Avoiding Victimhood

On the subject of anonymity, here are a couple of tips worth sharing...

When I leave a coin show, I check to make sure nobody follows me out of the building and, once I'm in my car, out of the parking lot.

That may come across as a bit cloak-and-dagger, but I just think it's common sense. It would be so easy for a would-be burglar to follow me home, note my address, then return at a later date to break in when my wife and I are out.

I also don't park so close to the coin show venue that I flag myself as an attendee. License plate numbers can be traced to a name and address.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Vicious dog gets my vote.

 

LOL

In exchange for a belly rub my dog would help a burglar carry the stuff out.

 

Someone home 24/7 and a big fat guard dog barking at every sound......

Now I'll read the rest of the thread........

 

I always thought if someone where to break into my house they'd steal my wife.



Take my wife, please......

[Henny Youngman]

 

Sounds like wishful thinking.

 

Regarding PO boxes: does having a PO box as a shipping address ever cause issues with online purchases? I'm considering renting one anyway, so I can subscribe to numismatic periodicals without the possibility of half my apartment complex knowing I'm a collector. I'd love it to do double duty as a shipping address, but wondering what the down side might be.

 

The doctor told me I have 6 months to live. I couldn't pay the bill, so he gave me another 6 months.

 

lol

 

I'll tell you what not to do.

1982. I had my collection in a secure place. There were a number of items I was considering selling or trading so I approached a coin shop to discuss this. After introducing myself to the owner he said he'd be interested. I mentioned that I would be off work on a certain date because I had a morning dental appointment but would bring everything to him afterwards. That morning I got the items, put them in a suitcase and left it under the bed while I went for my appointment. When I came home one front casement window had been forced open and the suitcase was gone, along with a few other items. There was absolutely no one who knew the coins were there other than the coin shop owner and his clerk. Several of the coins were absolutely identifiable but none showed up in his shop. I know he was involved but without proof i was just out of luck. A list of the things taken was circulated by the police to about a dozen area coin shops with no results. I lost almost $200 in face value; who knows how much market value. My dog probably showed the thief where everything was.

Moral - if you have your coins at your home, don't tell anyone about it and more importantly, don't give out your name - a thief can easily find your address.

 

Were did you store the coins previous to under the bed? Safe deposit box? Is it possible someone at the bank (who would know where you live, and would probably know you had coins in your box by the weight of it) could have tipped someone else off about it? That's the problem with banks now days, they're all run by crooks, owned by crooks, and kept in business (read bailed-out) by crooks. While I do use a safe deposit box myself, there are still exposures to the arrangement. I switched banks once because of security concerns, the safe deposit section was in the basement of the bank and attended to by one employee who was physically all but in exile from the rest of the institution. If he ever decided to, he could break into a dozen boxes in less than an hour without anyone ever knowing about it, and then head for the hills with the loot.

 

I keep all the cool stuff at the bank. I could loose what's at home and not feel all that bad. It's insured. Guns are part of everyday life for my family and we understand the laws. With that said, guns are not for everyone. If you have kids in the house you must have them secured. That's a law in my state.

Alarms and video are great when you must be away from the house. I'm a big fan of having a cell backup on my alarm system. Bad guys still cut phone wires and that just shows as trouble with the alarm and the alarm company will not dispatch the police. Most bad guys can't jam a cell backup.

Make your home look like someone is always home and never tell anyone that you are going on vacation or will be gone.

Use all the layers of security that fit you and your family.

 

Avoid victimhood by playing dumb or dead.

 

I prefer vicious animals, like my 20 pound Coton Du Tulier.

Who hates the mail man, and me (when I go to answer the door).