Have you received the e-mail about the stolen handbag scam? Turns out getting your bag stolen is not the worst of it. First the thieves steal your handbag. Then they call you a few days later to tell you they found it, and could you come back to the store to retrieve it at a specific time? So you go to the store and surprise! No handbag. By the time you get back home, the thieves have used your keys and cleaned you out. Here’s the e-mail:
Re: Don’t let this happen to you if your handbag is stolen!
Just a warning to anyone who has had their handbag stolen recently.
I was told this by my Sister when she visited us the other week.
Basically, My Sister’s friend (lets call her Judy)goes shopping at the mall, and while there the goes to eat in a nice restaurant. She hangs her handbag over the back of her chair, and when she gets up to go to the restroom she realizes her handbag has been stolen. Judy does all the normal things (she looks around, ask in shops, call the police etc) but to no avail and returns home.
After a few days, Judy receives a phone call supposedly from the store saying they found her bag and asking when will she come and collect it. At the pre-arranged time, she goes to the store to collect her bag; but the staff does not know anything about it so after about an hour or two of confusion, Judy goes home.
As she gets home, she steps inside and realizes her house has been burglarized and has completely cleaned out. Of course, now she knows the phone call was fake (made by the thieves using the number stored on the phone which was in the stolen bag) and that the thieves had her house keys (in the stolen bag) and of course knew she was going to be out for over an hour looking for the bag, the perfect crime!
This is a true story, and I do hope none of you ever have to go through something like this. Just a warning – never leave your house empty when going to retrieve a stolen handbag!
Also never leave your handbag on the hook, or over the back of a chair in the restaurant as so many young ladies do!
