While unloading my car Saturday morning at a holiday vendor show, someone went into my car & stole my wallet & my GPS. Let me set the scene:
I got to the parking lot @ 8:40a.m. I was 6 spots from the door. There were a lot of us constantly going in & out unloading our vehicles. I was doing the same. My purse was in the backseat floorboard underneath all my work stuff, the doors were (probably) unlocked. I was in & out constantly unloading & hadn't finished, therfore I am assuming I had not yet locked it, but I wouldn't have thought twice about needing to considering where I was & what was going on & who all was out there with me.
I returned to my back-passenger door to get a bag of magazines & I noticed they were all over the backseat. I just instantly thought maybe I turned a corner & they fell over. I also noticed things all over the backseat that were in my purse, but I just paked those up as well.
I then open the passenger door & see tampons all over the place (sorry guys, we women do stash them in the car too) & business cards all over the driver seat. As I am leaning over picking them up, I see the suction cup mark on the windshield; the one that is left behind when the GPS has been removed. Then, I knew what had happened & I pieced it all together. My car, purse & bag of books got ramsacked! So now I have had stolen my GPS & my wallet is gone!
Instantly I called the police & my credit card company. And here is where it gets good. Remember, I arrived @ 8:40am. By 9:04am they had made there first purchase about 8 miles away. It was at Wawa & it was for $140! So that meant that whoever went into my car, not only did they have balls, but they did so in about a 8 minute window in order to get where they did.
From 9:04am- 9:40 they hit up 1 Wawa, 1 7-11 & 1 Chevron. Now the Chevron & 7-11 are literally next door to one another! In those stores they also rakced up, total, about $400 worth! They maxed out my checking account then moved to the next card in my wallet. By then I had cancelled the cards.
I get home & start on their trail! I found out a lot of interesting things & I hope to make you a more saavy swiper with your card this holiday season! (and even more of a saavy cashier!). So, out all my money, they blew most of it on cartons Newport cigarettes (about 10 cartons total) & Heinekin beer. They also threw in 4 lighters, 1 calling card & only 1 tank of gas. Oh yeah.... can't forget the bag of Oreo cokies!
In every store, the cashier was supposed to have asked for the card & ID because (a) the purchase was over $25 and because (b) they purchased more than one carton of cigarettes at a time. So that means that everytime, they were forging my signature AND a cashier was not doing their job! And they literally went back & forth to 711 & Chevron 5 times within 13 minutes... and they were always rang up by the same cashier & no one noticed!
My cards all say "see ID" on the back, but really that doesnt matter in the scheme of things either. I called the detective today & he said even with all the video footage, chances are we'll never catch who did it. But I think NOT! And the GPS cannot be tracked because it is a transmitter, not a receiver, so I am on the lookout at all local pawn-shops & windshields!
We have become so accustomed to get in-get out. We flash a card & roll our eyes when we're asked to drag out our ID. So to all you swipers out there like me, for now on, ALWAYS show them your ID anyways! Not only are you protecting yourself, but you are indirectly training that cashier to do their job better. If you are a cashier anywhere, no matter the rules, ALWAYS ask the shopper to see their ID. The shopper will appreciate it TURST ME ON THIS ONE!
For me, the biggest aggrevation was that literally, the night before I had re-arranged the boys pictures in my wallet so that I could see them when I opened my wallet. This incident has left me feeling violated not only in my car, but in my heart & family. I'm hurt & pissed! So please, learn from me the following:
* never leave valuables in your car. Never leave your GPS up-period. Even that suction cup mark they see will draw them to your car.
* never leave your car unlocked even when you think it's safe.
* always know what's in your wallet & leave at home what you don't need..... like your social security card. I had mine in my wallet.
* always show an ID when you use your card
* always ask for ID when accepting checks or credit cards
* and lastly, never mix Newports, Heinekin & Oreos.... makes horrible breath!
I'll keep you posted on how this all turns out........
Oh..... & if you're out my way or in Norfolk & you find a pink wallet or a Garmin StreetPilot GPS with directions to King & Queen on it...... it's mine!
