Monthly Archives: May 2013

Vendor Review: shopliftinggear.com

Posted on by
1

Edit: Ceased operating on July 14, 2013 – read further below for details.

As at May 11, 2013, a newcomer has entered the playing field and, we can tell you, it will be short lived. If the name wasn’t already obvious enough, this vendor unashamedly registered a domain name that describes an illegal activity. As a result, they put the industry at risk by directly associating tag removal devices with an intention to steal. Simply put, irresponsible vendors like this don’t belong in the market.

We’re in the process of dismantling this little operation, and here is what we have achieved so far:

  1. We reported their Facebook page for promoting prohibited activities and had it removed (www.facebook.com/shopliftinggear now redirects to homepage).
  2. We contacted PayPal and advised that this vendor was breaching their terms of service by using the PayPal brand to promote illegal activity (anyone who buys from this vendor also risks their PayPal account being ‘permanently limited’).
  3. Even Zoklet doesn’t like this guy! All posts made by the same username (shopliftinggear) have been deleted, courtesy of moderators.
  4. We have published the name and address of the owner (see further below).

As with another obsolete website, commonthief.com, originally owned by a user under the alias of Ampix0, this vendor will soon realise they will be forced out of operation once PayPal cuts them off.

Do they actually ship the items ordered? We don’t know yet, but if they last long enough we’ll test them out – so you don’t have to….

Update (July 14, 2013): It took a while, but shopliftinggear.com has had their PayPal account permanently limited: As a result, the website can no longer conduct business. If you were unlucky enough to order from this vendor, we recommend that you contact PayPal immediately, place a buyer’s dispute, and request a full refund.

sl-gearThe vendor’s name and address have been published here in order to assist those seeking a refund or recourse for their flagged or ‘limited’ PayPal account, which has become unwillingly associated with this ‘high risk’ user.

Dylan Leger
101 Keeneland
Lafayette, LA 70506
United States
+1 (337) 315-1201

Mini Pocket Detacher

Posted on by
1

Mini Pocket DetacherOne of the newer products to come onto the tag removal market is the mini Pocket Detacher. There are a lot of questions being asked about this device, so we’ll attempt to address some of those here. Basically, it’s a portable magnetic detacher that’s opens most (but not all) types of RF tags. Even though the magnetic force is not as powerful as the Golf SuperLock Detacher (FX7), it measures a tiny 58mm (2.3″) in height, with a 22mm (0.9″) diameter, making it much smaller and easier to carry. It weighs about 200 grams (about 0.5lbs), and is reported to measure between 5,000 and 6,000 Gauss.

First off, let’s take a look at a YouTube video which demonstrates some of the security tags this little pocket rocket can remove:

There is clearly a certain degree of trade-off with this product in terms of its portability versus the strength of the magnet. The video shows that it’s not as easy to remove the pins from some of the tags, and it does not work at all on the larger golf-type (rounded) security tags. However, it seems the technique to open some of the tags (by using a light tap when placed onto the magnet) can benefit in the aid of its removal.

Where did the product originate?

We tried to find out who invented this device, mainly because it doesn’t seem like the type of product Checkpoint Systems (manufacturers of RF based security systems) would supply to the market, as it makes it easy for shoplifters to defeat some of their security tags. SenTech appears to be one of the first to market with a device called the ‘hand-held magnetic detacher, with black lanyard‘. It’s not the same product as the mini Pocket Detacher, but the concept is along the same lines of what is trying to be achieved. One of our industry contacts supplied us with correspondence they made with a Chinese manufacturer of EAS goods, at which point they were trying to negotiate an arrangement for production of a similar device. While we can’t confirm this, after those negotiations failed, it seems that the Pocket Detacher was released only a number of months after this occurred. So, we theorise that the device may have stemmed from the interception of somebody’s intellectual property.

How much does it cost?

Detacher Co. sells the Pocket Detacher at around US$50, plus shipping, it costs less than a standard magnetic detacher, but because of its small size it might be easy to lose. For this reason make sure you loop a lanyard in the small hole located on the device. Also, due to the relatively powerful magnet, it’s best not to use the hole for attaching to a key ring, or any other metal object. It does include a screw-off cap to cover the internal magnet, but the magnetic field can still penetrate this.