So I know a thief...

Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 16:09

I just walked into coles and I dropped some stuff out of my bag, had to stop to put it all back in. I spent $60 at checkout and was stopped by security asking to check my bags. It kind of really frustrated me, because I would never steal from a shop, and even if I was going to why would I still happily spend $60…

but it got me thinking, I had a friend from childhood who I stopped talking to because they are a thief. I have been in positions where I have watched them (and being young I was too scared to say anything) walk out of shops such as big W filled with trollies full of stock. I have watched them shove clothes in bags and prams and walk out with baby electronics because it's all stuff that is easily sold.

This person has never had a job, yet has money coming out of their ears because they steal, and return or sell products and gain either store credit or wads of cash.

I went on their Facebook last night for the first time in ages ( it makes me angry to see the thief selling sh!t) and she was still doing it.

I have thought about telling Westfield around my area but in saying that they won't be watching out for her. She mixes it up by traveling to different stores every few weeks. Is there anything I can actually do to stop her or anyone I can inform?

This person has been doing it for years. About 10 years all up. I stopped talking to her 3 years ago. But to see it plastered all over my fb, of her having everything and being so proud, it makes me sick.

Should I leave it and wait for her to get caught out ( don't think it will ever happen!) Or should I say or do something so people are aware of her face ? If that's even possible…

Opinions ?

General Discussion

Comments

  • nocure on 18/08/2015 - 16:17
    +2

    Report her to Facebook.

    • Baysew on 19/08/2015 - 09:24

      Report her to Ozbargain.

  • Cave Fire on 18/08/2015 - 16:36
    +13

    Well.. your local police station will be able to get the person's details out to the relevant stores the quickest. Other than that, there's Crimestoppers Here or 1800333000.

    • Randxyz123 on 18/08/2015 - 16:47
      +7

      +1 for crimestoppers.

      Report her anonymously

      Make sure to 'like' the state police page on Facebook as they frequently post CCTV footage of someone stealing something with the caption "do you know this person"

  • cypher67 on 18/08/2015 - 16:37
    +4

    "Shop lift as often as you can, businesses factor shop lifting into their prices, so if you don't do it, its like they are getting money for free"
    John Safran - Not the sunscreen song

    • DeafMutePretender on 19/08/2015 - 00:04

      Interesting logic. Hard to argue against. Or can you?

  • GaelicAU on 18/08/2015 - 16:38
    -1

    Post profile or it didn't happen ;-)

  • Davo1111 on 18/08/2015 - 17:35
    +2

    crimestoppers.

  • Deadboy on 18/08/2015 - 17:52
    +4

    Let it go, dont worry about other peoples business. She will get caught, or she wont. Either way it makes so very little impact to your life. Unless she is very very good I doubt very much she has money coming out her ears. Its likely she just spends alot on luxury/Nonessential things.

    • Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 19:19

      She's good enough at stealing to sell different ipads and ipods and Iphones every week. It's not a normal average thief. She's filling up boot fulls in her car. Don't ask me how she does it. But her Facebook has a photo album just of the things she's selling. Tried to sell on a fb buy and sell page, lady caught her out and asked why no receipts were present with all new baby clothes and ask why she was selling. Her excuse "I was pregnant and had a miscarriage mind your own business"… she needs a wake up call.

    • exc3113nce on 19/08/2015 - 07:54
      +1

      I don't know if letting it go is the best thing - who knows where this could lead for the individual stealing. Better to correct her now then end up getting into bigger and bigger things. It's also about the individual too, she has a problem and needs to be on rehab.

  • sparkles on 18/08/2015 - 18:41

    How do you pinch stuff consistently for 10 years and NEVER get caught?

    I've seen people pinch things a couple of times lately. The first, an attractive young girl pocketing stuff in Priceline, and another older lady pinching stuff from the outside of the Asian discount store, simply popping stuff into their grocery bags. Should I be letting these people know I've seen them? What do you say (if anything) in this situation? Just remembered I also sprung a little kid pinching choccies in Coles very recently too. I gave him such serious side eye, he knew I knew.

    • Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 19:25

      It's pretty horrible. Maybe It drives me insane because I work hard for my money and I still go without, yet they're stealing and have never worked a day in their life yet think they are better. Now they use their nephews and nieces for the use of the pram, and the eldest (5) goes around stealing as well because it's all he sees his auntie doing when he goes to the shop. Chick even stole her mums wedding jewelry for her mother. It's sad. Sad that some younger people (not all as I'm young myself) are too lazy to get up and work to buy their own things. At least then there's a sense of price knowing you earned it.

