I am having trouble with some kids stealing my political yard signs. Four are gone so far, although they are only targeting the presidential signs not the down ticket races. The signs are on my property near the street (~6-10ft from the road). Is there a particular substance that would maintain the cleanliness of the signs, cause immediate distress to anyone touching the signs, and not permanently harm them? [more inside]
posted on Oct 12, 2008 - 48 answers

Identity theft? [more inside]
posted on Oct 7, 2008 - 5 answers

So, what's the current Received Wisdom on what to do when you get home and find that your 5 year old has lifted a couple pieces of candy at the grocery store without benefit of payment? [more inside]
posted on Oct 7, 2008 - 35 answers

I think my friend's adolescent daughter tried to steal from me. Do I tell on her? [more inside]
posted on Sep 30, 2008 - 39 answers

My lovely bike was stolen from a pretty large apartment complex this weekend, most likely by a neighbor who shares our small courtyard. Other than moving out promptly, is there anything I can do to assuage my anger about this? [more inside]
posted on Sep 10, 2008 - 16 answers

Is LoJack really worth it? [more inside]
posted on Sep 3, 2008 - 19 answers

Prophylactic-laptop-theft-filter: Help me keep my macbook mine. [more inside]
posted on Sep 3, 2008 - 7 answers

is volvo liable for my car alarm not going off during a break in? [more inside]
posted on Aug 21, 2008 - 14 answers

Ex-criminal thinking of committing new crimes. [more inside]
posted on Aug 19, 2008 - 27 answers

Mail stolen...what further steps should I take? (if any!) [more inside]
posted on Aug 12, 2008 - 8 answers

How do I guard myself against purse snatchers? I've lived in the suburbs all my life, and am used to strolling down the sidewalk in oblivion, my purse strung loosely over my shoulder. Now, it looks like I will be moving to either the DC area or San Francisco for my job. For those of you that live in a big city, what tips and tricks do you use to protect your belongings? Are some styles of purses less attractive to thieves than others? Should I use a messenger bag instead? When it's raining/snowing, how do you handle the challenge of protecting yourself from both the elements and purse snatchers?
posted on Jul 30, 2008 - 34 answers

Someone has accessed a friend's Facebook account more than once, despite the fact that my friend changes passwords on a regular basis. How? [more inside]
posted on Jul 10, 2008 - 18 answers

Should we press charges against a neighborhood kid? [more inside]
posted on Jul 3, 2008 - 66 answers

I've been doing a combo bike/bus commute on LA Metro for about a month now, and I find myself obsessing about how easy it would be for someone to steal my bike off the rack mounted on the front of the bus with no one being the wiser. Is there something I could do/use to at least make thieving my bike a little more inconvenient, yet not add much to the time it takes ME to get it off the rack? On reread, sort of self-defeating I guess - any ideas at all?
posted on Jul 3, 2008 - 14 answers

UK phone fraud: Someone stole my phone and rang up £3000 of calls to Nigeria. The phone company says it's my fault for not keeping tabs on the phone and I have to pay it. Is there anything I can do? [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2008 - 24 answers

How can i use my built in laptop webcam to protect my laptop from theft? [more inside]
posted on Jun 20, 2008 - 8 answers

So, I lost my USB stick. No big deal - except it has my password database on it. [more inside]
posted on Jun 16, 2008 - 13 answers

Legalfilter: My friend's car was stolen. Catch: by her husband. What are her options? [more inside]
posted on May 15, 2008 - 12 answers

I have a curbside mailbox and mail theft is common in Utah (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600129714,00.html). Big Credit Card Company (BCCC) sends me convenience checks that can be stolen and cashed by anybody. The post office won’t let me move my mailbox to my house. Local politicians sided with the Postmaster. A rental box or a new security mailbox are impractical. [more inside]
posted on May 11, 2008 - 11 answers

Scooting Mefites: What do I need to know before and after buying a scooter? How do I keep it safe in my neighborhood where cars are relatively unsafe (Hyde Park, KC)? [more inside]
posted on Apr 24, 2008 - 15 answers

Will it be difficult to buy Grand Theft Auto IV in stores on its release date? [more inside]
posted on Apr 9, 2008 - 13 answers

Why did someone steal my socks? [more inside]
posted on Mar 26, 2008 - 14 answers

My boyfriend just discovered several hundred dollars has been withdrawn from his bank account without his authorization. [more inside]
posted on Feb 3, 2008 - 15 answers

Vehicle registration theft. Why? [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - 14 answers

I bought a 750mL bottle of Vodka from Safeway. The cashier forgot to remove the black plastic security alarm topper from it. Boo! [more inside]
posted on Jan 21, 2008 - 28 answers

does anyone know if you can get items back that were lost in your checked bags at the airport? [more inside]
posted on Jan 17, 2008 - 10 answers

What is the pathology of a person who steals small personal items such as shoes, underwear and sunglasses in order to remember or think of someone?
posted on Jan 6, 2008 - 15 answers

