My friends were robbed at Disney

[Here we go again...]

The wonderful people that kennel my dogs have turned into Disney Lovers... probably from keeping our babies for 2-3 weeks per year then having to listen to us talk about the trip for hours when we get back.

They went to Disney World for the first time about 2 years ago and they were hooked. Now they try to schedule a trip every year.

They went this year the week before Halloween so they could go to the Halloween party, again because we came back from the Intercot meet telling them how wonderful it was.

Since they could not get rooms on site for the whole week, they stayed at the Nicelodeon hotel for a couple of nights. On the night of the Halloween party, they drove over to MK, parked the car and went in. While they were at the party, their car was broken into and $2,000 and credit cards were stolen.

Here is the worst part...
Since they were not staying on property 1/2 of the time they brought all of that cash because they would not be able to charge to the room until they were staying on property. They use the credit cards only for emergency so that is why they had both. They took out of the wallet what they needed for that night then went into the park.

When they got back to the car, they did not even notice they were robbed. Nothing was missing... the DVD and Nintindo DS were sitting on the seat and the car did not appear to have been broken into. When they opened their wallet they noticed the cash missing. At first they thought they lost the cash, trying to figure out how they could have dropped the money. But the credit cards were in the wallet and everything else appeared normal. They reported to lost and found that they must have dropped the money and hoped someone would turn it in.

Fast forward to this week. Ashley is at home and gets a call from her credit card company asking if they were in Miami Florida. Hmmmm.... nope.
The people that broke into the car took the cash and credit cards that she had in the back of her wallet that were not activated. Since 2 of her cards expire in November, she had the new ones with the stickers to activate in the back of her wallet. She did not even remember those when she looked to see if any cards were missing.
This person waited until the cards were activated (her husband activated his and it activated both cards). Then, they went on a shopping spree in Miami. Victoria's Secret was one of the largest purchases. There were also liquor stores and other retail stores hit.

Can you believe it? How sneaky is that? They were smart enough to not move anything in the car so the cops would not be called and smart enough to only take cards in the back of the wallet so they would not be noticed.

Andrew called the Victoria's Secret to see if they have video of the person purchasing the merchandise and he was told yes. However, he would have to get the court involved for them to turn it over. Since Ashley and Andrew do not have to pay the charges you would think Victoria's Secret would want the person caught.

That was just crazy. Andrew said that he was mad at himself when he thought he lost the money even though he could not figure out how in the world he did it. But, since he found out that he was robbed, he is mad. They feel violated...
Now he wonders if Disney has cameras in the parking lots. Since he did not file a police report that day he does not even know if they would help him.

It is sad to know that even at Disney World you are not safe. I would never carry that kind of cash... I am too parinoid. They said the only reason they had it all with them was because they were in transition, moving to Pop that day. The room was not ready so they left the luggage and headed to the park with no safe to put the money in...

I feel so bad for them. I sent them with my DVC stuff and they were planning to take a tour. Now, that is out...

[discjoker]

I'm just shaking my head with this one. I hate to sound cold and I do feel bad for them but why the heck would anyone carry that much cash? And why would anyone leave it in their car? This is a lesson for all I think.

I also have never gotten the using the credit card just for emergencies thing. I very rarely use cash. I use credit cards for almost everything. It gives you an added layer of protection. If someone steals your credit card it usually isn't anything more than an inconvenience. If someone steals your cash you are up the creek.

[kakn7294]

That's terrible! Too bad they didn't take advantage of the fact that the resort would have put their luggage and valuables in storage for them. I haven't used it but I have heard that there is a large safe at each resort's main desk where guests can store large valuables that will not fit in the room safe. As far as carrying cash versus using credit cards, I prefer the cash (actually, I use my debit card). It's too easy to charge everything and then not pay it off right away and get charged those outrageous interest rates. I do agree though, it wasn't the smartest move to leave all that money in the car. I would have carried all of that money on my person rather than leave it in the car - at least it's in my sight at all times.

[grumpyguy]

sorry for your friends.the earth is full of predators waiting for their opportunity to strike.that's one of those things i try to forget when i'm hanging out w/mickey at my dw.
we've recently had a bad string of theft problems in our household as well and it is a sick,almost violated feeling.it sounds like these guys knew what they were doing.
sad to know you have to take every precaution,even on vacation.best wishes to them as they straighten things out.

[Itchy]

I know that this is a bad situation and when on vacation you really dont need to lose your money or valuables.

I would hope that they locked their car when they left and had put their wallet somewhere out of sight.

I have been in law enforcement for years and more often that not items were left out for anyone to see ( eye candy ).

When traveling or just staying around home, shopping or what ever, please always lock your car and put your valuable in the trunk of the car if you have one, or in a truck or van cover the items the best that you can.

Never leave cash in your car....

Remember that locks were made to keep honest people honest.

[bleukarma]

That is so horrible! I’m sorry to hear about your friends bad luck. I’m sure they wish they could go back in time and not leave the cash in their car, but unfortunately it’s something that happened. I’m sad to hear that it has turned them off to Disney World. WDW is such a positive place and for something so horrible to happen to them just seems unfair. Good luck to them on catching the bad guys, it sure does sound like they are pro’s and they need to get off the streets!

[Here we go again...]

I know that this is a bad situation and when on vacation you really dont need to lose your money or valuables.

I would hope that they locked their car when they left and had put their wallet somewhere out of sight.

I have been in law enforcement for years and more often that not items were left out for anyone to see ( eye candy ).

When traveling or just staying around home, shopping or what ever, please always lock your car and put your valuable in the trunk of the car if you have one, or in a truck or van cover the items the best that you can.

Never leave cash in your car....

Remember that locks were made to keep honest people honest.

Yes, the car was locked. They have no idea how someone got in... They said when they finally called the police they were told that there are people breaking into cars that have some kind of master key for cars with remote locks. Ashley got the impression it was somone in the key business or criminals are getting very smart these days.

The wallet was in the glove compartment.

[ElenitaB]

I'm so sorry that this happened to your friends. I also don't want to blame the victims in this crime.

I exclusively use my ATM card and almost never carry cash. As for keeping things in the car for safe storage, we've been told by my company never to leave our laptops in the car as they're just not a safe storage area.

Again, I'm sorry this happened to them! :(

[faline]

What a terrible thing to have happen! I'm sorry. I guess they've probably been left with a large mess to straighten out!

[Itchy]

It sounds like they did everything right. I have had my personal vehicle broken into twice and it is not a pleasant experience.

I still look over my shoulder wondering if someone is watching me when I leave my vehicle.

I hope that this experience does not take away the disney magic.

Even cops get ripped off and alway do not get even.:mad:

I hope that you have a wonderful holidays.:thumbsup:

[goofyfan4466]

That Just Stinks. I Don't Know What I Would Do. I Never Carry That Much Money,but If I Did ,i Would Never Let It Out Of My Sight ! I Hope Everything Works Out For Them And They Tighten Security At Disney!!

[Dsnygirl]

Angel, I am so sorry to hear that this happened to your friends.... I can't imagine how devastating that was to them, both when they thought they'd dropped the money, and then to find out later that they'd actually been robbed. That is so sad. I sure hope they're able to find the people that did this - it's a tragedy anywhere, anytime -- but at Disney, it's just somehow worse. :( Please let them know we're thinking of them here, and sending some :pixie::pixie: that it will get resolved!!

[thrillme]

I'm really sorry for your friends. I've been in a similar situation changing hotels where all my stuff was in the car.

Money...I only carry very "limited" amounts (not more than $200...I figure I have a debit card I CAN get more...I just don't like paying the "fee") and I keep that on my person. Other than that I use plastic. I'm weird I keep my "main" credit card with me at all times then I keep an "emergency credit card" and OLD drivers license hidden in an odd section of purse or luggage (I'm clumsy and careless...I'm always afraid that I'll lose it).

I've found that no matter where you are or where you live there are a bunch of "undesireables" out there that have their issues.

If Victoria's Secret caught that person on tape and refused to hand it over I'd be inclined not only to take them to court but...to also make public in every way shape or form how they are "contributing" to identity theft. I would make sure my credit card company knows this as well. If companies would go back to the days requiring SOME form of ID (even automatic gas stations could require you to put in a pin number and/or zip code). But that's a different story.

Your friends were on vacation. Unfortunately they were "victims". You just can't trust anybody anywhere anytime.

[JPL]

Unfortunately criminals are everywhere and they love to take advantage of tourists in vacation destinations. I always use my Debit card and credit card and carry only the cash I need with me. Was this their car or a rental just curious? Since I have heard of a lot of people getting their rental cars broken into in different tourist areas. I know when we had a car in LA we never realized that when you put the car in park it unlocked the doors and a few times we left it open without knowing

[Deesdisney]

I feel for your friends and to have it happen at Disney World. Maybe this is why I never carry cash. I carry only my debit and 1 credit card. If I can not use my card then I walk away. But now I do not even know if the card thing is wise. With the way thiefs are getting smarter. I hope everything turns out ok for them.

[LibertyTreeGal]

This is terrible, I feel so badly for them :(

[mrsgaribaldi]

If Victoria's Secret caught that person on tape and refused to hand it over I'd be inclined not only to take them to court but...to also make public in every way shape or form how they are "contributing" to identity theft. I would make sure my credit card company knows this as well.

I wouldn't expect a store to hand over their surveillance tapes to someone who comes to the store and asks for them. Angel said in her original post that the store said they would have to give the tape to a court or I would imagine some law enforcement people. What would Angel's friends do with the tape anyway? Start looking for the crooks? Maybe you can obtain customer's private information on the tape if you really study it somehow.

Anyway, how awful for that to happen to anyone. It's so sad that people have to be on their guard everywhere, no place is safe, not even one of the Happiest Places on Earth.

[DisneyDudet]

I feel so bad for them! Now they have a sour moment to bring a cloud over Disney world. That is so sad.

Now, I don't think you can blame the victims. They may not have known that the hotel has a safe they could put their money/CC in. You would think that locking the money in the car out of sight would be safer than walking around with it in your back pocket. Obviously not.

This is a sad thing that has happened, and you can't blame those affected for what bad people do.

I do hope this doesn't stop them from going back to Disney.

[Itchy]

Video tapes or Digital CD's are common in businesses in a lot of businesses today. The tape can be obtained with little problems by law enforcement and are great tools when you have someone to compare the image to.

The issue of releasing the video to anyone is that more than one person is captured and they have certain privacy rights and is just not practical. The only time a court would be involved in obtaining video is when they refuse and a court order is issued by a judge.

Generally the bad guys get greedy and will get caught but only after a police report has been filed. The first step is to alway make a police report. Credit card companies, banks, ect. will always want a police report to verify any claim that you may make when trying to recover a loss.

[mttafire]

About 5 years ago i had a BRAND New VW Passat. While at a restaurant it got broke into (window) Nothing in it to steal, The thieves must have assumed there was. Non the less glass was EVERYWHERE. Getting your car broke into is NOT a good feeling. Im sorry for their loss of money and TIME. I agree though that it is NOT a good idea to leave stuff like that (cash,credit cards)in your unattended vehicle.
Regards, Shawn

[disneycouple2004]

I'm just shaking my head with this one. I hate to sound cold and I do feel bad for them but why the heck would anyone carry that much cash? And why would anyone leave it in their car? This is a lesson for all I think.

I also have never gotten the using the credit card just for emergencies thing. I very rarely use cash. I use credit cards for almost everything. It gives you an added layer of protection. If someone steals your credit card it usually isn't anything more than an inconvenience. If someone steals your cash you are up the creek.



:ditto::exactly:

i agree..if you have that much cash and credit cards..either carry it with you at all times..or lock it up in the safe at the resort or hotel..

[meldan98]

Just an FYI on something that was on the local news this week...older models of GM vehicles can sometimes be opened most GM keys. So your car can be broken into it and you wouldn't even notice. I know that this has been a rumor for years, but I know for a fact that it can happen. We went on vacation somewhere, years ago, and my dad walked up to a van that looked identical to ours, put the key in and opened the door. We all climbed in and my mom noticed some sun glasses on the dash board and thought that was weird. As she was asking me about that as my Dad had put the key in the ignition and it would start. We quickly realized that we were in the wrong car.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) It s a shame it happened.
2) But, I feel no sympathy.
3) People should not keep cash and credit cards in the car.
4) That is why hotels
. . . have rooms safes
. . . have safety deposit boxes

5) I travel A LOT.
6) Sometimes we carry $10,000-$15,000 in cash, plus cards.
7) Hotel safety boxes have worked very well.
8) We have never had a problem with shortages or missing money.

NOTE: You know the box you check on Customs forms when you leave or enter the country asking if you have over $10,000 in USA cash? You would be surprised at the looks when you say "Yes". It isn't against the law, they just want to know (and sometimes ask why so much cash).

[pdrlkr]

1) It s a shame it happened.
2) But, I feel no sympathy.


I do feel sympathy for them! Not everyone is such an experienced traveler. You shouldn't have to plan on being robbed when you are on vacation. :paranoid: And it doesn't matter whether you have $2000 or $15000 either. :thedolls:

[mttafire]

Although i do agree it is horrbile what happened as i stated in a previous post.
I also dont think it requires too much "travel experience" to know not to leave valuables in your car. So, I kinda understand what Rusty is saying. Sometimes we are victims because we LET ourselves be.
Shawn
P.S. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

[A Big Kid]

First, they were not robbed. Their car was burglarized. Robbery is a violent crime against a person. Burglary is a crime against property.

Second, If YOU dont take certain common sense precautions protecting YOURSELF from crime, no one else is going to do it for you.

Third, it has often been said, "A person should learn from their mistakes." I disagree, A person should learn from someone elses mistakes!

What happened to them is unfortunate, but I bet they will not encourage crooks to victimize them again.

[RedheadWriter]

Third, it has often been said, "A person should learn from their mistakes." I disagree, A person should learn from someone elses mistakes!



Absolutely!

[BelleandtheBeast]

One year we went inside the Liberty restaurant and my grandmother left her rental wheelchair in the stroller and wheelchair area. Someone stole it, it had our name on it and everything, my dad went to get another and we told a CM, they told us they would have gone and gotten another one for us. Super nice. Too bad people can be so cruel and steal at the happy place on earth.:(

[BelleandtheBeast]

If I leave something in the car that is valuable, I always lock it in the trunk or a secret storage spot in the vehicle. The only think I would leave in a car though is my purse with no money or cards in it, just my driver;s license or something. That is as valuable as I get when it come to leaving something in my car.

[Here we go again...]

First, they were not robbed. Their car was burglarized. Robbery is a violent crime against a person. Burglary is a crime against property.

Second, If YOU dont take certain common sense precautions protecting YOURSELF from crime, no one else is going to do it for you.

Third, it has often been said, "A person should learn from their mistakes." I disagree, A person should learn from someone elses mistakes!

What happened to them is unfortunate, but I bet they will not encourage crooks to victimize them again.

Wow, I never expected this to turn into any kind of blame game.

I guess I should first apologize for calling it a "robbery" when it was clearly a "burglary"... how could I be so dumb?

Come on guys, it was not like they left the money out on the seat with a neon light flashing "we have money, COME AND GET IT!!!"
They put the money in the wallet which was in the glove compartment. The doors were LOCKED.

They were between hotels and did not have a safe. They were worried about walking around with that much money and getting "robbed".

For those of you that are acting like you are so much better than them and have no sympathy... to you I can only say that I hope you are never a victim of a crime. If you are, whether it was caused buy a lapse of judgement on your part or not, I hope people are understanding instead of trying to make you feel like it was all your fault.

I posted the original post as a warning and also for some well wishes for some wonderful people that work extremly hard for the money they have. Some of you are so critical it amazes me....
Instead of telling us how dumb they were maybe you should have skipped posting.

[Piglet822]

I think we all need to stay focused on the topic here. The OP posted about the unfortunate situation that her friends encountered.
While we all strive to keep our things safe, as one poster already mentioned locks only keep honest people out.
We're all guilty of leaving valuables in our vehicles at one time or another and if a thief targets a vehicle at random, one of things they are going to do is check glove compartments, underneath seats, consoles, trunks, etc.

[A Big Kid]

Well, when the headline is "robbed," that is pretty scarey. That is a violent crime that oftentimes leads to injury or death. When I saw the word "robbed" I was shocked and imediately opened the thread. They were in fact not robbed. It would be akin to stating that they were assaulted when someone "only" slashed the tires on their car.

Got news for everyone - crime does not only occur in "high crime areas." To the contrary, crime occurs in areas where people have a false sense of security. Everyone thinks, "I am at Disney. What could possible go wrong?" And the criminal element comes to Disney to take advantage of that false sense of security.

You specifically wrote, "... the DVD and Nintindo DS were sitting on the seat...."

But then you claim the wallet was out of sight in the gloveblox so they really deserve no blame. They did the land lubber equivilant of chumming for sharks. Crooks probably saw those items laying on the seat, broke in, then when searching the car for other goodies, found the wallet with cash, and took that instead.

As far as walking around with that much money and worrying about being robbed, that shoud not be any more of a worry than walking around WITHOUT the money and getting robbed-- unless they were in the habit of flashing their cash. If they were in fact robbed, losing $2000 or $20000 dollars would be chump change as opposed to escaping a robbery with your life.

And asserting that everyone called them "dumb," I think a lot of us would disagree with that as well. We pointed out the mistake that led to them being victimized. Now, we could all pretend like we didnt know why they were victimized and let the next person suffer the same fate, but that would not be very helpful.

And as I stated in my first post, I bet they wont make that mistake again, and I am willing to bet that a lot of people reading this post wont make that mistake, as well.

Here is a tip for all you holiday shoppers:

When you visit store A and take your purchases to the car, IMEDIATELY place them in your trunk, out of sight, before heading to store B. If you get to store B, then put them in the trunk, you can bet that some crook is watching you. When you enter Store B, your purchases will likely "exit" your trunk.

And here is another one for the ladies:

For heaven's sake, leave the umpteen credit cards that you are not using home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some ladies have so many credit cards in their purse that they dont have a clue what is in them. Once the purse is stolen, they have no way of knowing what was taken and what was not taken. A lot of people dont know what was taken until the CC company calls them, days, weeks or even months later.

[A Big Kid]

I think we all need to stay focused on the topic here. The OP posted about the unfortunate situation that her friends encountered.
While we all strive to keep our things safe, as one poster already mentioned locks only keep honest people out.
We're all guilty of leaving valuables in our vehicles at one time or another and if a thief targets a vehicle at random, one of things they are going to do is check glove compartments, underneath seats, consoles, trunks, etc.

But it was not at random. The DVD and Nintendo was left on the front seat in plain view.

[Piglet822]

But it was not at random. The DVD and Nintendo was left on the front seat in plain view.

Random or not, the point of my post was to remind everyone to stay focused on what the OP originally wrote and that we should not be pointing fingers or placing blame.
It was written to make a point to the rest of us and remind us about storing our valuables in a safe place.

[Here we go again...]

Have you ever looked at the cars is a parking lot at Disney World?
Everyone of them has some kind of child's games, toys or DVD player out on the seat. The fact is that they all feel safe in Disney World.
Maybe they shouldn't, but they do.

And just so you know, I have another friend that did all of the right things in Houston. They put all valuables in the locked hidden compartments of their SUV and parked under a bright light in the parking lot with nothing visible. The next morning we came out and a small hole was in the door right next to the lock. Everything was gone...
We were at a dance competition and could not carry all of their stuff in the convention center with us so they locked it up, NOTHING in view.

So, explain to me what they did "wrong" to be victomized.

[mttafire]

Have you ever looked at the cars is a parking lot at Disney World?
Everyone of them has some kind of child's games, toys or DVD player out on the seat. The fact is that they all feel safe in Disney World.
Maybe they shouldn't, but they do.

And just so you know, I have another friend that did all of the right things in Houston. They put all valuables in the locked hidden compartments of their SUV and parked under a bright light in the parking lot with nothing visible. The next morning we came out and a small hole was in the door right next to the lock. Everything was gone...
We were at a dance competition and could not carry all of their stuff in the convention center with us so they locked it up, NOTHING in view.

So, explain to me what they did "wrong" to be victomized.

I will only speak for myself but the ONLY thing i see that they did wrong was leave ALL that money and credit cards in their vehicle. That is just not good common sense. As far as dvds or stuff like that..Not that expensive. Obviously you cant help it if someone breaks in your car. You CAN help it if they steal thousands of dollars and credit cards. Thats just elementary not to leave such things in your vehicle. When my car got broken into there was NOTHING to steal. If there was, It would have only been minor things like cd's or such.
Again, IMHO, and not to be mean. There is just NO good excuse to leave that much in you're vehicle. It does sort of take away from the definition of a victim.
regards, Shawn

[Cinderelley]

I'm very sorry your friends were robbed. Can they get compensated from their car insurance?

[Marilyn Michetti]

This is so sad. I remember a couple of years ago, an Intercotee posted that they packed their van for a trip to WDW, went to sleep for a few hours, and when they went outside to leave, the van, and everything in it, was gone.:mad:

I guess robbery can happen anywhere. I hope they weren't serious about not wanting to go back to Disney.:(

[kakn7294]

I think the most important things to remember here is that nobody is safe regardless of all the precautions that we may take. It's really a shame that it had to happen at all, much less happen at WDW where we all think we will be safe from crime. Fortunately for your friends, Angel, they weren't personally confronted by their thief (or thieves) - they are safe and only out some money although that's a significant chunk of change. I hope it doesn't sour them on Disney forever.

[Itchy]

As a previous post stated hope your car insurance will cover the loss. Car insurance will only cover items attached to the vehicle and in most cases when after market items such as CB radios and the like are added that are not in dash they must have an additional insurance rider which cost more.

Items such as game, clothing,ect would be covered under you home owners policy.

Money in a tuff item to prove for a claim and recovery is slim to none and credit cards or their loss could be covered by the credit card company.

[pdrlkr]

Again, IMHO, and not to be mean. There is just NO good excuse to leave that much in you're vehicle. It does sort of take away from the definition of a victim.

Is that like the person who is assaulted but because they were dressed a certain way so they was asking for it by dressing that way? :confused: I don't care what the situation was. The fact is someone took something that did not belong to them. That's like saying if you drive a nice car you deserve to get it vandalized.

[dmosher]

OK not to be cold hearted but seriously... show me a garage or parking lot that doesn't have a sign clearly stating not to leave valuables in your car. No excuses there.

Ok, let's assume they had to carry that much cash with them at all times. You can get that in travelers' checks which would have saved this whole situation, also, cash is made of paper and not that heavy, just carry it with you! Again ... no excuses.

Yes it stinks that they were robbed, but to say that you can not blame the victim here is not entirely true. We have to take responsibility for our actions and if you leave valuables on the seats and a large sum of money and credit cards in your car, which is parked at a destination that practically requires you to have brought a decent amount of money with you, you are practically asking for it.

Does it make it right that it happened, NO! Are you to blame? Yes, not fully, but you should share the blame with the thief.

In our current society, we can no longer claim ignorance as a defense. We must stand up and be responsible.
:mickey:
D

[mttafire]

OK not to be cold hearted but seriously... show me a garage or parking lot that doesn't have a sign clearly stating not to leave valuables in your car. No excuses there.

Ok, let's assume they had to carry that much cash with them at all times. You can get that in travelers' checks which would have saved this whole situation, also, cash is made of paper and not that heavy, just carry it with you! Again ... no excuses.

Yes it stinks that they were robbed, but to say that you can not blame the victim here is not entirely true. We have to take responsibility for our actions and if you leave valuables on the seats and a large sum of money and credit cards in your car, which is parked at a destination that practically requires you to have brought a decent amount of money with you, you are practically asking for it.

Does it make it right that it happened, NO! Are you to blame? Yes, not fully, but you should share the blame with the thief.

In our current society, we can no longer claim ignorance as a defense. We must stand up and be responsible.
:mickey:
D

100% correct.
There are MANY things folks can do to prevent themselves from being a victim.
Leaving that much money in your car is NOT one of them. YES, As stated before: The theft of all that money is horrible. But, it could have been 100% prevented.

[mttafire]

Is that like the person who is assaulted but because they were dressed a certain way so they was asking for it by dressing that way? :confused: I don't care what the situation was. The fact is someone took something that was not theirs. That's like saying if you drive a nice car you deserve to get it vandalized.

P.M. sent..........:ack:

[Here we go again...]

Is that like the person who is assaulted but because they were dressed a certain way so they was asking for it by dressing that way? :confused: I don't care what the situation was. The fact is someone took something that was not theirs. That's like saying if you drive a nice car you deserve to get it vandalized.

Very good point, thank you.
I wanted to point this out earlier but figured it would only start more trouble. Thank you for having the nerve to post it knowing you would get flamed.



Yes it stinks that they were robbed, but to say that you can not blame the victim here is not entirely true. We have to take responsibility for our actions and if you leave valuables on the seats and a large sum of money and credit cards in your car, which is parked at a destination that practically requires you to have brought a decent amount of money with you, you are practically asking for it.

Does it make it right that it happened, NO! Are you to blame? Yes, not fully, but you should share the blame with the thief.

In our current society, we can no longer claim ignorance as a defense. We must stand up and be responsible.
:mickey:
D
Not once did I say that they do not accept responsibility for what happened. Why are we blaming them???????
Can't you guys just take the post for what it was, a warning... and maybe some pixie dust for them? Why do we have to stoop to name calling? They did not use ignorance as an excuse... they knew they should not have left the money in the car. They were worried about bringing that much money in the park. Sheesh


100% correct.
There are MANY things folks can do to prevent themselves from being a victim.
Leaving that much money in your car is NOT one of them. YES, As stated before: The theft of all that money is horrible. But, it could have been 100% prevented.
I did not post this to debate whether or not the money should have been left in the car. We all know it should not have happened.

Since there are a few people that can not let it go and insist on proving that they are right and my friends were idiots I think it is time to close this post.

For those of you that understood what it might have felt like to be a victim thank you for your heartfelt messages. You are the ones that keep me coming to the boards... to be able to have discussions with out placing blame or pointing fingers.

[pdrlkr]

I think everyone is missing the point! These people had their car broken into. Even if nothing was stolen, it is still a shame to have this happen to you while on vacation. :( Sad world when we try to justify a crime.

[disneydeb]

I think this is a sad situation. I'm so sorry for your friends.
Let it serve as a reminder for us all to be careful -
However!
We must not point fingers at the victim!
Even if they left money in view in an unlocked car, that does not make the victim less victimized.

Have a Disney Day!
deb

[pink]

That is horrible! However, I can't help but wonder why someone would carry around that much money with them and better yet leave it in the car. Be careful everybody! :mickey:

[discjoker]

Even if they left money in view in an unlocked car, that does not make the victim less victimized.




You are correct. However in that instance the victim has contributed to their own victimization. Victims of a crime are not always 100% free of blame for the crime that was committed upon them.

[Polynesian Dweller]

I'm very sorry your friends were robbed. Can they get compensated from their car insurance?

We were victims of a car breakin in another tourist spot and unfortunately car insurance will likely not compensate. You have to be able to prove that things were in the car and you have to be able to show the amounts. Money is virtually impossible to prove, especially the amount.

I can certainly empathize with the feelings these people must have had. It does ruin your vacation, it ruined ours. However, at the same time, some time later you do have to look at what you did to make your car be picked out from all the others in the parking lot.

When we looked at the couple of mistakes we made which didn't seem like much to us we were able to see how we did make ourselves the vicitms and how we had to take some of the blame. We now know the importance of not leaving anything in view, even something you think is of no value or no interest to a thief. That item may not be but it might alert them to the possibility of other things being there.

The police explained to us what we did wrong and it was really minor. They also explained how thieves are actually quite experienced in picking out the clues because they've likely stolen from a lot of vehicles so know the subtle signs of where the valuable loot is to be found.

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

To the Op...Sorry this happened to your friends. I hope this does not ruin their impression of Disney.

[A Big Kid]

However!
We must not point fingers at the victim!
Even if they left money in view in an unlocked car, that does not make the victim less victimized.

Have a Disney Day!
deb


This just seems like such a silly thing to say.

If a child stood up on Goofy's Barnstomer and was subsequently tossed out, would you refrain from warning other children about not standing up on the ride so as not the "point fingers at the victim?" Of course, not, you would shout it at the top of your lungs to prevent future tragedies.

No one is "pointing fingers at the victim." We are pointing out a mistake that lead to their being victimized and how others can avoid being victimized as well. Makes no sense to be to spare one person's feelings if it means many others in the future will suffer the same fate because no one wanted to warn them for fear of hurting their feelings.

Once again, YOU better protect YOURSELF from becoming a victim of a crime because NO ONE else is going to do it for you.

[Tigger&Stitch]

Is that like the person who is assaulted but because they were dressed a certain way so they was asking for it by dressing that way? :confused: I don't care what the situation was. The fact is someone took something that did not belong to them. That's like saying if you drive a nice car you deserve to get it vandalized.

No, I don't think that is the point. No one is saying they "asked for it". They are saying you can't claim to be an innocent victim when very preventable mistakes were made.

It stinks that people would rob others on vacation. There are opportunists everywhere, though, and sadly we have to prepare for that. Many people who live in lower-crime areas or who don't travel as much may not be aware of the risks. So, this post is good to advise people of risks they may not have thought about, but asking for a lot of sympathy seems to be stretching matters.

In that vein - I'd like to remind people to NEVER carry your social security card with you in your wallet. There is never a reason you would need it on your person - lock it up in your house!

And as others said, if you want to use cash (as many do to stay away from debt) - get traveler's cheques and don't sign them until you use them!

Don't leave anything visible in your car at all (if possible), but don't park the car THEN move things to the trunk -someone may be watching.

We can't avoid break-ins entirely, because there are so many jerks out there, but we can try to prevent them.

[disneydeb]

This just seems like such a silly thing to say.

If a child stood up on Goofy's Barnstomer and was subsequently tossed out, would you refrain from warning other children about not standing up on the ride so as not the "point fingers at the victim?" Of course, not, you would shout it at the top of your lungs to prevent future tragedies.

No one is "pointing fingers at the victim." We are pointing out a mistake that lead to their being victimized and how others can avoid being victimized as well. Makes no sense to be to spare one person's feelings if it means many others in the future will suffer the same fate because no one wanted to warn them for fear of hurting their feelings.

