Just had a message from my wife that a friend's husband has just had his car stolen. Thieves walked in to his workshop, took his jacket and found his keys. His Audi is now in the hands of someone else. Also in the jacket were his house keys. Chances are there is a piece of paper in the car with his home address on so he's also just been with a locksmith for a couple of hours.
His mobile was also in the jacket, could the mobile signal be traced?
We have members of staff in our office who glibly leave their car keys on desks. Maybe this tale will get them to change their ways.
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How about phoning your friend's mobile and saying you've seen his ad in Auto Trader and would like to buy his car for cash?
Also tell them that you live some distance from him and that you would be grateful if they'd meet you at a mutually convenient location.
If the thieves are stupid enough they'll turn up with the car!
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My car keys are glibly on my office desk at the moment.
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Yep, I'm staring at mine now. In between keyboard and monitor...
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Do you drive a Maserati Glibly?
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This happened to my cousin at his golf club some years back. Bold as you like, some toerags
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Similar things have happened here in the past. Turns out that if the toerags are cheeky enough to walk straight in somewhere they tend not to get challenged.
Car keys live in my trouser pocket, unless I don't have the car in which case they're hidden away at home.
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Life is complex; it has real and imaginary parts.
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Doesn't have to be a stranger;we had a case where it turned out to be someone in the same building who was the thief.
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I always keep my keys in my pocket, goes back to the days when I worked for a large corporate, and the simple matter of how I would have got home if the building was evacuated and I was required to leave it without my car keys.
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Getting home can become a bit of an issue in these situations, on top of everything else.
Cricket team in our local league was hit by something similar this last season, their locked dressing room was broken into, they lost their wallets, mobiles and keys. The thieves then proceeded to help themselves to the three cars they'd come to the match in. Simply went round the car park with the 'plippers' until the cars politely answered.
Not a fun situation, 11 players all with full cricket bags trying to get from a rural location at one side of the county home to a rural location 35 miles the other side of the county by public transport, late on a Saturday evening with no money. Don't suppose they'll leave anything in their dressing room again.
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Thieves walked in to his workshop, took his jacket and found his keys.
He shoulha kept them in his handbag!
Before you laugh, plenty of mediteranean men carry handbags -- it's helps avoid having bulky or heavy items destroying the line of their jackets.
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Office desk until a fe minutes ago - we're pretty secure, CCTV and coded doors etc. Plus a Business Manager who eats strangers.
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Haven't you people at desks got work to do? I wish I had a job which paid me for reading HJ's site.
Splodgeface
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Because of my naivety for trusting my colleagues I had my wallet stolen from my jacket that was in a metal (admittedly unlocked) "wardrobe" in an office of 6 people. I never left it there again!
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L\'escargot.
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& I guess it's worth mentioning, here, that if you've a laptop...
The criminal element, now stroll around the (motorway service areas favourites) carparks, with their Bluetooth fones,switched on, searching for other Blutooth enabled items.
Well, at least it saves them bursting the bootlid on cars, without any valuable toys!!
VB
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Good tip on the Bluetooth thing.
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The criminal element, now stroll around the (motorway service areas favourites) carparks, with their Bluetooth fones,switched on, searching for other Blutooth enabled items.
Don't want to hijack this thread, but what exactly can they do with their bluetooth phone? On my bluetooth, when someone tries to connect, the display asks me if I want to allow access?
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I think the point is that they can tell that there's something electrical and fairly new there for the picking.
Obviously rubbish because all it can tell them is that there's something electrical and fairly new switched on within a hundred mile radius. Like 50 mobile phones, 20 headsets, 30 PDAs and 5 laptops, all being used by their owners. Claptrap scaremongering.
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Life is complex; it has real and imaginary parts.
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Erm... by a hundred miles I of course meant a hundred yards. Bluetooth hasn't come that far yet.
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Life is complex; it has real and imaginary parts.
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My work Blackberry will "find" a surprising number of bluetooth devices in Conferences, one of my keeping awake strategies. I'm sure their owners know its on the prowl, but very little they can do but; it will identify phones by name and type. I'll try it in a car park soon and report back.
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Haven't you people at desks got work to do? I wish I had a job which paid me for reading HJ's site.
In my last (and final) job unauthorised use of the internet during working hours was a sackable offence. The IT department used to do random checks on internet usage.
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L\'escargot.
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In my last (and final) job unauthorised use of the internet during working hours was a sackable offence. The IT department used to do random checks on internet usage. -- L\'escargot.
But who checks up on the IT department?
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But who checks up on the IT department?
CCTV. With (it was rumoured) monitors in the MD's office suite!
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L\'escargot.
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For years have had 'em on a short chain which clips on to a belt loop on my pants then keys go in pocket.
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Wallet and keys in front pocket, no chance of em being stolen 'less the thief is a 6-foot blonde in fish-net tights.
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Hope its not a CwD Dave!
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RF - Da DAA. < changes in phone box > Its TOURVAN man
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There was a thread on here a few weeks ago where the OP's insurer was cutting up rough on a theft after the keys were taken from his unlocked house. Leaving them in your jacket may be treated as lack of care.
