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MAIL THEFT!!!

Started by griffenjam 25 replies 1.9k views
Original Post
griffenjam
griffenjam
SO I woke up this morning, got ready for school and walked outside to find my mailbox hanging open. I look inside and all my mail is gone. At this point I feel the need to point out that I only really get two forms of mail. Bills and junk. I leave my mail in the mailbox until I need to pay my bills, then I take it inside. So, someone has stolen my bills!!!! I hope they remember to pay them. It really pissed me off for about 20 seconds. The thing that really pisses me off is that I bet it''s someone in the neighborhood that did it. I thought about calling the cops, but aside from confirming that there indeed is no mail in my mailbox I don''t really see what they can do. I need some tactics. I''m thinking of setting up a video camera, but mine can only record for about 2.5-3 hours before running out of tape. I''m thinking of rubbing stuff on my mail that will give the culprit a bad rash. But that doesn''t really do much for me. Does anyone know of a site that tells you how to build a tracking bug. Maybe I can hide that in my mail and when the person takes it I can call the police and tell them where the person is. Any other ideas?
"The paths of glory lead but to the grave." - Thomas Gray
Jason2Jason
Jason2Jason
There definitly was mail in there in the first place, right? Maybe you should have a one-way flap for the mail man/woman to put mail in and a locked door to get it out? Or do you guys use your mail boxes for collection as well as recieving?

-J
felisandria
felisandria
Stealing mail is a federal offense. You need to report it, for two reasons. One, because they might do something (like take fingerprints), and two, because then your tail is covered if you really lose a bill and they send the collection agency after you.

You also need to contact all the companies you expected to get bills from and get them to send you another copy.

-fel
~ The opinions stated by this individual are the opinions of this individual and not the opinions of her company, any organization she might be part of, her parrot, or anyone else. ~
griffenjam
griffenjam
Well, I guess I could get a locked mailbox; it's not much of a problem for me to send mail from somewhere else. But I'm kinda broke and that would cost money.


Yes, there was mail there. My car insurance bill, my gas and electricity bill, my phone bill, my cable bill. Some junk. Maybe some stuff for my grandmother (she gets mail at my place). It's not a big problem for me as I don't get any bank statements at my place, but it's going to be a pain to call everywhere to get the info for the bills I have to pay.

It also makes me nervous because my enclosed patio doesn't lock. I have tones of crap in there and would hate to come home to find my Atari 2600 stolen.

Does anyone know of a freeware motion sensing recorder, for windows or linux (but preferably linux)?

[edited by - griffenjam on October 9, 2003 2:56:54 PM]

[edited by - griffenjam on October 9, 2003 2:57:55 PM]
template
template
How about sticking a Rattlesnake or a Boa Constrictor in your mailbox? That''s guaranteed to stop the thief coming back.
griffenjam
griffenjam
quote:
Original post by template
How about sticking a Rattlesnake or a Boa Constrictor in your mailbox? That''s guaranteed to stop the thief coming back.


Not to mention the mailman, but I guess that would be offset by the police officer that I would get instead.
dede
dede
I''ve learned from an early age, report any theft, no matter how small. Although the police will do very little, it might help them identify a pattern, and hopefully catch the person doing it.

