Someone Stole My Garbage!

**staceyy** · 09-28-2006, 03:02 PM

I set my garbage can out last night for the trashmen to pick up this morning. When I woke up this morning, I looked outside and my trash can was gone! The trashmen hadn't even come yet. I called the police and was told I was the fourth person this morning to report their cans had been stolen. I was shocked as the can was very heavy, we had two full bags of leaves in the can plus one bag of trash.

I suspect identity theft but the policeman who came to the house to file a report says he suspects mischief. They found a neighbors can thrown over a hill, the bags still intact. Of course we didn't shred our mail (stupid!) but I don't think there was much in there. One woman says she heard a loud muffler on a car or truck stop outside her house around 2 am and her trash can was also missing this morning. What gets me is that no one reported bags missing, only trash cans with bags. I'm curious if you think this was mischief or identity theft?

**baxjul** · 09-28-2006, 03:05 PM

Sounds like some kids getting into mischief!

**staceyy** · 09-28-2006, 03:08 PM

The policeman said that too, but then he said at 2 am, kids would be home in bed because of school. He seemed a bit puzzled.

**Darlene** · 09-28-2006, 03:24 PM

Yep, kids shenanigans.

**Hollyhandi** · 09-28-2006, 03:33 PM

Highschool kids are not always home for school at 2 am. ( at least around here )
i'm going with kids thinking it was fun. ( same as ones who paintballed our truck a few weeks ago )

**autumnlynn** · 09-28-2006, 04:40 PM

Wow, that was so weird; stealing trash cans. I tend to also think it was kids.

**PennyPinchinPam** · 09-28-2006, 05:36 PM

Hopefully it was just kids but this is the exact reason why we shred everything that could possibly be used for identify theft.

**AmyMCGS** · 09-28-2006, 06:20 PM

Yes, I'd have to think it was kids fooling around, too.

When I was in high school, some of my guy friends found it hilarious to "fork" someone's yard... you'd wake up and find a million plastic forks planted in your front yard.

My point is, high school kids do things that make no sense in the name of fun. Stealing a bunch of garbage would seem to fit that category.

I hope that's all it is!

**suzysaver** · 09-28-2006, 07:43 PM

Probably just kids, but even more reason to not throw that information in with the garbage. I shred anything with my info on it. Maybe it's a good warning for all of us. I live in an apartment and my trash ends up in the large dumpster....I even open my shred bags and scatter the shreds in the dumpster (identity theft really scares me).

**frugalfarmwife** · 09-28-2006, 08:08 PM

I'm sure it was just kids, some of the things they do make no sense, then again kids make no sense to me, lol.

Last spring I was up in the wee hours (about 2am) and took the dogs out only to see a car coming down our lane (long lane with 3 houses back here). I figured just the neighbors coming home from a late night of drinking. As I came back in I noticed it was a sheriffs cruiser, that made me really watch. Then even more bizarre, here comes a sheriff with a tracking dog, actively tracking, yikes!! Ends up kids had been up the road soaping houses, TP'ing and bashing mail boxes and come back our lane running from the cops. We checked all the barns and pastures, didn't find them but DID track them to the swamp, lol, they got soaked BIG TIME.

They did finally catch them, just 3 obnoxious teenage boys. But I sure didn't sleep the rest of that night!

kj

**Goodwin17** · 09-28-2006, 10:55 PM

I'm sure it was probably just some kids. Kids can do the dumbest things. We had a couple of mailboxes busted up last year by some kids. Sorry to hear it was stolen though.

**kabin63** · 09-28-2006, 10:56 PM

Sounds like kids. Lots of teenage kids like to sneak out and get into mischief. My DD said the thing to do at school now is to fork people's lockers. She doesn't get it, but her friend has been forked seeveral times now....

**SewCrafty** · 09-29-2006, 10:04 AM

Sounds like teenagers and I hope that is all it was.

If it was teenagers, what do you bet these are the same ones their mom's can't get them to take the garbage out?

**Cele** · 09-29-2006, 12:47 PM

I'd agree it was kids. Identity theives don't want to draw attention to themselves....they need time after they steal your info to complete the identity theft, and then more time to buy up everything they can before you report it.

That being said, a good cross-cut shredder costs less than $20. *Everybody* should have one. Shred anything that has any identifying information--your name, address, any account numbers, etc. I open the mail standing over the shredder. It takes maybe a minute a day.

It's one of those things where an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure!