Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

601–610 of 940 posts

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#601

Post by trhway »

will_brown wrote: post #512

I just told this story on HN, but my car window was smashed on 10/13/18 and the theives got my wallet and house keys. They used my credit card at foot locker (~$500), The Store Manager confirmed two guys made the purchase and corporate said they would turn over the video if police just ask. A month later the bank fraud dept informed me someone was trying to cash a fake check ($1,600) against my account at an ATM usin…

>there needs to be a platform to post these videos for the public to crowdsource the identity of these people.

so, the chances of my package being stolen and my car being broken into vs. the chances of being publicly misidentified as a package/car thief. Loss of $10-$10000 vs. ruined life. I'll definitely take the former.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#602

Post by jiveturkey »

rdtsc wrote: post #173

This needs careful consideration if you ever decide to do it. Depending on the local criminal culture they could exact revenge. Then also know where you live and can do a lot worse things than taking a package. Police might later be involved but it might not be worth it. You are dealing with people who have no qualms stealing so it's not too crazy to expect other rash and illegal acts from them. I can also see some i…

now that the video has gone viral, this guy is potentially in big trouble. booby traps are illegal per se. and if someone claims latent injury (eg glitter in tear duct) ... watch out.

he has also inspired people to make their own booby traps.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#603

Post by Amezarak »

jakelarkin wrote: post #555
will_brown wrote: post #512

I just told this story on HN, but my car window was smashed on 10/13/18 and the theives got my wallet and house keys. They used my credit card at foot locker (~$500), The Store Manager confirmed two guys made the purchase and corporate said they would turn over the video if police just ask. A month later the bank fraud dept informed me someone was trying to cash a fake check ($1,600) against my account at an ATM usin…

it's a non-violent crime of opportunity. police time is $150/hour at least. all your loses seem to be covered by the banks, aside from the car window, which um happens to people all the time. its the kind of thing they pursue occasionally in realtime or with a sting, but not each individual case. change your key, open a new checking account & close old, lock your credit. and that ends your exposure. you won't get the…

Society is broken badly if getting robbed happens “all the time” without repercussion. It is absolutely not acceptable or normal for your car windows to be broken and your stuff stolen. If I lived in a place where it happened “all the time” I would get out ASAP. This is major dysfunction.

Crime certainly happens everywhere, no place is immune altogether, but it should never be an everyday occurrence.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#604

Post by aaron695 »

will_brown wrote: post #512

I just told this story on HN, but my car window was smashed on 10/13/18 and the theives got my wallet and house keys. They used my credit card at foot locker (~$500), The Store Manager confirmed two guys made the purchase and corporate said they would turn over the video if police just ask. A month later the bank fraud dept informed me someone was trying to cash a fake check ($1,600) against my account at an ATM usin…

> there needs to be a platform to post these videos for the public to crowdsource the identity of these people.

Then some moronic crowd mistakes someone and the new victim you've created (or new victims family) rightfully sues you and you lose your house?

And under your rules what allows someone to post, could I post the details of someone who's post I disagree with on HN?

And true ethics, a mob justice site will get someone disproportionately hurt. Criminals are humans beings.

If you met the people doing what they are doing to you and listened to their story, there's a good chance you wouldn't want a baseball bat taken to them. Being a thief is hard, most people do it becasue they have pretty hard lives, lives that would make you cry.

I'm not saying let them go, but I'd prefer a site that perhaps shames governments instead for not getting trained professionals to sort these issues out.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#605

Post by dsfyu404ed »

leetcrew wrote: post #598
Guest10928391 wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see this as a black and white situation where the thief should always be responsible for injuries they sustain. What happens if I setup a machine to fire baseballs at high speed when someone touches my fake parcel? Some teenager comes to steal my package, catches a baseball between the eyes and dies or ends up disabled for life. I'm in the clear because the kid was a thief? Now, I don't think a thief deserves…

> How about we don't try to harm thieves. We document and report the case to the police to the best of our ability. because the police are basically never going to do anything unless the squad car happens to roll by as the thief is running away with the package. you may as well send your documentation straight into the circular file. now I understand that kids do dumb stuff from time to time. riding a dirtbike around…

>I would be very happy to live in a society where messing in/around a person's dwelling is understood to be a serious risk.

