Artwork for podcast IAFCI Presents... The Protectors
The Wichita Task Force: Taking Down Organized Retail Theft
Episode 1223rd June 2026 • IAFCI Presents... The Protectors • IAFCI.org
00:00:00 00:14:51

Share Episode

Shownotes

Today on The Protectors Podcast, we come to you from the 2025 IAFCI Conference in Oklahoma, where Mark sits down solo for a fast-moving conversation with members of the Wichita Task Force. These law enforcement officers specialize in retail theft investigations, but their focus goes far beyond small-time shoplifting - they’re targeting organized, professional retail theft crews operating on a much larger scale. The task force shares how they work with retailers, track patterns, build cases, and coordinate strategies to identify and arrest the criminals behind these operations. It’s a sharp, fun conversation with a team that clearly knows how to work together - and how to get results.

The Protectors Podcast - Where Awareness Turns Into Action.

________________________________

IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

Links

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube

More Episodes
122. The Wichita Task Force: Taking Down Organized Retail Theft
00:14:51
121. A Hidden Crime in Plain Sight: Susan Sommerville on Fraud, Trust, and Warning Signs
00:38:18
120. When Love Is the Hook: Experts Kate Kleinert and Cassandra Dessureau-O'Hara on Romance Fraud
00:52:13
119. Signed, Sealed, Scammed: The Rise of Vehicle Title Schemes with Rudy Meola
00:46:13
118. The Threat Within: Inside the Mind of Cybersecurity Expert Shawn Loveland
00:36:12
117. The AI Fraud Wave Is Here: Connor Heaton on Deepfakes, Scams, and the End of Trust as We Know It.
00:42:34
116. Brackets and Billions: Dr. Declan Hill on Micro-Betting and the New Gambling Economy
00:27:57
115. Love, Lies, and Déjà Vu: Bernie Returns with Mental Health Expert Cassandra O’Hara
00:42:36
114. The Case That Wouldn’t Stay Closed: Kelly Gowe Returns
00:42:33
113. When the Game Is Rigged: Declan Hill Exposes Sports Betting’s Dark Side
00:50:57
112. Pause, Reflect, Protect: AARP's Kathy Stokes on Stopping Fraud In It's Tracks
00:25:47
111. Looking Back, Moving Forward : A Protectors Recap of 2025
00:47:50
110. Healthcare Fraud: The Crime No One Sees Coming — with Det. Mark DiBone
00:30:46
109. When Money Breaks the Case: Live on Stage with U.S. Marshal Kaitlyn Kent
00:28:59
108. Crypto and Crime From the Cell Block: Detectives Rowe & Verdoni on Cracking the Case
00:44:52
107. Inside the Global Fraud and Trafficking Networks with NYPD Detective Daniel Alessandrino
00:30:03
106. Numbers Don’t Lie - Expert Steve Pedneault on Finding Fraud Where Others Don’t
00:27:12
105. Scammed by Faith? - The Blessing Scam with Audrey Moy
00:25:48
104. Beyond the FBI: Declan Hill’s Investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s Death
00:31:10
103. The Girl in the Red Suitcase: Detective Tony Fiscella and the Valerie Reyes Homicide
00:38:33
102. Earning Your Trust, Stealing Your Future: Jim De La Torre & Jon Reader on Modern Fraud
00:49:33
101. No Way Out: The Psychological Grip of Sextortion with Paul Raffile
00:40:01
100. 100 Episodes of Protecting What Matters Most—YOU!
01:00:49
99. The Good, the Bad, and the Artificial: A.I. and the Future of Fraud
00:47:17
98. Free Tools, Big Protection: The Fraud That Didn’t Happen
00:33:05
97. A Parent's Worst Fear: When Scammers Target Your Child
00:44:29
96. When Trust Is Broken: The Many Faces of Elder Abuse
00:34:04
95. Tim Brady Unfiltered — Live from the TIAA 2025 Fraud Summit
01:00:01
94. When Local Police Step Up: Strengthening the Fight Against Online Scams
00:46:18
