New data from Jumio reveals that new account fraud based on ID verification declined 23.2% worldwide YTD in 2020, compared to 2019 results. At the same time, selfie-based fraud rates were five times higher than ID-based fraud. This illustrates the growing number of stolen ID documents available on the dark web for purchase and, more importantly, the growing need to determine if an ID is authentic and belongs to the user.

The FBI released detailed data on nearly 7.7 million criminal offenses reported via the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2019. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s latest report, NIBRS, 2019, presents data about victims, known offenders, and relationships for offenses reported in 23 categories with 52 offenses. It also presents arrest data for those crimes, as well as 10 additional categories for which only arrest data is collected.

The U.S. Presidential Election has, in many ways, been digital. Spend on digital ads in the race reached $2.9 billion in 2020. This was up sharply from $0.4 billion four years ago, marking the continuing prominence of digital political campaigning since President Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe heralded the channel as a deciding factor in the election 12 years ago. However, an increasing challenge for this online ad spend has been ad fraud. In a new study, in association with the University of Baltimore, we see that marketers will $35 billion to digital ad fraud in 2020. Ad fraud is the practice of fraudulently representing online advertising impressions, clicks, conversion or data events in order to generate revenue. In the case of the political campaigns, often money is spent reaching bots rather than voters.

As Jewish families around the world prepared for the High Holidays last month, the most significant days of the Jewish calendar, synagogues prepared to facilitate services under unprecedented circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic. For those of us that work on providing security for the Jewish community, it would become yet another time of heightened vigilance.

The Department of Justice announced grant awards totaling more than $341 million to help fight America’s addiction crisis. Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan discussed this year's grant awards during a roundtable discussion of mental health and addiction issues led by Second Lady Karen Pence.

UK Police just announced that crime has fallen by 28% over lockdown, in fact from 12th April there has been a 37% drop in burglaries. As well as the financial worries lockdown prompted, we were also worried about our office and storage spaces, as we didn’t know how long they would be left unattended. Of course, working in security and safety we made sure specific measures were in place to help prevent vandalism, theft, arson or property damage. However, it appears that many businesses are left susceptible to such crimes, by not having many or sometimes any security measures in place.

Governor Larry Hogan announced the addition of law enforcement agencies to the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network, a criminal justice strategy that encourages local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to collaborate and share information to target, disrupt, and dismantle gangs, as well as criminal organizations involved in drug, firearm, and human trafficking operations.

All too often, business leaders, city planners, fire departments, and law enforcement focus on their mandates to the exclusion of others. Unfortunately, this approach can lead to a breakdown in communication and missed opportunities. In the worst cases, it can create a lapse in security that could make their city and its citizens vulnerable to criminal activity and terrorist attacks. But, by eliminating these silos and fostering strong communication, stakeholders can share information that allows them to quickly address evolving situations.