Posts

Fraud Prevention Starts With Awareness

Fraud Prevention Starts With Awareness

/in , , , , /by

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Fraud can impact more than a company’s bottom line—it can affect employees, customers, operations, and trust.

Protection and security professionals play an important role in prevention. By staying alert to unusual behavior, policy violations, access anomalies, and other warning signs, security officers can help identify potential risks before they escalate.

The key is awareness, observation, and timely reporting. Security teams don’t have to investigate every suspicious activity themselves; recognizing the signs and communicating concerns through established procedures can make a meaningful difference.

Strong fraud prevention is a shared responsibility—and security professionals are an important part of that first line of defense.

Source: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. (2024). Occupational fraud 2024: A report to the nations.

#FraudPrevention #SecurityGuards #SecurityAwareness #LossPrevention #RiskManagement #PrivateSecurity #ProtectionServices #SecurityProfessionals

 

When Security Teams Feel Safe to Speak Up

When Security Teams Feel Safe to Speak Up

/in , , , /by

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Security officers, controllers, and analysts are often the first to spot a vulnerability, suspicious behavior, or emerging threat. But if they don’t feel safe raising concerns, critical intelligence can be lost.

Google’s Project Aristotle identified psychological safety as a key factor associated with effective teams—creating an environment where people can speak up, ask questions, and acknowledge mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punishment.

For security organizations, this matters. Leaders who actively listen, encourage reporting, and respond constructively can help turn front-line observations into actionable intelligence.

A strong security culture isn’t just about procedures—it’s about creating a team where every voice can contribute to protecting people, property, and operations.

Sources:
Google re. (n.d.). Understand team effectiveness.
Security Management. (n.d.). Psychological safety.

#SecurityManagement #SecurityGuards #ProtectionServices #SecurityLeadership #RiskManagement #WorkplaceSafety #PsychologicalSafety

 

Shoplifter

Understanding the Mind of a Shoplifter

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Shoplifting isn’t always about financial need. Research suggests that opportunity, impulsivity, perceived risk, and situational factors can influence theft behavior.

For protection security professionals, understanding these factors can improve prevention without relying solely on confrontation. Vigilant observation, visible security presence, effective customer-service engagement, and well-designed loss-prevention procedures can help reduce opportunities for theft while maintaining a safe shopping environment.

The goal isn’t to profile people—it’s to recognize behaviors and circumstances that may indicate elevated risk and respond professionally.

A proactive security strategy protects merchandise, employees, and customers while supporting a positive retail experience.

Source: Hayes, R. (1997). Retail security and loss prevention. Wiley.

#Security #SecurityGuards #RetailSecurity #LossPrevention #ShopliftingPrevention #ProtectionServices #PrivateSecurity #RetailSafety

 

Retail Security

Skills That Strengthen Retail Security

/in , , , , /by

Four decades on the front lines of retail security offer more than experience—they reveal the skills that help mitigate threats before they escalate.

Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

Mike Lamb’s career highlights the importance of combining situational awareness, investigative expertise, communication, technology, and sound decision-making to address evolving retail security challenges.

Effective security professionals must recognize suspicious behavior, assess risk quickly, communicate clearly, investigate incidents thoroughly and adapt as criminal tactics change.

Technology can enhance these capabilities, but people remain at the center of effective security protection.

The strongest retail security programs combine trained professionals, actionable intelligence and proactive strategies to deter theft, identify threats and protect employees, customers and assets.

In retail security, experience matters—but the ability to continually learn, adapt and anticipate threats is what makes experience valuable.

Source: Loss Prevention Media. (n.d.). Mike Lamb: Four decades on the front lines of retail security.

#RetailSecurity #LossPrevention #AssetProtection #ThreatMitigation #SecurityProfessionals #RetailSafety #RiskManagement #SecurityProtection



car theft

Security Protection Can Help Stop Car Theft

/in , , , /by

Car theft is evolving. Across the Tri-State area, law enforcement is warning drivers about criminals using electronic key-programming devices to gain access to vehicles and, in some cases, steal them.

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

This is where proactive security protection can make a difference.

Layered measures such as vehicle tracking, surveillance, controlled parking, access management, lighting and professional security patrols can increase deterrence and improve the chances of detecting suspicious activity before a vehicle is targeted.

Technology may be helping thieves become more sophisticated—but security professionals can use technology to stay ahead.

The key is moving from a reactive approach to proactive protection and prevention.

Ask yourself: Is your vehicle protected against today’s methods of theft—or yesterday’s?

Source: Loss Prevention Media. (n.d.). Car thieves: Electronic key-programming devices.

