Be careful out there when you're Christmas shopping.

[cwclark]

This is a bit off topic and i mentioned it on the topic about the 1:87 cars for sale in the Walmart stores. Anyway, I was at Wal-mart yesterday picking up the last of the 1:87 cars they had on sale ($1.44 now) and while i was standing in line the lady behind me said she lost her wallet...she went looking for it and right away two more people came up to me looking for their wallets, another woman and a man...the man found his wallet in the back of the store and they took all his cash...it was only $9.00 but that's not the principle of it...I notified security that someone in the store was lifting people's wallets from their pants and purses but don't know if they caught whoever was doing this....just a word of warning to all of ya'll out there shopping this christmas season..there are some real jerks out there so be careful with your personal items...don't carry large sums of cash and it may be wise to put your wallet in your front pants pockets instead of your back pocket when you're in the large department stores crowed with people...I really fell sorry for the one lady..she had 20 credit cards, her driver's license, and a lot of money in her wallet..i do hope everything works out for her....chuck

[Fergmiester]

An unfortunate reality. One we all have to keep a guard up for. Another big thing is the smash and grab. Major malls now have security patrolling the parking lots due to people seeing something in a vacant car and helping themselves. So keep everything out of sight or else!

Fergie

[selector]

Ahh, opportunism. I have had things stolen, and it makes the thought of retribution go well with my breakfast.

[loathar]

I've seen people looking over the shoulder of someone writing a check memorizing their account #'s. One of the reasons I moved from the city to the country. I hate theives!!
I had about $6500 worth of tools stolen 2 weeks before Christmas a few years back.

[TrainFreak409]

What some people wouldn't do for money...Now...I wonder if they bought Christmas gifts with the stolen money...Contradicting the spirit of the season.[xx(]

[Anonymous]

Can't say I'm surprised - any time you have a large number of people with money on them, they'll attract all kinds of low-life looking to take it. The one about taking purchases back to the car is particularly prevelent apparently - your best bet would be to be aware of what's around you (for example, can you see anyone hanging around?) and to hide stuff - take a couple of old blankets or coats to cover outsize cargo.

Another particularly nasty one I've read of recently was people leaving scraps of paper on the rear windscreen, then simply jumping in and driving off when the driver got out to investigate. Simple to foil - always take your keys with you when you get out, no matter what it's for.

[AntonioFP45]

Guys, carry your wallets or money in your front pockets.

If you're not using them, leave credit/debit cards home!

As you shop be extra alert if someone bumps into you or a friend walking with you. Thieves today are like hyenas, traveling in packs. One is a distractor while the others move in on the prey.

Watch those cell phones! They get picked off belt clips easily in a crowd.

Put presents away in the trunk of your car not on the seats!

It's a hassle, but some people will go to a mall, load the trunk of the car up on gifts and then drive to other malls and stores to load up on more gifts. Shrewd thieves actually track shoppers leaving malls and park at other stores. It only takes 2 to 5 seconds to pop open a car's trunk or hatch lock and another few seconds to "Clean it out for free!". SUV's are even easier to steal from since thieves don't even have to crouch down.

It's a hassle, but after making a big shopping trip..........chill and go home! You can shop the next evening.

Hope this helps!

[MisterBeasley]

And then there was the guy who went around a parking lot in Westborough, Mass., looking for an unlocked car. When he found it, he left a package with a ring in it, along with a note which sounded like he had lost the love of his life, and wouldn't be needing the ring.

The guy who owned the car had the ring appraised. $15,000.

Sometimes you get ripped off, but once in a long while you get ripped on. Go figure.

[sleeper33]

christ arn't these people scum especally inthe season of goodwill exept the guy in the previous posting[xx(][xx(]

[Anonymous]

I hate thieves. Once had a bike stolen, right from in front of the bike shop. The people there never said anything, when I brought the new in with me.

My wallet is kept in an inside jacket pocket, that zips shut. I rarely have much money on me, anyway.

My cousin once caught a guy with his hand in his (my cousin's) pocket, going for his wallet. My cousin is a stocky biker, with a glare that could curdle milk. The would be pick pocket got off easy, with just the promise of having his fingers broken, next time my cousin caught him.

[Anonymous]

We have had this happen a few times every day where I worked. Sadly we never catch the guys or people who do this.

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Greyryder
My cousin once caught a guy with his hand in his (my cousin's) pocket, going for his wallet. My cousin is a stocky biker, with a glare that could curdle milk. The would be pick pocket got off easy, with just the promise of having his fingers broken, next time my cousin caught him.

your cousin's a wuss . i'd have broken the guys fingers and stolen his wallet




just kidding , i don't want your cousin mad at me [:)]

[JohnT14808]

Antonio has all the good tips. And they apply ALL the time, not just during the Holiday Season. That' one reason why I like shopping on the 'net. No crowds, I can drink beer while I shop, selection is usually pretty good. Shipping can be bad, but I'll live with it.

[cacole]

And closely watch the cash registers as you're checking out. Twice this week I have been the victim of cashier or store pricing mistakes.

In the first instance, the cashier mixed some of my items up with the customer ahead of me, and I never discovered until I got home and began taking things out of the bags that the mixup had occurred.

In the second case, a major chain store had bath towels at a special $7 sale price. The cash register rang them up at $13.95 each! This is twice that I have had a similar occurrence at this store, too, so I will never go there again. Fortunately, I caught it as soon as the cashier rang them up because I had no other items, but if I had been like other customers with a shopping cart full of merchandise, I probably would never have realized that I was getting ripped off.


.

[wgnrr]

I had a person do something like that to me in our local Wal-Mart. I was looking through the 1:87 cars, and the man next to me said there was someone looking for me in the isle over . I went over there, and there was no one there. I came back, and all of the cars were gone! I ran over to the main isle, and saw the guy, running, carring 3 cases of the cars. He had a CN jacket on. He must of wanted me out of there because I was wearing a blue Union Pacific 844/3985 hat.