Man Rigs Package With Car Alarm To Catch Thief

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This guy definitely has to be an [H] reader. It doesn't even matter if he caught the thief, you know he scared the hell out of them. :D

The man rigged an empty box with a microphone and a car alarm that was set to only go off if the box was opened. He took it to his local UPS and 10 minutes after dropping it off, he says the alarm was tripped when someone opened the box. He also claims that microphone picked up the sound of the package being opened.
 
Catching the guy who stole the laptop would make this one of the cooler stories I've ever heard
 
I used to work for an insurance company that insured freight in transit. You wouldn't believe the theft that goes on. The only way to really get your money is to insure the package. US Law (COGSA) prevents anyone from going after the freight companies with any real power.
 
Love what he did. The result is horrendous. Like riot said, I bet they have a phone book of rules they can go through the would "justify" them opening the box so nobody will get in trouble for this one.
 
This doesn't add up....

So he says he received a box full of crap instead a laptop so he goes to his local UPS store to prove it was them stealing that?

Doesn't he know that it is not his local UPS store delivering the package to him, moreover his local UPS store would never see the package as it is the actual UPS handling deliveries not the franchised stores?

I do believe the theft is going on but his method of proving who stole his crap is not making any sense.
 
This doesn't add up....

So he says he received a box full of crap instead a laptop so he goes to his local UPS store to prove it was them stealing that?

Doesn't he know that it is not his local UPS store delivering the package to him, moreover his local UPS store would never see the package as it is the actual UPS handling deliveries not the franchised stores?

I do believe the theft is going on but his method of proving who stole his crap is not making any sense.

While what you say makes sense since the stores don't actually receive stuff from what I know...

He claimed the box was opened and that the microphone picked up sounds of the package being opened.... if that is true, doesn't that mean the microphone picked up the opening sounds before the car kicked in? I mean a car alarm is quite loud and would doubtlessly drown out any small sounds of opening a package.
 
After watching the video, it looks like he used that store to mail the laptop out to be repaired. It's possible that someone there stole the laptop, finished mailing it out, and then the laptop company just sent the box of crap back to him.

Either way, always insure expensive things. The USPS destroyed an xbox 360 that I sold to someone over eBay. I sent them a picture of the box and the xbox with a red ring of light, and they gave me a check for the cost of the item + shipping both ways. They never asked for any real proof.
 
After watching the video, it looks like he used that store to mail the laptop out to be repaired. It's possible that someone there stole the laptop, finished mailing it out, and then the laptop company just sent the box of crap back to him.

Either way, always insure expensive things. The USPS destroyed an xbox 360 that I sold to someone over eBay. I sent them a picture of the box and the xbox with a red ring of light, and they gave me a check for the cost of the item + shipping both ways. They never asked for any real proof.
Circumvent! I'll order something on eBay, pay for shipping then find the same thing but broken and send them a pic. :p
 
This doesn't add up....

So he says he received a box full of crap instead a laptop so he goes to his local UPS store to prove it was them stealing that?

Doesn't he know that it is not his local UPS store delivering the package to him, moreover his local UPS store would never see the package as it is the actual UPS handling deliveries not the franchised stores?

I do believe the theft is going on but his method of proving who stole his crap is not making any sense.
Sure it does, you didn't read the story. See here. He shipped it from this UPS Store, and when the box arrived it was full of crap. Simple answer is thieves in the store, or someone else in the UPS chain. This is a UPS Store, not an independent entity.
AUBURN, CA - How far would you go to prove a claim of a stolen item? One man said he went to unusual lengths after his laptop computer was allegedly stolen after it was shipped from a UPS store in Auburn. Richard Lynch, of Grass Valley, claims employees at the United Parcel Service (UPS) store stole the laptop computer he recently shipped to the east coast for repairs. "When it got there, there were sheets and cans of soda instead of my computer," said Lynch. Lynch inquired about the shipment but got few answers. So he decided to go undercover and ship an empty box rigged with a car alarm that would only trip if the box was opened. Lynch claims 10 minutes after dropping off the box at the Auburn location, it was opened by someone at the store and the alarm went off. "Had they not opened the box I would assume it wasn't them but they opened it and they're not supposed to, " said Lynch.

<snip>

Lynch still hasn't been able to prove the employees have been stealing, but wants answers about his stolen property.
.
 
well, good thing he wasn't so pissed off, that he rigged it with a small explosive.
 
It's a shame he didn't think this through enough. The only thing he's done now is warn the thief; jig's up!

Now the UPS-package-napper will lay low or stop testing his luck. The best the guy can hope for is an internal UPS investigation; hopefully they caught the guy on surveillance with the stolen merchandise in hand.

He should have done something that would lead law enforcement to a specific suspect. Perhaps rig it with an ink dye packet that bursts when the box is opened. Couple it with his loud ass alarm (that cannot possible go off accidentally) and he'll tag his bad guy.
 
Nice try, but not the best way about it. Unfortunately, it looks like the thief won't get caught. :(
 
I used to work for an insurance company that insured freight in transit. You wouldn't believe the theft that goes on. The only way to really get your money is to insure the package. US Law (COGSA) prevents anyone from going after the freight companies with any real power.

Then said freight companies (or insurance company) denies your claim saying it was improperly packaged (in the case of broken goods)
 
last week I was waiting for a check to come in for me every day. I checked my PO box mon-fri, then friday afternoon I get a call from the guy i was expecting the check from, saying the check's cashed, money taken from his account. But alas, it wasn't me who cashed the check.

