Just a little reminder

Rachel

Hello all

I was burgled last week and my laptop was stolen (along with lots of other items). Luckily most of my data was backed up remotely on dell data safe. There were a few bits that I am going to have to piece back together.

I just thought I would remind everyone that you never think it is going to happen to you, so just make sure things are backed up etc.

Oh and also make sure you photograph your jewellery for police and insurance purposes because it is a pain trying to workout what has gone.

Sadly, it is difficult to have 100% protection seeing as they took our whole window out.

Rachel

M0307

Hi Rachel

What a nightmare!!

Are you ok? Its horrible when that happens - i havent had it but my friend has, do the police have any idea who did it?

Sorry for you - sometimes theres nothing you can do to protect yourself, I heard that criminals now are using all sorts of tactics, one is if you are driving home and you get in your car, if there is a piece of paper stuck to your back windscreen, dont get out and take it off, because criminals are waiting to get in your car and drive off - also another one, some criminals have put a baby seat on the ground by a parked car on the side of a road and when you pull over to help them out they take your car or if your a women take you.

I hope you'l get the value back ok from the insurance company and life gets back to normal soon..

Monsoon

Aww I'm sorry to hear you got burgled, how horrible

I'm glad you had stuff backed up. As you say it's very easy to think "It won't happen to me" and mostly we are all right, except sometimes we aren't, and that's when we are glad for backups and insurance etc.

Hope you don't have too much hassle getting it all sorted

Rachel

Thanks, yes I am surprising ok about it. The police haven't come back to us after initially coming round so not hopeful really. They did not go in my children's rooms so I am happy about that.

Dealing with insurance is actually worse that being burgled but I am sure it will be sorted soon. Sad but I really missed my laptop.

I am just so glad for back up hence the reason for telling everyone on here.

blobbyh

M0307 wrote: »

... criminals now are using all sorts of tactics, one is if you are driving home and you get in your car, if there is a piece of paper stuck to your back windscreen, dont get out and take it off, because criminals are waiting to get in your car and drive off - also another one, some criminals have put a baby seat on the ground by a parked car on the side of a road and when you pull over to help them out they take your car or if your a women take you

Seriously - 'cos they both sound apocryphal to me? In the UK at least.

Commiserations Rachel, but just out of curiosity, but did you password protect access to your computer and/or accounts data?

Rachel

Hi Blobbyh

I thought those attacks were urban myths until recently too but they are happening again.

Yes most things were password protected but also I was quite lazy with the accounts data and didn't fill out addresses etc but this time I am going as secure as possible.

blobbyh

Rachel wrote: »

I thought those attacks were urban myths until recently too but they are happening again

These 'attacks' are urban myths. I was just reading the inbox of someone we've recently let go of in Dubai and read the exact same baby at the roadside warning!

Along with another novel one,

Eggs injected with water will be thrown at your windscreen and making it smear, thus forcing you to stop and be attacked!

Rachel

o

Rinske

Because slowly the standard becomes that all men are bad and that by default being a man makes you a suspect. If you start believing all these myths, you would never get any peace of mind anymore, because any small problem can turn into an attack.

Men are not by default bad.

coojee

Rinske wrote: »

Because slowly the standard becomes that all men are bad and that by default being a man makes you a suspect. If you start believing all these myths, you would never get any peace of mind anymore, because any small problem can turn into an attack.

Men are not by default bad.

Totally agree with this. It's the same as the government making all adults be CRB checked just to be within 5 feet of a child. It makes people think that all adults are potential child abusers until they can prove otherwise. Guilty until proved innocent. And we all know that CRB checks are a complete waste of time anyway. Ofsted wanted to CRB check all parents that home educate their children! Now since when did we need permission to be with our own children? What about parents during school holidays do they need checking as well? But now I'm going off on one and need to shut up!

Rachel

o

deanshepherd

Rachel wrote: »

On the other point o0f crb checks how many have actually come back with something and prevented a "dangerous" adult working somewhere they shouldn't. Would make intersting reading as I suspect less than 1% and alos what if someone passed 1st time then did a crime but didn't change jobs is there any feedback, as far as I am aware not.

I think part of the point with CRB checks is that 'those' adults do not then apply for the jobs in the first place knowing their record is going to show up on the CRB.

Rachel wrote: »

..I suspect less than 1%..

Any basis for that guess?

My wife runs a hostel for children leaving care so has to CRB check every staff member/applicant. I'm sure you'd be surprised at how often something appears on their record.

blobbyh

What a shame you can't CRB check certain would be natural parents to ascertain their fitness to raise their own children.

*Jo

My daughter is 16. She is undertaking some schools experience while studying her alevels as she wants a career in teaching. The highschool she is at has insisted that she is CRB checked!! Now thats ridiculous she is still of school age and could have attended the same high school as an a level student. I do want to say however that I do agree with CRB checks. They don't rule out all abusers but they are a start.

blobbyh

Why would it be ridiculous Jo? I'm sure there are many kids - and I'm not accusing your daughter here! - who have committed misdemeanours and crimes away from the knowledge of the school. Some could even be quite serious and entirely relevant to the subjects they are studying and hope to be qualified in.

If the schools didn't perform background checks, then even if people did have dark things to hide, the schools could be seen as effectively endorsing them simply by educating them despite not having any real knowledge of their private sides.

truecockney

Rachel,

I went through the same business about 18 months ago, but I can assure you that somewhere along the lines there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

Laptop and console stolen (didn't take jewellery or money/wallet that was obvious as well) and made the report. About a month later I found my laptop (and possibly the console but no evidence) in a local shop window! Retrieved it with the help of an officer (after lots of "bartering" from the shop owner saying that they spent £700 on a laptop when I had the receipt stating it cost £300 and was 3 years old and how were they to get their money back, saying a regular customer bought it in, accused me of selling it to him but not recognising me and having no paper record of purchase!) wiped and dead as they forgot the charger! Charged it up back home and found an installation disc for Windows 7 in there, 3-4 months before release! Keep your eyes peeled in case it turns up somewhere you least expect it...

Still haven't heard a word from the police about it despite telling them all the information they need. I always thought knowingly dealing in stolen goods was a criminal offence?

blobbyh

truecockney wrote: »

Still haven't heard a word from the police about it despite telling them all the information they need. I always thought knowingly dealing in stolen goods was a criminal offence?

Plod would have to prove that the shop owner knew beyond doubt that it was stolen and since that's almost impossible, they'd rather go and catch an offending motorist, a crime with an almost 100% detection rate.

Burglar: 0% detection rate
Motorist: 100% detection rate
Average detection rate: 50%

Statistics, eh?! Tut.

PGM

blobbyh wrote: »

Why would it be ridiculous Jo? I'm sure there are many kids - and I'm not accusing your daughter here! - who have committed misdemeanours and crimes away from the knowledge of the school. Some could even be quite serious and entirely relevant to the subjects they are studying and hope to be qualified in.

If the schools didn't perform background checks, then even if people did have dark things to hide, the schools could be seen as effectively endorsing them simply by educating them despite not having any real knowledge of their private sides.

They do what they do, but they are heavily flawed. Its a bit like giving a car an MOT after its crashed.

Its just one of many things that should be done to keep checks on people with access to vulnerable people / kids.

It gets a bit stupid when its used as a matter of course for wide ranging jobs, and then not used alongside other measures.