Do you have high ticket items that are currently easily stolen? Most phone stores have this problem. The devices have a high re-sell value and are in demand on the street and in foreign countries. Once their phones are stolen, the products are difficult to track. In most instances, you will probably never be able to retrieve them. If only there were a technology solution to solve this widespread problem that costs business owners thousands of dollars each year?
Could This Happen To You?
One of our customers had a severe armed robbery in their store, and the thieves stole over 50 phones. Thieves like targeting phone stores for a quick buck. Employees were traumatized by the event, and the phones were gone. There was nothing they could do.
They had no way of tracking, disabling, or finding out where the phones they were transported to, so there was very little chance of retrieving the stolen devices. Even worse, they had no way of preventing the same thing from happening again. How could they protect their high-value merchandise?
With this security software technology, when phones are turned on after being stolen, they automatically call into our server.
Could BricTECH Be the Answer?
Our customer gave us a call and asked if there was anything we could do to help them. We discussed with our customer and built a strategy using BricTECH to attack a supply chain problem. With BricTECH we deployed the technology on recently stolen phones. With this security software technology, when phones are turned on after being stolen, they automatically call into our server.
Valuable information is collected to assist with the open investigation and the phones consequently locked. The phone is deemed useless, not working, and is basically dead or a “brick” that is good for nothing.
Here is What Happened Next…
The customer provided the verified IMEI numbers, and we loaded them into our system, and then we waited. In a few weeks, we started seeing the phones lighting up in our system when they were turned on. Little by little, we were able to compile valuable information from the devices. We then knew they had been shipped to a foreign country.
In time 75 to 80% of the devices lit up in our system, and we were able to lock all of that inventory, turning them into “bricks.” They quickly realized through their black market supply chain that they had a problem.
There isn’t much of a market for phones that don’t work. Even if the thieves or resellers try to restore the phone or get rid of the BricTECH software, it persistently comes back and activates. It pushes itself back onto the phone and locks the device.
Helps With Investigations
They can make two calls. They can call 911 and our hotline number. Sometimes the person who purchased the phone might not know it was stolen, so our office fields those calls and lets them know they purchased stolen equipment. It also helps us get details and discover the source of the purchase, which helps improve the ability to investigate after an event happens.
In one instance, roughly 45% of the devices activated within the first 60 days, and 43 of the devices were in Mexico. None of them ended up in the U.S.; still, we were able to identify two fencing operations out of Mexico, leading to an apprehension that involved a multi-state robbery ring.
When the phones are sold on the black market within the U.S., they can be tracked and potentially retrieved. In one instance, the FBI could track the devices down and recovered over $20,000 in merchandise and returning the equipment to the owners.
No Longer a Preferred Target ‘Benefit Denial’
Once the thieves find out your merchandise becomes a “brick,” they can’t sell or use for anything, they will move on to another retailer.
According to a 2019 FaceFirst study, 20 percent of known shoplifters visited three or more locations of the same retail chain. The fencing operations turn on the phones and realize they don’t work and can’t sell them. They go back to the thieves they purchased them from and tell them not to bring any more of this crap useless devices from this brand because they have a new security software technology.
This is similar to how hotels handled the hanger theft problem. People would often steal the hangers in the hotel, and then hotels started using hangers that do not have a hook attached. You put your clothes on the hanger and then attach the little ball at the top to the hook attached to the rod, and this reduced hanger theft. Without the hook on the hanger, it won’t work at home, so no one wants to steal it.
This security technology does the same thing to phones. Once word gets out that a particular chain uses BricTECH and the phones become a “brick” when turned on, they soon stop stealing from that chain. Statistics show retailers who used this type of security technology had a 70% reduction in store theft events.
Add a Digital Tether to Your Devices
Our customers using BricTECH are happy with the results, and we are proud to have a product that has helped them solve a costly problem that had no solution previously. BricTECH is an easy and affordable theft reduction option with persistent zero-touch deployment.
With BricTECH, you have a digital tether on the phone, wherever the phone goes. It is a security technology that defeats organized crime at its root by deterring people from stealing devices. We can help protect your inventory from all types of theft at multiple levels.
For additional information please contact us at brictech@sennco.com
