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Seaver · 07-20-2006, 12:57 PM

Well I didn't feel like hijacking the "I hate thieves" thread, so here is my own.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a thief myself. I have had many friends who either have theif friends themselves or family members. This thread is to inform others who would otherwise never have experience with such things except in being a victim of one of these *many* tactics.

Car Theft:
There are many, many methods to either break into a car or simply steal it. These tactics depend on the amount of time the theif has, the preventative systems the car has, and the tools the thief has available.

Most cars can be jacked with nothing more than a screwdriver. A simple flathead screwdriver to the ignition system (and a strong wrist) will be enough for most vehicles. Unless your keys have the system which sends the wireless signal during the ignition don't fool yourself, a screwdriver is plenty. Many times they have screw punchers which strip off the lock joints inside the ignition, which simply makes their job easier.

Hotwiring is fairly easy, but gets harder with newer cars. Not because they have better security or computers which can sense it, but because there are simply more wires due to more electrical devices in the dashboard. There are four wires on most ignitions. Sort of like in the movies you rub two together to start the starter of the car, then they switch to a third which stops the starter and keeps the engine running. Inexperienced jackers run the rist of hooking up two components which don't belong, and can do anything between honking the horn (alerting others) or even hooking up high voltage wire to a low voltage electrical component which can burn a breaker switch (or give the guy a nasty shock). If you have the wireless signal on the new-expensive car hotwiring is useless.

By breaking the window, a decent car jacker can disconnect an alarm within 5seconds. All they have to do is pop open the hood and pull out the wire from the horn (which are always very visible, and usually bright red which makes it easier).

*Taken from the previous thread* One favorite trick is to wait for a thunderstorm, they will scratch off paint on a section of the car to allow a closed circut. They pop open the hood after a lightning crash (many car alarms go off by those so people ignore) and connect the battery with the car (ground). This blows the breakers and thus the power to the alarm. They can then steal whatever, or replace the breakers after disconnecting the alarm and/or hotwiring.

*Again from the prior thread* There are other methods of fooling car alarms that are much more simple but take a lot more patience. Simply hit (but dont dent) the targetted car every day, preferably multiple times during the day, for just over a week. Watch the reaction of the car owner, most will be suspicious the first couple times. When he becomes fed up with it he won't even look out the window or even simply turn the alarm off. Then you just jack the car at your leasure.

Another trick is with simple divices people make with radioshack quality technology. Any form of clicker on a keychain (locking, activating car alarm, etc) are easy. They just have a divice which listens to the frequency, and just sit in any parking lot. They can then play with the car on that frequency with another divice which are programmed with the common car sets. Dont ask me exactly how, as I quite honestly dont know. All I know is they simply need time and you to use your remote for the frequency. Thats why I always lock with the door locks.

Most thieves are small timers, they dont want to deal with the transport involved with hiding from the cops. Nor do they have the connections to a stripping joint, as driving around in said stolen car for any period of time is borderline retarded. Thus most breakins are simply for a stereo, rims, or nice speaker system. Any of these take 1-2min absolute maximum, with 5-15sec of alarm depending on the guy's skill level.

The cd players with the face you can take off don't prevent theft anymore. They realized that most companies have standardized attachments for the face, so they can spend $20 for a new face.

Store Theft

I will differenciate between expensive theft and petty theft. Many people know exactly what stores will press charges on people, and what level their cutoff of expense is. Most stores won't do anything for less than $50 taken, for these people usually work alone or just with one person to watch backs. I won't bother with these, as any retard can pull it off.

For the bigger stores (Gucchi, etc) it will take 4 people minimum. Hollywood tries to cover it in some movies but there is no way they'd ever pull it off in real life.

Person 1 is a female, preferably in white and gold (something flashy and eye-catching). The prettier she is the better, she should be able to grab the attention of at least 2 attendants by asking for help. Often she will even bring in a small-cute dog, as the expensive stores welcome these generally. The dog will grab attention of female employees and other customers, if possible train the dog in tricks and how to be an all around attention whore. Male employees will be drawn to the lady because of her looks.

Person 2 is a male, white or Asian and dressed nicely but not dark colors. This man should walk with confidence, yet doesn't need help. He's the eyes, gives the others the ques when to do their thing.