93. Hooked by a Heartstring: The Hidden Risks of Online Romance
00:49:56
92. Inside the SATGs: Organized Crime Comes to Your Neighborhood
00:39:48
91. Fool’s Gold: How Criminals Turn Bars into Billions
00:43:09
90. Seeing Isn’t Believing: The Rise of AI-Generated Fraud
00:39:35
89. Fraud in Plain Sight: How to Catch It Before It Catches You
00:43:04
88. Financial Crimes Uncovered: The Power of Collaboration in Fraud Investigations
00:38:09
87. A Hole-in-One for Fraud Protection: The PAR System
00:38:23
86. Cracking the Code: Election Fraud, Cyber Attacks, and AI Insights
00:45:46
85. Ringing in the New Year with The Protectors Podcast
01:03:26
84. Cracks in the Foundation: The Truth About Housing Fraud
00:31:25
83. Holiday Romance: When Love Turns to Loss
00:34:49
82. Scam-Proof Your Life: Tips to Break the Fraud Cycle
00:55:17
81. Justice for Fraud Victims: Training Tomorrow's Fraud Fighters
00:25:07
80. Global Fraud Fighters: Uniting Against Fraud, Human Trafficking and Exploitation
00:27:54
79. Fraud’s New Face: Organized Groups and Silent Victims
00:31:58
78. End of the Line: How Federal Agents Stopped a Relentless Fraudster
00:38:29
77. Behind the Bets: Mob Ties and Gambling's Grip on Youth
00:32:38
76. Highlights From Las Vegas - The 56th Annual IAFCI Training Conference
00:34:29
75. Start Smart: Guarding Your Family Against Back-to-School Scams
00:36:20
74. The Safe Bet: Inside the World of Online Gaming Fraud
00:31:29
73. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Part 1: Exposing Travel and Auto Scams
00:49:11
72. The Crypto Landscape: Navigating the Goldmine and the Minefields
00:37:01
71. Renovation Rip-Offs: Simple Steps to Avoid Home Improvement Scams
00:37:05
70. Balancing Act: The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence
00:44:04
69. Safe Eats: Protecting Yourself from Food Delivery Scams
00:32:52
68. The Crypto Caution: Navigating the Seas of Success and Scam
00:38:48
67. The Silent Network: Understanding the Impact of Crimestoppers In Your Community
00:35:16
66. Tax Season Scams with Kathy Enstrom
00:46:46
65. The Unseen Economy: Homelessness at the Heart of Covert Banking Scams
00:40:21
64. The Jordan Demay Story: Sextortion Scam Takes Teen's Life
00:44:37
63. The Great American Deception: Revealing the Top 5 Scams of Today
00:53:53
62. Inside the Billion-Dollar "Pig-Butchering" Industry
00:40:29
61. Undercover Protectors: Inside the United States Postal Inspection Service
00:40:00
60. Guardians of Trust: A Conversation with AARP's Fraud Watch Expert Kathy Stokes
00:45:11
59. From Exploitation to Empowerment: Fighting Back Against Human Trafficking
00:34:57
58. The "Heart" of Deception: Love, Lies, and Financial Loss
00:56:43
57. Making a List, Checking It Twice: Protecting Your Mail and Your Letter Carrier During the Holiday Season
00:29:35
56. No Scam November: Your Holiday Shopping Playbook
00:34:35
55. Behind the Mic: The Making of The Protectors Podcast
00:39:04
54. Game Over: Unraveling the McDonald's Monopoly Fraud Scandal
00:41:35
53. Identity Crisis: How to Outsmart Identity Thieves in the Digital Age
00:32:49
52. First Responders in Crisis: The Unseen Struggle
00:23:13
51. A Pirate's Ransom: The Battle Against Intellectual Property Theft
00:26:43
50. Bill Kurtis: The Man, The Voice, The Legend
00:23:58
49. Bank Impersonator: Could Your Life Savings Be Gone In a Flash?
00:32:41
48. Behind the Premiums: Unearthing the Hidden Costs of Insurance Scams
00:33:41
47. Pet Scams Unleashed: Protecting Consumers in the Digital Age of Pet Adoption & Breeding Scams
00:48:11
46. Pig Butchering - Uncovering the Gruesome Truth Behind the Latest Romance Scam
00:40:10
45. What’s My Name - The Samantha Josephson Story
