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omg I''m soooo nervous...

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luckystar112

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So, two days ago both my and FI''s vehicles got broken into in the middle of the night.
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The guy stole my broken ipod (aw, so sad for him huh?) and my FI''s GPS navigation system.
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I don''t even want to talk about how stupid it was for FI to leave that thing in his glovebox, especially since thieves are just looking for the windshield mounts and breaking into those vehicles. Anyway, it''s gone, and we''re mad, and I actually saw the kid leaving our driveway which is a whole other story....

Today I''m looking on craigslist and what do I see? The SAME brand and model of gps for sale, along with windshield mount. hmmmmmmmm. So I emailed the guy pretending to be interested and we''re meeting tomorrow at 4pm at a starbucks. Guess where that starbucks is located......yup, 2 blocks from my house! Seriously, what are the odds. I''m aware that there is a small chance this isn''t our GPS, but I can "tell" I''m going to meet a young guy because we''ve been communicating through text messages, he''s spelled everything wrong, and he used a lot of slang.

I will be able to tell if it''s our GPS in two ways. 1) Ours has a small scratch on the screen. and 2) all I have to do is ask him to see it, turn it on, and hit HOME to see if our address is programmed on there (if he hasn''t erased it). I could also ask him if he still has the owner''s manual since ours is sitting right next to me on our desk.

I have to go alone and I am SOOOO nervous. Obviously if there is no scratch it isn''t ours. I will tell him the real reason for meeting him and move on. But if it IS our GPS, how do I react???? I''m going to try to pry as much information out of him as possible. We''re meeting before he goes to work, so I''ll ask him where he works....I''ll pretend to think he looks familiar in order to get his name. Should I call the cops beforehand to let them know what I''m doing? I really think that I would be too scared to confront him if it''s our gps. This is Houston and you just never know who you are dealing with. I''m not going to bring cash, so I''ll have to write him a check. Then hopefully I''ll have the gps, I''ll get out of there, call the cops, call my bank, and the guy will get arrested.

Am I thinking this through enough? Any other ways I should prepare for this??? I''m so scared!!!
 
Are you crazy? Luckystar, you are a female. You''re going by. yourself. What is wrong with this picture, dear????

I understand that you want to get your belongings back, but I am really thinking this is the absolute wrong way to go about it. There has to be another, better, safer way to go about this, I would not risk my life confronting someone about possibly stolen merchandise even in a Starbucks. I guess maybe you could call the police dept. and ask for an escort or something, but chances are they won''t want to deal with it.

Have you already reported these items as stolen to your PD and filed a report? If so, you might have a fighting chance. Otherwise, I would file a formal complaint first thing in the am and tell them of your plans if you are really hellbent on following through with your plan (which I wholeheartedly disagree with.)
 
You can''t schedule it when your FI can go with you? Can you find the serial number from the manual? Or from registering the unit? This will be a more concrete way of finding out.
I''m not worried that he is going to get violent at that point. I think what might happen is that even if you could identify it as yours, the kid is going to deny it to his death, and then what can you do.

I do think you should get a cop involved, and suggestions as to what you should do should come from them. If the kid is going to pull an endless chain of "I didn''t do it", the cops can step in for some questioning. I would be weary of the check because he will have your bank account and the router number.
Also, I worry that the kid might get violent later. Very slim chance, but cop should know just in case. Plus, you need to make a police report for your loss anyway.

Sorry, I don''t know much about this, so anything I say might be wrong. Good luck.
 
I know, and I just realized that if I wrote him a fake check it would have my address on it, which wouldn''t be very smart.
Errrr...what do I do? Honestly, I AM a bit hellbent on this because I don''t appreciate thuggery and I''d pay a good penny to see the kid get arrested. I''m not nervous about meeting him in the middle of the day in a public place, I''m just nervous about what to do if it''s our gps. I guess I could see if one of FI''s friends will come with me just to be safe. Then if it''s our gps I could just tell the guy that I need to go to the bank and I''ll bring the cash to his work...but instead bring a cop? hmmmm
 
I just have to say also, that you do not know who you are dealing with. You may think it''s just a young, scrawny kid because of "his" poor grammar and spelling, but do you REALLY know that? No! You have no idea who''s going to show up. There are professionals out there, honey, who will not hesitate to do you bodily harm if they feel threatened.

I posted an ad on CL earlier this week to sell two cocktail dresses and a gal emailed me back asking if she could come over and try them on. She didn''t know me from more than maybe 7 complete sentences via email, and here "she" was asking to come to my house and try on clothing. Are you kidding me? She could be an axe murderer, or I could be an axe murderer. When I emailed her back suggesting we meet in a public place I didn''t hear anything further from her which makes me completely suspicious of the whole thing anyway. You cannot be too careful!
 
