Global food theft is on the rise as a result of the pandemic, according to Moran Ofgang, the vice president of trading and strategic customers at G1 Group, a security technology firm, said.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
According to G1's findings, customer theft of goods increased in 2021 after stores and malls were reopened after government-imposed lockdowns to rein in the spread of the coronavirus.
Thirty percent of all shoplifting incidents were perpetrated by one individual, while 70% involved two or more people.
"The coronavirus has increased theft around the world because people didn't have work or money," Ofgang said. "The only way they could exist was to steal ... When in a family with two babies, the mother is laid off and the father is unemployed, there's a problem."
He said, "Some of our customers said customers in the supermarket stole frozen meat and even Milky [a brand of pudding] and cheese. In some places, they were released after questioning because they realized the theft had not been planned, and this wasn't an organized gang but [a question of] survival."
According to Ofgang, members of Israel's Bedouin sector were responsible for a significant number of thefts in the south of the country. In many cases, these thefts were carefully planned and perpetrated by groups of two or more people who would scope out chains with fewer security measures in place.
"The thefts are growing more sophisticated, and that is why the … solutions are also becoming more sophisticated. With alcohol, for example, the neck of the bottle is protected so that you cannot open the cap and drink. I see this in the supermarkets, in the cellular field, and with perfumes."
According to Ofgang, G1 has identified a 12% to 15% increase in thefts of optic, cosmetic, fashion, electric, and food items since 2019.
"The thefts in the field of fashion are carried out not just at the entrance to the store but also in the dressing rooms. There are those who take dozens of items and put them in a bag. We have a technological solution that can recognize when a theft is about to be carried out in a dressing room," he said.
LSubscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