00:46:06
44. Summertime! Fun In the Sun But Don’t Get Burned By Fraud
00:52:38
43. Don't Get Hooked: The Rise of Phishing, Smishing, and Vishing
00:38:51
42. Exposing the Evil of the Dark Web
00:40:06
41. The Life and Mysterious Death of Laura Kowal; A Romance/Investment Scheme Victim Part 2: Two Bodies - One Mission
00:52:05
40. The Life and Mysterious Death of Laura Kowal; A Romance/Investment Scheme Victim Part 1: The Call
00:37:45
39. Don't Get Held Hostage by Ransomware, Sextortion, and Online Scams
00:41:22
38. Sending a Mixed Message: Are We Lessening the Consequences of Criminal Behavior & Financial Crimes?
00:46:39
37. Crypto Revolution: How Bankman-Fried Brought Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme Into the Crypto World
00:35:28
36. Major Banks and The Disturbing Reality of Human Trafficking - The Knoble Takes Charge
00:31:50
35. Honoring Chicago's Heroes: The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation
00:25:21
34. Gone in 60 Seconds: Protect Yourself from Bank Account Takeover Schemes!
00:36:49
33. House of Cards: An Inside Look at Mortgage Fraud and How to Protect Yourself from it!
00:41:53
32. A Great Deal or the Big Steal; Tips for Purchasing Holiday Gift Cards
00:50:26
31. Don’t Get Scrooged: Mall Safety Tips for a Fraud Free Holiday Season
00:31:14
30. From the Ashes of 9/11 to the Towers of Hope & Humanity: The Stephen Siller Story & the T2T Foundation
00:36:08
29. Not in My House: Don't Be a Victim of a Ruse Burglary
00:39:24
28. Las Vegas: The City That Never Closes…Not Even For Fraud
00:40:12
27. More Power To You! What You Should Know About Powers Of Attorney
00:17:52
26. Exposing The Evil of Human Trafficking
00:31:37
25. Matters of the Heart: A Journey from Scam Victim to National Advocate for Justice
00:41:44
24. The Art of The Lie
00:50:56
23. MEN IN BLACK: How the US Secret Service Protects YOU Everyday
00:45:12
22. Are ATM's Still Safe in 2022?
00:12:37
21. The Changing Face of Identity Theft: Synthetic Identity Fraud
00:17:25
20. Organized Retail Crimes Are Costing Businesses BILLIONS! What's it costing YOU?
00:40:48
19. Gone Phishing: Online Extortion of US Businesses at an All-Time High
00:38:32
18. PARENTS of TEENS and COLLEGE STUDENTS... Shut Down Scams Before They Happen!
00:27:21
17. Don't Be the Next Victim: Protect Yourself from Financial Fraud!
00:44:06
16. Spilling the NFTea on Digital Assets and Cyber-Enabled Financial Crime
00:54:14
15. Gang’s... Gun’s... and Money: The Intersecting Paths of Financial Crimes in the U.S.
00:40:52
14. BLOOD DIAMONDS: How Common Criminals Turned the Illegal Use of Diamonds, Gemstones and Precious Metals Into a Multi-billion Dollar Industry
00:43:43
13. Grandparent Scams: How to Protect Your Loved Ones from These Organized Crimes
00:39:17
12. TRACKING BLOOD MONEY: Combating Wildlife & Environmental Crimes with Amanda Gore
00:28:25
11. Gas Pump Skimming: How To Protect Yourself From Becoming a Victim
00:35:42
10. Struggling For Love and The Cost of Romance Scams
00:38:33
9. "Anne’s Story" and the Ultimate Romance Scam & Tragedy
00:45:04
8. AARP’s Fraud Watch Network - Fighting To Keep Our Communities Safe
00:33:52
7. Felony Lane Gang Is Coming to Your Town
00:22:13
6. "Date.CON" Don't Fall for an Online Romance Scam
00:15:24
5. Cut it Out: Coupon Fraud & the Multi-Million Dollar Criminal Industry
00:30:14
4. Tips For a Fraud Free Holiday with Silvia Carrier
00:31:01
3. Elder Fraud with April Devalkenaere
00:18:18
2. What Happened in Afghanistan?
00:21:35
1. Cryptocurrency Fraud; Comprehending, Combating and Solving Virtual Currency Crimes
00:26:03
trailer The IAFCI Presents... The Protectors
00:13:03