Disturbing Carjacking Scheme! **Please Take a Moment to Read This**

[David In Indy]

I just received the following email from my neighborhood crime watch. The email describes a rather alarming carjacking scheme happening in my area. So I thought I should pass it on to the rest of you. If it is happening here, it could be happening in other places too.

It should be noted that my crimewatch group doesn't panic easily, and this incident was passed on to IMPD (Indianapolis Metro Police Department) so I feel confident this occurance really happened and is legitimate.

Here is the email...

The following incident reportedly happened to a city employee who reported it to IMPD and was advised to caution others.  It was forwarded to me and is worth passing on.
                                                                                                                                                   
> Warning..!!!!                Warning..!!!!                Warning..!!!! 
> Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public                 
> parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the               
> rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home,             
> it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to               
> stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the             
> car.       Then we received this email yesterday:                               
> 'WARNING FROM POLICE                                               
> THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN                                       
> BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--                     
> NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'                                 
> This is an example of how it can happen.               You walk             
> across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You             
> start the engine and shift into Reverse.                                 
> When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your               
> parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle           
> of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your                 
> doors, and jump out of your car to remove the paper (or                 
> whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach           
> the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out             
> of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically           
> mow you down as they speed off in your car.                         
> And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.           
> So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your               
> money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are             
> now compromised!                                                         
> BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.
> If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just             
> drive away. Take the paper off later.


Another unrelated scheme was also included in the email. And I think it is also worth mentioning....


To all Crime Watch  Coordinators/Contacts:
Dangerous Scam:
The following incident happened in the Lake Charlevoix Neighborhood.  It is an edited report from a resident:
 
Someone called the phone company and disconnected my home line just before Christmas.   I did not think much of it until I received a Christmas card yesterday telling me they hope I was inconvenienced by my phone being disconnected and threatened that more was to come.  They put a return address only of 63XX Cherbourg Dr. when the police officer went to that address and told them about the card.  They told him  someone had  their home phone  disconnected also.  I have talked to the owners at 63XX Cherbourg and told them I would be sending  an email to report this situation.   They are also upset about what happened to them.   I already have a case number with the police department  and I will be  checking further for more information.  This is an FYI for anyone else this has happened to.   This of concern because in some cases disconnecting your phone line can disconnect your security service.  (or not be able phone 911)  If anyone has any information about this situation, please contact Patrol Officer Lundy 327-6100 North District Unit A253.   Per the officer this is an arrestable offense. 
 



Keep safe out there everyone!! 

[ifyoucantfixit]

     Wow I hope this is not going to be a harbinger of the future, during the bad economic times we are now facing.
The thugs are smarter these days, and bolder too.

[David In Indy]

     Wow I hope this is not going to be a harbinger of the future, during the bad economic times we are now facing.
The thugs are smarter these days, and bolder too.

Hi Janice, yes it is pretty scary isn't it? At first this almost sounded like one of those urban legends, but my crime watch group is quite sensible, and they are good at filtering bogus information. If they send us something in an email, I tend to pay attention to it. And something like this could easily happen in other cities, so I thought I should pass it on to the rest of you, just in case.

[David In Indy]

There was a really scary break-in just down the road from my Dad's house. It happened a couple of days before Christmas. Three people burst into this house DURING THE DAYTIME, and were surprised to find people living there. Apparently they had been researching various websites with pictures of houses for sale posted in them. Many of the other houses for sale had also been broken into, but in this case the family was still living there.

Anyway, there was a lady and her daughter in the house and the thieves wrapped them up in duct tape and then proceeded to rob the house. When they were finished they told the lady she had better not call the police or else they would come back and kill her. Just after they left she managed to work herself loose enough to call the police. She was still pulling the tape off when the police showed up. Fortunately nobody was hurt. They were just very shook up.

[Penthesilea]

The following incident reportedly happened to a city employee who reported it to IMPD and was advised to caution others.  

For a second I misread IMPD for IMDB and thought huh? What does IMDB have to do with car-jacking?


BTW, in Germany people don't lock their cars when driving. In contrast, we're all taught to never lock it when driving, in case you have an accident and are unconscious, help can get to you easier and faster.
I was astonished to learn that in the US some cars lock automatically when you start driving.

