Just received this warning this morning, and thought I’d pass it on to others, just incase.
It seems there are a lot of car park scammers out to get us now.
## Distraction Thefts in supermarket car parks
Distraction Thefts in Supermarket car parks
Thieves are operating in supermarket car parks by approaching unaccompanied women to tell them that damage has been caused to the rear of their car. When going to check, someone then removes handbags or purses from the front passenger seat and uses debit card to steal cash from ATMs. Please take the following steps to prevent this crime:
• Cover your PIN when using your card
• If you feel you are being watched or that someone is acting suspiciously inform the store security or customer service desk
• Check your car for damage prior to driving away so that you are aware of the condition of your car
• Once in your car, ensure the doors are locked and windows closed
• If someone knocks on your car window to speak to you, do not open your window or get out of your car. Either pick up your mobile phone to give the impression you are calling for help, or start the car to slowly drive away.
• If you feel scared or threatened call the Police on 101.
Haha, Yes. Do you remember them?
That’s what we’re advised to do, anyway.
MInd you, what’s the alternative? Someone like me is hardly likely to reach up and punch a couple of thieves on the nose, especially if they’ve got a knife.
Min
They wouldn’t get any joy from me, because I rarely take a handbag or purse out with me these days. Everything is paid for by my smart watch, firmly strapped to my wrist
On a similar note, I had an email from the local boys and girls in blue about shed break ins so I decided to update my security in order to keep the scrotes away, so, thinking outside the box I painted JOB CENTRE on it.
I was deeply worried about my collection of historic manuscripts in the shed , these need to be conserved for future generations, especially Readers Wives January 1997 with the priceless double page spread of Tracy from Milton Keynes.
Actually, a few years back, I did encounter a thief in a Tesco’s car park, and it extremely upset me.
To this day I don’t know what happened, I only know the outcome, and the outcome was I had my bag stolen. In my bag was my purse, mobile phone, my most favourite photo in the world of a much love dog who’d died, plus my Mum’s money which I had just drawn out for her.
I knew nothing about it until it was too late. Nobody accosted me, or hurt me, or even spoke to me…
I can only guess I had hooked my bag on the trolley for a minute while I loaded my shopping in the car, and the rats walked past and quietly pinched it while I had my head in the boot perhaps.
The bank’s fraud team said my card had been used in the car park cash machine within 3 minutes!!
Luckily they got one digit of my pin wrong, so couldn’t get any money out.
I was told to beware of any blokes loitering near checkouts as if they are waiting for their missus or something, because what these people are really doing is watching us put our pin numbers in, then getting hold of the card, like they did to me.
Most of us just don’t go out every day, constantly looking over our shoulders, and afraid of being a victim. It never entered my head until it was too late.
Just to add to this bit…try not to use the cash machine if anyone is standing near it using a mobile phone. A year ago, I saw a woman in the reflection of the cash machine I was using, standing behind me off to the side a bit, looking like she was watching something on her phone. It was the way she was holding it upright which made me wonder. It dawned on me that she may be actually filming people putting in their pin numbers, so I quickly changed mine in another ATM just in case.
With so many people wandering around with what is effectively a high quality video camera, do you ever wonder if you are featured on somebody’s Youtube channel doing something silly?
And don’t say you never do anything silly when you don’t think anyone is watching, because we all do.
I don’t know about you but I do feel wary using a public toilet especially when I need to do a jobby, and what makes it even worse is when the only available trap is the centre one, the ones either side being already occupied
I had to visit my local shopping centre to pick up a new phone, (that in itself is a whole bloody saga involving a call centre somewhere on the Indian sub continent) and felt an urgent need to ease springs as we say in the army, so off I pop into Asda and I am confronted with using the centre trap!
As soon as I sat down, I knew it was going to register quite highly on the Beaufort scale. I could feel that there were about 250 cubic feet of wind , waiting cheekily for the first chicken nugget to fall out, so that they could quickly announce their arrival.
What to do? It may surprise you, but I’m a bit coy about bum burping loudly within earshot of strangers. Should I play the waiting game? The bloke on my left was making no noise at all and was therefore unpredictable. The bloke on the right was reading a paper, I couldn’t wait as my brain was well aware of its surroundings and was already exhorting my botty, via the central nervous system, to release the hounds. Then as if by magic on the door to my immediate front there appeared a burning finger which wrote, ‘ *Vlad my son I find that the key to negotiating any tricky social situation is confidence; you can pull anything off so long as you act confidently and in the knowledge that YOU are the man. * Thus: ‘Do it loud and proud. Moan with pleasure, loudly implore Odin to help you evacuate, bang the sides, scream like a tortured duck. That’s how I do it - not only does it add to the moment, but after a while people will see you doing the walk to the bog and will avoid the place for at least half an hour. You will forever dump alone. You are the Chosen One’
## Distraction Thefts in supermarket car parks
Thank you Bathsheba and all those reading my whimsy…I apologise for hijacking this important thread and will find some where more appropriate 