I check my mail like I check my email, 3-4 times a day. It looks like you''re going to have to start that as well.

~~~~~
"the best thing about betting on apathy is that even when you lose, you dont care." - nethead.
Download and play Slime King I.
griffenjam
griffenjam
That''s my problem. I leave in the morning and sometimes don''t get home until after 8 or 9pm (21:00). If someone wanted to steal my mail they would have no problem doing it as I''m not home all day. When I get home I will call the police, but knowing Vallejo police they wont do anything.

Since it came up I''ll tell you something about the police here. My mom lives near Vallejo High (my old school) and there was a large fight in front of her house. About 4 or 5 kids fighting and about 100 watching. She called the police and they didn''t even want to send a car over. They said it wasn''t their problem. My mom has a way of making people listen to her so a car was sent, but this just shows the type of cops we have here.
template
template
griffenjam: It''s the same over here in the UK. The Police here are a fucking joke.

If you want something sorted you''ve got to do it yourself.
TSwitch
TSwitch
Two words: claymore mines.

Put one of those motherfuckers buried in the dirt aiming at the mailbox, have a IR emitter in one end of the mailbox, a detector on the door of the mailbox and use your motion-tracking thing and some image recognition software to decide if a mail truck is parked outside when the IR beam is broken. If not... BAM!


Be certain you disabled the system before you go and get your mail.
Member of the Unban nes8bit or the White Rhino in my Basement Gets Sold to the Highest Bidder Association (UNWRBGSHBA - Not accepting new members.)Member of the I'm Glad Mithrandir Finally Found an Association that Accepts People with his Past History Association (IGMFFAAPPHA)
griffenjam
griffenjam
Wow, thanks for the link. The ZoneMinder software that is mentioned looks exactly like what I need. With that I can watch the whole street and only define a small area that can cause it to start taking pictures. That way I wont get every car that drives by, but it will watch where the person goes after leaving my house.

Sweet.

Though the electronic beacon would be nice too.
I guess I''ll google for that now.
griffenjam
griffenjam
Cool, I just for the plans for a Tracking Transmitter.
It broadcasts in the FM range so I will be able to use any stero to find it. It looks like it will only cost a couple bucks, and I already have the resistors.
I hope I can make this thing very small, I plan on hiding it inside of something else, like a small radio, and putting it in a box in my mailbox. I want to make it look like someone sent it to me.

If I do this and locate the place can the cops use this information to arrest the person? I know the cops have rules about how the can go about arresting people, and this seems like it may cross one of their lines. I guess if the cops don''t want to do anything I could always go there with some friends and tell them to knock it off or else, but considering this is Vallejo that could get out of hand very quickly.
TSwitch
TSwitch
Fuck the po-lice, griffenjam. Swap the transmitter in the decoy package for a reciever, and have the transmitter in your house. If that box walks outside the range of your transmitter... KAPOW! 5 kilos of plastic explosives liquify the person stealing it and the riced-out Honda Civic he's driving.

Did I mention that I'm working under the assumption that it's some dumbass ricer stealing your mail?

edit: How big is the target box? If it's too small, you may have to settle for a much smaller charge (500g to 1kg) and only liquify the theif, not his car.

[edited by - TSwitch on October 9, 2003 4:53:45 PM]
Member of the Unban nes8bit or the White Rhino in my Basement Gets Sold to the Highest Bidder Association (UNWRBGSHBA - Not accepting new members.)Member of the I'm Glad Mithrandir Finally Found an Association that Accepts People with his Past History Association (IGMFFAAPPHA)
Komillos
Komillos
quote:
Original post by griffenjam
SO I woke up this morning, got ready for school and walked outside to find my mailbox hanging open. I look inside and all my mail is gone. At this point I feel the need to point out that I only really get two forms of mail. Bills and junk. I leave my mail in the mailbox until I need to pay my bills, then I take it inside. So, someone has stolen my bills!!!! I hope they remember to pay them. It really pissed me off for about 20 seconds. The thing that really pisses me off is that I bet it''s someone in the neighborhood that did it.

I thought about calling the cops, but aside from confirming that there indeed is no mail in my mailbox I don''t really see what they can do.

I need some tactics. I''m thinking of setting up a video camera, but mine can only record for about 2.5-3 hours before running out of tape. I''m thinking of rubbing stuff on my mail that will give the culprit a bad rash. But that doesn''t really do much for me. Does anyone know of a site that tells you how to build a tracking bug. Maybe I can hide that in my mail and when the person takes it I can call the police and tell them where the person is.

Any other ideas?


Why dont you get inside the mailbox and wait for him to come to you ??!?!?!??!?

Senses777
Senses777
griffenjam, did I tell you that you won the lottery?
"I want to make a simple MMORPG first" - Fenryl
Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
What kind of a loser steals people''s mail anyway? Fucking retards these days, sheesh.
sjelkjd
sjelkjd
People who want to commit identity fraud. I''d watch your credit, just to be safe.

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