Organized retail crime has reached an "all-time high" with retailers reporting more than $777,000 in losses for every $1 billion in sales, the National Retail Federation announced Monday.

NRF has surveyed retailers every year for 14 years about organized retail crime, which is retail crimes committed by gangs and crime rings. This year retailers reported the highest losses on record since the survey started, according to an association statement about the results. The figure was based on 66 completed surveys.

"Retailers continue to deal with increasing challenges and complications surrounding organized retail crime," NRF Vice President of Loss Prevention Bob Moraca said. "These criminals find new ways to expand their networks and manipulate the retail supply chain every day."

The survey found that 92 percent of companies surveyed had been a victim of organized retail crime in the past year and that 71 percent said crime incidents were increasing. The most common crime was stealing merchandise then returning it for a refund.

Retailers attributed the increase to the easy online sale of stolen goods, gift card fraud, shortage of staff in stores and demand for certain brand name items or specific products, according to NRF. In addition, a number of states have increased the threshold for a theft to be considered a felony, meaning criminals can steal a larger quantity of goods while keeping the crime a misdemeanor and avoiding the risk of higher penalties.

Nearly three out of every four retailers believe in the need for a federal law penalizing organized retail crime, noting that gangs often operate across state lines. http://bit.ly/2Kgbpsk

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