What more can I do to maximize my chances of recompense with regards to an eee pc stolen during shipment from Newegg via UPS? [more inside]
posted on Jan 4, 2008 - 17 answers

My apartment was burgled and my Macbook was stolen. Can I transfer my old AppleCare account and iTunes library (or at least iTunes purchases) to a new Macbook? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2007 - 5 answers

Is a DIY lojack plausible? [more inside]
posted on Dec 17, 2007 - 13 answers

Hypothetical legal question: My father stole a horse from SomeCorp, which rented horses for profit. My father subsequently made his money by renting out the horse and later the horse's progeny. All my dad's money was made off that horse, or its progeny, or off of money derived from money made off that horse. When he died, my dad left his money to me. Can SomeCorp successfully sue me, a third-party recipient of the proceeds of the theft? What laws and precedents would be the basis for SomeCorp's suit against me? [more inside]
posted on Dec 9, 2007 - 17 answers

Someone bought a telescope in my name on Nov 7th. That's all I know. How do I protect myself even though I don't know what store, or more importantly, what method of "payment" was used to complete the transaction? [more inside]
posted on Dec 4, 2007 - 11 answers

The financial problems of someone who shared my name and former address are showing up on my credit report! How do I even begin to go about disputing this, should the credit agency's investigation not go in my favor? [more inside]
posted on Dec 2, 2007 - 7 answers

Need to protect sensitive data on laptops taken out to the field. Something like Bitlocker, but for XP maybe? [more inside]
posted on Nov 9, 2007 - 9 answers

I have recently discovered that my identity was stolen. Fifteen years ago. I know the person who did it, or I did ... fifteen years ago. [more inside]
posted on Oct 15, 2007 - 13 answers

how can i keep other people in my office building from stealing our newspapers? [more inside]
posted on Oct 3, 2007 - 19 answers

What's the difference between a lug nut and a lug cap? Additionally, is my car safe to drive? [more inside]
posted on Sep 20, 2007 - 8 answers

Is My Bike Lost Forever? A long tale of suspicion, woe, and revenge... [more inside]
posted on Sep 4, 2007 - 19 answers

How can I stop someone stealing fuel from my car? [more inside]
posted on Aug 26, 2007 - 26 answers

Identity Theft Filter: How do I convince debt collectors of my innocence concerning an outstanding debt in my name (that isn't mine)? [more inside]
posted on Aug 25, 2007 - 15 answers

Sometime during the last hour or so, half of my clothes have disappeared from my building's communal laundry facilities. What do I do? [more inside]
posted on Aug 7, 2007 - 13 answers

Any suggestions for securing drawing tablets from theft in a public, academic computing environment? [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 12 answers

What's the best and safest way to travel through some rather sketchy parts of Africa with a sizable chunk of cash? [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 14 answers

SO my laptop was stolen... [more inside]
posted on Jun 30, 2007 - 9 answers

please give me, all your Slang, Colloquial, Street terms for theft, shop lifting, pickpocking, general crime, the taking of property/ ownership, conartisty [more inside]
posted on Jun 6, 2007 - 60 answers

I was told a story once, about an American stealing Non-obese Diabetic (NOD) mice from a Japanese lab, and smuggling them back to the States. But I can't find the story anywhere on the web. [more inside]
posted on May 25, 2007 - 4 answers

How did someone steal my Debit card number, fabricate a fake card, then get my PIN? + How can I catch them? [more inside]
posted on May 23, 2007 - 22 answers

I reckon an expert magician can "trick the public" most of the time - with disappearing/switching watches, coins, jewellry etc.
Given that...
1) would the normal magician-like techniques work in real life situations? In other words could a competent magician go through their life just thieving from us innocents?
2) Have any magicians ever been exposed as using their skills for "evil"? By evil I mean non-performance fraud/theft/short-term monetary gain?
A very poor example: early on in The Grifters, John Cusack gets the crap beaten out of him for trying to switch a large denomination $bill for a smaller one in a bar when he paid for a beer.
posted on May 15, 2007 - 20 answers

Two of my bicycles and my work stand (and a bike not mine) were stolen out of my condo building's basement bike storage room. The perps (who we've seen on tape) easily entered the front door of the building twice a few evenings ago. I've got no home owners insurance and the replacement value of the bikes is quite significant. I thought I was pretty much screwed until I recieved a call from the building's developer. He had the door company out to fix the now obvious flaw in the front door. The door company stated that the lock was incorrectly installed and forced entry would have been "impossible" had things been installed correctly. The developer told me that he called his lawyer, and that the lawyer said I could "file against" the company that installed the door (though I'm sure this wasn't official legal advice). [more inside]
posted on Feb 15, 2007 - 6 answers

Stolen vehicle filter: I sold a vehicle that was stolen before the buyer took possession of it. WTF? [more inside]
posted on Jan 28, 2007 - 31 answers