#VehicleSecurity #SecurityProtection #CarTheft #LossPrevention #SecurityTechnology #CrimePrevention #AssetProtection #RiskManagement #SecurityProfessionals


Security-Protection

AI Is Transforming Security Protection

/in , , , , /by

Artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation and is becoming a foundational tool for modern security protection.

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

From threat detection and video analytics to behavioral monitoring, investigations and predictive risk assessment, AI is helping security professionals process more information and identify potential threats faster.

The opportunity is significant—but effective implementation requires more than technology. Human expertise, responsible governance and sound security practices remain essential to interpreting AI-generated insights and making informed decisions.

For security leaders, the question is no longer simply whether to adopt AI. It is where AI can strengthen protection, improve response times and enhance situational awareness.

The future of security will increasingly combine advanced technology with experienced professionals who know how to turn intelligence into action.

Source: Loss Prevention Media. (n.d.). Artificial intelligence as a foundational business utility.

#SecurityProtection #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #SecurityTechnology #ThreatDetection #RiskManagement #ExecutiveProtection #CorporateSecurity #SecurityProfessionals



investigations

AI Is Reshaping Digital Investigations

/in , , , , , , , /by

AI-assisted digital investigations are creating new opportunities to analyze information, identify patterns and expand investigative capacity—but speed must be matched by accountability.

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

As organizations adopt AI tools, investigators need reliable methods to validate AI-generated findings, understand limitations and maintain appropriate governance throughout the investigative process.

The objective isn’t simply to automate investigations. It’s to use AI responsibly to help investigators work more efficiently while preserving accuracy, transparency and professional judgment.

Scaling investigative capacity requires a thoughtful balance: technology can accelerate the search for evidence, but human expertise remains essential for evaluating context, corroborating findings and making defensible decisions.

The future of digital investigations will belong to organizations that combine AI capability with disciplined governance.

Source: Loss Prevention Media. (n.d.). AI-assisted digital investigations.

#DigitalInvestigations #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Investigations #Cybersecurity #RiskManagement #LossPrevention #SecurityTechnology


fraud

Global Fraud Is Becoming More Sophisticated

/in , , , , , /by

Fraud is no longer just a collection of isolated schemes. As technology makes fraud easier to scale, organized criminal networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated—and increasingly global.

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

In the latest episode of Fraud Talk, ACFE’s Jason Zirkle, CFE, and Mason Wilder, CFE, examine INTERPOL’s Operation First Light 2026, highlighting what the international enforcement effort reveals about today’s fraud landscape.

A key takeaway: information sharing and international cooperation are essential to identifying interconnected fraud networks and disrupting their operations.

Large-scale enforcement actions also demonstrate the importance of combining intelligence, technology and cross-border collaboration to stay ahead of increasingly adaptive criminal enterprises.

For fraud professionals, the message is clear: global threats require global cooperation.

Source: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. (2026). Fraud Talk: Operation First Light 2026.

#FraudPrevention #FraudDetection #OrganizedCrime #FinancialCrime #RiskManagement #FraudTalk #ACFE #Investigations #Cybercrime



searches

When Traditional Searches Come Up Empty

/in , , /by

When conventional methods of locating a person fail, skip tracing searches can provide a critical next step.

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

By combining investigative research, public records, databases and other lawful sources of information, skilled professionals can help identify current or updated contact and location information that may otherwise be difficult to uncover.

Skip tracing can support a range of legitimate needs—from locating individuals for legal matters to assisting with investigations, collections and due diligence.

The key is combining technology, investigative expertise and responsible information practices to turn limited information into actionable leads.

In an increasingly mobile world, knowing where to look—and how to connect the dots—can make all the difference.

Source: Loss Prevention Media. (n.d.). Skip tracing.

#SkipTracing #Investigations #PrivateInvestigations #DueDiligence #RiskManagement #LossPrevention #InvestigativeServices #SecurityProfessionals

Loss Prevention

AI Is Changing the Future of Loss Prevention

/in , , , /by

Loss prevention teams are facing more data, more video and increasingly complex investigations. AI-driven investigations and vision-enhanced workflows are helping professionals cut through that noise.

By Frank Costa, President, Nexgen Protection Services

By connecting video intelligence with transaction data, AI can help LP teams identify patterns, connect seemingly unrelated events and focus investigations where the risk is greatest.

The result? Faster discovery of suspicious activity, more efficient investigations and better-informed decisions—without requiring teams to manually sift through hours of footage and mountains of transactional data.

As retail continues to evolve, the most effective LP strategies may increasingly depend on combining human expertise with intelligent technology.

AI isn’t replacing the LP professional. It’s giving them better tools to see what might otherwise be missed.

Source: Loss Prevention Media. (n.d.). AI-driven investigations and vision-enhanced workflows.

#LossPrevention #RetailSecurity #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AssetProtection #ShrinkReduction #RetailTechnology #SecurityTechnology