New York State

GEOFF CAPES has sadly passed away at the age of 75.

The legendary strongman was considered Britain’s finest shot-putter during his career.

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Geoff Capes has passed away at the age of 75[/caption]

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He was twice named the world’s strongest man[/caption]

Capes from Holbeach in Lincolnshire was adored by millions and became a household name in the Eighties and Nineties.

The 6ft 6′ star was also named the world’s strongest man on two different occasions.

His first victory came in the World’s Strongest Man event in 1983 in Christchurch, and the second was two years later in Cascais.

A family statement said: “The family of Geoffrey Capes would like to announce his sad passing today, 23rd October.

“Britain’s finest shot-putter and twice world’s strongest man.”

During his shot-putt career, he won gold medals in the European Indoor Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Fans of Capes have flooded social media to pay tribute to the legend.

One posted: “RIP legendary strongman Geoff Capes.

A second wrote: “Another sporting hero from our youth leaves us. RIP Geoff Capes.”

A third commented: “Sad to hear of the death of Geoff Capes. He was a big part of my TV childhood. Thoughts are with his family and friends.”

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Tributes have flooded in for the legend on social media[/caption]

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He also competed at two Olympic games[/caption]

A fourth said: “So sad to hear the news that Geoff Capes passed away.”

He was also a three-time Olympian as he competed at the 1972 Munich games 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 games in Moscow.

In his debut games, he finished in 20th place.

He was one of the favourites for gold at both of his latter tournaments but finished sixth and fifth.

Capes also competed in the Highland Games in Scotland and won the World Heavy Events title in Lagos in 1981.

After retiring, he went on to coach stars in both athletics and strength athletics.

He helped Adrian Smith take fifth spot in the World’s Strongest Man in 1990.

During the eighties, he was a regular on TV screens in the country as he appeared on entertainment shows such as Little and Large and the Kenny Everett Television Show.

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HONEST shoppers are being punished by a surge in retail fraud and abuse, as retailers move to tighten return and refund policies in a bid to combat a $30 billion problem each year.

New research from e-commerce technology company Riskified found global retailers are grappling with a huge uptick in returns policy abuse, in which customers knowingly exploit or manipulate a merchant’s terms and conditions for personal gain.

Riskified via 5WPR

Riskified’s Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Otto said retailers were cracking down on generous returns policies[/caption]

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Target is winding back its lenient in-store returns policy (stock image)[/caption]

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Walmart ended its pandemic-era returns policy in response to fraud (stock image)[/caption]

Following high level interviews with over 500 senior directors and large e-commerce businesses, Riskified compiled data which estimates returns, refunds and exchanges are costing retailers a whopping $394 billion with at least $28 billion due to fraud and abuse.

Some examples of this behavior by customers include ordering multiple sizes and colors with an intent to return most items, claiming an item was not received or returning an item that has been worn for a full refund.

In response to this surge in losses, retailers are winding back generous returns policies – first introduced during the pandemic – which experts say is harming shoppers who are doing the right thing.

Riskified Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Otto said the “generous policies at all costs” era was over.

MAJOR BRANDS CRACKING DOWN

Target recently announced a significant change to its in-store returns policy which has caught many loyal customers off-guard.

While shoppers can still return unopened items in excellent condition within 90 days, the store has now reserved the right to refuse returns, refunds and exchanges if they are suspicious of fraud.

This includes cases where customers present a valid receipt, but still may be flagged if the store believes the shopper is gaming the system.

The departure away from a lenient returns system comes as the major brand cracks down on rising fraud.

Walmart has also reverted back to pre-pandemic returns policy, after the major brand extended its returns rules granting shoppers four months to return items they purchased. 

Online clothing retailer ASOS has also introduced a returns fee for people who frequently send items back.

The retailer blamed the levels of returns as “unsustainable” with online shopping generating 4.8 times more packaging than brick and mortar shopping. 

While there has been a rise in mom and dad shoppers doing the wrong thing, the new research found refunds abuse and fraud had become much more prolific driven by forums like the Dark Web and availability of malicious generative AI tools.

Riskified partnered with Opinium Research who spoke to executives in seven major ecommerce markets including the US, UK, France, Mexico, Brazil and Australia and New Zealand.

Riskified’s research found middle-aged, middle-class shoppers were the most likely to participate in “white lie” fraud driven by a sense that “everyone else was doing it.”

According to the research, 84% of merchants said it was harder to identify fraudulent activity today while 76% agreed policy abuse was becoming more sophisticated.

GOOD SHOPPERS PUNISHED

Otto said good shoppers were being unfairly punished, as stores retract generous returns policies.

What has happened is these merchants are realizing the financial impact they have absorbed, and now they are changing their policies back

Jeff OttoRiskified's Chief Marketing Officer

“We are seeing a retraction, and these retailers are not offering the generous refunds or returns policies that they used to.

“They’re doing it in a blanket way, and that hurts good consumers along with unethical and bad consumers. It is a blunt instrument, punishing everyone for the crimes of a few.”’

Otto said there was a different way to handle this abuse, rather than seeing good shoppers punished by a few bad eggs.

Retailers can use Riskified, which protects shoppers and retailers by using AI to detect whether fraud is at play. 

Many companies are already using Riskified, including Wayfair, Booking.com, Shein, GoPro, Macy’s, Uniqlo and Capital One. 

Two environmental activists who scaled Montreal's Jacques Cartier Bridge early Tuesday have been charged with mischief and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

A group is demanding the federal government better support Canada's wildfire fighters, warning that without action, more of them will leave the job as fire seasons become longer.

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