Got Broken Into Yesterday

[Ludacris]

Just curious how many people have had their house, condo, or apartment broken into?

I came home from work yesterday to find the door to my condo bashed in. A laptop that I just bought last week and a digital camera were stolen. Everything else was searched through and the place was a mess. Luckily, I don't keep any gold or cash in the room. Talk about being pissed off. But I only have good things to say about the owner and the police. The owner arrived very quickly and the door is going to be fixed asap with a metal gate on the outside now. The police came followed by the investigative police who took pics but no fingerprints. Went to the police station to give a statement and have no complaints. It's a decent building and I've lived here over a year now and never had a problem or heard of any problems before.

Also, since this has happened once how likely is it that they will break in again and completely clean me out? I'm thinking about moving and looking for advice on that. Now that they know I don't keep cash or gold maybe it's not worth coming back, but what about when I replace the laptop...

Edited June 9, 2007 by Ludacris

[farangconnection]

Just curious how many people have had their house, condo, or apartment broken into?

Never in Thailand.....................................about once every six months in Ramsgate.

[peter991]

Break-ins are usually repeated. The time between the first and second break-in is uaually 4 to 6 weeks - enough time for the owner to put in a claim with their insurance company and replace the stolen goods.

Increase your security as much as possible. Glad to read the owner was on site quickly.

Peter

[soundman]

Being in a condo & all - no one saw or heard the door being bashed in?

Soundman.

[Phil Conners]

First time I hear of burglary in a condo - houses, often, but never a condo (not to say that it doesn't happen, just that I haven't heard about it before).

Where was this?

[Johpa]

Just curious how many people have had their house, condo, or apartment broken into?

I came home from work yesterday to find the door to my condo bashed in. A laptop that I just bought last week and a digital camera were stolen.....

Perhaps whoever sold you the laptop wanted it back.

[soundman]

Perhaps whoever sold you the laptop wanted it back.

Now there's an astute observation. Staff from the laptop store delivered / or follwed the customer home. Watched the house. Got a window of opportunity & hey presto!!

Soundman.

[donna]

i lived in a condo in bkk and was broken into once.

i had been away for christmas and when i returned, i noticed that the padlock was not on my door. 'hmmm, thats funny....i could have swore i put that lock on before i left'....when i opened the door, the padlock was on the floor, along with the plastic side of the air conditioning unit, a hand written note and 200thb.

the note read:

'i am so sorry i had to break in to your house. i tried to call you but you were not here. i left something very important in your house and needed to get it back. i am so sorry for this and i will never do it again. i did not take anything belonging to you, only what belonged to me. here is 200 thb to replace your lock'.

i suspect that they either left gems, drugs, or money up in the air conditioning unit. nothing else was gone, and i never did get broken into again.

oh, they used bolt cutters to cut the lock. as it was a big thick lock, i dont know how someone would have snuck into a condo with metre long bolt cutters, but the security guard swears he didnt see a thing. i suspect that he came in on night shift when the security guard was sure to be sleeping.

[nick2k]

if you are living in a gated community or have security, the thief is usually - believe it or not - one of the security guards.

[Ned]

A lot of electical and telephone wiring being knocked off along with plumbing stuff. Did you see that photo in the paper the other day of that footbridge in Bangkok missing a stainless steel handrail? Does it beat the belonging to the rat race?

[a2396]

Steel door & window grates are a necessity here. Wooden plywood doors are as good as butter. Probably Farangs are a bit more fair game for theft, but Thais are also very concerned about security for themselves, becuase they are are also likely victims.

[OneeyedJohn]

Never in Thailand.............. but once a year in Ramsgate

[dantilley]

Was broken into last year - we were on holiday in Chiang Mai at the time and got a call from a friend to say that we'd been broken into. Strangely nothing was taken - even though there were some very stealable items in there such as a watch, cash and jewelery clearly in view. All our neighbours were broken into as well, in total about 5 condos were done. We've theorised that perhaps they'd heard about a specific item being in our building and were looking for it, but weren't sure which condo it was in.

Since it happened, have had an extra security gate attached to our door and there;'s now a security camera right outside our door too. Have had no other incidents since.

[Luckydog]

WOT! Thieving in LOS? Never.

Ha! When I said recently it was a National pastime some gits were VERY indignant!

I know stealing goes on all over the World but it is VERY prevelant here.......

[Fred Sanford]

where was it where was it

[dave111223]

It is pretty odd that they bashed your door in? Most of the condos thefts i hear about have the following MO:

- Guy walks around each floor testing door handles to see which are open

- Guy walks into unlocked rooms

- If there are people inside guy apologies and says he thought it was his friends room

- Guy moves onto next room.

Try to think if you recently allowed any strangers into your room? (Maybe delivery guy, or friend of a friend...?)

I hate the look of those big metal gates, but that may be your best choice.

if you are living in a gated community or have security, the thief is usually - believe it or not - one of the security guards.

I'll believe it. Most security guards here a pretty dodgy.

Also could have been a "friend"; someone who knows when you'll be out and knows that you just bought a new laptop.

[pop_corn]

so scary! umm onece happend to me that a drunken guy was inm y door asking me to open it, but im sure the guy didnt really want to get my stuff.. was just a drunk thai that found his courage to talk to a falang gal. unluckily for him my security came to talk to him

i hv the metal door since then. cuz in anyways scares me.

[Prakanong]

Never in Thailand.............. but once a year in Ramsgate

Never in Margate - once in Brussels ;-)

[Ludacris]

I talked to the neighbors this morning and everyone was either at work or didn't hear or see anything. I thought it could have been connected to the company I bought the laptop from, but when I showed the police the receipt (to get the serial number) I noticed I wrote down the wrong room number when I bought it. So that theory is out the window.

