Beat crime and the criminals

The one-day conference, organised by Retail Events and held at the Novotel in London, is now in its sixth year and combines a comprehensive speaker programme and exhibition. Pioneering names from the industry will present at the conference, which will focus on three areas: Physical Security; Technology Solutions, and Online Fraud.

Using end user case studies to illustrate the impact of new technologies and solutions, speakers will include Phil Wilson, Head of Operational Support at Sainsbury's, Phil Willsmer, Head of Operational Risk at The Co-operative Group and Sharon Lemon, Head of eCrime at SOCA.

Convicted ex-fraudster Elliot Castro will divulge how he committed on-line fraud and stole hundreds of thousands of pounds by identifying weaknesses in many UK banks' security systems. His presentation will show the audience how to better understand the methodology of a fraudster and defend their businesses against such attacks.

For the first time in the UK, Retail Fraud will welcome Chris Manning, Director of Loss Prevention at Wendy's International Inc who will present “Pointing the Finger - the 99 Cents Chilli Crisis”. When a human finger was found in a Wendy's 99 cents chilli sauce it almost resulted in brand meltdown. Chris and his loss prevention team launched a fascinating fraud investigation, and the 50-minute presentation will illustrate why global brands are targets for organised individuals who, as this case will highlight, are prepared to use the most macabre tactics to defraud and blackmail big business.

Running in tandem with the speaker programme will be an exhibition showcasing solutions to reduce shrinkage including the latest in store alarms, tagging and security personnel along with advances in data mining technologies and new solutions to prevent 'card not present' fraud. Exhibitors will include 192.com, Cybersource, Experian, Datacash, The 3rd Man, Oris and Quova.

Commenting on the show, Paul Bessant, Director of Retail Events said: “Retail fraud is a major issue, and continuous development into understanding how fraudsters work and using that intelligence to devise new ways to prevent the crime is imperative. At Retail Fraud we promise to offer delegates the opportunity to find out how to make savings by listening to some of the industry's most innovative players and see first hand the progress being made into solutions designed to combat the problem.”