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

Thanks 3legs. You've made me feel better. I reckon it was a co-incidence. Paranoia is a horrible thing. And if your 'best friend' could do that to you........I'll be your enemy any time!

3legs? Ooops *pulls trousers up* that'l teach me to not wear underwear no problem; Some of those ... I forget what they're called; spam/scam Emails trying to get hold of your details can be very 'Authentic' looking; I useually know sraight away as I don't do any online banking cept for a credit card, which have never contacted me ever cept by phone once to quearly a transaction I made, though I had to do a double take one time on a very* offical looking EBay message; which I reported to em in the end, and a simular authentic looking one from my credit card company one time

It's called phishing...

Never had one stolen (not from my person, anyway), but I lost my wallet 4 days before my wedding--pretty sure it fell out of the car when I was taking my gown out after having it cleaned. Since I was in the 'paying for everything' mode, and my then-fiance and I had gone to put a deposit on an apartment for after the honeymoon (moving to a college town and *knew* there'd be nothing available by early August!) there was a good $600-$700 in there I wasn't too worried about it (except for the money)--I knew someone at the bank, so they identified me so I could get some money, and my name was going to be changing soon, so I'd have to get new ID anyway. But we found out the hard way that our honeymoon plans had to change--we'd been planning on going to Victoria, British Columbia, and I couldn't cross the border when we got to the ferry

Many years ago I had my handbag stolen when on holiday in Paris. I'd put it by my feet in a restaurant, but it was obviously within reach of the tables on a lower level nearby. Loss of passport, diary & doorkeys all inconvenient, but not disastrous. We didn't even bother changing the locks as the theft was so far from home. These days I'd think differently.

More recently my purse went missing from the pocket of my white coat at work. It's possible it dropped out when draped over the back of a chair in the canteen, but I suspect a patient's escort when I was absent from the room, having left my coat behind.

I always keep a good hold of my bag when travelling in crowds & I'm on my guard against distraction theft. . I remember seeing CCTV footage on TV of someone stealing from a backpack - amazing how victims are unaware.

The only time I was mugged was walking home late at night in Bristol with my boyfriend after having had dinner with friends. We had seen a couple of 'shady characters' kind of following behind us and then suddenly one ran up and knocked me to the ground and practically broke my collar bone ripping my bag off me (which I always wore across my body). Also lost an earring.

So there I was with scraped knees lying on the pavement in total shock. Bag gone. And dammit - I'd just been to the bank that morning to open an account so my passport was also in the bag - I wouldn't normally carry it around with me but just forgot to take it out.

And so got on the phone as soon as we got home - to Visa to cancel my card, and to the police. And they showed up at our place within half an hour (this was about 1am) taking down all the information and telling us to get the locks changed the next morning as my house keys had also been in my bag. They were very nice and caring and I wished they would stay all night with us - as it turned out we didn't sleep a wink thinking these muggers had our house keys and address.

A year later I got a letter from the Canadian High Commission in London telling me my passport had been recovered in a drug raid in Bristol.

These days when I go out in the evening I leave all my documentation at home (ID card, credit card, etc) and only take out as much money as I need and usually carry my house keys in a pocket. During the day I am less cautious, though I know I shouldn't be.

I also remember once seeing someone having tapas outdoors and saw her bag was sitting right where someone could run by and snatch it. So, trying to be helpful, I went over and said - 'you might want to put your bag next to your feet under the table' - and she totally snapped at me! Said she'd been living in Spain for three months now, thank you very much!, and had never had any problems!



az

Had my purse stolen twice:

Once in Paris (well, it is part of the essential parisian experience, I believe...)

In a restauarant, I had my bag beside me, but was looking the other direction as I chatted with my friends. A guy came in and sat beside us, didn't order anything, told the waiter he was waiting for someone, 10 minutes later walked out. It was only when I came to pay the bill that I found my purse missing. I remember being so distraught that I was emptying my handbag without caring if anyone saw the contents ( tampons, condoms...). Tricky enough reporting the whole deal to the French police, cancelling cards etc. And of course, I'd just arrived in gay Paree for the weekend, and had 300 euro in cash in the dam thing...

Second time from my own home on Easter Monday this year. Still haven't got to the bottom of that one, and still amazingly fighting with my son over the rule that no-one is allowed in the hosue when I'm not there.

Neither of these gave rise to unauthorised credit card spending - although that's happened to me as well.