Person 3 is a male, preferably black or mexican. He is the second diversion, he wears unseasonably warm cloths. A long coat is preferable, he will distract any remaining people and/or security guards by being touchy with the items, but never steals anything. He constantly makes paranoid looks at anyone watching him, basically looking like he's up to something, but never does anything.

Person 4-5 can be either female or male, but are preferable to be white or Asian. They are the hands, by taking ques from person 2 they make their take. By applying the positive end of a strong magnet they can diffuse most sensors. Others can be easily taken care of in a dressing room by a pair of wire cutters under a coat.

To break it up, without running the risk of falsely crying wolf, simply start up a conversation with Person 2. The others wont be able to effectively take ques without overly giving themselves away. I've broken this up working in a store, even my manager was blown away by it. He stated that since that day they had a 30% reduction in inventory theft.

Most people who work at the high end places believe themselves to be too smart for the position. Therefore they do not see the setup coming, they're too smart to be fooled by something like that.

Home Invasion

By far the easiest, all it takes is patience or daring.

If one is patient just sit in a car (or take a walk) and take note of anyone who seems to be packing, or who clearly dont have kids (mid-20s adults going to work or elderly). If it's a house nice enough to make you believe it has an alarm system just go around back and hit the large electrical breaker. Almost none of the systems have battery backups, so you run the risk but not much of one. Dont sneak around when you're loading up the items into your pickup/van, if anyone approaches just state you're their nephew/cousin/friend/etc. Makes it easier if you make a friendly approach to anyone looking at you weird. I've even heard of people making a fake metallic repo-man sign on their van.

Daring is just that, they wait for them to leave to dinner and go straight for where you expect the jewelery to be. You'd be amazed how few people lock their doors, or have a window within arms reach of the doornob. With a small pillow they can break the window fairly silently. If you have a back door with a large window near the doornob, get rid of it.

There are many other things I can get into. I'm mostly leaving this up to others to lead the conversation. If people dont feel comfterble with this it can be deleted. This isn't intended as a how-to guide (as most thieves already know this), but instead as an insight for people who would otherwise only find out after the fact.

