Organized Retail Theft Rings Now “Poisoning” Gift Cards to Steal Money
Adam Worcester
Contributing Writer, Snohomish Tribune
Have you bought a gift card recently from a bigbox retailer?
You could have inadvertently funded the sex trafficking of a child or the war in the Ukraine.
Gift-card fraud is the latest trend in organized retail crime.
Thieves steal the gift cards, then replace the bar codes on the back and return the cards to the racks. When the tampered cards are loaded up with money, that money diverts to a sophisticated, international crime ring which uses it to fund a variety of illegal activities.
It’s not the only method crooks use to pilfer retail establishments.
One ring swipes cars, then plows them into stores at night and begins looting. Another employs women, often posing as mothers, who shoplift expensive dog collars.
“It’s easier to steal from a retail establishment (to fund their cause) than to steal from a bank,” said Mark Johnson, retired senior vice president of government affairs for Washington Retail Association.
He estimated organized retail crime costs cities the size of Snohomish hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in tax revenue, as well as untold damage to the mental and emotional health of employees and customers. It’s cost the state billions of dollars each year in lost tax revenue.
“This isn’t just a nameless, faceless, crime,” said Crystal Leatherman, Johnson’s successor at the Washington Retail Association. “Organized crime rings cause harm to the community both directly and indirectly.”
Retail theft has soared 93% between 2019 and 2023, according to the National Retail Federation, and Washington ranks first in the rate of reported retail theft incidents.
In Snohomish retail thefts are up just slightly this year, but the numbers can be deceptive, said Police Chief Nathan Alanis.
“It’s a little bit hard to gauge, because a lot of it goes unreported,” Alanis said. “If they’re not calling 911, we don’t see it, unfortunately.”
There is no single step that will solve the problem, Johnson told the Snohomish City Council at a May presentation. But a series of measures provides ammunition to fight back.
Foremost is House Bill 2015, which Johnson called “a real game changer in the public safety realm.”
Just approved by the state legislature, HB2015 empowers cities to charge a small sales tax (0.1%) to fund programs and services that address issues such as domestic violence, homelessness, behavioral and mental health, and community placements for juvenile offenders.
It also creates a $100 million grant fund, available in the fall, from which law-enforcement agencies can get money to recruit new officers, support intervention and de-escalation training, and expand co-response programs and other public safety services. Washington has the country’s lowest ratio of police officers to
citizens, with 1.1 officers per 1,000 residents. The national average is 2.3.
Another significant step was creation of an online resource hub (www.orcresourcehub.org) that serves as a “one-stop source” for information about organized retail crime.
It includes organized retail crime laws and regulations, resources, news articles, and a list of best practices for store owners to deter retail theft.
In 2023, the state Attorney General’s office formed an organized retail crime unit which aggregates retail theft reports and identifies repeat offenders.
That’s important because 80 percent of retail theft is committed by 20 percent of professional thieves, Johnson said.
“We need to make it harder to monetize those stolen products that these criminal rings are using,” Johnson said. “A person can steal a power saw out of Home Depot and have it online in an hour.”
Nine of every 10 stolen items are sold on the Internet. Organized retail crime rings will sometimes ship goods stolen in Washington to list in another state; other times they will sell them overseas.
Though organized retail crime rings target mostly big-box retailers, they will take the path of least resistance and highest returns, whether Home Depot or ‘Mom and Pop Hardware’.
“They’re very indiscriminate,” Johnson said.
The rings often tap homeless, drug addicts, and mentally ill persons to do the actual shoplifting, Johnson said, which can put store employees, customers and law officers in difficult spots.
In a 2024 case, for instance, Shellonda K. Daniel was convicted for thefts from 28 Ulta stores in King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom counties totaling more than $200,000.
Daniel made physical and verbal threats to employees and managers. In some cases, she would threaten anyone who got close to her or her accomplices with bear spray.
Sales-tax revenues from HB2015 will go toward services to help such people, said Johnson, making it more difficult for organized retail crime rings to find shoplifting recruits.
“It’s the fences and the higher levels we’re after,” Johnson said.
Organized Retail Theft is a felony in Washington state, which also punishes thieves who steal with intent to resell.
National legislation being considered in Congress will help U.S., tribal, state and local law enforcement agencies to synchronize together to fight organized retail crime utilizing the technology tools of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigations branch and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“We can’t take our foot off the brake on this,” Leatherman said.
“(Organized retail crime) advances and evolves, just like technology. We’re going to have to make sure we have sustainable longterm solutions.”
Savvy Senior: How to Get Help with Your Medicare Costs
by Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Does Medicare offer any financial assistance for struggling seniors? My mom lives primarily on her Social Security survivor benefit and is having a hard time paying her Medicare costs.
-Need Assistance
Dear Need,
There are actually several different financial assistance programs that can help Medicare beneficiaries who are having a difficult time paying their out-of-pocket health care costs. Here’s what’s available, along with the eligibility requirements and how to apply.
MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAMS
Let’s start with a program that helps pay premiums and out-ofpocket costs for Medicare Parts A and B. It’s called the “Medicare Savings Program,” and it has several different benefit levels for people based on their income and asset level. At its most generous the program will pay your Part A and B premiums and pretty much all your Medicare deductibles, coinsurance and copayments. At its least generous the program will pay just your Part B premium.
To qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, the minimum standard set by Medicare is an income under 135 percent of the federal poverty level, which at the moment works out to around $1,715 a month for individuals (or $2,320 for married couples). Everything counts towards income, including payouts from 401(k) plans, pensions, Social Security, and help from family members.
Medicare also allows states to
VOTE AT HOME
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impose an asset test, which can be as little as $9,430 per individual ($14,130 for married couples), not counting your house, car or personal belongs, but counting retirement savings and bank accounts.
But some states have made their Medicare Savings Programs a lot more generous, with much higher income limits and in some cases no asset tests at all. And the program may be called something else in your state. To find out if you qualify or to apply, contact your state Medicaid program. Visit Medicaid.gov or call all 800-633-4227 for contact information.
MEDICATION ASSISTANCE
For help with Medicare (Part D) prescription drug plan costs, there is another completely separate lowincome subsidy program she may be eligible for called “Extra Help.” To get it, your mom will need to apply through her Social Security office.
Depending on your mother’s income level, this program will pay part or all of her Part D prescription drug plan’s monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments. In 2025, individuals with a yearly income below $23,475 ($31,725 for a married couple), and assets under $17,600 ($35,130 for a married couple) can qualify for Extra Help. If she’s eligible to be in a Medicare Savings Program, she will automatically qualify for Extra Help. But because the requirements are slightly different, even if she doesn’t qualify for a Medicare Savings Program for Part B, she might be able to get Extra Help for Part D. For more information or to apply, visit SSA.gov/medicare/part-d-extrahelp or call Social Security at 800772-1213.
election night. We understand that desire—but elections are large, complex operations. In our field, there’s a well-known principle: you can have two of the following—fast, accurate, or affordable—but not all three at once.
If speed were the top priority, we would need to dramatically expand staffing, technology, and overnight operations. Returning to polling-place voting would multiply costs even further. Staffing dozens of polling sites (or hundreds in larger counties), renting or preparing facilities, purchasing equipment, training workers, and especially providing oversight to ensure those duties are performed without error or fraud— all of it would be enormously expensive. And for what gain? Not greater accuracy. Not better security. Just more cost, more complexity, and less access.
Washington has made a different choice—we prioritize accuracy and fiscal responsibility. Vote-at-home allows us to serve all voters while using public funds efficiently and transparently. We believe that the taxpayers in our counties expect their dollars to be spent wisely—not on duplicating systems or reversing a model that already works.
Vote-at-home is also a system that is secure. Every ballot is tracked. Every envelope requires a voter signature, which is verified against the voter registration file before the ballot is processed. And every election— without exception—is reconciled to account for every single envelope and ballot. Counties must report how many ballots were issued, how many were returned, how many were accepted or rejected, and why. This reconciliation process is fundamental to trust, and it is performed in every election in every jurisdiction.
We are proud of the work our offices do—and proud of our dedicated elections staff, whose professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to transparency are at the heart of every successful election. The accuracy, integrity, and reliability of our vote-at-home system would not be possible without their expertise and care.
OTHER PROGRAMS Depending on your mom’s income level, needs and location there are many other financial assistance programs that can help like Medicaid, SSI (Supplemental Security Income), PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly), SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), (LIHEAP) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and many others. To help you find out what types of assistance programs she may be
eligible for, and learn how to apply for them, go to BenefitsCheckUp. org. This is a free, confidential website designed for people age 55 and older that contains more than 2,500 programs. It’s also possible to get help in person at one of the 87 Benefits Enrollment Centers scattered across 38 states. Visit NCOA.org/article/ meet-our-benefits-enrollment-centers locate a center in your area. Or call their helpline at 800-794-6559.
Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior. org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.
As election administrators, we are committed to upholding the law—no matter how it changes. That’s our duty, and we take it seriously. But we also believe that changing or eliminating Washington’s vote-at-home model is not necessary, not efficient, and not more secure. It would impose significant cost, reduce accessibility, and dismantle a system that has earned the trust of millions of Washington voters.
Vote-at-home is not just the law in Washington—it’s well-established and secure practice. It reflects the lessons we’ve learned over decades of service. And it reflects the will of the voters we serve.
If you ever have questions about your ballot or your registration, please contact your Pierce County Auditor’s Office. We’re here to help.
Authors:
Lori Larsen, Stevens County Auditor
Marianne Nichols, Pend Oreille County Auditor
Cosigners:
Heidi Hunt, Adams County Auditor
Darla McKay, Asotin County Auditor
Skip Moore, Chelan County Auditor
Shoona Riggs, Clallam County Auditor
Greg Kimsey, Clark County Auditor
Will Hutchens, Columbia County Auditor
Thad Duvall, Douglas County Auditor
Michele Jaderlund, Grant County Auditor
Sheilah Crider, Island County Auditor
Brenda Huntingford, Jefferson Auditor
Julie Wise, King County Elections Director
Paul Andrews, Kitsap County Auditor
Heather Jobe, Klickitat County Auditor
Chandra Schumacher, Lincoln County Auditor
Linda Farmer, Pierce County Auditor
Natasha Warmenhoven, San Juan County Auditor
Sandy Perkins, Skagit County Auditor
Garth Fell, Snohomish County Auditor
Vicky Dalton, Spokane County Auditor
Mary Hall, Thurston County Auditor
Karen Martin, Walla Walla County Auditor
Stacy Henthorn, Whatcom County Auditor
Sandy Jamison, Whitman County Auditor