I agree that you don''t know who you''re dealing with until you get there. I''m relying on the fact that he thinks i''m someone who is anxious to buy a gps (and get stolen property out of his possession). I think that as long as I don''t come right out and say "GOTCHA!" then I should be fine. As long as I just play it off as someone who may be interested in purchasing an item he has for sale, there should be no problem........right? lol.

I''m having second thoughts now but MAN I really wanna see this guy go down!!
 
I guess so. But here's a question: if you're buying "stolen" merchandise that is your own and then you report it to the police, how do you prove it's yours? Just trying to help you think this through, I'm worried about you! ETA: does your FI know about all of this, that you're going alone? So will he know where and when, etc?
 
Lucky, you haven''t posted again so I can only assume you will follow through with your plans. Fortunately you decided to at least post here about it, which is somewhat anonymous, but we know you are in Houston, TX and we PSr''s will more than likely be asking about you first since it seems you haven''t told anyone else of your plan. Still worried about you and hope that things go ok. Again, I would not recommend this course of action you''ve decided to take to anyone, especially a young lady...I hope everything turns out ok. Be careful, and I don''t care if you think I''m the old lady mom type here...it was not very long ago that I thought I was invincible as well.
 
Ummm lucky this guy broke into your car in your driveway so he already knows where you live and if he has scoped out your house chances are he could already know what you look like as well.

Seriously I understand that you want your GPS back but is it worth getting hurt over? What if this kid didn''t act alone?

Report it to the police and leave it at that.
 
Date: 3/22/2008 5:04:28 AM
Author: Deelight
Ummm lucky this guy broke into your car in your driveway so he already knows where you live and if he has scoped out your house chances are he could already know what you look like as well.


Seriously I understand that you want your GPS back but is it worth getting hurt over? What if this kid didn''t act alone?


Report it to the police and leave it at that.

I was thinking the same-he broke into car outside your house so he definitely knows where you live. I would very wary about meeting this guy. Is there no way that your FI can go with you or a male friend? D would kill me if I went and did that. Seriously, your personal safety is paramount and worth way more than a GPS. At least tell the cops what you plan to do.
 
Can you at least come back here and let us know you''re ok afterwards? Still worried about you.
 
DH is telling me it''s way too late to be bothering with this now and I tend to agree. I hope everything turns out ok, and just know that I''m sorta pi$$ed that you didn''t reply back with concrete plans and now I will be wondering whether you are ok. For the record, don''t put something like this out there unless you are prepared to deal with PSr''s worrying about you...you are not playing fair, Lucky. Hope everything works out for you, and this is the last time I will worry over you.
 
Don''t do it. He knows where you live because he''s already commited a crime on your property...he''s already proven he''s a scumbag. Don''t piss him off by confronting him...who knows what else he is capable of. Save up and buy a new GPS...I think you can get a new one for about $150 on Amazon right now.

If you want, contact the police. There''s a chance they may already know about this guy.
 
Lucky, I hope you''re okay. I''m worried about you too! CL is very shady. When I sell or buy stuff from there I always insist on meeting in a public place or bringing a guy with me.
Please check in and let us know what happens.
 
Ahhh...I''m sorry for not responding, I just went to sleep.
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Don''t worry, I haven''t met him yet...we''re supposed to meet at 4pm today (if I go). I would never meet someone in the middle of the night! I''m sorry I made you so worried and upset monarch...really!


Just to clear some things up for everyone, we would not be meeting at my house or his--we would be meeting at a starbucks at the busiest intersection on my side of town in the middle of the day. Also, I saw the person who did this...I saw him running out of our yard. It was a teenager. If I walk in and see a 30 year old man sitting there with a gps, I won''t say anything to him. Finally, I have no plans on confronting him there, or anywhere, or even following him out to the parking lot. I appreciate everyone''s concern, and I do plan on using some common sense.

FI is going to try and leave work early, and if he can''t his other friend is going to come with us. But the big decider is going to be when I go to the police station today (before I meet with the kid). I''m hoping that THEY will go and meet the kid, or give me some other plan of action. Whoever did this to us has been hitting up our block for the last couple of months now. And those of us who have seen him have the same description of him...I just have such a strong feeling that this is the kid and I don''t want to ignore it! I''m hoping that the police can recommend a better plan.
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I''d ask the police what is best to do. I would never go alone, that''s for sure.
 
Lucky, thanks for checking in. And my absolute last comment on this thread is this: no matter the age, no matter the size/gender/etc. this is a thief and criminal you are dealing with and someone who may be in a desperate situation and willing to commit any crime, including rape or murder, to satisfy their own needs. Please do not put yourself in a dangerous situation over an Ipod or a GPS system. It''s just not worth your life.
 
