Grave Warning About Social Media Use Following The Arrest Of Organized Miami Burglary Ring
Reports from Police and the State Attorney state that the 10-strong gang used sophisticated surveillance techniques to target their victims, including monitoring posts on social media. Security experts, Fast Guard Service, consider the steps businesses and individuals should take to keep their premises and property safe.
MIAMI, March 17, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Reports from Police and the State Attorney state that the 10-strong gang used sophisticated surveillance techniques to target their victims, including monitoring posts on social media. Security experts, Fast Guard Service, consider the steps businesses and individuals should take to keep their premises and property safe.
The recent reports that Miami Police have arrested a burglary ring that's allegedly responsible for thefts amounting to millions of dollars highlights the ease in which thieves access and compile information on potential victims. Goods exceeding six figures in value were stolen from celebrity supplier, Eric the Jeweler, during the Super Bowl weekend, with five others having been carried out by the gang and more in the planning stage.
The arrest followed intense police investigations
The eventual apprehension of the gang of 10 stemmed from a bust of five marijuana grow houses and was part of a larger investigation known as Operation Growing Pains. Following an anonymous tipoff, the ring leader, Xandi Garcia, his girlfriend, mother, and seven other gang members were arrested on Tuesday 18 February. It's reported that Garcia was found with one of the pieces stolen from Eric the Jeweler in his possession.
In a statement made by Miami-Dade State Attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the gang, "Would stalk and surveil their planned victims before committing the burglaries." They used social media and technical equipment to stalk their prey, one of which was planned to target New York Yankees pitcher, Aroldis Chapman.
The rise of social media and technology in organized crime
Gangs such as this are increasingly turning to technology to gather information on potential marks. Posting images and comments on social media might seem like an innocent pastime but is an easy way for criminals to hone in on businesses and individuals who have high-value goods. In addition, information regarding whereabouts and habitual movements are also valuable for thieves in their planning of a robbery.
The Miami jewelry gang took advantage of GPS trackers, which they placed underneath their victims' cars. They then monitored their movements for weeks prior to the theft, allowing them to pounce at a time that presented the least risk of being interrupted. With such equipment easily available to purchase, it allows wrongdoers to carry out surveillance on their victims in the manner of a highly-skilled police investigation team.
High-value businesses and individuals should take a strategic approach towards security
Security experts, Fast Guard Service, advise everyone to consider how their habits could determine how easily they might be targeted, and take steps to prevent this happening. The use of social media is now deeply embedded in society, something that has both positive and negative connotations.
For individuals, the advice is to tone down images and comments that constantly show others you have multiple items of high value. It's also vital not post information showing habitual movements, or when a property might be left empty.
Businesses have a slightly more complex relationship with social media, needing to use the outlet as an advertising medium but not in a way that might make them easy targets. Online and technical awareness is a vital component of any robust security and should be considered as important as that of physical security elements. Staff training and ongoing refreshers as to online behaviors are crucial, as is the strategic use of apparatus such as CCTV, surveillance monitoring, security guards, and access control systems as deemed appropriate.
The arrest of this highly organized gang showcases the importance of both business and individual security, and the importance of how everyday actions could be being monitored by those who want to take advantage. Fast Guard Service experts highly recommend that every business and those of a high net worth undertake regular overhauls of the security they have in place, as well as continuing revisions into personal online habits.
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SOURCE Fast Guard Service
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