07-20-2006, 12:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
Seaver Junkie Location: Fort Worth, TX	Thievery tactics Well I didn't feel like hijacking the "I hate thieves" thread, so here is my own. DISCLAIMER: I am not a thief myself. I have had many friends who either have theif friends themselves or family members. This thread is to inform others who would otherwise never have experience with such things except in being a victim of one of these many tactics. Car Theft: There are many, many methods to either break into a car or simply steal it. These tactics depend on the amount of time the theif has, the preventative systems the car has, and the tools the thief has available. Most cars can be jacked with nothing more than a screwdriver. A simple flathead screwdriver to the ignition system (and a strong wrist) will be enough for most vehicles. Unless your keys have the system which sends the wireless signal during the ignition don't fool yourself, a screwdriver is plenty. Many times they have screw punchers which strip off the lock joints inside the ignition, which simply makes their job easier. Hotwiring is fairly easy, but gets harder with newer cars. Not because they have better security or computers which can sense it, but because there are simply more wires due to more electrical devices in the dashboard. There are four wires on most ignitions. Sort of like in the movies you rub two together to start the starter of the car, then they switch to a third which stops the starter and keeps the engine running. Inexperienced jackers run the rist of hooking up two components which don't belong, and can do anything between honking the horn (alerting others) or even hooking up high voltage wire to a low voltage electrical component which can burn a breaker switch (or give the guy a nasty shock). If you have the wireless signal on the new-expensive car hotwiring is useless. By breaking the window, a decent car jacker can disconnect an alarm within 5seconds. All they have to do is pop open the hood and pull out the wire from the horn (which are always very visible, and usually bright red which makes it easier). Taken from the previous thread One favorite trick is to wait for a thunderstorm, they will scratch off paint on a section of the car to allow a closed circut. They pop open the hood after a lightning crash (many car alarms go off by those so people ignore) and connect the battery with the car (ground). This blows the breakers and thus the power to the alarm. They can then steal whatever, or replace the breakers after disconnecting the alarm and/or hotwiring. Again from the prior thread There are other methods of fooling car alarms that are much more simple but take a lot more patience. Simply hit (but dont dent) the targetted car every day, preferably multiple times during the day, for just over a week. Watch the reaction of the car owner, most will be suspicious the first couple times. When he becomes fed up with it he won't even look out the window or even simply turn the alarm off. Then you just jack the car at your leasure. Another trick is with simple divices people make with radioshack quality technology. Any form of clicker on a keychain (locking, activating car alarm, etc) are easy. They just have a divice which listens to the frequency, and just sit in any parking lot. They can then play with the car on that frequency with another divice which are programmed with the common car sets. Dont ask me exactly how, as I quite honestly dont know. All I know is they simply need time and you to use your remote for the frequency. Thats why I always lock with the door locks. Most thieves are small timers, they dont want to deal with the transport involved with hiding from the cops. Nor do they have the connections to a stripping joint, as driving around in said stolen car for any period of time is borderline retarded. Thus most breakins are simply for a stereo, rims, or nice speaker system. Any of these take 1-2min absolute maximum, with 5-15sec of alarm depending on the guy's skill level. The cd players with the face you can take off don't prevent theft anymore. They realized that most companies have standardized attachments for the face, so they can spend $20 for a new face. Store Theft I will differenciate between expensive theft and petty theft. Many people know exactly what stores will press charges on people, and what level their cutoff of expense is. Most stores won't do anything for less than $50 taken, for these people usually work alone or just with one person to watch backs. I won't bother with these, as any retard can pull it off. For the bigger stores (Gucchi, etc) it will take 4 people minimum. Hollywood tries to cover it in some movies but there is no way they'd ever pull it off in real life. Person 1 is a female, preferably in white and gold (something flashy and eye-catching). The prettier she is the better, she should be able to grab the attention of at least 2 attendants by asking for help. Often she will even bring in a small-cute dog, as the expensive stores welcome these generally. The dog will grab attention of female employees and other customers, if possible train the dog in tricks and how to be an all around attention whore. Male employees will be drawn to the lady because of her looks. Person 2 is a male, white or Asian and dressed nicely but not dark colors. This man should walk with confidence, yet doesn't need help. He's the eyes, gives the others the ques when to do their thing. Person 3 is a male, preferably black or mexican. He is the second diversion, he wears unseasonably warm cloths. A long coat is preferable, he will distract any remaining people and/or security guards by being touchy with the items, but never steals anything. He constantly makes paranoid looks at anyone watching him, basically looking like he's up to something, but never does anything. Person 4-5 can be either female or male, but are preferable to be white or Asian. They are the hands, by taking ques from person 2 they make their take. By applying the positive end of a strong magnet they can diffuse most sensors. Others can be easily taken care of in a dressing room by a pair of wire cutters under a coat. To break it up, without running the risk of falsely crying wolf, simply start up a conversation with Person 2. The others wont be able to effectively take ques without overly giving themselves away. I've broken this up working in a store, even my manager was blown away by it. He stated that since that day they had a 30% reduction in inventory theft. Most people who work at the high end places believe themselves to be too smart for the position. Therefore they do not see the setup coming, they're too smart to be fooled by something like that. Home Invasion By far the easiest, all it takes is patience or daring. If one is patient just sit in a car (or take a walk) and take note of anyone who seems to be packing, or who clearly dont have kids (mid-20s adults going to work or elderly). If it's a house nice enough to make you believe it has an alarm system just go around back and hit the large electrical breaker. Almost none of the systems have battery backups, so you run the risk but not much of one. Dont sneak around when you're loading up the items into your pickup/van, if anyone approaches just state you're their nephew/cousin/friend/etc. Makes it easier if you make a friendly approach to anyone looking at you weird. I've even heard of people making a fake metallic repo-man sign on their van. Daring is just that, they wait for them to leave to dinner and go straight for where you expect the jewelery to be. You'd be amazed how few people lock their doors, or have a window within arms reach of the doornob. With a small pillow they can break the window fairly silently. If you have a back door with a large window near the doornob, get rid of it. There are many other things I can get into. I'm mostly leaving this up to others to lead the conversation. If people dont feel comfterble with this it can be deleted. This isn't intended as a how-to guide (as most thieves already know this), but instead as an insight for people who would otherwise only find out after the fact.