shoplifting-tools/ Golf Magnets and detachers Image:Link http://coinsh.red/p/H6pgUDN.png These are going to be an investment, they're not cheap and they take time to get. It's about half the size of a base ball maybe 3/4 the size. It's heavy and bulky but DAMN it works. These range anywhere from 25-200 bucks. I paid 36 for mine with a hook detacher as seen in the picture. Unfortunately the shop I bought from closed or else I would link it. I did buy from AliExpress, and surprisingly it shipped to me in around 5 days. (US) The important thing you need to realize when buying a detacher is the magnets pull strength. It's measured in gauss. The increments usually go 12,000 to 15,000 and then to 25,000 gauss. I would recommend the 15,000 gauss detacher. Obviously the stronger the gauss the stronger the magnet, it's going to work better. If you're lifting clothes this is a must. My 15,000 detacher pops off any ink tag without effort. No more pulling or twisting it just pops right off. I would buy my detacher again in a heart beat. I highly highly recommend them, and I'll go into more depth in the next section as to why it's so much better than a regular stack of neodymium magnets. Regular neodymium magnets Image:Link http://coinsh.red/p/vquU4ag.jpg These are just your regular N52 grade magnets. Neodymium is the strongest magnet there is, and that's why we use it. The more gauss you can get the better. Most likely these aren't going to be very strong. (In comparison to the detachers) In this formation with quarter size magnets, (around 12) I have found they only open one or two tags. These tags Link http://coinsh.red/p/E50Wa35.jpg were the most reliable at opening. This still took effort twisting and a little pulling until it would pop open. They also opened the Alpha screamers Link http://coinsh.red/p/35BiUCG.jpg very reliably. These are nice because they can fit in your pocket and you can lift them from Home Depot really easily. Hands down though the golf detachers win by a land slide. These are also what you'll be using to make an S3 key if you decide to go that route. In regards to where you put the magnet on the tag is going to depend. Usually there will be a little nub and that's where you'll put it. Weaker magnets you might need to move it around and wiggle the tag a little. **Summary and TLDR** Summary and TLDR Basically I just listed all the info required to use magnets when lifting. There was shit info about magnets on this sub and so hopefully this helps you noobs. Remember using tools can result in a worse charge if you're caught. Let me know if I should add anything down below! Be careful and hopefully you liked this, it took some time. Cracking Zip Password Files Tut On Cracking Zip Password Files.. What is FZC? FZC is a program that cracks zip files (zip is a method of compressing multiple files into one smaller file) that are password-protected (which means you're gonna need a password to open the zip file and extract files out of it). You can get it anywhere - just use a search engine such as altavista.com. FZC uses multiple methods of cracking - bruteforce (guessing passwords systematically until the program gets it) or wordlist attacks (otherwise known as dictionary attacks. Instead of just guessing passwords systematically, the program takes passwords out of a "wordlist", which is a text file that contains possible passwords. You can get lots of wordlists at www.theargon.com.). FZC can be used in order to achieve two different goals: you can either use it to recover a lost zip password which you used to remember but somehow forgot, or to crack zip passwords which you're not supposed to have. So like every tool, this one can be used for good and for evil. The first thing I want to say is that reading this tutorial... is the easy way to learn how to use this program, but after reading this part of how to use the FZC you should go and check the texts that come with that program and read them all. You are also going to see the phrase "check name.txt" often in this text. These files should be in FZC's directory. They contain more information about FZC. FZC is a good password recovery tool, because it's very fast and also support resuming so you don't have to keep the computer turned on until you get the password, like it used to be some years ago with older cracking programs. You would probably always get the password unless the password is longer than 32 chars (a char is a character, which can be anything - a number, a lowercase or undercase letter or a symbol such as ! or &) because 32 chars is the maximum value that FZC will accept, but it doesn't really matter, because in order to bruteforce a password with 32 chars you'll need to be at least immortal..heehhe.. to see the time that FZC takes with bruteforce just open the Bforce.txt file, which contains such information. FZC supports brute-force attacks, as well as wordlist attacks. While brute-force attacks don't require you to have anything, wordlist attacks require you to have wordlists, which you can get from www.theargon.com. There are wordlists in various languages, various topics or just miscellaneous wordlists. The bigger the wordlist is, the more chances you have to crack the password. Now that you have a good wordlist, just get FZC working on the locked zip file, grab a drink, lie down and wait... and wait... and wait...and have good thoughts like "In wordlist mode I'm gonna get the password in minutes" or something like this... you start doing all this and remember "Hey this guy started with all this bullshit and didn't say how I can start a wordlist attack!..." So please wait just a little more, read this tutorial 'till the end and you can do all this "bullshit". We need to keep in mind that are some people might