I know I''m in the minority here, but I think your plan is a good one. It bothers me somewhat to hear people saying that you shouldn''t do this because you''re female and plan to go alone. It''s not like you''re planning on meeting him in some secluded alley, or blazing into the place a confronting him straight up. I think you''re being very smart about this by checking to see if it''s yours first, and then proceeding from there. As long as you tell someone where you''re going and when, which it seems like you''ve already done, I see no reason why you should be overly worried. Just make sure to play it cool, and act like you''re genuinely interested/excited in buying a GPS. Chances are that if he DOES know what you look like, he''ll bolt as soon as he sees you walk in the door.
 
Uhhhh not to mention you want to write the THIEF a CHECK with all your INFORMATION on it.....
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Bad idea girl. You don''t want to give him your bank account too!!
 
Date: 3/22/2008 12:53:56 PM
Author: LegacyGirl
Uhhhh not to mention you want to write the THIEF a CHECK with all your INFORMATION on it.....
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Bad idea girl. You don't want to give him your bank account too!!
Hi. Later in the thread I realized why it was a bad idea. Keep reading. I was just putting thoughts on paper (computer screen) last night, I didn't really have a set plan. I agree, very bad idea.


I just got back from the police department and they say that there isn't anything that they can really do without a serial number. I am usually SO good about registering all of my electronics. The first thing I did was go to check the file that contains all the information for anything of value, and wouldn't you know I never kept any of that information for the GPS. All I have is the owner's manual.
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Unless FI knows where the box is. I can't find it.

The cop actually said my idea was a good one. We created a plan where I would go to the location 30 minutes early and have the cops meet me, that way if I needed them they would be right there. BUT he said only do it if I find the serial number, which I don't have. GRRRR so mad at myself! Let this be a lesson to you, if you don't already...save those serial numbers! All of them. I still have the serial number of a dvd player I bought five years ago and have since thrown out, but not the gps.
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The cop also said that the coincidences are questionable, and he was interested in seeing how it turned out (again, if I had the serial number) but not to get my hopes up because usually the kids who take stuff out of vehicles just trade the stuff for a bag of pot or something.

So...if we go through with this, it will have to be without the cops help unless we find that serial number. FI wants me to get in touch with the seller and ask if we could meet later so that he can come. He said he has no problem with confronting the person if it is his. But I kind of DO have a problem with that. So....I don't know what's going to happen. He doesn't know what the cop said yet. I'm more worried about the thief (if he is a thief) recognizing my car than recognizing me.

But about serial numbers...so important people! The cop told me that if you laptop gets stolen and you can describe everything on it from the pictures to the number of files, and the cops find it, they still can't do anything without a serial number.
 
Doesn't sound like a good idea to me! As others have already mentioned... IF this is the guy, he KNOWS where you live. If he knows what you look like... even if he does bolt outta there... think he won't come back to your house for revenge?!

I would definitely notify the police. Did you describe yourselves to each other so you know who to look for to meet? or what you will be wearing or something? IDK... hopefully the police will think there is enough to go on to at least check the guy out... if he had the same item, right after the theft, in the same are and matched the description of the guy you saw. It would obviously be better for them to deal with this than you.

If you are going to still do this... I would make it clear to the police that you will be there- not that you just suspect it's him but that you will actually be there to see if it's him. Could you at the very least get there early and look for the thief arriving (so you can see him but he doesn't see you) and if it's him, call the police station immediately?!

Ugh... gotta say again, this idea just makes me nervous. Even going to the extreme and hiring a PI to meet the guy and find out would at least be safe. I do understand being upset about being robbed- it's totally violating and just plain wrong, but you have to protect yourself first because a GPS can be replaced, you can't.

ETA: you posted while I was typing... I hope you find the sn and so the police can deal with this.
 
Date: 3/22/2008 1:17:09 PM
Author: sera
Doesn''t sound like a good idea to me! As others have already mentioned... IF this is the guy, he KNOWS where you live. If he knows what you look like... even if he does bolt outta there... think he won''t come back to your house for revenge?!

Revenge for what? Sounds like nothing will happen to the guy if a serial number isn''t provided, which is seeming less and less likely. Also, sounds like this person (or people) has been hitting the entire neighborhood, and who knows how many neighborhoods before this one.

This isn''t the movies. IF it''s the guy, and IF he recognizers the OP, and IF he remembers specifically where she lives (which I think is unlikely considering the volume of cars/houses he''s supposedly robbed), he would be stupid to go there again knowing that she is now onto him. I''m sure she''s going to go now and record every serial number of anything valuable she might have and keep a close watch on things.

