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How I Am Spending Christmas: Getting Robbed!

post #1 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
So yeah, for once everything was coming up Doc Happenin. Just got a new job, the love life was finally starting to pick its shattered pieces up off the floor and it's Christmas! Hooray! An old friend was in town and we were chatting up some German girls visiting the city. Fantastic.

My room-mate calls and next thing you know, I'm back home and my apartment's been ransacked. Television, which I just gotten 3 weeks ago, gone. Both our computers. Game consoles, all the games. Subotai, I'm sorry, but they took the knife you so kindly gave me. Ignorant motherfuckers didn't even take the mouse to my computer and forgot the power cable to my room-mate's. And no, I don't have insurance and yes, I'm an idiot for not having that so...I don't know, don't mention it.

The electronics themselves, sure fine, I can replace. Hell, I even backed up all my writings for the last twelve years recently and they failed to take the external hard-drive (for reasons I imagine amount to 'wut dat? Dunno. Doesn't look shiny enough.') but that computer was my heart. Games were on there, personal friggin information, all my music gone, some of my pictures, it was the centerpiece to my life and some asshole stole it and is probably wiping the hard drive and giving it to some ungrateful little shit for Christmas.

I don't know why I'm telling you all this. You're a family and maybe looking for similar stories, if any of you were unlucky enough to get burglarized in the past. Did you get your stuff back? Or simply upgrade? Is there a way to for instance, I dunno, track electronics or something? And, most importantly, do you get your faith back in humanity? Cuz I'm kind of low on that right now.

Merry Christmas. Hope you all have a better one.
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post #2 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:32pm
Man, that sucks. My sympathies. I hope they find those punks and a reindeer rapes them to death.
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post #3 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:33pm
Jesus, Doc. That really, really sucks.

Some advice: IMMEDIATELY contact your bank and your credit cards and let them know that you've been robbed. Have them put alerts on your accounts and seriously consider changing your account numbers. Also, if you can, go to a library or something and logon to your online accounts (banking, gaming, whatever) and change your passwords. Do this NOW if you can.

Best of luck to you.
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post #4 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:34pm
Sorry to hear, dude. I hope two reindeer rape them to death, just to one-up Ratty. I've never been robbed (KNOCK ON WOOD), but I'm sure when it happens I'll feel kinda emptyish.
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post #5 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:35pm
also call up your ISP and let them know what happened. Have them cancel the account and change your passwords.
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post #6 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:39pm
So sorry Doc, that's a really shitty way to end the year. I've had a fair amount of shit stolen from me and in the end you'll just forget about it over time, having learned to be more careful. None of the stuff that was stolen from me was recovered but are police force isn't the best.

What Judas said is very important, if they've got your computer makes sure to change any and all passwords and info that might be on it.
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post #7 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:40pm
Ack, sorry to hear it sir. Got my car broken into a couple of weeks ago. The upside is, I don't keep anything valuable in there. They went through everything in the glove compartment, console and my CDs (yeah, CDs, I'm old) and didn't take anything. I guess they had different taste in music. Still, it's a complete feeling of violation to have somebody do that to you.
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post #8 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:50pm
I don't want to get into it, but I lost all my stuff (tv, computer, clothes, blah blah blah) a few months back. It's total shit. But I wanted to say that you can also overcome it. It'll take a while but the stuff you really needed have a way of getting back to you. It'll get better.
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post #9 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:51pm
That sucks. Here's hoping your losses are restored quickly, both the physical items and your peace of mind.
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post #10 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:52pm
I'm so sorry to hear that, Doc. What a shitty way to end the year. There's really not much more I can say than that. But I would've probably come in here and posted about it too.
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post #11 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:55pm
PM sent, doc.
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post #12 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:55pm
Very sorry to here that. I know that sounds hollow coming from a random on a forum, but I hope you can get on your feet asap.
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post #13 of 44
12/21/10 at 2:55pm
That's terrible, Doc - when your number is up, your number is up. Everybody eventually gets hit by crime. At least you're physically ok.
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post #14 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:00pm
That's really fucking terrible to hear, Doc. That's one of my greatest fears to come back home and see everything gone. Like you, my computer is very important to my life. As other have already said, contact the bank and have them monitor, and even change your account numbers. If you had any other information for sites that you buy stuff, you should quickly get on there and change the password for that.

Hope you get everything sorted out, and once again, really sorry to hear this happened to you.
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post #15 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:12pm
There's a terrible feeling of violation when you get robbed. The crappy shit I have in my house is MY crappy shit, goddamit.
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post #16 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:18pm
Doc Happenin, I am sorry for the loss of your property, and I hope the criminals that did that to your home get busted for their crimes.
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post #17 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:20pm
When my house got robbed only my PC remained, without the monitor of course. I'd have gone on a murder rampage if someone took it. It was a fun experience, though. Getting home from the army after completing training, busted tired, 30 pounds lighter and just gagging for a full week of rest only to find the door opened and the house all messed up. It felt so nice.
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post #18 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:21pm
So sorry to hear, man. I've been robbed before (only the car though) and the feeling of violation is overwhelming at times.

Hope your holidays start to turn around again and that something really good comes your way. You deserve it.
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post #19 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:26pm
Doc Happening,

I am sorry to hear that you were burglarized at this, the holiday season. To be without entertainment on the darkest, loneliest day of the year is a real problem, and I hope you're able to recover in short order. The loss of peace of mind that comes from having your personal space invaded by brigands? That may prove harder to recoup.. My thoughts go out to you!

Theft has touched my life too, over the years, and I thought I'd share:

My sister was robbed once, thieves broke into her car while it sat in my parents drive way. They smashed the window and took a vintage bag that belonged to me but that she had been using as a purse (polar bear facepalm)

I once had my TI 83 ripped off in 11th grade, right as I was at the final stages of an adventure game I'd been painstakingly programming for it since SEVENTH GRADE! I'd done illustrations for the game using the graphing function and everything. God, it still kills me to lose all that work. It's telling that I've never tried to code anything again in the entire rest of my life

I lost 40$ out of the too tight pocket of some pants while I was getting rained on at an outdoor event in June. I ended up having to beg money from my dad that he couldn't really afford in order to recoup funds. It's made all the worse because what I was going to use my money for definitely doesn't fall under the definition of an essential

Now my big fear is that someone will rob my house or my moms house, because she doesn't lock her door and my dad gets mad if I lock my door and I can't lock it from the outside when I go to work in the day

I hope these stories help to cheer you up and remind you that you are not alone

PS I also almost was mugged once, I believe
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post #20 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Happenin View Post
Is there a way to for instance, I dunno, track electronics or something?
As far as this goes, I have this on my laptop.

As for getting robbed, it totally blows, no question, but after a couple (long and painful) weeks, a calm comes when you realize how replaceable everything is and how little you actually need to survive. "I don't have *blank* but I'm doing ok." and all that gay shit.
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post #21 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Happenin View Post
Is there a way to for instance, I dunno, track electronics or something?
Do you still have the serial numbers? Did you ever 'register' your electronics with the companies that manufactured them? If so, then you have a shot at tracking them down.

More than likely, your stuff is gonna get sold for quick money rather than used by anyone. Unless I'm very mistaken, pawn shops have a holding period on certain high end items (computers, TVs, electronic stuff in general) that prevents them from putting that stuff out on the floor right away...this is to allow the police to recover stolen goods. if you have time, I'd go around to some pawn shops in your area and see if your stuff has turned up.
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post #22 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:44pm
Someone broke into my car and stole stuff. I've also had personal property stolen from a move between Germany and Florida.

Calling the bank is a priority. I recommend asking questions and exploring options. Find out what's needed to get the stuff you lost back.
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post #23 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:54pm
That sucks Doc. Good luck with the stuff.
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post #24 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:55pm
Doc, so sorry to hear about it, man.

I was robbed when I was living in Midtown KC. Had split from my wife and was slowly starting to get my life back. I came home from work one day and my little place was trashed. Front door kicked in (which left a nice shoe print) and the leaded glass in it cut someone bad, so they grabbed some of my sheets and towels to staunch the blood (dna evidence). They also set down their can of Colt .45 (with an almost full set of right hand prints) on my coffee table before they started looting.

They didn't steal my computer. They just trashed it. They did, however, steal a 24-channel mixing console that was in a flight case under my bed. I'd just gotten it out of layaway about three weeks before. They also stole my Yamaha FX-770 guitar preamp....my pride and joy. That was in the top of my closet in my bedroom. Everything else, they broke. Glasses, lamps, computer monitor, desktop tower, printer, tv...anything they could.

I called my gig for the night and rescheduled, then called the cops. KC's finest were kind enough to take the prints and one of the sheets and then took down any other info I could give them. And that was the last thing I ever heard of my case.

It took years to replace the guitar preamp. I never replaced the mixer, really. It took a while, but I eventually got a new computer.

I got new sheets and housing things immediately. I burned the fuck out of those sheets and towels they left behind. And I never felt safe in that place ever again.
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post #25 of 44
12/21/10 at 3:56pm
I've had the grand opportunity of getting all my shit stolen multiple times. After a while, you go numb and the people in your life get a hell of a lot closer than you might expect. It shows the mettle of your friends, and if you chose wisely, you'll discover that's a beautiful thing.

As is the thought of finding the robbers strung testicles first from a phone line down the street.

Happy Christmas, dude.
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post #26 of 44
12/21/10 at 4:06pm
That really sucks man, hope you are ok.

And seriously fuck people who do this kind of thing, especially around the Holidays.
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post #27 of 44
12/21/10 at 4:08pm
That's horrible pal. But safety first and all that. You could have walked in on that shit and been not posting this from the morgue right now.
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post #28 of 44
12/21/10 at 4:18pm
Sorry to hear about this, Doc. Hope the break-in doesn't completely ruin your Holiday.

I'm super paranoid about having our house broken into. Stuff like TVs, cameras, and computers I could handle losing, but I'd absolutely see red if someone broke in and hurt or took our dog or cats.
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post #29 of 44
12/21/10 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the sympathies and well wishes. Double thanks to Mr. Singer, who is a fine upstanding guy, though humble to the end.

Called the bank, did all that. Will call for insurance tonight from someplace, changed passwords, getting a second lock put on the door tomorrow morning and "fire department approved" bars across the windows. I hate bars on the windows, damn eyesore, but I hate having my stuff snatched more. Will be checking out a few pawn shops in the area to see if anything matching our stuff has turned up.

If anyone sees me on XBOX Live...well, not sure what to do then, but I'll think of something.

Thank you all. You've made it easier to deal with.
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post #30 of 44
12/22/10 at 5:44am
Sorry to hear, man. I've been robbed and mugged several times, but never my house. *knock on wood*
Thieves are horrible human beings.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Happenin View Post
If anyone sees me on XBOX Live...well, not sure what to do then, but I'll think of something.
I don't know if it's worth a shot, but if someone uses your gamertag maybe the cops or MS would be able to track the ISP? Not sure if that's worth a shot or not.
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post #31 of 44
12/22/10 at 6:13am
Sorry to hear about the theft. I've had stuff stolen and it really fucked up my sense of security for a while.

I just wanted to add that It might also be worth your time to check in with your credit card companies, sometimes they have insurance policies on recent card purchases, so you might be able to get them to reimburse you for some of the cost of that tv. My Amex covers theft up to 90 days after purchase date.
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post #32 of 44
12/22/10 at 9:10am
Ugh that's horrible! So so sorry that happened to you!
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post #33 of 44
12/23/10 at 4:41am
I got robbed back in October. Left the house for thirty minutes and left the front door unlocked. Apparently they got interrupted mid robbery because my TV was sitting in the living room (40" Samsung 3DTV. That is in my bedroom), and not missing. But they did take my camera with three lenses and a handful of accessories, and my Wii and a handful of games. They were weirdly specific about the games that they took (they didn't just grab the first handful off the pile, they rifled through them and took mostly the good ones. I'm not sure whey they took Deadly Creatures...). Police came, took prints off the TV, and then I never heard from them again. The progression from 'that's odd' upon finding the door open, to 'WTF?' when I saw my TV, to absolute terror when I realized what happened, to anger at how they seemed to have targeted my room specifically (there were literally buckets of cash on the kitchen counter that were untouched, as well as a 37" HDTV in a front room that wasn't touched either) is something that I never want to feel again.

Thankfully I had insurance and the policy had a replacement clause. And they dramatically overestimated the value of the camera, so (even after the deductible, and with some judicious use of ebay and the Amazon Marketplace), I've been able to replace just about everything and get a significant upgrade on the camera body, and only had to pay a couple hundred out of pocket.

I'm almost positive it was kids, because of the Wii (and they didn't touch my DVD/Blu-Ray collection), but there was a pair of those blue doctor booties in a waste basket that didn't belong there, so I don't know what the fuck.
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post #34 of 44
12/23/10 at 5:15am
Earlier this year I was woken up by the guy robbing the house walking into my bedroom while I was still half-asleep, so that was fun.

Luckily it spooked him (and me) enough that he ran straight out of the place and left most of the stuff he had been bagging up. Same old story with the cops though, prints and whatnot all over everything, half-cocked description from me, file the report and never hear of it again.
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post #35 of 44
12/23/10 at 5:25am
Sucks, Doc. Just recently picked up renter's insurance myself after a few friends I know were robbed. Can't imagine losing all my crap, even though that's one thing- it's all just stuff, and can be replaced. Glad you saved your writings.

If you're free one night soon you should let me buy you a beer.
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post #36 of 44
12/23/10 at 5:49am
Sorry to hear about that, Doc.

I was also robbed once. He didn't take much, just a few PC games and DVDs (he left my computer and brand new monitor). The idiot went and bragged about it to his friends, who I knew through work. I went to the police about it knowing he was in the Air Force, which means big consequences for him. I found out a month later he was kicked out! I moved out of that place a few weeks later.

He delivered my pizza once a few months back. You can guess how big of a tip I left him.
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post #37 of 44
12/23/10 at 6:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by raptors661 View Post
He delivered my pizza once a few months back. You can guess how big of a tip I left him.
Sheesh! He recognized you?!

Damn, how awkward that must have been!
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post #38 of 44
12/23/10 at 6:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Z View Post
Sheesh! He recognized you?!

Damn, how awkward that must have been!
I met him once or twice before through my work friends. Seeing him on my porch with my pizza was VERY awkward, although I had a good laugh after I closed the door.
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post #39 of 44
12/23/10 at 6:26am
Sucks dude.
Can't change the past but I can make a few suggestions for the future. Get yourself a program like this one....http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/N...P_Watcher.html

I have something like that, except mine reports my ip address and info to a centeral server that I can retrieve via a website. If someone steals your computer and turn it on and they happen to be connected to the internet it will report the IP address, with that you can contact the authorities. There are a lot of ifs but you never know.... Also, you should make a daily \ weekly backup of all your stuff. Once you do a full backup (once a month, suggestion) you can just do differential's for the daily.
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post #40 of 44
1/6/11 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 

Ooh...shiny.

 

Anyways, offering an update: they caught the son of a bitch. Some punk ass hoodlum robbing a few of the buildings in the area. He was on probation, too. 5 counts of robbery. Went in yesterday to testify in front of a grand jury and it looks like he's going to go away for a long time. Even better, the detective said there's a chance (as in, better chance than with most robberies) that they can get some of the stuff back!

 

Sometimes, I suppose the system does what it's supposed to do.

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post #41 of 44
1/6/11 at 9:02am

Doc, that is AWESOME news to hear.  Best of luck on recovering your stuff.

 

Out of curiosity, do you have a news link to a story on the bastard's apprehension?

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post #42 of 44
1/6/11 at 9:37am

Beat him with a pillowcase full of batteries!!!

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post #43 of 44
1/6/11 at 10:43am

Just read the entire thread - glad they caught the rat fink.

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post #44 of 44
1/6/11 at 1:05pm

It would be interesting if they found the Spyderco on him...anyhow, Doc, glad they got the mofo, but damn....Lousy way to start the year.

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