h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday I had my purse stolen. 3rd time in 20 years of living in London, don't know how good a going that is on average. I'm pretty sure it must have happened on an incredibly crowded bus. What most angers me is that some clever pickpocket was able to 'mug' me without me realising. And of course I now have all the hassle of getting replacement cards. I phoned 2 police stations to report it, either end of the bus route. Neither desk answered the phone. So my loss will not be included in any crime statistics. That didn't help my mood.

So today I drew out some cash from the bank and immdeiately bought a new purse. It was amazing how much better I felt once I'd got the purse. But I walked around almost wanting to be mugged again so I could give the next thieving so and so a good punch in the face and/or knee in the groin. The lack of police interest certainly added to my feelings of wanting my own personal revenge. Also it's horrible going back in my mind. remembering the bus journey, trying to think who it was. Was it that harrassed mother with a push chair that I made room for, with the kids I got distracted by? Christ I'll never know who it was. But I'm well ready for the next one, until I start to forget about it, like the last time - should happen in roughly 7 years according to 'my personal' staistics!!!

yes and it was someone i worked with and the management Didn't care had a idea who it was but couldn't prove it

Fanny, go to a police station and report the theft to get a crime reference. Then if someone tries to use your bank details, you won't have a bad credit rating for five years. Like me

I informed my bank immediately to have my debit and credit card cancelled. New ones have been ordered. They seemed to think that was fine. To be honest my local police station is such a dive and the officers so miserable I can't be bothered I'm wondering if anyone will use my saved up nectar points at Sainsburys - not many actually. Actuaally maybe I should library. I've already done the AA. And that annoyed me cos they tried to screw some more money out of me by suggesting an upgrade. It's such a hassle.

phone the library

My wallet was stolen about 5 years ago, and I phoned in to report it to the police. A year later, someone set up a direct debit with my (defunct) bank card, which went against me as an unpaid debt. This was because I didn't go to the police station and get a crime reference number. Even if it's a shithole, go and report it. It could save you £100's in the long run.

Many thanks pedro. Ok I'll do that!

Fanny,
Although its a real trouble you should have a police report to serve as a document when your purse with all of your credit cards and identification was stolen. I went through the nightmare of identity theft two years ago and had I not documented all of the police agentcies I had contacted with names and phone numbers I would have fallen between the various departments. With just one credit card that was used to open a Federal Express account, I was implicated in a very complex mail fraud scam.
I do not know if the the United States credit agentcies are the same in the U.K., but you really need to find this out and have a copy for your records. Also call the credit card companies and ask to see what activities has taken place between cancelling them. It would also be prudent to change your checking account number since your debit cad was linked to that account.
I may sound alarmist, but to have the FBI and the Secret Service knocking on your door is anything but fun.
All the best, and good luck

Have just spent 2 hours in the hell of my local police station, now have crime reference number and form copy. Have completely cancelled my credit card account, never use the card anyway. Shall speak to bank about maybe changing current account number and transfer bulk of money to anoher account whose card was not in purse. I think the chances of anything bad happenning are unlikely though, fingers crossed. As the police said hundreds of wallets and purses get stolen on buses all the time for the cash for drugs money!

As you may know I was recently mugged for the sixth time. Nothing nicked but a fair bit of head lumpage. It's a nasty old world out there.

...and then again, my Ex (who was also mugged a few weeks ago) left his mobile phone in a restaurant on Saturday night, got it back yesterday. It had been handed in!

Hey Roymondo That's awful. I've never been physically attacked.

It's crazy the crime situation. I only waited around for hours because of what Pedro said. Imagine how many crimes never get reported. While I was waiting a very old woman came in with the most enormous knife in a plastic bag. She said it had been thrown into her garden. She wanted to give it to the police in case it could be used for evidence for a crime, like eg finger prints. But she just gave up waiting and put it into a giant bin they had inside the police station for knives. Ridiculous, it makes you realise how unrealistic police programmes are on TV.

Well I had a burglarly last week, for the fourth time in my life - that's in Brum not London.

They stole my chainsaw out of our backgarden. We have an old filled in canal going up the back and they climbed over next door's fence.
One trip to ebay and I now have 15 metres of barbed wire I'm going to stick up.

...and don't tell me that's illegal because it's not. I've found police websites recommending the use of barbed wire. You just have to angle it in to your garden and make it visible so it isn't a trap

Yep, had mine nicked a couple of times. One time the cheeky used my debit card in the shop next door to where I was working, and where my bag was stolen from, before I knew it was gone and cancelled my card. I no longer carry a bag, and have no cash to keep in a purse, though when I do have cash, I keeep it in my pocket.

A couple of weeks back, Alex, my 18-year-old son was in a pub with a few of his mates, they'd have a few and for some unknown reason, and probably without really thinking, they all left the table, leaving their mobile phones, the type that young lads have that take photos etc, do everything except, tidy their room for them, on the table. Anyhow, Alex returns to the atble first, see's his phone missing, calls to John, to use hios phone to phone his number, in case it was still near by, Lohn returns, his phones gone too, they both Sean, Sean returns, his phone's gone too. I think they'd have too much drink to be too bothered at the time, and could see the funny side of it.

Emmily

blimey! I've been lucky... I was attempted mugged when at university, but they made a fatal flaw of being smaller lighter and less heavily armed than myself And talking of not gettin ghtings stolen; I once left my laptop in a swish £50 laptop back laying on the street in the centre of student area in the cenra of Manchester, for about four or five hours, and no one nicked it (we forogto about it and went to find food) mind, had about htwo or so bikes stolen when I was younger, but then I stole two myself to replace them so its all fair

Yeah but it's kind of difficult to steal a replacement bank card. The bloody numbers are always wrong. But I think I might try and steal a replacement Sainsbury's nectar points card just before christmas.

True and I've not been so lucky thinking about it as I had about £5K stolen off me by my 'best friend'* who was living with me at the time, forgin signatures on my cheques, using my card details etc... and he got away with it... in the courts at least *well I thought* he was my best friend....

I feel a bit freaked out. I just got an email supposedly from the Bank of Scotland, telling me to go to some site due to a software upgrade and asking me for all sorts of personal information. I'm not a Bank of Scotland customer and I have reported it to my ISP, it's obviously a scam. It maybe a co-incidence, but my email address might have been in my purse!

Just a Random spam/scam I get em all the time from bank of scottland, marbles, natwest, and many ohters asides, they're all scams a bank or credit card company will never* ever* send you an Email requesting for you to give your detials to em, likewise EBay/Paypal won't either, and theres a tons of the simualr scams from addressed claiming to be all of em delete em and don't even open em!