choose some really weird passwords (for example: 'e8t7@$^%*gfh), which are harder to crack and are certainly impossible to crack (unless you have some weird wordlist). If you have a bad luck and you got such a file, having a 200MB list won't help you anymore. Instead, you'll have to use a different type of attack. If you are a person that gives up at the first sign of failure, stop being like that or you won't get anywhere. What you need to do in such a situation is to put aside your sweet xxx MB's list and start using the Brute Force attack. If you have some sort of a really fast and new computer and you're afraid that you won't be able to use your computer's power to the fullest because the zip cracker doesn't support this kind of technology, it's your lucky day! FZC has multiple settings for all sorts of hardware, and will automatically select the best method. Now that we've gone through all the theoretical stuff, let's get to the actual commands. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bruteforce -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The command line you'll need to use for using brute force is: fzc -mb -nzFile.zip -lChr Lenght -cType of chars Now if you read the bforce.txt that comes with fzc you'll find the description of how works Chr Lenght and the Type of chars, but hey, I'm gonna explain this too. Why not, right?... (but remember look at the bforce.txt too) For Chr Lenght you can use 4 kind of switches... -> You can use range -> 4-6 :it would brute force from 4 Chr passwors to 6 chr passwords -> You can use just one lenght -> 5 :it would just brute force using passwords with 5 chars -> You can use also the all number -> 0 :it would start brute forcing from passwords with lenght 0 to lenght 32, even if you are crazy i don't think that you would do this.... if you are thinking in doing this get a live... -> You can use the + sign with a number -> 3+ :in this case it would brute force from passwords with lenght 3 to passwords with 32 chars of lenght, almost like the last option... For the Type of chars we have 5 switches they are: -> a for using lowercase letters -> A for using uppercase letters -> ! for using simbols (check the Bforce.txt if you want to see what simbols) -> s for using space -> 1 for using numbers Example: If you want to find a password with lowercase and numbers by brute force you would just do something like: fzc -mb -nzTest.zip -l4-7 -ca1 This would try all combinations from passwords with 4 chars of lenght till 7 chars, but just using numbers and lowercase. ***** hint ***** You should never start the first brute force attack to a file using all the chars switches, first just try lowercase, then uppercase, then uppercase with number then lowercase with numbers, just do like this because you can get lucky and find the password much faster, if this doesn't work just prepare your brain and start with a brute force that would take a lot of time. With a combination like lowercase, uppercase, special chars and numbers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wordlis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like I said in the bottom and like you should be thinking now, the wordlist is the most powerfull mode in this program. Using this mode, you can choose between 3 modes, where each one do some changes to the text that is in the wordlist, I'm not going to say what each mode does to the words, for knowing that just check the file wlist.txt, the only thing I'm going to tell you is that the best mode to get passwords is mode 3, but it takes longer time too. To start a wordlist attak you'll do something like. fzc -mwMode number -nzFile.zip -nwWordlist Where: Mode number is 1, 2 or 3 just check wlist.txt to see the changes in each mode. File.zip is the filename and Wordlist is the name of the wordlist that you want to use. Remember that if the file or the wordlist isn't in the same directory of FZC you'll need to give the all path. You can add other switches to that line like -fLine where you define in which line will FZC start reading, and the -lChar Length where it will just be read the words in that char length, the switche works like in bruteforce mode. So if you something like fzc -mw1 -nztest.zip -nwMywordlist.txt -f50 -l9+ FZC would just start reading at line 50 and would just read with length >= to 9. Example: If you want to crack a file called myfile.zip using the "theargonlistserver1.txt" wordlist, selecting mode 3, and you wanted FZC to start reading at line 50 you would do: fzc -mw3 -nzmyfile.zip -nwtheargonlistserver1.txt -f50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resuming -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other good feature in FZC is that FZC supports resuming. If you need to shutdown your computer and FZC is running you just need to press the ESC key, and fzc will stop. Now if you are using a brute force attack the current status will be saved in a file called resume.fzc but if you are using a wordlist it will say to you in what line it ended (you can find the line in the file fzc.log too). To resume the bruteforce attack you just need to do: fzc -mr And the bruteforce attack will start from the place where it stopped when you pressed the ESC key. But if you want to resume a wordlist attack you'll need to start a new wordlist attack, saying where it's gonna start. So if you ended the attack to the file.zip in line 100 using wordlist.txt in mode 3 to resume you'll type fzc -mw3 -nzfile.zip -nwwordlist.txt -f100 Doing this FZC would start in line 100, since the others 99 lines where already checked in an earlier FZC session. Well, it looks like I covered most of what you need to know. I certainly hope it helped you... don't forget to read the files that come with the program