Mine stay in my trouser pocket, as others have pointed out it's nice to be able to get back home and into the house if the office is evacuated.
And woe betide anyone I catch going to the exit via their own desk when the evac alarm is ringing!!!
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Keys are the bane of my life, as I have to keep so many to hand.
Besides the house keys (4), there are car keys (4), business keys (4) and keys to my parent's house (3). My house and car keys are kept in a leather bell pouch on my belt. My wife's car keys (she has 2 keys) are in my left trouser pocket. The 4 business keys are in my right trouser pocket along with my loose change. My parent's house keys are in my jacket.
So at all times I have all the keys except my parent's ones on me. Without the leather bell pouch I could not do this, and can highly recommend this difficult to find item. I have been using the bell pouch for about 20 years and never had a problem.
So the only problem would come if someone mugged me - very unlikely where I live or where I work.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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"house keys (4), there are car keys (4), My wife's car keys (she has 2 keys) are in my left trouser pocket.So at all times I have all the keys except my parent's ones on me"
Errr, why? you can only drive one car at a time and open one house door at a time?
I have 2 keys: my car key and a front door key. If I want to open the back door I go in through the front door to the back door (or you could do it vice versa?). If I want to drive my wife's car I borrow her key (I can't drive it while she's using it.) Spare keys are kept hidden away.
Phil
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So the only problem would come if someone mugged me - very unlikely where I live .......
Don't be too complacent. You can get mugged anywhere. I was going to say even in your own house, but I'll amend that to especially in your own house ~ out of sight of the general public.
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L\'escargot.
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Indeed. It was in the paper that a couple in Solihull were car jacked outside their own house.
If burglars don't steal your keys then then car thieves will just stab you for them instead.
I don't know how many car jackings like this occur but it seems all too easy for the criminals. Shame we're not allowed to do serious damage to anyone that tries it. A few car jackers having their heads removed might make others think twice before trying to steal other people's property. Clearly there is no point having a nice car or a nice house in this country as the thieving scum bags take it off you and there just aren't enough police around to stop it happening.
teabelly
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I saw on the TV that car insurance companies are getting tough on thefts of cars where inadequate steps have been taken to safeguard the keys, eg on a hook near the front door or left on office desks etc. As new cars are getting very difficult to steal by 'traditional' means this is a worrying development.
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Why have those key pad security things died out? Citroen used to fit them in the 1990's.
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Why have those key pad security things died out? Citroen used to fit them in the 1990's.
agree 100%, the keypad is an excellent idea, maybe not on a cit, but certainly on a merc or bmw type cars the keypad is an excellent idea, and worth the hassle of typing in the number. Maybe it could be used as a second immobiliser, the first being the chip in key immobiliser and once this has been ok?ed by the electronics the keypad could act as a last line if defence prior to starting the car
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The only problem then being that these types who are hell bent on getting that car will beat or at least threaten the code out of you.
catch 22
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A company I used to work for had an office in India which had a fingerprint entry system. It also checked for a pulse. There are even ways around that if you *really* want in.
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Life is complex; it has real and imaginary parts.
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IIAC the key pads in the Xantias are actually Thachem 2 equivilent.
I loved mine, although when we first bought the car I was a little confused. I couldn't get the thing to start in the Auction car park. Fortunately the code was written on the label on the key ring for auction house use I assume.
When I sold the car, the first thing the new owner asked me was how to change it to his wife's birthday (it was to be her car). I'd never changed it so we got the manual out and did it together.
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IIAC the key pads in the Xantias are actually Thachem 2 equivilent. I loved mine, although when we first bought the car I was a little confused. I couldn't get the thing to start in the Auction car park. Fortunately the code was written on the label on the key ring for auction house use I assume. When I sold the car, the first thing the new owner asked me was how to change it to his wife's birthday (it was to be her car). I'd never changed it so we got the manual out and did it together.
It would be interesting to see stats on drive away thefts on a xantia, cant imagine many, (although that may have to do with the car as well!), but they are good on security, mine has perimetric and volumetric alarm (remote controlled, of course), deadlocks (remote controlled), unique fit stereo with code , keypad immobiliser, 6 etched windows, front and rear marked lights and 3 flashing led inside the car- from a 1996 1.8 model!!
Oh yes i forgot to mention the al important alarm stickers...
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The car has been found. It appears the scallies drove it until it ran out of fuel. No bodywork damage, just a bit muddy. Police are carrying out forensics so no doubt it will be covered in fingerprint dust when he gets it back!
He is mightily relieved not only that he will get the car back, but that he won't have to deal with his useless insurance company. As they say insurance is more than about the price you pay. He was holding for 70 mintues when he first rang to report the theft. When he got through someone on the Indian sub continent couldn't understand what he was saying and then asked for some information he didn't have to hand - despite having full vehicle info and a crime number. Instead of playing music why don't they run a notification tape informaing you what info they expect? When he called back they answered in just 55 minutes! Absolutely useless.
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