He had to stop pymt, and re-issue me a new check, which I'm still waiting on. I called the post office, and they said they'd investigate. This whole ordeal was a shock to me, I've been using this post office for almost 10 years. Most of the window tellers know me by name, and since I live nearby, my house mail comes from here too, and my mailman and I are also on a 1st name basis.

Just today, my car title, mailed out by my family was supposed to come in. They mailed me 2 separate packages, the title on friday (priority), 2nd package sent out saturday (1st class mail). I got the 2nd package today, but the car title isn't here.
 
last week I was waiting for a check to come in for me every day. I checked my PO box mon-fri, then friday afternoon I get a call from the guy i was expecting the check from, saying the check's cashed, money taken from his account. But alas, it wasn't me who cashed the check.

He had to stop pymt, and re-issue me a new check, which I'm still waiting on. I called the post office, and they said they'd investigate. This whole ordeal was a shock to me, I've been using this post office for almost 10 years. Most of the window tellers know me by name, and since I live nearby, my house mail comes from here too, and my mailman and I are also on a 1st name basis.

Just today, my car title, mailed out by my family was supposed to come in. They mailed me 2 separate packages, the title on friday (priority), 2nd package sent out saturday (1st class mail). I got the 2nd package today, but the car title isn't here.

I've been working at my bank for 6 years, so I know the cocksucker that deposited your check could have washed the check and made it payable to "cash" instead. Most tellers know to ask for photo ID and/or fingerprint if there's a payee name. There's also the possibility that he deposited it at an ATM, which is idiotic as it would leave a paper trail straight to his account.
 
Well i lojack my lap tops that i travel with.

Not sure if the system actually works but supposedly it does.
 
It's the year 2010. A box starts making noises. UPS employee's supposidly say:

"That box is making noises. Let's open it up and see what's wrong!"

What a load of Horsepuckies.
 
Props for doing this and everything, but did you think it through? I'd have put a model head in there, with a helmet designed like the ones from the Imperial Guard in TES Oblivion.

Open that sucker up? BAM! STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!
 
This doesn't add up....

So he says he received a box full of crap instead a laptop so he goes to his local UPS store to prove it was them stealing that?

Doesn't he know that it is not his local UPS store delivering the package to him, moreover his local UPS store would never see the package as it is the actual UPS handling deliveries not the franchised stores?

I do believe the theft is going on but his method of proving who stole his crap is not making any sense.


He shipped off his laptop at that store location, why he did this to them, also as said, why ware they even opening boxes anyways?
 
Props for doing this and everything, but did you think it through? I'd have put a model head in there, with a helmet designed like the ones from the Imperial Guard in TES Oblivion.

Open that sucker up? BAM! STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
yeah... stupid not to get the insurance. if it holds any value at all... get it. its not that expensive anyways.
 
yeah... stupid not to get the insurance. if it holds any value at all... get it. its not that expensive anyways.

Exactly my thought. I just shipped out a Wii today using USPS flat rate and it cost 10.xx$. To get insurance for up to 200$ value was only a extra 2.50$. I say it's well worth it so something like this doesn't happen. Always safe then sorry.

-Xzi
 
It doesn't say it was not insured, it's likely it was.
Still won't prevent you from being pissed off at having to reimburse your customer or purchasing that article again, I can understand what he did.
 
isnt ups and fedex treated as mail carriers so opening and stealing other peoples mail be federal offences?
 
The UPS Store is a franchise. They're individually owned and operated as opposed to being part of UPS itself. If you receive a package it does not come through one of these, they're primarily a drop-off and packing location. Packages are processed through a sort hub, loaded on a truck, and dropped off at your door. In between they're on trailers on the highway. Fedex and the Post Office all work the same way. If his computer was stolen it happened at one of the sort hubs, not at a local UPS store. What he should have done is contacted UPS directly to report the theft in addition to contacting the police. They can track every single place a package has been and eventually they will locate the thief, especially if they're stealing on a regular basis. He may not get his computer back but at least it would help in the investigation.
 
Every package dropped off at a UPS is supposed to be opened and inspected (though they often are not), so this was rather pointless. Also boxes come opened from being handled all of the time (every UPS driver has a tape gun in his car for this), this could have happened. This all on top of all of the other things other people have pointed out, overall this was very unthought out.
 
Every package dropped off at a UPS is supposed to be opened and inspected (though they often are not), so this was rather pointless. Also boxes come opened from being handled all of the time (every UPS driver has a tape gun in his car for this), this could have happened. This all on top of all of the other things other people have pointed out, overall this was very unthought out.
really that seems like breach of privacy to me. I can see there being a need for ups to have a tape gun for those incase they open boxes but there is no reason that ups needs to fondle your goods for any reason. Xrays and scanning devices are more than enough to get any illegal goods or dangerous goods and are far more effecient than letting underpaied employees open and inspect and pocket packaged items.
 
AUBURN, CA

United Parcel Service store workers were fired this week after it was believed employees were opening packages meant for shipping.

The firing of about four employees and the manager cames in the wake of a News10 investigation in early December.

"UPS does not tolerate employees opening or tampering with packages shipped by customers," said UPS spokesman Brandon Olsen.

The manager resigned shortly after News10's story aired in early December.

An investigation was launched when a Grass Valley man contacted News10, claiming his laptop computer was stolen by UPS store employees who allegedly replaced the laptop with sheets and soda, then sent it to its destination.
 
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