Over the course of my life, very few things have been physically stolen from me.
When I was in high school, I had a bunch of stuff stolen when we got burgled. I lost all my CDs, a CD player, and so on. It was all covered by insurance. In university, I was burgled again and lost a camera, a PlayStation (with a near-perfect Final Fantasy VII savegame on the memory card), and some miscellaneous stuff that was not insured.
I was unsuccessfully mugged a couple of times in Vancouver. In each case, the people involved were not very determined and accepted “I don’t have any money” as an answer. I had some cash relatively subtly threatened out of me in Morocco once, also. Finally, I recall having a fairly small amount of cash stolen from me at a summer camp once.
I don’t think I have ever been defrauded or pick-pocketed. I have never had a vehicle stolen (not even a bike).
What about others? Has any physical thing been taken from you against your will using force, the threat of force, or trickery?
When I lived at home, my parents’ workshop was broken into and power tools were stolen. This was my first exposure to having something personal stolen (well, my Dad’s, but it felt personal).
The only other thing that comes to mind is when I watched a junkie break into my car from across the street. I was in a friend’s apartment in downtown Vancouver and I heard what sounded like my car alarm. I had parked my car across the street and at the top level of a multi-story pay lot. Sure enough, when I looked out, a guy was messing around in my car. Firstly, he popped the hood and crudely pried the clamp off the battery terminal to stop the alarm. Then he rooted around looking for things of value in the passenger area, followed by the trunk. He left empty handed into the waiting arms of the police (who I had called). Unfortunately, they couldn’t charge him with anything because he wasn’t carrying anything of mine and I couldn’t positively identify him as he was too far away to make out his face. Between the time he left my car and when he was apprehended, he had smashed the window of another car in the garage and cut himself significantly.
Anyway, the above ordeal cost me $312 in repairs. The safety glass of the window he broke was dispersed everywhere throughout the inside of my car. I kept finding little shards months after the event.
The list that comes to mind includes
1. 5 bikes over 40 years (one each in New Jersey, Oxford, and Montreal and twice in Vancouver)
2. at least two instances of credit card fraud done without my card (no direct financial loss but rather absorbed by all credit card holders)
3. once my brother’s in law van was stolen while in my care. I had left the keys in it and car open at hospital emergency area. It was found by police unharmed a few days later.
4. someone stole a small worthless fanny pack from my van but on this and to my knowledge the crime was solved when police found the thief breaking into other cars. The thief had my fanny pack which I could identify from paper within it. Police were quite pleased that they then had my evidence for a conviction.
There are probably other instances that I have forgotten for the moment.
My last bicycle, taken in broad daylight from university campus by “professional” thieves with an 18v portable grinder. Security cameras and Kryptonite locks won’t deter everyone…
When I lived in London, someone broke into my flat and took all my jewelry from Pakistan which had a lot of sentimental value. Some of my personal immigration papers were also stolen. In Vancouver a number of things were stolen from our home on two separate occasions: once when we were attending the all-candidates meeting at Highland church and the second time during a party at our home. The second time was much more disturbing as it may have been done by people that we knew at least a little. The first time was really strange as the intruder/s also ate our dinner.
Once, I was eating supper and looking out the front window when I saw young men trying (unsuccessfully) to hide stereo equipment they were stealing from my neighbour under their baggy t-shirts. The police quickly arrived.