Those low life thugs !!!!! - a rant

[Ted Calver]

Don't know if they are still active, but when I traveled frequently in Italy on business years ago, there was a ring of gypsy's that worked the Rome train station. Travelers with their hands full were the most frequent targets. A group of little girls would approach the traveler and offer newspapers for sale. One girl would hold the newspaper in front of the traveler to block their vision while the others rifled pockets, purses etc. Happened to one of my colleagues.

[Erik Loza]

Don't know if they are still active, but when I traveled frequently in Italy on business years ago, there was a ring of gypsy's that worked the Rome train station. Travelers with their hands full were the most frequent targets. A group of little girls would approach the traveler and offer newspapers for sale. One girl would hold the newspaper in front of the traveler to block their vision while the others rifled pockets, purses etc. Happened to one of my colleagues.

My wife and I witnessed a botched pickpocket attempt on the Paris Metro once. Super-busy line and suddenly, this wallet hits the floor at our feet. An older tourist starts shouting and grabs this tiny (maybe 13 or 14?) girl by the arm. What I believe happened was that she made a try for his wallet, the train lurched, and she dropped it. He recovered his wallet but as soon as the train arrived at the next stop, that girl and bunch of others (who I never noticed previously) immediately disembarked. We've traveled all over Europe and never had any bad luck along these lines. However, my wife carries a pickpocket-resistant purse that she wears cross-body. I carry a similar daypack and wear fitted jeans with my wallet in the front pocket. That tourist on the metro was wearing baggy chinos. No fussing with our phones or going into or out of your purse in crowded areas. Not paranoia, just being situationally aware.

To the OP's point, we went through similar issues with my dad before he passed. He wanted to maintain his independence but also, was perhaps "situationally vulnerable" at the grocery store, etc. The solution was that we just had to go with him. For better or for worse.

Erik

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Yikes. We've come to expect that in some parts of the world (e.g. Paris, France in the tourist areas)

People who prey on the elderly really are low on the human spectrum. I suspect they wouldn't care if it was their own grandmother - probably disowned the dirt bags years ago.

JKJ

You saved me to write that. I am sure that people already made something similar to their own parents and grand parents if they had a chance.

[Tony Zona]

Parents teach the trade to children. At the Trevi Fountain in Rome, a three- or four-year old on his mother’s lap had his hand in my back pocket. I stopped him immediately.

Mother and child damn near sprinted away. A policeman was only 10 feet away, yet they still tried that.

[Tom M King]

A card doesn't have to be physically stolen to be stolen. My Wife had the use of hers stolen, we think after using it in a vending machine. It was used for two trips to a Buffalo Wild Wings in NY. We didn't notice it for a couple of days, and then is was used to order masks online from an outfit in Wisconsin. The real killer, and trail to the perps was that they used it to pay their electric bill on Long Island of around $400.

The numbers to the places where the illegit purchases were made were on the statement. I called the Buffalo Wild Wings, and they reversed the charges right away, and didn't want to spend any more time on it.

I called the costume place in Wisconsin. They wouldn't tell me where they were sent to, but did tell me what the purchase was for-two masks. When I asked them if the masks had been sent to Long Island, the person on the phone said that they couldn't tell me, but that it was a pretty good guess.

Then I called the electric company. I didn't know what the initials stood for, but the lady on the phone told me that it was the local electric company, and the amount was to pay someones electric bill.

Having the perps in the crosshairs now, I looked up the phone numbers for the police department on Long Island. There was more than one police department, so I just picked one. I talked to a detective, and asked him if there had been any crimes lately that involved the perps wearing masks. He said there hadn't been. When I told him about the electric bill being paid, he said, "It's just a f-----g bank credit card. Call the bank, and they'll give you the money back". I did, and they did. I wanted to do more, but if the police don't care about 5 or 6 hundred dollars getting stolen, who will?

[Osvaldo Cristo]

One bless I have enjoyed for several years is to receive in real time by SMS each transaction using my credit cards either my own or from my family.

It is quite easy to spot any irregular use.

[Curt Harms]

...................................
Having the perps in the crosshairs now, I looked up the phone numbers for the police department on Long Island. There was more than one police department, so I just picked one. I talked to a detective, and asked him if there had been any crimes lately that involved the perps wearing masks. He said there hadn't been. When I told him about the electric bill being paid, he said, "It's just a f-----g bank credit card. Call the bank, and they'll give you the money back". I did, and they did. I wanted to do more, but if the police don't care about 5 or 6 hundred dollars getting stolen, who will?

That saying about alligators and swamps comes to mind, especially in densely populated area. This attitude though may explain in part why banks pay <5% to borrow money and charge 12%+ interest on credit cards. I'm not sure who takes the hit on credit card fraud, credit card issuers or merchants that accept them.

