"Stolen handguns" A PHATSPEED7x story

phatspeed7x · May 24, 2011, 06:59 PM

Dec 14 2010 I had three handguns stolen from my house in MN. Had the police come, and do a report, take evidence, etc...

Fast forward a couple months, and the police have a person of interest in jail on a crime not even related to mine. But apparently his buddy told the police details of my crime to a tee. Turns out the guy who stole my guns was a friend on Facebook. I took my PTC class earlier in December, and posted a photo of the certificate saying that I had completed it. Well if you saved the photo, and blew it up using a program as simple as paint you could clearly see my address. That is exactly what guy did. He found out where I lived, knew my work schedule, and when no one was gonna be home. He broke in, only took the three handguns, and was out.

Fast forward a month later. I get a call from the sheriff department again. They ended up recovering all the guns, cases, accessories. I saw them and identified them personally. I will be getting them back, but they are currently being use in the trial against the guy.

So for you people using Facebook make sure you are careful what you put out there, and double check to make sure you know who your "friends" are..

Buzzcook · May 24, 2011, 07:39 PM

Guns are easily transportable and readily turned into cash. Thieves love guns.

You're lucky this mook just wanted to keep the guns for himself.

Onward Allusion · May 24, 2011, 08:07 PM

Quote:

phatspeed7x
"Stolen handguns" A PHATSPEED7x story

That's great that you're getting your guns back! Not many people do. Definitely count yourself as one of the lucky ones.

It's pretty unbelievable what some people will post on a social network site. They range from, "I was drunk last night and ran nakid down the block." (I hope my bosses at the school don't see this!) to "Hey, we're leaving for Vegas tomorrow @ 7AM." (feel free to come over and burgle me!)

Technosavant · May 24, 2011, 08:13 PM

You definitely must be cautious about what you post. While I do post about my gun related hobbies, I don't EVER post when I'll be away. For example, I just got back from a week in central FL, but I didn't post word one about that until we returned.

If you let people know what you own and when you'll leave it unattended, you're playing with fire. If you don't crack down on your privacy settings, you're splashing that fire with gasoline- only a matter of time until you get burned. Do those things while also making it easy for people to see where you live, you may as well give up.

Glad you're getting your guns back, and thanks for the reminder.

grubbylabs · May 24, 2011, 08:22 PM

what is face book?

orionengnr · May 24, 2011, 09:02 PM

Good news. Now, learn two lessons.

1. Get a safe.
2. Loose lips sink ships (look it up).

**Mike Irwin** · May 24, 2011, 10:29 PM

I'm still hoping to get back the Ruger P89 that was stolen from my brother's house almost 2 years ago.

Since then I've invested in a Ft. Knox safe for my house.

FrankenMauser · May 25, 2011, 02:28 AM

Quote:

I'm still hoping to get back the Ruger P89 that was stolen from my brother's house almost 2 years ago.

Since then I've invested in a Ft. Knox safe for my house.

My father had his entire collection stolen from his brother's house (as well as his brother's) in about 1988 (can't remember, exactly). Luckily.... a concerned neighbor called the police. Both bad guys were ambushed by responding officers (not likely to happen today), and greeted with the muzzle of the officers' duty weapons - one at a time, in separate locations. (One at his "stash" in the back seat of a car in the garage, and one throwing guns into his "stash" over the back fence.)

However... One of the bad guys had stuffed a couple hand guns in his pockets, and put on a gold chain my father was given for an important religious rite of passage. The miscreant then had the audacity to claim they were his.
It took over 6 months to get a couple of the handguns back, and nearly a year for the balance to be returned. He never did get the chain, and some Hi-Power magazines back. All of the firearms were damage in some way (some badly) - be it dings in the stocks/grips, scratches in the metal, or rust from sitting in an evidence locker.

I learned from his (and his brother's) misfortune. When I'm not home, the firearms remain locked up. On top of that, is a security system that won't miss so much as a mouse fart... through a local company that has the quickest response time in this county (due to their reputation for vetting false alarms better than other companies).

CPTMurdoc30 · May 25, 2011, 06:33 AM

Thats why if I haven't looked you in the eye at least once your not my friend on facebook.

EOD Guy · May 25, 2011, 04:42 PM

Another thing to remember is that Face Book is not only a crooks friend but it's also a divorce lawyer's best friend. Always be careful what you post.

Blackshirts · May 25, 2011, 05:45 PM

They are banks buddies too. They have been checking social sites around here looking for people who don't have their privacy settings right. They don't have to get into your account to see it either. If they can get into one of your friends and you have your settings so that friends of friends can see they have their in. They are looking for people who can't pay their mortgage to see if they post about any new purchases. The purchase of a new $1200 gun won't look good when you tell them you can't afford your mortgage.

But congrats on getting your stuff back. It's a rare occasion.

youngunz4life · June 19, 2011, 04:09 AM

don't ever allow anything to be seen that isn't a 'friend'. friends of friends, just pictures for whoever but nothing else, etc. only friends and then when some random friend req comes in with a pix of a cat or dog or 1 pix only or no mutual friends at all: automatic no or ignore if there is any doubt. just like CCW is preventative, so is your identity and family security w/regards to this

shaunpain · June 19, 2011, 04:36 AM

You are VERY lucky! We are all very lucky you posted this. Thank you.

I learned about the foibles of Facebook long ago, but in a different way. Potential employers look at that stuff... LOCK IT UP!

PDW292 · June 19, 2011, 12:17 PM

I have friends on facebook who have their birthday, home address, phone #, and employer listed. They are asking for trouble. If you value your family safety, firearms, personal property, credit rating, etc.

bullethole1 · June 19, 2011, 12:31 PM

Its a social network where people communicate with their friends and family as well as making other friends. Kind of like a forum but different.You can post what your doing and you can post events,join groups etc. Some find it useful some dont really bother but nowadays just about everybody has a Facebook just like almost everybody has a cell phone!

armoredman · June 19, 2011, 01:48 PM

I am extremely difficult to "find" on FB, one of my staff complained he looked for hours and couldn't locate me, even knowing who I had as friends and all details needed. My personal information is empty. I post plenty of pictures, here and everywhere, and the best anyone would be able to do is come up with the town I live in. LOTSA houses in this town.
If someone actually was to find me after all of that, well security systems and other safeguards await.

TheNocturnus · June 19, 2011, 01:54 PM

Man, you are lucky for getting them back. Geez, the things people post. Which reminds me, my wife and I are leaving town for a month, our address is 123 Main St. Anytown, USA and the combo to our safe is 12345. We always keep a large amount of cash in the safe and we live on a very secluded street...

MC 1911 · June 19, 2011, 03:00 PM

If you want the whole "Phat story" check out XD Talk.com. You have been warned.

**Mike Irwin** · June 19, 2011, 03:08 PM

OK, we've veered quite off topic in this thread.

Closed.

May 24, 2011, 06:59 PM	#1
phatspeed7x Junior member Join Date: October 16, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 132	"Stolen handguns" A PHATSPEED7x story Dec 14 2010 I had three handguns stolen from my house in MN. Had the police come, and do a report, take evidence, etc... Fast forward a couple months, and the police have a person of interest in jail on a crime not even related to mine. But apparently his buddy told the police details of my crime to a tee. Turns out the guy who stole my guns was a friend on Facebook. I took my PTC class earlier in December, and posted a photo of the certificate saying that I had completed it. Well if you saved the photo, and blew it up using a program as simple as paint you could clearly see my address. That is exactly what guy did. He found out where I lived, knew my work schedule, and when no one was gonna be home. He broke in, only took the three handguns, and was out. Fast forward a month later. I get a call from the sheriff department again. They ended up recovering all the guns, cases, accessories. I saw them and identified them personally. I will be getting them back, but they are currently being use in the trial against the guy. So for you people using Facebook make sure you are careful what you put out there, and double check to make sure you know who your "friends" are..

