An early reminder to keep an eye on your stuff whilst out celebrating this festive season

Scam · 21 Oct 2017 at 13:14

Well, I caught a guy trying to steal my co-workers handbag last night. There was a big group of us in a basement bar, for someone's leaving drinks. She had reserved an area, but we'd done the usual thing and chucked our bags etc. down on the seats and were standing about 5m away at the bar. It wasn't a big place. I clocked a guy come in on his own and sat down at a little table near one of our reserved ones, thought nothing of it as he didn't look particularly dodgy. Had a rucksack, coat etc. so looked like he had come from work and was waiting for someone.

Fortunately I was facing our tables when I saw him get up and pick up the "reserved for XXX" note on one of them. My only thought then was "jog on mate, it's not a menu, we've reserved that table". But then I saw him shove a handbag off the seat onto the floor. I didn't quite figure out what was happening until I saw him grab his rucksack, bend down under our table and come back up with his coat draped over his arm. To get out he had to walk past our whole group past the bar so I stopped him and was like "Is that your bag?" to which he pointed to his rucksack and was like "it's my bag", so I said "no not that one" and lifted up his coat on his arm to find a handbag. I didn't actually get a good look at it so I wasn't 100% sure what was going on, but I just grabbed it and he started walking out and left it with me and my co-worker who was like "that's my ****ing bag". I went upstairs and found out the staff had already clocked him, and saw him go out swearing about me

But he disappeared into the west end

The hilarious thing was when I first stopped him my co-worker was like "no that's ok it's his bag" thinking I was talking about his rucksack. Then I lifted up his coat and she was rather surprised to see her handbag!

So, yeah. Keep an eye on your belongings folks. One thing I've learnt from that is that if you are leaving bags and coats on seats then it's probably worth covering the bags up. Anything to make it harder for them to swipe them onto the floor -- or get a good look at what's there

NoobCannon · 21 Oct 2017 at 21:49

10/10 would read again

alex24 · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:01

What do the thieves do for the rest of the year?

Zhuni · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:05

I don't own a handbag

ELiTECH · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:12

This is why I never leave belongings laying about no matter how close I am to them, you can never be too careful and although we take our belongings for granted, as soon as they go missing you feel like ****.

robfosters · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:35

ELiTECH said:
This is why I never leave belongings laying about no matter how close I am to them, you can never be too careful and although we take our belongings for granted, as soon as they go missing you feel like ****.

I remember when I was 18 in 1998. I was drunk and left a Sony Ericsson phone I had just bought on the bar in my local when I went to the khazi. Needless to say when I came out, one of the local chavvies had it away. Felt like committing hari kari. Never let a phone out of my sight since. This place was my local and I knew everybody in there. Just goes to show, you cannot trust anybody wherever you are.

ELiTECH · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:38

robfosters said:
I remember when I was 18 in 1998. I was drunk and left a Sony Ericsson phone I had just bought on the bar in my local when I went to the khazi. Needless to say when I came out, one of the local chavvies had it away. Felt like committing hari kari. Never let a phone out of my sight since. This place was my local and I knew everybody in there. Just goes to show, you cannot trust anybody wherever you are.

Yeah that's true and the fact that people tend not to get themselves involved nowadays, people just turn a blind eye because they don't want confrontation.

robfosters · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:42

ELiTECH said:
Yeah that's true and the fact that people tend not to get themselves involved nowadays, people just turn a blind eye because they don't want confrontation.

Too bloody dangerous. In the old days you might get a whack or something, now they’ll stick a knife in you. There was a really tragic case the other day where a young man got a knife in his heart and died, all for his iPhone 7 ffs. Just crazy. Where’s the mentality?

Here you go. Link. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4988420/Charity-worker-stabbed-death-iPhone.html

ELiTECH · 21 Oct 2017 at 22:48

robfosters said:
Too bloody dangerous. In the old days you might get a whack or something, now they’ll stick a knife in you. There was a really tragic case the other day where a young man got a knife in his heart and died, all for his iPhone 7 ffs. Just crazy. Where’s the mentality?

You are a hundred percent correct! I hadn't thought of that, it reminds of that guy that got stabbed after confronting youths that were throwing chips at his girlfriend. It's due to this ridiculous gang culture and their silly rap music that promotes violence and the sort. They're with friends and have to look like they're the alpha male. They need to grow up.

Diddums · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:08

alex24 said:
What do the thieves do for the rest of the year?

Model citizens ofc.

SpeedFreak · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:09

ELiTECH said:
It's due to this ridiculous gang culture and their silly rap music

I think that is a bit of a stretch. I see where you're coming from and agree with your other points, but blaming the music is a little lazy in my opinion.

ELiTECH · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:11

SpeedFreak said:
I think that is a bit of a stretch. I see where you're coming from and agree with your other points, but blaming the music is a little lazy in my opinion.

It's probably a mixture of things, but of some of the lyrics in these songs are just absurd.

Rannoch · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:11

A whole new wave of the iPhone X thefts coming to a table near you.

ELiTECH · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:13

Vargas said:
A whole new wave of the iPhone X thefts coming to a table near you.

It's a lot harder nowadays, most phones can be blocked, but yeah, obviously these phones are still sold online on ebay and so on or for parts.

Fishbait · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:18

Zhuni said:
I don't own a handbag

Only because they spotted it under your coat

Fishbait · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:18

alex24 said:
What do the thieves do for the rest of the year?

Jobs in govt.

Uther · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:29

robfosters said:
I remember when I was 18 in 1998. I was drunk and left a Sony Ericsson phone I had just bought on the bar in my local when I went to the khazi. Needless to say when I came out, one of the local chavvies had it away. Felt like committing hari kari. Never let a phone out of my sight since. This place was my local and I knew everybody in there. Just goes to show, you cannot trust anybody wherever you are.

Getting something nicked like that is horrible, and it really destroys your trust in people. I still remember spending my first (small) pay packet on some waterproofs one lunchtime at work when I was 16, to wear on my bike commute. Boy did I feel grown up! Went back to my locker after work and they'd been nicked. I got very wet on that 6 mile ride home, but it was a valuable life lesson. So much for 'workmates' never trusted one again. :mad:

TallPaul1878 · 21 Oct 2017 at 23:34

You crazy dude. Guy could've had a blade.

You should've knocked him clean out just to be sure and then gone "oh look, he stole a handbag".

Shoot first, ask questions later. It's the American way. Yeeee Haaa

Boycey0211 · 22 Oct 2017 at 15:45

I'm more confused about the festiveness of a colleagues leaving drinks.

Greebo · 22 Oct 2017 at 15:54

ELiTECH said:
It's a lot harder nowadays, most phones can be blocked, but yeah, obviously these phones are still sold online on ebay and so on or for parts.

Unless things have changed, phones are only blocked for the country they are stolen in. Eg a bloacked UK mobile will work fine in France and a blocked French one will work fine in the UK. Hence a lot of stolen,blocked phones used to get shifted abroad where they then fetch decent money.