The US resale market has become a sales channel for thieves

According to foreign media reports, online marketplaces have created a black market business model for thieves, leading to a surge in smash-and-grab robberies across the United States in recent months and years.

Ben Dugan, head of the National Law Enforcement and Retail Alliance , said retail theft is currently estimated to cause $68 billion in losses each year, and that number is still rising during the epidemic.

Ben Dugan said that during the pandemic, as everyone shopped online, a huge new demand for online goods was created, which fueled additional crime, and stolen products could be resold online.

According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation last year, 57% of retailers across the United States said that organized retail crime has increased since the outbreak of the epidemic, the report said .

Jason Brewer, executive vice president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association , said the factors that led to the increase in theft were formed about a decade ago. The difference now is that the rise of online markets allows criminals to resell stolen products quickly, which in turn creates a black business model. Retail industry leaders say that unless online markets strengthen the security and transparency of peer-to-peer transactions, the problem will not go away.

Jason Brewer also said that since there is no limit on the number of sales, the "sellers" hiding behind the platform may use pseudonyms and fake business information.

In order to protect the rights and interests of local consumers and combat counterfeiting, reselling and theft, the United States has also taken some measures. The Consumer Online Retail Marketplace Integrity, Notification and Fairness Act (INFORM Act) was proposed in both houses of the U.S. Congress with the support of both parties.

The bill would require online platforms to verify the identities of high-volume third-party sellers and require sellers to provide contact information in advance. Amazon has expressed support for the House version of the bill, saying it strongly supports legislative efforts to stop bad actors from harming consumers, including increasing penalties for cybercriminals and providing more resources for law enforcement.

It is understood that in addition to the increase in theft cases in online retail stores, there are also many cases of parcel robberies on US railways.

USA

Theft