Kristi
I got to the parking lot @ 8:40a.m. I was 6 spots from the door. There were a lot of us constantly going in & out unloading our vehicles. I was doing the same. My purse was in the backseat floorboard underneath all my work stuff, the doors were (probably) unlocked. I was in & out constantly unloading & hadn't finished, therfore I am assuming I had not yet locked it, but I wouldn't have thought twice about needing to considering where I was & what was going on & who all was out there with me.
I returned to my back-passenger door to get a bag of magazines & I noticed they were all over the backseat. I just instantly thought maybe I turned a corner & they fell over. I also noticed things all over the backseat that were in my purse, but I just paked those up as well.
I then open the passenger door & see tampons all over the place (sorry guys, we women do stash them in the car too) & business cards all over the driver seat. As I am leaning over picking them up, I see the suction cup mark on the windshield; the one that is left behind when the GPS has been removed. Then, I knew what had happened & I pieced it all together. My car, purse & bag of books got ramsacked! So now I have had stolen my GPS & my wallet is gone!
Instantly I called the police & my credit card company. And here is where it gets good. Remember, I arrived @ 8:40am. By 9:04am they had made there first purchase about 8 miles away. It was at Wawa & it was for $140! So that meant that whoever went into my car, not only did they have balls, but they did so in about a 8 minute window in order to get where they did.
From 9:04am- 9:40 they hit up 1 Wawa, 1 7-11 & 1 Chevron. Now the Chevron & 7-11 are literally next door to one another! In those stores they also rakced up, total, about $400 worth! They maxed out my checking account then moved to the next card in my wallet. By then I had cancelled the cards.
I get home & start on their trail! I found out a lot of interesting things & I hope to make you a more saavy swiper with your card this holiday season! (and even more of a saavy cashier!). So, out all my money, they blew most of it on cartons Newport cigarettes (about 10 cartons total) & Heinekin beer. They also threw in 4 lighters, 1 calling card & only 1 tank of gas. Oh yeah.... can't forget the bag of Oreo cokies!
In every store, the cashier was supposed to have asked for the card & ID because (a) the purchase was over $25 and because (b) they purchased more than one carton of cigarettes at a time. So that means that everytime, they were forging my signature AND a cashier was not doing their job! And they literally went back & forth to 711 & Chevron 5 times within 13 minutes... and they were always rang up by the same cashier & no one noticed!
My cards all say "see ID" on the back, but really that doesnt matter in the scheme of things either. I called the detective today & he said even with all the video footage, chances are we'll never catch who did it. But I think NOT! And the GPS cannot be tracked because it is a transmitter, not a receiver, so I am on the lookout at all local pawn-shops & windshields!
We have become so accustomed to get in-get out. We flash a card & roll our eyes when we're asked to drag out our ID. So to all you swipers out there like me, for now on, ALWAYS show them your ID anyways! Not only are you protecting yourself, but you are indirectly training that cashier to do their job better. If you are a cashier anywhere, no matter the rules, ALWAYS ask the shopper to see their ID. The shopper will appreciate it TURST ME ON THIS ONE!
For me, the biggest aggrevation was that literally, the night before I had re-arranged the boys pictures in my wallet so that I could see them when I opened my wallet. This incident has left me feeling violated not only in my car, but in my heart & family. I'm hurt & pissed! So please, learn from me the following:
* never leave valuables in your car. Never leave your GPS up-period. Even that suction cup mark they see will draw them to your car.
* never leave your car unlocked even when you think it's safe.
* always know what's in your wallet & leave at home what you don't need..... like your social security card. I had mine in my wallet.
* always show an ID when you use your card
* always ask for ID when accepting checks or credit cards
* and lastly, never mix Newports, Heinekin & Oreos.... makes horrible breath!
I'll keep you posted on how this all turns out........
Oh..... & if you're out my way or in Norfolk & you find a pink wallet or a Garmin StreetPilot GPS with directions to King & Queen on it...... it's mine!
Kristi
