A manufacturer of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tags for retail has arranged with a former fraudster, to test their new Concept Tag.
CEO of the Swiss firm Agon, Sean Welch, pictured left, said: “Conventional EAS tagging systems have become less and less effective. As criminals have found ways to defeat EAS, retailers have looked to the manufacturers for support. But unfortunately we have now got to a situation where tags will only really deter the opportunist thief. The professional criminals and organised gangs have been operating with impunity… that is until now. I want retailers to know that when they buy the Concept Tag to use with their current detector systems they are buying real EAS protection, the way it was always meant to be; an asset protection system that protects effectively against the greatest threats to their businesses – organised crime.
That former fraudster is Tony Sales, pictured right. He said: “I am very pleased to have been set this challenge by Agon and feel it shows real conviction on the part of that manufacturer in their product and a determination to deliver what they promise their retailer customers – an effective EAS system. Many manufacturers offer retailers systems for the reduction or prevention of crime, but it is noticeable that they do not have sufficient confidence in those systems to have them pitted against a criminal mind; even though that is exactly what they are inviting their retail customers to invest significant sums of money in doing. But then more fool the retailers for not insisting that they do before buying!
“I see millions invested in systems that are a complete waste of time – online and in-store. Hopefully other manufacturers will now take a leaf out of Agon’s book when developing and testing their products. As I have said repeatedly, at conferences around the world, the trouble with loss prevention systems is that they are developed by honest, decent, hard working people. That’s the last thing you need! Only if you have seen the world through the eyes of a criminal can you possibly anticipate his next move.”
An advocate of the new system is Tim Edwards, Director of Loss Protection at JD Sports & Fashion Group Plc. Speaking at Retail Fraud – Dubai recently, Edwards said: “We have collaborated with Agon over the last 18 months to help them develop the Concept Tag further. We have trialled the product in our Westfield shop in London, where we get something like 80,000 customers a day. Initial trials indicate that use of the Concept Tag has significantly displaced crime from our store. The RoI would seem to be very favourable and we hope to extend use of the Tag across our estates internationally.”
Visit http://www.retailfraud.com/retail-fraud-show/.
Sean Welch of Agon added “Our new Concept Tag is the product of six years of R&D and is set to regain for retailers the advantage that EAS originally gave them. And that is why we have asked Tony Sales, a former mastermind of organised criminal gangs, to work with us. We want him to use all of his knowledge and expertise to try and “break” the Concept Tag; because if he can’t, then frankly nobody can. And that challenge is not just about the security of the tag, but also the security of tag removal system, manufacture and supply. We don’t want our removal systems turning up on the dark web for sale for a few quid to anyone who wants one, like our competitors’.”