[Mike Henderson]

A card doesn't have to be physically stolen to be stolen. My Wife had the use of hers stolen, we think after using it in a vending machine. It was used for two trips to a Buffalo Wild Wings in NY. We didn't notice it for a couple of days, and then is was used to order masks online from an outfit in Wisconsin. The real killer, and trail to the perps was that they used it to pay their electric bill on Long Island of around $400.

The numbers to the places where the illegit purchases were made were on the statement. I called the Buffalo Wild Wings, and they reversed the charges right away, and didn't want to spend any more time on it.

I called the costume place in Wisconsin. They wouldn't tell me where they were sent to, but did tell me what the purchase was for-two masks. When I asked them if the masks had been sent to Long Island, the person on the phone said that they couldn't tell me, but that it was a pretty good guess.

Then I called the electric company. I didn't know what the initials stood for, but the lady on the phone told me that it was the local electric company, and the amount was to pay someones electric bill.

Having the perps in the crosshairs now, I looked up the phone numbers for the police department on Long Island. There was more than one police department, so I just picked one. I talked to a detective, and asked him if there had been any crimes lately that involved the perps wearing masks. He said there hadn't been. When I told him about the electric bill being paid, he said, "It's just a f-----g bank credit card. Call the bank, and they'll give you the money back". I did, and they did. I wanted to do more, but if the police don't care about 5 or 6 hundred dollars getting stolen, who will?

Paying an electric bill with a stolen credit card is kinda dumb. As soon as the fraud is reported the electric company will reverse the payment and they will still owe the money. The electric company has a big hammer in that they can turn off the power. The only way they could get away with it is if it was a final bill but the next effect would be the same as if they just didn't pay it.

Stolen credit cards need to be used for things that can be converted to cash (merchandise purchases) or things like meals or drinking where the store can't get back at them.

And now that cards have chips in them, it's difficult to pass off a card that has been cloned (as you described). If the merchant accepts a chip issued card with a swipe s/he is totally liable for the loss. This has caused people who steal card numbers (not physical cards) to use them on the Internet instead of in physical stores.

Mike

[Nicholas Lawrence]

That saying about alligators and swamps comes to mind, especially in densely populated area. This attitude though may explain in part why banks pay <5% to borrow money and charge 12%+ interest on credit cards. I'm not sure who takes the hit on credit card fraud, credit card issuers or merchants that accept them.

According to a local gas station owner I know, the merchant takes the hit. They will not sell multiple cartons of cigarettes to anyone they do not know.

[Tom M King]

It seemed obviously dumb, but now, I'm not so sure. That electric company did not reverse the charge. The lady I talked to there was very rude, and didn't want to bother with it, just like that detective. The CC company did reverse the charge, almost instantly while on the phone, and we never heard any more about it. That was in 2015, I think. Now, it's good that you can get instant notifications of any charges to your card.

[carey mitchell]

My 90 year old MIL who lives in a Senior Living Complex went to a local Walmart with several other seniors this afternoon. Transportation is provided by the Complex. Anyway, while they were there, she and another individual had their wallets picked. We called the lost/stolen # for her credit card within 90 minutes max. and the perpetrators had already tried 5 times to use the card. Each time for over $500.00. Thankfully, the CC company declined them all.

Walmart's security team has been very active in trying to locate surveillance footage of the incidents, so kudos to them. The PA State Police are interviewing the victims now. Unfortunately, they are both very rattled by the incident. I know seniors are easy targets, but give them some respect! How would these scumbags feel if it was their grandmother who had her wallet stolen? The chances of apprehending this/these individuals is fairly good.

Now we can begin the task of replacing her state issued ID and CC. Thankfully, we've managed to convince her to carry a CC instead of cash.

Sorry-I just can't believe the lack of respect for the elderly.

There is a front seat in hell reserved for people, no, they're not people, they're animals.

[Jim Koepke]

However, my wife carries a pickpocket-resistant purse that she wears cross-body. I carry a similar daypack and wear fitted jeans with my wallet in the front pocket. That tourist on the metro was wearing baggy chinos.

There is a front seat in hell reserved for people, no, they're not people, they're animals.

Yes, they are animals and like predatory animals they always look for the easiest victims to attack.

jtk

[Mel Fulks]

I think they foolishly kid themselves that they have learned a trade. Let's hope they get a chance to make license plates.

[Jim Becker]

In a related situation, there was a news piece this morning on a big uptick locally for "purse snatching", but with a twist. There's apparently a nation-wide gang that specializes in theft of credit cards and checks which they grab and quickly use before detection. Lately, they have been focusing on places like dog parks and other public venues where it's common for women to lock their purses in their vehicles while exercising Fido or watching the kidlets play sports. They do some window smashing, grab the valuables and then immediately go spend money, either by charging things like gift cards or buying things with forged checks. Many of the perpetrators are actually women because nobody blinks about a woman walking away with a purse over her shoulder.