Thieves use all manner of transportation to make a (sometimes) speedy getaway from their crime scenes: a horse, taxis, motorized shopping carts; the list goes on. This week, a pair of robbers added to this rich history, driving away from the scene of a crime in a stolen Comcast van. [More]
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Thieves Swipe Millions Of Dollars’ Worth Of Fur Coats From NYC Store
By 12.27.16
Three thieves who apparently have an eye for the pricey things in life chucked a rock or some other heavy object through the glass door of a Manhattan store early on Christmas Eve morning, police said, swiping millions of dollars’ worth of sable fur coats. [More]
Thieves Cut Hole In Target Roof, Go On Electronics Theft Spree
By 12.21.16 — Updated: 12.22.16
Thieves dead-set on getting their hands on goods that aren’t theirs — which is what makes them thieves in the first place — have been known to employ some extreme methods to pull off heists, like the two alleged ne’er-do-wells in the Atlanta area who recently created an unauthorized skylight in a local Target store. [More]
Reminder: You Might Not Want To Display Empty Christmas Present Boxes Prominently On The Curb
By 12.29.15 — Updated: 12.23.16
There you are, happily and cozily ensconced in your house, playing your new PS4 (as long as it’s not a piece of wood) to your heart’s delight, warm with the Christmas spirit that brought you this shiny new toy. But if you want to keep your new pricy electronics and nice clothing, it’s not a good idea to tip off any would-be thieves of what’s hiding in your home by advertising it with empty boxes. [More]
Hide Your Stuff, Lock Your Car: Black Friday Is Also A Pretty Big Day For Thieves
By 11.25.15
Black Friday is not only a big day for shoppers, with stores throwing open their doors early (or staying open all night since they opened on Thanksgiving) and the mad marketing blitz of discounts, sales and deals coming at you from every angle, but it’s a pretty fruitful day for thieves, as well. [More]
Owners Help Police Track Stolen Tesla Through Mobile App
By 11.3.15
When a thief steals a car it can take owners days, week or even years to retrieve their property. Apparently that’s not the case when your vehicle happens to be a Tesla Model S: a Canadian couple was able to help authorities track their stolen car in real-time with the help of the Tesla mobile app. [More]
iPhone Owner Watching Thief’s Selfies Post To Her Facebook Account
By 3.27.15
Vanity, thy name is smartphone thief: We’re no strangers to the tale of the narcissistic villain who’s ultimately caught after uploading photos taken on the pilfered phones somewhere the owner can see them. That’s the ending one iPhone owner is hoping for, as she’s been watching the person who stole her device unwittingly send them straight to the owner’s Facebook account. [More]
Report: Gang Of Criminals Hacking Bank ATMs Has Stolen Up To $1B
By 2.16.15
Some of the world’s banks likely had a crummy Valentine’s Day after a new report from a computer-security firm came out this weekend, saying that a group of criminals has stolen millions of dollars since late 2013 from financial institutions in Russia, Eastern Europe and the United States. And it doesn’t seem like they’re done yet. [More]
Towel Thieves Beware: Hotels Using Chips To Track Linens
By 2.6.15
I’m not going to say that I’ve ever helped myself to a hotel hand towel, but I’ve heard they could be used to wrap souvenirs when packing. It’s a good thing I’m not this sort of linen thief, as some hotels are using tiny, wash-safe trackers to crack down on guests’ sticky fingers. [More]
Thieves Used United, American Airlines Customer Accounts To Book Free Trips, Upgrades
By 1.12.15
If you had boat-loads of miles saved on your American Airlines or United Airlines account you might want to make sure they’re still around, now that botmoh airlines have confirmed thieves used stolen usernames and passwords to book free trips or upgrades. [More]
Security Video Shows Thief Apparently Hypnotizing Shopkeeper Before Picking His Pockets
By 12.5.14
The next time I find myself suddenly without any cash, I’m now going to be convinced that it was a hypnotizing thief lightening my load. Because yes, that can apparently happen: Police in London believe a shopkeeper might’ve been put in a trance by a guy caught on CCTV who then picked his pockets. [More]
Thieves Try To Sell Woman’s Stuff Back To Her While She’s Waiting For The Cops To Arrive
By 2.7.14
There must be some great cosmic force that serves entirely to reunite people with their stolen belongings by way of an unwitting accomplice — the thief or thieves that did the stealing in the first place. One woman had the good fortune to run into her recently purloined belongings while waiting for the police to show up. [More]
After A House Fire, Watch Out For Actual Criminals, Not Just Scummy Contractors
By 5.24.13
Earlier this week, we posted about the public adjusters and contractors who show up at the scene of a house fire, often before all of the flames are even out. Reader Josh’s family has been through a fire recently, and he wrote in to warn people about a whole different set of entrepreneurs who might stop by your home after a fire…looters. [More]
Thief Feels Awfully Bad About Stealing Couple’s Tandem Bike, Returns It With Apology Note
By 1.11.13
When one of your possessions goes missing, often the feeling of personal loss over something you need and use in your life trumps the anger you might feel toward a thief. Like maybe the perp wouldn’t take your item if he or she knew what it meant to you, but it’s gone so that’s that. But in the case of a couple who needed their stolen tandem bike and counted on it to get around, it seems the thief actually did realize he’d done wrong. [More]
How To Keep Pickpockets Out Of Your Pants
By 2.10.12
If you’ve been properly pickpocketed, you won’t realize you’ve lost your wallet until you need it next — most likely long after the crime has occurred. You’re more vulnerable to pickpockets when you travel, because many thieves make a living by stealing from wandering tourists who carry more cash than others. [More]
How To Scare Off Thieves By Making Your Home Seem Occupied
By 1.13.11
If Home Alone taught us anything, it’s that even the most determined burglars get a little freaked out when it appears there’s activity going on at a targeted house. Not all of us have the wits of a young Macaulay Culkin and access to life-sized, mechanized Michael Jordan cutouts, though. [More]
How Often Is Your Car Model Stolen?
By 8.3.10
The Highway Loss Data Institute keeps track of insurance claims for stolen cars, and it’s just released a list of the highest and lowest insurance claims for auto theft for 2007-09 models. The winner is the Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, followed by the Ford F-250 pickup–both of these vehicles have a relatively high claim frequency and high average loss payment per claim of $9,600-$11,000. On the other end, the Mini Cooper and Toyota Sienna 4WD are infrequently stolen and have average loss payments of around $2,000. [More]
Thief Steals iPhone While Victim Is Participating In GPS Tracking Demo
By 7.22.10
On Monday, a man in San Francisco rode his bike up to a woman holding an iPhone and snatched it out of her hand, then took off. What he didn’t know was that the woman had just walked out of her company’s office to test a new GPS program that provides real time tracking. She went back inside, gave the police location updates over the phone, and man was arrested a half-mile away, reports the San Francisco Chronicle’s Crime Scene blog. [More]