      • scrimshaw on 18/08/2015 - 19:45
        +13

        You will be forever unhappy if you look at what other people have and then lament that they have something you don't…

        Would you also feel unhappy if you read in the news that a politician has pocketed potentially tens to thousands of taxpayer dollars to feed their glamorous lifestyle and spent $5k in one go for a cushy helicopter ride? You probably don't feel as envious or angry because you don't personally know that person. But it drives you crazy when a closer friend of yours does it.

        Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.

        Still I would contact Crimestoppers, and you can submit reports anonymously.

        • Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 21:04
          +1

          It's far from envy or jealousy. I want nothing she has. I'm happy working hard for my possessions and that's the only way I ever want it to be. I just feel angry at the fact that she gets away with all. I guess I see it as there are hard working people that do 12 hour days and still go hungry (not myself but Its an obvious fact ) where as she is stealing and then laughing in the others faces for not having what she has. I have morals and respect so I want her to get caught so she starts doing things the right way.

          I tried to report to crimestoppers online but the submit page wouldn't load. I might give them a call tomorrow.

          At the end of the day I have no proof. I did have messages but I can't find them anywhere. But it would be nice if someone was aware so they could watch her on her next mission and catch her out with a trollie and car full of stolen goods. Guaranteed she wouldn't be going home. Would be nicer if her home was raided lol. But wishful thinking hey!

          Guess I should just let karma do its job.

        • [Deactivated] on 19/08/2015 - 10:15
          -3

          @goog101:

          Who is she hurting by stealing from corporations? Who are corporations hurting by existing? If she's stealing from individuals, or small businesses, that's a different story. But corporations reap what they sew, I have no sympathy.
          If people work $12 hour days and still go hungry, that's not a shop lifters fault. That's a capitalism fault. It's a business owner fault, and a government fault.
          Don't report out of spite. Report if you think you'll actually make a difference.

        • Euphemistic on 19/08/2015 - 10:32
          +6

          @mnermner:

          She is hurting you and me by stealing from corporations. They recover their theft losses by jacking up prices for everyone else.

  • outlander on 18/08/2015 - 20:44
    +4

    Stealing it from her sounds like the best course of action. Stealing from thieves is great, because who can they go to?
    I learned that from Better Call Saul

    • Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 21:08

      Hahaha I wouldn't be able to go near her now. She threatened to rob my mums house 2 years ago because she's a tough cookie. Don't want anything to do with it lol

      • outlander on 18/08/2015 - 21:18
        +1

        Thats too bad, because it solves virtually all the problems you have.

        • subywagon on 18/08/2015 - 21:28

          lol I like the way you think outlander.

      • Love a bargain on 19/08/2015 - 13:01

        I hope your mum has got extra security at her house. Might wanna report the threat to the police just in case anyway (even though it was made 2 years ago).

  • Findo on 18/08/2015 - 21:13

    Is she typical housing commission stock?

    • Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 22:07

      Yeah, she's a well known ice addict now top. Definitely not someone to admire lol

      • tonka on 20/08/2015 - 01:31

        That sounds like karma right there. You may even say that her rebellious lifestyle has led to a major downfall and take comfort that crime doesn't pay.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/08/2015 - 21:21

    If you make a thread on a bargains site then it must be keeping you up at night so why not report her.

    • Noragrets on 18/08/2015 - 22:08

      Wasn't sure if anything could be done as I have no solid proof. Only know everything because I've known her 10+ years.

      • moar bargains on 19/08/2015 - 12:58

        Report her to the police. Chances are, she'll be known to them. If not, you've drawn their attention to her. They'll keep an eye out.
        They may only make a note on her file at this stage, but if she's caught lifting, even around different areas, then she'll get busted.

        It will catch up with her eventually.

  • blackfrancis75 on 18/08/2015 - 22:13

    I don't see how you can stop her (including suggestions on this thread so far). AFAIK the punishments for shop-lifting can be as little as a 'warning' for a first-offence; and if she's gaming the system by travelling around as you say, theres little likelihood the store staff could nab her on a repeat-offence let alone be ready for her when she comes in. I agree with your stance; I just don't see a practical way forward unless you're willing to start putting up posters :)

  • GnarlyKnuckles on 19/08/2015 - 05:19
    +5

    "… threatened to rob my mums house"

    This lends support to what I was already thinking based on your first couple of entries in this thread; it's clear that most of the 'high end' stolen goods she's selling (Ipads etc.) are not obtained via 'shop-lifting', rather they are the booty from break-and-enters (from houses, shops, businesses, whatever), or she is a 'fence', or both. For a start, it's just not possible to walk into a Dick Smith/HN/Big-W etc. and shoplift a bunch of Ipads/mobile phones/etc.; they're not just sitting there on the shelf.

    If she is a fence, then given that she's into ice there's a good chance she's dealing drugs and that's why she has a steady stream of stolen goods to sell. Many dealers would be willing to accept high-end electronics instead of money, in exchange for drugs; at an 'exchange rate' of about 10% of what the electronics are actually worth, of course. So she might give a strung out addict $100 'worth' of ice (which costs her much less because she buys the ice in bulk, or maybe even gets it 'on tic'), anytime they bring her an Iphone-6. Or $50 'worth' of ice for a recent model Ipad… you get the picture. In this way she 'outsources' the theft to drug addicts, while she sits on the couch watching Judge-Judy.

    Of course I don't know for sure if this is what is happening, but it just seems pretty likely to me. As I said, it's simply not possible for someone to 'make a comfortable living' in Australia by shop-lifting high-end electronics; there must be more to it that that, and I strongly suspect she is some kind of fence.

    I advise you not to give it another moment of thought, and certainly don't let it worry you OP, because peeps who move in these circles/routinely engage in such activities invariably come to a sticky end; and they don't even live fun/happy lives up until that happens. Nearly all their waking hours are usually consumed by their mis-deeds or activities connected with them, they have no decent 'family life' because invariably their family learns to distrust them, they are not respected by any members of society and they know it, and similarly, deep down they themselves know that society would be better off if they were not in it.

    If it helps, bear the old adage in mind:

    The best revenge is living well.

    • Euphemistic on 19/08/2015 - 10:36
      +2

      But you can still help them come to that sticky end by reporting to crime stoppers. It might not get an immediate result, but will start the ball rolling.

    • tonka on 20/08/2015 - 01:41
      +1

      Well said. So much violence and death are associated with this type of crime. When your peers and associates are criminals and often desperate at some point you will become a target of crime yourself.
      I've known 2 people who were murdered and both were low end drug dealers killed by their customers for their drugs and cash.

  • [Deactivated] on 19/08/2015 - 10:00
    +1

    Turn back to your own life, and do something positive.

    • Noragrets on 19/08/2015 - 18:29

      I do plenty of positive things! For example I am moving to canada for 2 years. Something hard work enables you to do.

  • Brendoo on 19/08/2015 - 13:44
    +1

    She's a well known ice addict and stealing trolley loads and car loads worth of stuff? Really? An ice addict generally stands out like a sore thumb. And to steal iphones and ipads you need to ask staff to get them from locked storage, unlikely they are giving these to her and she just walks out. .

    I'd say she is not stealing those kinds of things from retail, she's stealing them from people or people's houses, or buying stolen goods and keeping or on-selling.

    Definitely report to Crimestoppers or your local Police station. If she's an ice addict and been doing this for 10 years I would be very surprised if she's not already known to the Police. Every bit helps to try and stop this ice epidemic, so give your info to the Police as well as her Facebook page. Being so stupid (well she's on ice so that's a given) to advertise on Facebook all the stuff she has stolen will get her caught anyway.

    • Noragrets on 19/08/2015 - 18:26

      To be honest I don't know how she is getting the electronics. I know 100% she is not buying them. Looking on her Facebook, she has a TV, ps4, Ipod, iPhone & iPad mini for sale. TV selling for $600 alone. I haven't known her since she has been on ice. This has been recent, and her sister told me 6 or so months ago that she does not have contact with her and she is now an addict. From what I know, she has never been caught. The only time she has been 'caught' for stealing was when her and her 16 year old brother were in Kmart. He got caught but she said it was her and she was banned for a while. Not sure what happened but this is what I was told.

      The only other thing I can think of is she steals and returns with tags but no receipt. She then sells the receipts with store credit or gift cards for cash. She could now be buying the electronics using store credit or gift cards and selling them because they're easily sold.

  • strikerzebra on 19/08/2015 - 13:53

    Report her, you know she is continually stealing and has for 10 yrs and you haven't done anything?

  • chumlee on 19/08/2015 - 18:54

    If you know where she lives find a payphone near her house and call the police to report a burglary in progress at her house and wait for the cops to show up and find a house full of stolen stuff.

    • Noragrets on 19/08/2015 - 19:18

      Not sure where she lives now unfortunately. She's moved house since I last spoke to her. Still lives around me though. Wouldn't be hard to find out.

      • scrimshaw on 20/08/2015 - 10:36

        Are any of her photos geo-tagged? Could be a big clue as to where she lives and where her haunts are.

        • tight-ass on 20/08/2015 - 11:36

          FB automatically renoves it when pics are uploaded

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