Organized Retail Crime, Counterfeits and Marketplaces
- By [ Jason Brewer , Michael Hanson ]
ORC has a direct impact on retail workers who are often put in harms way. It has also been linked to human trafficking, terrorism and drug smuggling. ORC costs American retailers over $69 billion per year annually causing the loss of thousands of jobs through store closures and reduced hours.
RILA formed the Buy Safe America Coalition (Coalition) to enjoin associations and companies in the fight against criminals using third party marketplaces to sell dangerous, defective, and stolen goods to unsuspecting consumers. The Coalition has grown to encompass over 50 organizations and is dedicated to stopping ORC and the sale of counterfeits by increasing transparency and empowering law enforcement with more information to prosecute these criminals.
The Coalition’s mission is to raise awareness of organized retail crime on Capitol Hill and within the administration and to enact the Integrity, Notification, Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces (INFORM) Act, which brings needed transparency and accountability to third party marketplaces and its sellers. The INFORM Consumers Act was signed into law in 2022. This new law will provide law enforcement with information to help track down and prosecute these criminal enterprises and reduce the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods on third party marketplaces. It also helps stop criminals from brazenly stealing from storefronts keeping retail employees and communities safe. The INFORM Consumers Act is a win for retailers, retail workers, consumers and law enforcement.
RILA will continue to fight against organized retail crime. We will continue to work at the federal level to enact a federal ORC task force that brings federal law enforcement – Homeland Security, Department of Justice, FBI and the United Postal Service – together to help disrupt and prosecute these criminal rings. We will continue to partner with state attorneys general and district attorneys to set up state ORC task forces and educate law enforcement on how to identify and prosecute the bad actors. RILA is committed to working with federal and state elected officials, law enforcement and other organizations to stop criminals from selling stolen and counterfeit goods.
Congress Passes Law Targeting ORC: Now What?
Now that the INFORM Consumers Act has been signed into law, what comes next in the fight against organized retail crime? Plenty.
Learn MoreTags
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Ensuring a Safe, Sustainable Future
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Retail Works for All of Us
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Organized Retail Crime