May 24, 2011, 10:29 PM	#7
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,642	I'm still hoping to get back the Ruger P89 that was stolen from my brother's house almost 2 years ago. Since then I've invested in a Ft. Knox safe for my house. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

June 19, 2011, 04:09 AM	#12
youngunz4life Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2010 Location: United States of America Posts: 1,877	+1 blackshirts don't ever allow anything to be seen that isn't a 'friend'. friends of friends, just pictures for whoever but nothing else, etc. only friends and then when some random friend req comes in with a pix of a cat or dog or 1 pix only or no mutual friends at all: automatic no or ignore if there is any doubt. just like CCW is preventative, so is your identity and family security w/regards to this

June 19, 2011, 12:17 PM	#14
PDW292 Member Join Date: January 3, 2011 Posts: 60	This might be borderline but... I have friends on facebook who have their birthday, home address, phone #, and employer listed. They are asking for trouble. If you value your family safety, firearms, personal property, credit rating, etc.

June 19, 2011, 12:31 PM	#15
bullethole1 Junior member Join Date: June 8, 2011 Location: San Antonio , Texas Posts: 253	Grubbylabs Its a social network where people communicate with their friends and family as well as making other friends. Kind of like a forum but different.You can post what your doing and you can post events,join groups etc. Some find it useful some dont really bother but nowadays just about everybody has a Facebook just like almost everybody has a cell phone!

May 24, 2011, 07:39 PM	#2
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	Guns are easily transportable and readily turned into cash. Thieves love guns. You're lucky this mook just wanted to keep the guns for himself.

May 24, 2011, 08:13 PM	#4
Technosavant Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO area Posts: 4,040	You definitely must be cautious about what you post. While I do post about my gun related hobbies, I don't EVER post when I'll be away. For example, I just got back from a week in central FL, but I didn't post word one about that until we returned. If you let people know what you own and when you'll leave it unattended, you're playing with fire. If you don't crack down on your privacy settings, you're splashing that fire with gasoline- only a matter of time until you get burned. Do those things while also making it easy for people to see where you live, you may as well give up. Glad you're getting your guns back, and thanks for the reminder.

May 24, 2011, 08:22 PM	#5
grubbylabs Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 2009 Location: Hansen Idaho Posts: 1,465	what is face book?

May 24, 2011, 09:02 PM	#6
orionengnr Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2004 Posts: 5,208	Good news. Now, learn two lessons. 1. Get a safe. 2. Loose lips sink ships (look it up).

May 25, 2011, 06:33 AM	#9
CPTMurdoc30 Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2008 Location: Stafford VA Posts: 969	Thats why if I haven't looked you in the eye at least once your not my friend on facebook.

May 25, 2011, 04:42 PM	#10
EOD Guy Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 1999 Location: Concord, CA, USA Posts: 726	Another thing to remember is that Face Book is not only a crooks friend but it's also a divorce lawyer's best friend. Always be careful what you post.

May 25, 2011, 05:45 PM	#11
Blackshirts Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 214	They are banks buddies too. They have been checking social sites around here looking for people who don't have their privacy settings right. They don't have to get into your account to see it either. If they can get into one of your friends and you have your settings so that friends of friends can see they have their in. They are looking for people who can't pay their mortgage to see if they post about any new purchases. The purchase of a new $1200 gun won't look good when you tell them you can't afford your mortgage. But congrats on getting your stuff back. It's a rare occasion.

June 19, 2011, 04:36 AM	#13
shaunpain Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2008 Location: Chicago Posts: 854	You are VERY lucky! We are all very lucky you posted this. Thank you. I learned about the foibles of Facebook long ago, but in a different way. Potential employers look at that stuff... LOCK IT UP!

June 19, 2011, 01:48 PM	#16
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,480	I am extremely difficult to "find" on FB, one of my staff complained he looked for hours and couldn't locate me, even knowing who I had as friends and all details needed. My personal information is empty. I post plenty of pictures, here and everywhere, and the *best* anyone would be able to do is come up with the town I live in. LOTSA houses in this town. If someone actually was to find me after all of that, well security systems and other safeguards await.

June 19, 2011, 01:54 PM	#17
TheNocturnus Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,097	Man, you are lucky for getting them back. Geez, the things people post. Which reminds me, my wife and I are leaving town for a month, our address is 123 Main St. Anytown, USA and the combo to our safe is 12345. We always keep a large amount of cash in the safe and we live on a very secluded street...

June 19, 2011, 03:00 PM	#18
MC 1911 Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 419	If you want the whole "Phat story" check out XD Talk.com. You have been warned.

June 19, 2011, 03:08 PM	#19
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,642	OK, we've veered quite off topic in this thread. Closed. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.