Retail Theft Addressed at the Federal Level

Discussion in recent years on how to address aggregating retail theft has been met with resistance due to police department staffing issues, court backlogs caused by the pandemic, and an unwillingness to prioritize nonviolent property crimes.  

However, on the federal level, the INFORM (Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces) for Consumers Act, was passed as part of the omnibus appropriations bill in December. The legislation is intended to reduce demand for stolen merchandise and combat organized retail theft. It requires online marketplaces to verify the identities of high-volume third-party sellers by authenticating the seller’s government ID, tax ID, bank account, and contact information.