Then move to a state with liberal firearm laws. Seriously, It's amazing how much an intangible line on a map affects the behavior of people seeking to commit property crime in the state I live vs the adjacent state I used to live in.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#606

Post by efreak »

kawfey wrote: post #228
rdtsc wrote: post #173

This needs careful consideration if you ever decide to do it. Depending on the local criminal culture they could exact revenge. Then also know where you live and can do a lot worse things than taking a package. Police might later be involved but it might not be worth it. You are dealing with people who have no qualms stealing so it's not too crazy to expect other rash and illegal acts from them. I can also see some i…

I learned from Nextdoor, that a neighbor of mine put cat litter in an amazon box, and later found out her car's driver side window busted in and the litter dumped on the seat. I now just have packages sent to lockers and UPS/FedEX access points, and I know a few who have packages delivered to their office. The crappy part is that she captured clear detail of both events but police couldn't be bothered. Nest and Ring…

If you're having stuff delivered by USPS, you can also use General Delivery service [0][1] to have items held for you at the post office. It doesn't seem like something that should be used too frequently, though, and not all post offices will do it, and some might charge for it. [1][2]

[0]: https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_033.htm [1]: https://www.techjunkie.com/how-to-use-usps-general-delivery-... [2]: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm#ep1052038

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#607

Post by will_brown »

iamdave wrote: post #533
will_brown wrote: post #512

I just told this story on HN, but my car window was smashed on 10/13/18 and the theives got my wallet and house keys. They used my credit card at foot locker (~$500), The Store Manager confirmed two guys made the purchase and corporate said they would turn over the video if police just ask. A month later the bank fraud dept informed me someone was trying to cash a fake check ($1,600) against my account at an ATM usin…

there needs to be a platform to post these videos for the public to crowdsource the identity of these people. And then what? Will the platform also have a portal that will let people en masse vex the local PD with messages containing links to the video until the precinct assigns an officer to the case? What happens next? Is there going to be a timer or some kind of SLA on the platform that notifies people in the crow…

>What happens next?

Well let me tell you of another event that occurred to me in 08/17.

I was kidnapped at gunpoint from a gas station, forced to drive my attacker with a gun on my for 30 minutes, eventually after getting off the highway I jumped out of my own car in gear, escaped and called the police.

First words out of the sergeants mouth responding, “cut the shit what really happened.” Despite my insistence I’m an officer of the court myself (attorney at Law) that there will be video from the gas station to prove my version of events, I was even told, “we aren’t even sure if you own a car and if you are just calling police for a free ride.”

In that case, in 24 hours I located my car and the gunman and called the police and had him arrested. That’s not to say I did this voluntarily, luckily the gunman connected my WiFi only iPad to the internet and I got the location, of course I called the police first, who told me “they heard about my ‘story’ yesterday, and wouldn’t be going to the address until I drove to the station and showed them the Apple email”. I did just that and after keeping me in the parking lot for an hour and laughing at me 2 officers came out to me (this station was closed on Sunday) and took down the address, drive away and called my cellphone and told me go home they don’t see my car. Unsatisfied I went to the address myself, found my car and the gunman, called the police yet again and they finally came and arrested him.

He bonded out Monday at 8AM. He has since been rearrested, bonded out yet again, rearrested yet again for violation of his bond vis—Avis his GPS tracker I insisted on.

His trial is still ongoing. Someone stole my keys and ID, I should be entitled to know what they look like when 2 videos are available, crimes against me are ongoing, and the cost of the officers time (since you are so concerned about their $150/hour rates...which seem entirely made up, no offense) is a 1 minute reply to an email I forwarded him from foot locker loss prevention.

Edit: I forgot my conclusion, which is, people who engage in these activities in many cases will even have friends and family who turn them in (i.e. the unibomber). But even if they don’t a public platform would be very helpful in deterring these activities, which is the ultimate goal.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#608

Post by JabavuAdams »

weberc2 wrote: post #67
gear54rus wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

not exactly harmless if it gets you in the eye..

I just could not have less sympathy for a thief who injurs himself while stealing. It's bizarre that we live in a world where this is controversial.

It's not bizarre. There's a concept of proportionality. Also of latent cruelty. I don't want someone to steal my packages, but I would feel bad if they were blinded or maimed stealing something that ultimately I can afford to lose. People > Property.

EDIT> I think part of why the glitter fart bomb works so well is that it has a sense of humour, and that the designer doesn't come off as cruel.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#609

Post by user5994461 »

jjeaff wrote: post #514
c22 wrote: post #487

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One time UPS left a 2ft x 3ft x 1ft box under my doormat. I appreciated the effort, but the package was not inconspicuous.

I've seen that a few times too. I wonder if it is actually to try to protect it from rain?

It's for both really. That's the best one can come up with given the circumstances.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#610

Post by MrMorden »

deadmetheny wrote: post #534
scarejunba wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha, Revealed Preferences show that people don’t abhor them as much as they say. They choose to live there for all the lovely things they provide and enforce.

Do they choose to live within HOA neighborhoods, or do they have little choice given that over half of the residential homes in the USA are bound by one? I would like to see if your source claims people like the HOA or if they are forced to tolerate them due to lack of options.

Developers in the US have no choice; the city/county won't permit a subdivision without an HOA.
Post reply on HN