Retail theft
Coles and Crime Stoppers are working together to help protect the community from theft and scams. If you have information about suspicious behaviour, you can share it with us anonymously.
Organised Retail Crime
Organised retail crime (ORC) involves theft carried out by sophisticated and coordinated criminal groups. Unlike individual shoplifting, organised retail crime involves a larger network of criminals, and the stolen goods are not intended for personal use.
Retail theft, especially when it’s organised or occurs on a large scale, has several significant impacts:
- Product availability or accessibility
- Diversion of police resources
- Increase risk of violence
- Increase of interrelated crime
Organised retail crime fuels other forms of organised crime by supplying funds and resources to criminal groups.
If you have information about organised retail crime, find out how to report it on our Retail crime page.
Theft from Motor Vehicles
Keep Your Items Safe!
This type of crime typically involves smashing windows, forcing open doors, or exploiting unlocked vehicles to access valuables left inside.
It is important to note that theft from cars can occur in various locations, ranging from carparks to residential areas, particularly at night.
Keys
Always check your car is locked before you walk away.
Valuables
Never leave valuables in your car, even for a moment.
Documents
Remove documents that could put you at risk of identity theft.
Street light
Where possible, park in well-lit areas to deter thieves.
Car
Close your car windows every time you park, even briefly.
Report
Report car thefts on 131 444. In an emergency, call 000.
WATCH THE VIDEOS
See how retail crime happens
Real scenarios, clear consequences, and what you can do to help.
Helping to Keep the Community Safe, Together.
A gift card scam typically involves scammers tricking or threatening people into buying gift cards, before stealing the value of the card. Often the gift cards are from reputable companies such as Coles, Apple, Myer, Google Play and Steam.
Once the scammer has used the value of the gift card it is often impossible to track. This leaves the victim at a financial loss, distressed and embarrassed. It is estimated that less than five percent of victims report being scammed.
RESOURCES & DOWNLOADS
Retail Theft Resources
Retail Theft
Learn how organised groups target retailers, how retail theft affects communities and why reporting suspicious activity matters.