Should I get paranoid about now?

My friend had her bag stolen last week in London. She was just walking out of work and somebody dashed by and grabbed it.

The police found her bag and returned it to her, but there was nothing in it.

I've never had mine nicked though. Had an umbrella pinched once.

That's quite an achievement to have a brolly actually nicked. I've left dozens all over the place. Someone once told me that London transport lost property has a whole building just dedicated to umbrellas.

I've lived in London for 16 years (moved here in 1987, but spent 3 years in Birmingham...they let me out early for good behaviour). My experience of crime has been one racially-motivated attack, and one burglary.

RF

Hey that's interesting. Racially motivated? What made you think that?

And as for burglery, I actually like living in a poorer area. Nothing in 15 years of living here. I don't even bother with flat contents insurance. No-one bothers breaking in round here. But friends of mine living in wealthier areas have had loads and now have to spend a fortune on security.

I was just waiting for someone when this bloke sauntered over, grabbed the brolly and ran away.

Ooh, just remembered. I've had a bit of cash and a couple of teeshirts pinched from work.

When I was living in Croydon, I was standing at the bus stop and felt my bag being yanked off my shoulder - the strap had been cut, but I still had the bag tucked under my arm, so it wasn't as easy as the theif thought it'd be.

I was absolutely livid with the sitiuation; didn't stop to think, as such, and even though my bag hadn't been lifted (merely destroyed) chased the perisher off with many an oath and expletive _ I think, had I caught up with him I'd have seriously thumped him; I was most unimpressed. Andrenalin and complete outrage just took over. It certainly took him by surprise, as victims arn't supposed to fight back

But then I was younger, fitter and a lot more brash than I am now. Possibly less stupid, too. It could have turned nasty, but it didn't occur to me it might.

I panted back to the bus stop, and the 2 little old dears who were there when it happened looked at me a bit puzzled, so I apololgised for my ...rather fruity language, and explained that the lad I'd chased off had attempted to steal my bag

"Oh. We thought you were friends" they said

Yeah, I experienced that same flood of anger when I got mugged, after I got up with scraped knees (and ruined tights) ... even though during the 'incident' my boyfriend went to grab my bag back from the and I said to him - 'Don't! It's just a bag - he might have a knife or something, just let him go!'

Another time I 'did and didn't' have my wallet stolen from my bag while I was trying on shoes in a shop here. I'd put my bag on the floor and there were two other women in there, chatting with me, telling me how nice the shoes I'd tried on looked, etc. And then they left at the same moment I reached for my bag to pay for my shoes - and no wallet!

Well, I just knew it had to be them so I ran barefoot out of the shop and chased them down the street and when I caught up to them I screamed - 'give me back my wallet!' - with a sudden sense of misgiving in case I was wrong about it being them. But then one of the women *actually smiled at me*, took my wallet out of her bag and handed it back. I was so stunned that I just grabbed it from her and walked back to the shop. Incredible. They were two very well-dressed young women in their mid-twenties and apparently this was something they did as a 'hobby' as when I got back to the shop the shop assistant told me they'd been in a lot lately, always sending her into the back for more and more shoes to try on without ever buying anything.

Fanny, you should also report the theft to the credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, or whatever is used for that in the UK).

They will flag your credit history with a "fraud" alert, so that if anyone should use your personal info (name, bday, address) to try and open a new credit account, the people who get the application will have to contact you to see if you actually did make an application. I used to work for Equifax, and kne to do that when someone used a fake driver's license with my number on it to write bad checks. I could prove it wasn't me, and wasn't liable for damages.

SC

Definitely go to the police and get a crime reference number.you will then be protected against fraudulent transaction. The same happened to me on my hols in Prague recently except i had my bag stolen containing my passport etc as i had just chnaged my money that morning. The thing that upset me most was somebody was going through all my personal belongings. Also the really nice thief took money out of my account with my debit card as apparently in europe you are not required to use a pin number!!. Lucky the bank are reimbursing due to me having a crime reference number.

>> Fanny, you should also report the theft to the credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, or whatever is used for that in the UK). <<

Banks will do that automatically in the UK. You don't need to.

RF

Cheers RF I was starting to think I should commit suicide to be really safe

To be honest I'm now trying to forget about the whole thing. I have ordered all new cards and have a crime reference number, a lovely new purse and an 'on my guard' attitude in crowds.

Thanks everyone for all your advice and help!