theft

Amid all the good cheer, the holiday season hides a sobering number of financial pitfalls -- and not just ones that involve overspending. Here's a look at seven dangers you might not have considered, along with steps you can take to make sure your holidays are more happy than hazardous.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association on Thursday reported a nationwide increase this year in shoplifting, calling the fight to stop store crime "an uphill battle." The group blamed an expanding black market for the rise in organized shoplifting crimes.

It looks like an ordinary cash machine, and you type in your PIN without a second thought. But there's a hidden device recording your ATM card's magnetic strip, and capturing your PIN. Big money is about to vanish from your bank account. Or maybe not: Here's how to prevent skimmers from getting their hands on your data.

We want to be someone else. This, according to author Rachel Shteir, is why we shoplift. I say "we," because of the dozens of people with whom I've discussed this topic over the years, only one or two insist they've never shoplifted. The number of reported shoplifters, according to the National...

Who would pick the pocket of your grandma or grandpa? Apparently, a lot of people: Older Americans are losing $2.9 billion annually to elder financial abuse, up 12% from 2008, according to The MetLife Study of Elder Financial Abuse. Here's how to protect your older relatives from becoming victims.

Overall property crime was down in 2010 according to the FBI, despite the rough economy. But in rural and suburban areas, the larceny and burglary rates actually rose. Here's why crime is shifting away from the big cities -- and what you should do to avoid being a victim.

Identity thieves are claiming fewer victims, but those victims are spending a lot more time and money resolving the incidents, according to a survey by research firm Javelin Strategy & Research.

A robber this week swept $1.5 million worth of gambling chips off a table at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and escaped by motorcycle -- in under three minutes. Such temptations can be overwhelming for those looking for a quick win. Here are some of the biggest jobs of the last few years.

In the 10th Las Vegas casino robbery this year, an armed man stole about $1.5 million in betting chips from the Bellagio hotel early Tuesday morning and escaped on a motorcycle. No shots were fired and no one was injured.

A former Goldman Sachs computer programmer has been convicted of stealing trade secrets and property in an effort to help a Chicago-based startup develop its own high-frequency securities trading operations.