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There have been some major art thefts from museums lately and when this happens, the public often thinks back to films like "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "How to Steal a Million," where sophisticated thieves rappel down through skylights to make off with incredibly valuable art. But the reality is not nearly so glamorous.

While the FBI calls the illicit trade of stolen art and antiquities serious, with losses as high as $6 billion a year, in the real world, these thieves are the same guys who rob armored cars for cash, pharmacies for drugs and homes for jewelry. They are often opportunistic and almost always shortsighted.
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A new study has found that shoppers who leave the store without buying anything are much more likely to be walking away with stolen merchandise than those who do make a purchase. Slightly more than 8% of the people who enter a store steal something.

Criminologist Richard Hollinger discovered that people who left without paying for any items were six times more likely to be shoplifters who bypassed the check-out line to avoid drawing attention to themselves. He cautions against trying to spot shoplifters based on race, gender, age and ethnicity. He points out that salespeople who ask “May I help you” are trained to do this in order to give shoplifters the message, “We know you?re here, so don’t shoplift.”
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