Efforts by American retailers to prevent shoplifting appear to be paying off. Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required. The research, released last week, attributed this trend to merchants’ efforts to protect their goods, workers and shoppers. The research shows criminals shifting from shoplifting to other forms of “more sophisticated” theft, with retailers reporting higher rates of phone scams (69%) loyalty fraud (51%) and gift card theft or fraud (42%). Additional research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows that 85% of merchants said their main fraud-related challenge is preventing these incidents without harming the customer experience.