I got this email just now:

"GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.
When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents. Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

MOBILE PHONES
This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you."

 

With respect to the GPS one... how many people keep an insurance card or registration info in their glove box? That likely has your home address on it, too.

 

Certainly sounds like something that could possibly happen, but also has a ring of urban legend to it - everything was too perfect for the bad guys. I think it's weird that a woman would have her husband listed on her phone as "hubby", but maybe that's just me. Wouldn't surprise me to find this debunked on Snopes though.

edit: http://www.snopes.com/crime/intent/gps.asp

 

I keep mine in my wallet.

 

this is true. Ive had a couple friends who got hit by thieves like this. Garage door opener, registration info = all gone.

 

Also, if they steal your registration, they can go down to the dealership and get a new key cut to your car. Talk about an easy theft

 

My GPS requires a password to turn on.

 

For your GPS, don't use your home address.
Better yet. Use the nearby Police station address.

 

well, my friend didnt have a chipped car... talk about a double whammy. Take the owners car to steal from his own house so its not suspicious to the neighbors.

 

Lock your interior garage door. Problem solved. Garage door openers should only give thieves access to your *garage.* If they get into the house that way, you had a second problem.