They are offering pirated online courses on theft.
The nationwide shoplifting epidemic could soon get a lot worse: As if looters aren’t acting brazen enough lately, self-proclaimed “borrowers” are now taking to the platform to teach aspiring criminals how to do the same, according to the clips.
The hashtag “borrowing tips and tricks” has racked up 8.9 billion views on TikTok amid a rise in brazen thefts, fueled by increasingly lax looting laws and “revolving door” bail reforms.
“I went to the mall today, so I’ll show you what I borrowed,” user @borrowingqueen boasted in one of the theft tutorials.
In another robbery tutorial, a poster calling himself @b0rrowing.t1ngz ranks stores by how easy they are to scam.
According to the video, the most vulnerable retailers are Walgreens, Dollar Tree and Walmart, while Target, Sephora, Gucci and Louis Vuitton are among the most difficult to loot.
The United States has seen a massive spike in shoplifting lately, with thefts costing retailers a whopping $100 billion in 2021 and causing many businesses to close their doors to stop the financial hemorrhaging.
The thief professor said would-be thieves should start small by applying lip balm, mascara and lip gloss, which should be kept in their sleeve or purse, according to the tutorial.
Once the items are purchased, the thief must “go to the bathroom and take the item out of the box or wrap it in toilet paper” before sneaking it out.
Never, under any circumstances, look for security cameras in the store, as this seems “suspicious,” according to the “borrower,” who frequently posts videos of his purchases on TikTok.
Their stolen items include everything from makeup to fake nails.
Meanwhile, another looter, who goes by the name @borrowingstuffxxx, advised viewers to have large pockets, a handbag or clutch and to be “courteous to workers” to avoid appearing conspicuous.
“If a worker asks you what you’re doing or looking for, say something like ‘oh, I was looking for *random item* but they’re out of stock,’” she advised.
Like a bank guard who is in cahoots with robbers, some of the tips came from alleged current retail workers.
As if looters aren’t acting brazen enough lately, self-proclaimed “borrowers” are now taking to TikTok to teach inspiring criminals how to do the same, according to the clips.NY Post
In one of the most shocking clips with more than 7.1 million views, a Target employee who uploads it under the handle warned thieves about the dangers of robbing the same store multiple times.
While it may seem like serial thieves are getting away with it, he warned that the retailer is likely tracking their illicit activities.
They wait to arrest them when the value of the stolen items reaches $950, the threshold for felony charges under the Prop 47 law passed in 2014.
The Post contacted representatives of the China-based platform TikTok for comment on the latest in a long list of suspicious trends, some of them deadly, on the video-sharing platform.
The United States has seen a massive spike in shoplifting lately, with thefts costing retailers a whopping $100 billion in 2021 and causing many businesses to close their doors to stop the financial hemorrhaging.
In May, Walmart announced the closure of 23 more stores nationwide.
Just a month earlier, Target revealed plans to close four stores amid reports that the chain will lose $600 million from organized theft by the end of the year.
The shoplifting epidemic has gotten so bad in New York City that retailers have resorted to locking up products Fort Knox-style and even putting anti-theft devices on ice cream.
Some of the many tips on “borrowing” in stores. x_borrowing.tings_x / Tiktok
Meanwhile, in July, a CVS worker stabbed to death a serial robber who had beaten him during a robbery in Midtown Manhattan.
Many experts have blamed the scourge on lax policies, including the aforementioned passage of Proposition 47 and calls to defund the police in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, which resulted in a mass exodus of police officers across the country.
Particularly problematic, experts say, is the city’s stance on “catch and release” crime, particularly eliminating bail for crimes such as petit larceny.
In the wake of the stabbing of the aforementioned thief, city council members from both sides of the aisle criticized New York City’s liberal District Attorney Alvin Bragg for the city’s “revolving door” policies.
“I’m sorry the man died. But I cannot exist in a world where we pretend that endemic theft without consequences can continue in perpetuity,” Minority Leader Joe Borelli fumed to The Post. “Maybe Alvin Bragg can help with that? These are not exactly shenanigans, he simply decides not to prosecute and we end up with vigilante justice.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn