Not all thieves are stupid. - A warning
01-22-2012, 04:25 AM
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Vermont
Posts: 6,978
Not all thieves are stupid. - A warning
Got this in an email this morning--
This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.
GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.
When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.
Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it.. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.
MOBILE PHONES
I never thought of this.......
This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... Etc...was stolen.
20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....
And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you..
This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.
GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.
When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.
Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it.. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.
MOBILE PHONES
I never thought of this.......
This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... Etc...was stolen.
20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....
And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you..
01-22-2012, 10:05 AM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,362
I am a little suspicious of the part where the bad guys withdrew "all" their money from the bank account... Every bank account I've ever had access to, both personal and (as a bookkeeper) business, has a $300 daily limit.
But the advice is good. My husband is listed by his name in my cell phone, I do not leave my GPS in my car, and my home address is not "home", it's simply another address.
But the advice is good. My husband is listed by his name in my cell phone, I do not leave my GPS in my car, and my home address is not "home", it's simply another address.
01-23-2012, 12:41 AM
#8
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,789
01-23-2012, 05:01 AM
#10
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Georgia
Posts: 253
I think I would have called the police. Especially if I saw a truck with people moving things out and none of the people were the ones that owned the house. Even more so if I never saw a For Sale sign. I'm sure someone in the neighborhood talked to those neighbors.
I got a check for $5,000.00 in the mail a few years ago that asked me to cash the check and keep $1,000.00. I checked the bank, the signature name, address, etc. There was a bank by that name at that address and the signature on the check was from the President of the bank. I immediately called the bank and the law in Texas. They asked me to send the check to them, but void it first. Nope, not doing that. So I told them until I knew for sure what to do I'll just send a copy and keep the original until needed. Long story short, there was a ring of people living in a motel there sending out checks from various banks, they did catch them and I did send the original check and the thugs are serving time as we speak.
Sick people out there. Had I been stupid enough to cash that check I would have had to cover the entire $5,000.00!
I got a check for $5,000.00 in the mail a few years ago that asked me to cash the check and keep $1,000.00. I checked the bank, the signature name, address, etc. There was a bank by that name at that address and the signature on the check was from the President of the bank. I immediately called the bank and the law in Texas. They asked me to send the check to them, but void it first. Nope, not doing that. So I told them until I knew for sure what to do I'll just send a copy and keep the original until needed. Long story short, there was a ring of people living in a motel there sending out checks from various banks, they did catch them and I did send the original check and the thugs are serving time as we speak.
Sick people out there. Had I been stupid enough to cash that check I would have had to cover the entire $5,000.00!
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