Grapevine, Texas — June 2025
In a year where retail crime, digital fraud, and enterprise risk have continued to escalate, NRF PROTECT 2025 in Grapevine, Texas served as both a warning and a rallying cry: retail security is no longer a siloed concern. It’s an all hands on deck mission.
Bringing together top minds from law enforcement, cybersecurity, asset protection, and loss prevention, the conference emphasized a cross-functional, proactive approach to retail risk. As Scott McBride, Chief Global Asset Protection Officer at American Eagle Outfitters, said on day one: “Security is a team sport.”
From the Storefront to the Server Room
Attendees at this year’s event heard loud and clear that threats are no longer just physical — they're digital, social, and systemic. From misinformation campaigns that provoke real world violence to phishing, “smishing,” and return fraud as a service, today’s risks hit every department.
Sessions like “Mitigating Enterprise Risks” with PwC’s Matt Gorham, ULTA Beauty’s Diane Brown, and McBride laid out a framework for evaluating threats with nuance, from executive protection to cyber intrusion response.
In “Navigating the Multiverse of Retail Theft and Fraud,” experts from Walmart, Meijer, and Signet Jewelers urged companies to collaborate not just externally (with law enforcement and the National Retail Federation) but also internally, ensuring departments are aligned on risk assessment and mitigation strategies.
Fraud Has Evolved — and Scaled
Amazon’s Jason Ruiz and Target’s Erin Becker took the stage alongside the FBI’s Preston Ackerman to explore the surge in refund fraud. What used to be considered a minor “cost of doing business” has ballooned into an enterprise scale problem, contributing over $101 billion in losses in 2023 alone, according to NRF data. Today’s fraud is sophisticated, global, and — increasingly — offered as a “service.”
Key takeaways? Brands must better understand the cyber kill chain, inventory AI based platforms for vulnerabilities, and invest in collaborative investigations.
Security Tags Matter! They Are Getting Smarter
While much of the conversation centered on digital threats, physical loss prevention tools like EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) security tags remain a critical part of a multi layered defense. As theft rings grow bolder and more strategic, including a reported 1,475% spike in cargo theft via deception between 2022 and 2024, visible deterrents like tags, labels, and sensors are evolving in both form and function.
In fact, panelists emphasized the importance of integrated deterrence, pairing traditional security tags with data analytics and real time monitoring to catch patterns and flag repeat offenders early.
“Do What You Can. Lean In.”
That quote, delivered during a panel on cargo theft and fraud threats, encapsulated the ethos of NRF PROTECT 2025. Companies were urged to move from reactive to proactive, to run tabletop drills, establish law enforcement partnerships before they're needed, and use AI as a tool, not a crutch.
Retail security is not just a risk mitigation exercise anymore. It’s a strategic imperative, a brand reputation safeguard, and a customer experience necessity.
As Tony D’Onofrio of Sensormatic Solutions put it during his keynote: “You're at the right place at the right time.” With rising threats, evolving scams, and more at stake than ever before, NRF PROTECT 2025 made it clear: collaboration, innovation, and vigilance are the price of security in modern retail.
Whether you’re securing merchandise with RFID enabled tags, educating frontline staff, or building a company wide risk response team, there’s no silver bullet. But there is strength in numbers. And it starts with showing up.
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