Once again, YOU better protect YOURSELF from becoming a victim of a crime because NO ONE else is going to do it for you.

:confused:
How can you equate the burglary of a car to a child standing up on a ride? I think that is silly.

[DisneyOtaku]

I'm terribly sorry that this happened to your friends. It doesn't matter what was left in the car, the fact of the matter is people shouldn't steal in teh first place. Sadly, the world isn't like that, even at Disney.

I hope everything turns out all right in the end.

[Cinderelley]

When we looked at the couple of mistakes we made which didn't seem like much to us we were able to see how we did make ourselves the vicitms and how we had to take some of the blame. We now know the importance of not leaving anything in view, even something you think is of no value or no interest to a thief. That item may not be but it might alert them to the possibility of other things being there.

The police explained to us what we did wrong and it was really minor. They also explained how thieves are actually quite experienced in picking out the clues because they've likely stolen from a lot of vehicles so know the subtle signs of where the valuable loot is to be found.


I was wondering if you would be willing to share some of those things with those of us who are more sheltered in our lives.

[Cinderelley]

However in that instance the victim has contributed to their own victimization. Victims of a crime are not always 100% free of blame for the crime that was committed upon them.


I do agree that some victims of a crime are not always 100% free of blame for the crime, ie drug dealers getting shot in a drug deal gone bad, but I do not see how these people were asking to get robbed. Even if the money was left sitting out on the seat of the car with the door wide open, it should have never been touched. I wouldn't leave that much money in my car, but i do understand them not wanting to carry it around with them. I'm paranoid and won't even carry more than $50 - I make my DH do it. ;) I'm not even paranoid about being robbed, I'm afraid I'll lose it.

Yes, I've lead a very sheltered life - a pastor's daughter and my DH is very street smart and takes care of everything now - but I was also brought up with good morals including "Don't Steal". No matter what the circumstances, I can say I would NEVER have taken that money. The person who stole the money had that same decision to make and decided to take it. It had nothing to do with the victim's actions and everything to do with the people walking by their vehicle.

[discjoker]

I do agree that some victims of a crime are not always 100% free of blame for the crime, ie drug dealers getting shot in a drug deal gone bad, but I do not see how these people were asking to get robbed. Even if the money was left sitting out on the seat of the car with the door wide open, it should have never been touched. I wouldn't leave that much money in my car, but i do understand them not wanting to carry it around with them. I'm paranoid and won't even carry more than $50 - I make my DH do it. ;) I'm not even paranoid about being robbed, I'm afraid I'll lose it.

Yes, I've lead a very sheltered life - a pastor's daughter and my DH is very street smart and takes care of everything now - but I was also brought up with good morals including "Don't Steal". No matter what the circumstances, I can say I would NEVER have taken that money. The person who stole the money had that same decision to make and decided to take it. It had nothing to do with the victim's actions and everything to do with the people walking by their vehicle.

In principle I agree with you 100%. HOWEVER reality isn't so nice. Sure, even if you leave money sitting on your seat it shouldn't be stolen. Unfortunately this isn't reality. There are people out there looking to victimize others. There is nothing you or I can do about that. What we can do is minimize our chances of becoming a victim of crime.

I have had my vehicle broken into two times. Both times for the most part I blamed myself. I allowed myself to be an easier target for criminals. These thefts could have most likely been prevented if I removed the face plate off of my stereo. Thieves are looking for those ripe to be victimized. They are looking for an easy target. Most crimes present themselves to the criminal. They are crimes of convenience. Criminals spot those who open themselves up to victimization. Very sad but very true.

[RedheadWriter]

As I read through the posts talking about blaming victims, I am reminded of a quote that my good friend (an Army veteran of 20 years) told me:

If you look like a meal, you will get eaten.

Basically, his point was to always carry yourself confidently and appear to be formidable. Do all you can to deter an attack. Always use good sense to minimize risk.

[Speedy1998]

Just wanted to warn everyone. A car lock is not much of a deterant to burglers and car thiefs. A skilled car thief can pick the lock and hot wire most cars in less than 30 seconds. Some of the tools used are as simple as a tennis ball with a small hole cut in it (some types of locks open when air is forced into the key hole). In short never leave anything that is valuable in a car that is unattended.

P.S. to the OP I am sorry to hear about your friends.

[dpamac]

I think this thread has run its course. No one is saying much new and it seems that respect was thrown out the window a page or two ago.