I stay in the Ari area and it turns out this is the first break-in in my building in 4 years, and combine that with the fact I only had the laptop for 1 week it's obvious I was definitely targeted. Sometimes I keep the door open while I'm cooking so my bet is someone probably walked by and saw it and decided they wanted it.

I've got a lease on this room so if I do move it could cost me my deposit and I'll probably end up paying more money for a similar room as well because I got a deal when I renewed the lease with the same owner. With the cost of moving factored in, I could replace the laptop every few months and still be ahead if they do break in again. But I have to admit it is unnerving living close to someone you know did this to you.

With the metal gate on the door all they have to do is cut the padlock to get through it, so we'll see how long it takes for them to break in again. If I replace the laptop I've thought about securing it to the desk with a security cable and lock, but chances are if they get through the padlock on the gate, bash in the door, a security cable isn't going to stop them. I am going to keep the door closed at all times now though.

Any other advice? What would you do - move or stay?

[Maigo6]

if you are living in a gated community or have security, the thief is usually - believe it or not - one of the security guards.

Oh really.......

I will tell you the real fact:

It's usually a neighbour or a very close friend or Family member, best bet is neighbour, second is friend who knows what you have in your house.

[torito]

Only heard once in Thailand....everyday in Australia

Bad luck, but given that this is a condo, the security guard may be involved. I would suggest just stay and reinforce the door/window locks. Wish you better luck in the future.

[GuestHouse]

The answers you get here are going to be a small sample, even if correctly reported they don't reveal much.

For a better idea, take a look around your neigbourhood and see how many of the houses look like prisons with bars across all the windows.

[whynot?]

just moved out a condo and into a house-guy I rent from has been doing alooot of upgrades including security grates on all doors and windows-2 upstairs windows were not finished but I wasnt worried cuz they are new and lock tightly-my GF and I went to have lunch and came back to find my laptop and camera gone-theres been a boatload of service people through the place the last couple weeks so half of Pattaya knows whats in the house-landlord and the police were right there and did all they could which wasnt much-inquery police even came out the next day and questioned all the neighbors but of course nobody saw anything-the last 2 grates got put on that afternoon-now my GF is so paranoid I need 20 different keys to get in and out-its like living in lockdown-I see a big mean dog in my near future-I guess that explains why my neighbor has a pair of Rottweilers...

[Maigo6]

just moved out a condo and into a house-guy I rent from has been doing alooot of upgrades including security grates on all doors and windows-2 upstairs windows were not finished but I wasnt worried cuz they are new and lock tightly-my GF and I went to have lunch and came back to find my laptop and camera gone-theres been a boatload of service people through the place the last couple weeks so half of Pattaya knows whats in the house-landlord and the police were right there and did all they could which wasnt much-inquery police even came out the next day and questioned all the neighbors but of course nobody saw anything-the last 2 grates got put on that afternoon-now my GF is so paranoid I need 20 different keys to get in and out-its like living in lockdown-I see a big mean dog in my near future-I guess that explains why my neighbor has a pair of Rottweilers...

I am sorry for you man, I lived in Pattaya for years, I still keep a place there ( rental ), one reason I and many people I know will not have a house in pattaya is the ammount of houses that get broken into..

I would have liked to have invested in a house a few years ago in Pattaya, but the ammount of my friends who had their houses broken into put me off, but I guess it's understandable why Farang houses get broken into in Pattaya, and not so many get broken into in Isaan.

PS. It's not always Thai people that break ino houses in Pattaya, I know that for a fact, many Farang are on the bones of their azz in Pattaya and will not hesitate to rob a fellow Farang!.....be warned

Edited June 9, 2007 by Maigo6

[soundman]

I will tell you the real fact:

It's usually a neighbour or a very close friend or Family member, best bet is neighbour, second is friend who knows what you have in your house.

In most cases of household burglary I reckon you are pretty well on the money here.

Or someone known to the victim who overheard him boasting at the pub about his latest piece of HiFi equipment.

Burglars rarely break into a house if they don't know the potential score.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Fred Sanford]

I pay a lot in rent but I get top notch security in an all farang/Japanese building in Bangkok (apt not condo). I catch a lot of grief for allocating so much for rent but I try to keep other costs as low as I can. If your rent is low, forfeit your deposit and get out of the dump. If not I guess you'll have to try and ride out your lease

[Maigo6]

In most cases of household burglary I reckon you are pretty well on the money here.

Or someone known to the victim who overheard him boasting at the pub about his latest piece of HiFi equipment.

Burglars rarely break into a house if they don't know the potential score.

Cheers,

Soundman.

Absolutely Soundman, if someone knows you have 15000 USD worth of audio equipment in the back of your truck, good chance you'll lose it !

And the guy that will steal it..........KNOWS YOU !!!

[uptou]

i must admit being slightly paranoid about farang in thailand is possibly not a bad thing,seing how desperate some are in thailand.

i can imagine that if you had a sucsessful buisiness over here you'd maybe be trying to not give to much away in conversations,changing the subject etc.the thing i like about thais is that they dont ask to many prying questions.it never feels like they are trying to get there claws into me.

[Maigo6]

i must admit being slightly paranoid about farang in thailand is possibly not a bad thing,seing how desperate some are in thailand.

That should be one of the main things drummed into potential visitors to Thailand, many Farangs are so worried about Thai people ripping them off, they drop their guard against the legions of Farangs that will prey on them in Thailand!

Edited June 9, 2007 by Maigo6

[pampal]

Our condo has recently installed cctv cameras everywhere including cameras on every floor recording who comes and goes in every condo.

It's good for security but not good if you are fooling around behind the wife's back