[Monika]

For a second I misread IMPD for IMDB and thought huh? What does IMDB have to do with car-jacking?


BTW, in Germany people don't lock their cars when driving. In contrast, we're all taught to never lock it when driving, in case you have an accident and are unconscious, help can get to you easier and faster.
I was astonished to learn that in the US some cars lock automatically when you start driving.

No, I´d never heard of people locking their cars while driving either. I want to be able to get out as fast as possible if something happens.

I have mixed feeling about what they say about not getting out of your car. I rather have thieves take my car than to get hurt myself, which might happen if they get desperate enough.

[Shasta542]

My car locks automatically. The thing I don't like is that when I stop and turn the key off--it UNlocks automatically! If I am going to sit a minute and gather things, I re - lock it manually. It's locked at all times. Even in the carport at home.

[j.U.d.E.]

Hi! I'm not saying what you describe can't happen David, but I have a feeling that it is a hoax! I mean it sounds to me like an e-mail to be sent around and around and around to cram people's inboxes. I say that, because a few months ago, I received the exact same warning in my work e-mail inbox as it was sent around by various colleagues. I rarely pass on stuff like that, especially when it says – you have to pass it on to minimum 10 people otherwise bad stuff happens to you. It's not the case here, though. I also sometimes check www.hoaxbuster.com. And when I receive something I feel is worth passing on, I usually delete that sentence at the end, asking the sender to send it on to at least x people, in so many minutes etc etc. 

I must say though, that thieves have more and more nasty ways. One of my colleagues told us that before Christmas, while she was driving in a semi-dark street in the evening, 4-5 people appeared screaming and jumping around her car, so much so that she had to stop for not running one over. When she stopped they broke a window and stole her purse (about 300 EUR in it - it was Christmas time after all!) and her mobile phone. Good thing was her home keys were not in the purse. She couldn't call the police there and then, 'cause her mobile was stolen. But she had to drive to the nearest station to report it. She then called her ageing mother staying with her in her home and her mother told her that she received a call from someone pretending to be the police and saying that they found the purse and would come 'round at 8am the following morning to return her purse. The next morning my colleague was outside her flat waiting for the police, but nobody showed up. Instead 4-5 guys walking up and down her street past her - smiling - and she recognized one of her assailant from the night before! They then disappeared. She called the police again, but they just said to her to be extra-careful...... 

The week before Christmas - I was at work - thieves entered the apartment above mine at around 5pm, via the balcony (sliding door wasn't locked but I don't know how they knew..) by climbing on a removal van's roof. My neighbour and his daughter were sitting in their living room watching tv, when they had unsuspected and unsuspecting visitors. Apparently they left without harming anyone, but stealing jewellery out of the room they first entered.... SCARY! 

I try to always lock my car while I'm driving, at least in certain areas of my city! The thing is that it can be opened from the inside still. Of course if you are in an accident and people try to open the door to get you out and it's locked, you're in a bad situation... But what to do?... 

j.U.d.E.

[David In Indy]

It turns out that the very first incident I posted is an urban legend. One of the members here (thank you Chuck!) alerted me to it and pointed me to Snopes. Sure enough, there it was! Which is good I guess, but I feel a bit of a fool now. I'm surprised my neighborhood crime watch would fall for something like this, and apparently the IMPD did too!

Anyhow, I sent them an email informing them it is indeed an urban legend. In addition to this post, I sent out a multitude of emails to friends and families about this, so now I must undo my damage and email them back.

Still though, it's probably a very good idea to keep your eyes and ears open. In this frustrating and bad economy, people are desperate and probably willing to do just about anything. Sorry for the false alarm.

The one just below it though - the one about the phone being disconnected is true. I know the family it happened to. I guess they (the thieves) do it in order to make robbing the house easier later on.

[David In Indy]

My god Jude! Kids are actually jumping out in front of cars in order to rob them? That's really scary isn't it? I can somehow picture kids around here trying to do the exact same thing. Not just kids, but some desperate adults (or just plain mean adults) doing it as well. If something like that happened to me in a parking lot or a busy city street, I'd just start honking the car horn continuously (a full blast) and not stop until they went away. But that wouldn't work way out in the country or far away from other cars and people.