Shoplifting a serious problem for UK businesses
A report by the BBC has confirmed that upwards of £4 billion year is lost by UK retailers because of shoplifting by customers and theft by staff. This is a major problem for the UK retail industry which is struggling to make ends meet during these difficult economic times and the theft of goods to a value of £4 billion blows a major hole in the stability of the sector.
The increase in criminal activity, whether this is financial scams or shoplifting, during and after the economic downturn has been very marked to say the least. There is no doubt that many people are being forced to look for alternative financial assistance, not all of which are legal!
As we mentioned in one of our articles yesterday, many criminals are playing upon the fact that families are struggling and very often unable to make ends meet with regards to their monthly budget. As a consequence ID theft has also mushroomed over the last few years and indeed is now a major problem in the UK and around the world.
Cheap money and "opportunities which are too good to be true" were previously ignored by the vast majority of people in the UK although in these desperate times people have taken desperate action. As the UK government readies itself for a significant downscaling of the welfare state it looks as though this situation will get worse before it gets better for those at the lower end of the income spectrum.
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