Why didn't they steal anything?

[giadrosich]

So my car was broken into today. I have a TomTom GPS, misc boxes filled with things from work, like a headset. Two boxes of clear plastic boxes that are meant to hold older games like N64, SNES, things of that sort.

 

So I go out of the house to take my husband to work, and notice the contents of the glove compartment is on the front seat. So we quickly go through the list of stuff in the car, and find that only a pay-as-you-go cell phone that hasn't been used in a year and doesn't have minutes on it has been stolen.

 

Everything else is still there except the cell phone.

 

So now...I can't really report anything to the cops, because I didn't care about that cell phone, and I've already made sure they can't even activate it again, because it's literally been a year since I used the phone.

 

So...I'm more confused now about why they DIDN'T steal anything else. I'm glad...but still.

 

I mean...my CD's and stuff are in there too, but I guess they didn't like my taste in filk and celtic music. XD

 

 

[Librarian]

Anybody stupid enough to resort to robbery is not gonna be smart enough to know what to steal, these people do it in the 'heat of the moment', I doubt they'll stop to look around. Planned robbery's would probable take place in houses, banks, shops. They probably just saw a phone broke in and took it at their own leisure, I wouldn't worry about it.

[giadrosich]

I'm just paranoid now. Like...if they didn't steal anything other than the phone, what did they DO?

 

You can't see the phone from the outside of the car, it was being held in a compartment behind the drink holder. The GPS IS visible from the outside though.

[BxR]

How was your car broken into?

[Xylaphone]

I would still report it, not to get your old phone back but if they catch the person doing another crime they can tack on charges for the damage to your car

[giadrosich]

The car wasn't damaged at all, but the windows were slightly cracked, so I guess they used something to open the lock. There isn't any damages to the car or anything.

[Xylaphone]

A simple wooden wedge and a coat hanger can be used to break into most cars. 

[HeavyZ]

You probably was not the only victim of that night, I would bet it was some teenagers walking around, opening car doors to see what they could find. Being stupid teenagers they didn't take the TomTom. Maybe out of fear it could be traced. I wouldn't worry or be paranoid, just count yourself lucky that you didn't have an other things in your car they could have actually made some good money off of.

[Conker]

All he/she wanted was a phone? You break into a car, you search around in it, and then BAM, PHONE! That's obviously all this thief cared about, and there's absolutely no way he/she could know the phone has zero value to you, like you've heavily implied.

 

 

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Sent from my cell phone, because ancient satellites from across the cosmic web are lame.

[Secant]

Chances are good it was they only thing they recognized that could be sold to a pawn shop; a lot of stolen items tend to end up in those places. Most of your other merchandise in the car probably wouldn't have fetched a worthwhile price, if the owner would buy it at all.

[Your Local Cultist]

Maybe they were on crack, but possibly they only wanted the car and could not get it to start.

[Arceny]

A lesson to be learned- use an outdated, unused cellphone as dummy bait for idiotic "thieves"...

[WhoahCanada]

I'm not reading through the entire topic but you should still absolutely report the "robbery" to the police.  They still compile lists and locations of crimes and they use that data to help decide when and where they should be patrolling.