more camera theft..

[brill64]

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..it was not an m9 but i thought that for general interest and caution, i'd share here. a friend of mine, whilst traveling in south america recently had his silver d-lux 3 in the brown leather case stolen from his rucksack on an overnight bus from cuszo to puno. it was about a ten or fifteen hour overnight bus ride, he was sitting on the top deck at the very front with his rucksack beneath his knees the whole time and his colleague was sitting next to him. he doesn't drink although he may have been a little jet-lagged but he's a seasoned flight attendant and sleeps pretty lightly. my question is, how does a thief actually manage to do that on a full bus and get away with it? several other travelers also had cameras stolen in the same bus, which really amazes me. also, is there some way he can report it stolen to leica just in case it ever gets returned to them for repair or any reason? he had travel insurance. thanks for your thoughts!

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[jaques]

well- years ago I nearly got robbed on a bus in Thailand. In that case the trick worked like this: a youth was on the bus- this enterprising individual moved around taking things from peoples bags whilst they were asleep. He hid them in the back of the bus near the toilet. There was a small door at the back of the bus and one stop before the final destination he disappeared out of that door without anyone noticing. I was lucky enough to wake early and notice my stuff was gone before that stop. The boy was sleeping. I realised what had happened and figured the stuff was probably stashed somewhere. I searched and found it in a small closet near the door under some rags. I woke the kid up and showed him my stuff. He acted all sheepish and none the wiser but I knew and he knew I had busted him. He jumped out at his stop- this time empty handed. I was lucky. This is a well oiled scam and that particular bus company was infamous in Changmai for strange disappearances of passengers goods in the night. They also had the cheapest tickets from Bangkok to Changmai and I soon realised why...

[brill64]

well- years ago I nearly got robbed on a bus in Thailand. In that case the trick worked like this: a youth was on the bus- this enterprising individual moved around taking things from peoples bags whilst they were asleep. He hid them in the back of the bus near the toilet. There was a small door at the back of the bus and one stop before the final destination he disappeared out of that door without anyone noticing. I was lucky enough to wake early and notice my stuff was gone before that stop. The boy was sleeping. I realised what had happened and figured the stuff was probably stashed somewhere. I searched and found it in a small closet near the door under some rags. I woke the kid up and showed him my stuff. He acted all sheepish and none the wiser but I knew and he knew I had busted him. He jumped out at his stop- this time empty handed. I was lucky. This is a well oiled scam and that particular bus company was infamous in Changmai for strange disappearances of passengers goods in the night. They also had the cheapest tickets from Bangkok to Changmai and I soon realised why...

 

thanks for your explanation..it's very worrying that they can operate in this way when you are tired or jet lagged, no amount of vigilance can save you from this kind of theft. however in your case, you give us hope. i'm glad you managed to avoid your stuff being stolen. thanks for sharing your story

[menos I M6]

Sorry, to hear about your friends loss of the camera.

It might be too late, but I hope, others might be more vary.

 

My friends always think, I am nuts, as I don't leave my bag anywhere other, than in touch with me.

When I travel, I always have valuables in a messenger bag on the body.

I never leave the bag in another place.

 

Putting it on the floor is putting it out of sight.

 

When you need to sleep, wear the bag ON the body, close everything, hide most valuable things deep inside it, wear the zippers, latches, openings, so they are most difficult to access and wrap your body around the bag, sleeping OVER the bag.

 

Someone wants, to steal something - someone has to remove your body from the bag or cut the bag open.

 

When I am sitting down for a coffee, break, snack and wearing the bag is uncomfortable or weird, the place otherwise controllable, I ALWAYS lock the bag down with climbing carabiners to the chair or table, I am sitting on.

I lock the bag always in a somewhat hidden way, so a potential thief doesn't realize on first sight and can figure out a way to circumvent the lock, before I get aware of him.

 

You always have to think in the weirdest ways, to protect your stuff.

Thieves know, how much value these days can potentially be hidden in a rucksack or bag at a coffee shop or on a traveller.

Think about it - people bring multi thousand dollar computers, cameras and big wallets with them.

Many people have a iPhone, blackberry or iPad with them, sitting in a bag, possibly unprotected.

 

A thief with good turnaround just needs a good pair of sports shoes, an cutting knife and quick fingers - no university diploma or expensive business investment, to earn thousands a month.

Working hours are easy and the job gets never boring with challenging tasks everyday.