Posted by BetsyMI on 12/21/06 7:42am
Msg #167060

Lock your car!

This happened to a good friend of mine the other day, and this email is meant as a wake up call to all of us.

Earlier in the day she had stopped at a gas station to fill up her car, and there was some problem with the pump accepting her credit card so she briefly went in to the gas station. The co-worker traveling with her also went inside. When they came out, both their purses had been stolen from the car, and both their briefcases! This is in a very good neighborhood right outside of my friend's condo complex, and it was in the mid morning hours, not at night.

Fortunately, she had carried her wallet in with her, so she had her license and all her credit cards with her. But they did take all her keys so she immediately went home and had her locks changed since her name and address was on some papers in her briefcase. She also had a Coach purse which was taken. Surprising they didn't just steal the car, and she also had a laptop in the car that they didn't take.

The other woman didn't fare so well. She had left everything in the car so they got her purse, $120, all her credit cards, her license, her keys, and her briefcase including a Blackberry phone. She had to call her husband to come and pick her up.

My friend said she didn't even think about locking the car, but this is sure a lesson for all of us. I have to admit that sometimes I even leave my driver side door wide open while I'm pumping gas so that I can hear my cell phone if it rings so that I don't lose any assignments. I won't be doing that anymore. You hear about guys just running up and grabbing purses out of cars, or worse jumping in the car and taking off with the car.

They did have the whole thing on tape and watched it when the police arrived, but the thieves pulled their car in so that you couldn't read their license plate, and the tape was grainy so all the could tell is that they were young and one had a white baseball hat on. She said it happened really fast since she just went in to find out why her card wouldn't work, there was no line, and they came right back out. I was just appalled as she was telling us the whole story. Apparently there's no 'safe' neighborhood anymore.

So make sure you lock your car when you get gas even if you're standing right outside your car!

Reply by Margaret_FL on 12/21/06 8:59am
Msg #167072

Check out this video of a car left in progress. I was mugged in the shopping mall at 10:00 am in the morning about 5 years ago. They were in the parking lot lying underneath a car and pulled me down by my ankles. You have to beware of all your surrounding. I learned my lesson.

http://video.sheriff.org/psa_cartheft.shtml

Reply by Zana Darrow on 12/21/06 9:03am
Msg #167073

Thats to bad at this time of year. I live in a very rural area and still lock my car if it isn't in my garage which is also locked). We had a incidence lately where a fellow was fleeing the police from a grocery story in a town of about 1000. He ran into a neighboring garage and stole a car out of there. They did catch him, but only after he ran into a guardrail and took off across a field.

Reply by ZeeCA on 12/21/06 10:39am
Msg #167101

i drive a convertible if it is not in the trunk it goes w/ me
also if you have one or windows open at least put your purse/valuables on the floor NEVER the passenger seat

Reply by Cassandra Andrews on 12/21/06 11:28am
Msg #167123

i have a small pouch that i wear on my person that contains my $$, crds, etc. it's handy to change from purse to purse (i like to match colors - LOL) but it's a good safety practice as well.