You’ve probably heard of the “cookie crumbles under your doormat” trick that helps you determine if someone has visited your house. So, it wouldn’t surprise you if you see the special signs that thieves leave behind. These are tricks we all know, and the internet is full of them. But imagine seeing a rogue trash bag roaming around on its own. One unlucky homeowner got quite a shock when they checked their CCTV and saw a mysterious trash bag sneaking over to their front door. To their horror, the bag, along with a person, ended up swiping a package from outside the house. The footage went viral, sparking outrage at the audacity of the porch pirate. People on social media were quick to condemn the thief’s actions and question their moral compass. While some were shocked and appalled by the thief’s antics, others speculated that the whole thing might have been staged.
If the trash bag technique didn’t shock you, then imagine this: You roll up to your house after a long day at work, only to find that your entire driveway is gone. Sounds like a joke, but it happened to a girl in Florida. Not a single trace of concrete was left—just some tire tracks on the dirt. It turned out that the poor girl had fallen victim to a sneaky scam aimed at ripping off home contractors. Crew members, hired by a contractor who was also a victim, removed the girl’s driveway. But the girl didn’t hire them; they were tricked by a man named Andre. The scam involved spotting houses for sale online, getting contractors to do work, sending overpayments, and then asking for refunds. Fortunately, a radio sponsor stepped in to help the girl get a new driveway, with funds raised going to charity.
Just a friendly reminder here: Be extra careful when using those handy drive-up blue mail collection boxes. Why, you ask? Recently, a couple of mail-stealing bandits were caught red-handed. Although these mischievous mail snatchers are still out there somewhere, the police managed to recover their car. Inside, they found over 100 pieces of stolen mail from different cities. Footage from home cameras showed the frantic search that went down in the wee hours. The police were running around like crazy in alleys and yards near a post office on Koite Road, trying to nab those sneaky suspects. A postal inspector even tipped off the police after catching them in the act. Unfortunately, the thieves managed to slip away on foot, leaving the officers with nothing but a box full of pilfered envelopes. That’s a bummer, but one suspect has been identified, and arrests are on the cards.
It’s unbelievable, but thieves these days have the audacity to use ladders to break into second-story windows. Yeah, times are tough now, and the alarm systems on the ground floor are hard to dodge, so thieves have had to get creative. The police are warning everyone to lock up tight, as there’s been a spike in ladder-related break-ins around Metro Detroit. Your safety is in your hands. Those deterrent systems apparently only cover ground-level access in most cases, and many people just forget to lock their upstairs windows. Go close your windows now!
Now look at this sneaky guy. The bandit is cruising around Manhattan on a bike, snatching phones from unsuspecting people on the streets and in parks. It’s like a real-life phone robbery movie. To make matters worse, the criminal chose a very inconvenient day to rob people—Valentine’s Day. First, they struck a 17-year-old outside Union Square Park, nabbing his phone and riding off. Later that day, the criminal stole a phone from a 53-year-old woman on the Upper East Side. This bandit is on a roll, hitting up multiple neighborhoods in Manhattan like a pro. The police were on the lookout for that phone-snatching guy wearing a yellow and black coat. While on his crime spree, he struck again a couple of days later in Washington Square Park, swiping a phone from a 30-year-old woman. I don’t know if he got caught, so just be more attentive when holding your phone out in public.
There has been some buzz about criminals on mopeds, bikes, and electric bicycles pulling off snatch thefts lately. Some of these bad guys even dress up as delivery riders to sneak up on unsuspecting victims on the sidewalk. These crafty criminals like to hang around busy areas with lots of pedestrians—tourists, students, you name it. They’re all potential targets. Here are some quick tips to keep your phone safe: First, be aware of your surroundings and try not to use your phone in public. Stay vigilant and watch out for bikes and mopeds cruising on the sidewalk. Also, hold off on whipping out your phone right after leaving a train or underground station. Don’t forget to keep your phone locked and registered with Immobilize for extra protection. For some added security, write down your phone’s IMEI number. Trust me, it can help. This number can prove that the phone is yours at the police station in case it’s been stolen. It’s like the fingerprint for your phone—unique, so no other phone has the same IMEI number. And most importantly, don’t try to chase the thief down yourself; let the police do their thing.
London is currently in the middle of a watch theft epidemic, with 1,700 watches valued at over $20 million snatched in just five months. Prices for these watches are skyrocketing, with some selling for three to five times their original cost on the pre-owned market. Luxury brands have long waiting lists, leading to a spike in stolen watch sales. Recovery experts track these stolen timepieces using unique serial codes, but criminal gangs are getting crafty, selling watches in places like the Far East, Dubai, and many other locations. Despite the challenges, there are stories of people who have been reunited with their stolen belongings. For example, a lady got her snatched Rolex back after 25 years, thanks to the watch register, showing that there’s hope in the fight against watch theft. However, this is more of an exception.
In Auckland, there’s a guy who had it up to here with thieves messing with his mailbox. The locks didn’t stop them, so he got creative. He called the police and asked about putting a rat trap inside his box, and they said it was totally cool. After a few days, he spotted that the trap was missing. He found it sometime later. The goal of this performance was to alert those who had been stealing the mail, but then the body corporate said no traps were allowed. The neighbors were split—some thought he was a hero, others not so much. The body corporate said mail theft was a problem everywhere, not just there. They got all fancy with security measures and stuff. The police wouldn’t chat about the whole rat trap situation, but they did offer some tips for preventing mail theft. Basically, don’t send cash in the mail and try to be home when important stuff arrives. Simple, right?
Shoplifting is no joke. The National Retail Federation just revealed a whopping $112 billion loss to retail crime last year, but some stores are fighting back with high-tech wizardry. Meet Benny Teapon, a grocer in Petaluma who’s fed up with petty thieves. He’s beefed up his security with fancy AI cameras that catch sneaky shoplifters in the act. In no time, the manager got an alert labeled “very suspicious” on their phone. But Teapon isn’t the only one getting in on the anti-theft action. The University of Florida’s Loss Prevention Research Council is cooking up all sorts of cool gadgets to stop thieves in their tracks. If they can make shoplifting a thing of the past, maybe we’ll all get a discount at our local grocery stores. Hey, a little less crime means a little less money spent on groceries, right? Let’s all do our part to drive those thieving antics away.
That’s it for today. So hey, if you satisfied your curiosity, give the video a like and share it with your friends. Or, if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side.