A teenager isn''t going to come back for revenge on something he''s not even going to be punished over. And if he is punished, he won''t be so stupid as to try and come after a person who obviously knows how to think on her toes.
 
Yeah, I''m honestly not too worried about him remembering where I live, crazy as that sounds. It was 1am and we live in a pretty big development with lots of similiar houses. If for some reason he does come back for revenge, we have two dogs to protect us (and a gun...we''re in TX after all). But I honestly think this was just some kid who was checking all the cars down our street. There is a part of the story that I didn''t tell you because I was too embarrassed, but now it looks like I have to. The kid was able to rob us because our doors were unlocked.
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My passenger side door was unlocked, and FI, who is normally very protective of his truck, forgot to lock any of his doors. That''s why we didn''t file a police report in the beginning...we felt like idiots!
Our neighbor who had his radio stolen also left his door unlocked, so we''re assuming that the kid just walked through the neighborhood looking for unlocked doors. I really wish I would have looked out the window even a second earlier to catch him in the act, but instead I just saw him running across our yard.

I''ve talked to FI about what the cop said, and FI still wants to meet the guy! So I text messaged the seller and asked if we could meet him at his work. He said that wasn''t a good idea, but he''ll meet us tomorrow. FI has the day off tomorrow so we''re going to go together. FI said if it''s our gps he''s just going to be like, "This is my GPS, you stole it out of my truck, and I''m taking it" and then just get up and walk out. lol. I don''t know if it will really go that smoothly--but we have time to talk about it and get a REAL plan in motion at least. Or maybe we''ll just abandon the whole idea all together.
 
I know you want to take this guy down, but it doesn''t sound like a great idea. Imagine your daughter, mother, sister in your shoes. Would you want them dealing with this thug just for revenge?

Just a thought.
 
Well I am not going to tell you whether I think this is a good idea or not, it sounds to me like you and FI are determined to go through with it and get your GPS back (which I can totally understand wanting it back). So all I am going to say is good luck, be safe and don't do anything super stupid!
 
any update?!
 
We just got back.

I was sooooo fricken nervous. FI and I came up with a plan that we would sit at different tables at the starbucks and pretend not to know eachother. We got there about a half an hour early and it was pretty busy. I brought a book to "read" and FI just sat with his coffee and waited patiently. He was so calm, but I was pretty much having a panic attack.

So at 4pm the seller enters, with a friend. Normal, middle-class looking kids (couldn''t have been older than 20). They looked like the type of kids that probably come from a good family but somehow got the dirtbag gene anyway...trucker hats and all. And I''m pretty sure the seller was the one I saw in our yard.

FI walked over to them and took a seat at their table. They were about 10 feet from me, and I was still trying to pretend to read although I couldn''t help but look at them, and they kept looking at me too. FI looks at the gps, it has a crack on it...just like ours! He looks at the saved destinations...all of our destinations! He hits "home"...it gives directions to our house!

FI grabs everything off the table. He says, "Sorry guys but we have a problem, this is mine. You stole it out of my truck." (My heart is racing). The "friend" immediately starts text messaging someone, the other kid starts going off about how he bought it from someone else for $50. He looked really nervous. I actually felt a little bad for him at that point. FI listened to his story, goes "fair enough" and walked back to his table with gps in hand. The kids just sat there shocked for a few seconds and then booked it. We followed them out into the parking lot, saw them jump in a red mustang and take off. They peeled out of there so fast we couldn''t get their license plate number. But we have their cell phone number and with that we can find their address tomorrow. FI''s driving around the neighborhood looking for a red mustang right now. If he finds it, he''s going to tell their parents. OOH update....FI just found their car. They live in our neighborhood. I figured they did, they aren''t the most seasoned criminals.
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So, in the end it worked out. It could have gone really REALLY bad, and I''ll never do it again, but at least we have a good story to tell our future children.
 
Loved the part how your FI hits saved destinations, that was great. Glad you got it back. This is some story, but one with a safe ending thank goodness. I was so nervous for you!!
 
I know...I definitely feel lucky, and I will never put myself in that position again. But it turned out good. Man, you should have seen their faces!!!!
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FI and I keep laughing about it....but at the time I was soooo scared.
 
Yay! I''m so glad you got it back, and nothing bad happened.

Reminds me of something that happened several years ago. We were having a rash of bikes stolen out of our yard. After #3, or 4, can''t remember, a friend of my sons was driving by a convenience store/gas station not far from here, and saw a young kig getting a gas can filled, with our bike as his transporatation. The friend swung by, grabbed my son and they went back, walked over and picked the bike up, said thanks and put the bike in the truck and took off.
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I wouldn''t really recommend taking this course of action, but it did pay off for you and my kids.
 
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