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Bikes Worth £175000 Stolen As Thieves Use GPS

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oldpink
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PostPosted: 10:36 - 13 Mar 2013    Post subject: Bikes Worth £175000 Stolen As Thieves Use GPS Reply with quote

A quick heads up for you cyclists here

Quote:
Staffordshire police force has initiated an operation to clamp down on robbery after bikes with a collective value of almost £175,000 have been stolen in just four months.

It's been reported that more than 370 high-value bicycles, worth an average of £468 each, have been stolen using GPS technology that is accurate enough to allow thieves to identify and then target precise houses.

Cyclists who use mobile phone apps and websites to track and share their rides are being warned to be especially vigilant against this form of attack.

Following an increase in the number of high-performance bicycles stolen from sheds and outbuildings, Staffordshire Police have called for cyclists to check their privacy settings on smartphone apps and websites.

"Our investigations have shown that some of the victims had been using websites and mobile phone apps to log their routes - these sites allow users to view each other's routes and track their rides," Sgt Dave Morris commented before explaining the data can be so accurate that it allows the individual's house to be pinpointed.Staffordshire police force has initiated an operation to clamp down on robbery after bikes with a collective value of almost £175,000 have been stolen in just four months.

It's been reported that more than 370 high-value bicycles, worth an average of £468 each, have been stolen using GPS technology that is accurate enough to allow thieves to identify and then target precise houses.

Cyclists who use mobile phone apps and websites to track and share their rides are being warned to be especially vigilant against this form of attack.

Following an increase in the number of high-performance bicycles stolen from sheds and outbuildings, Staffordshire Police have called for cyclists to check their privacy settings on smartphone apps and websites.

"Our investigations have shown that some of the victims had been using websites and mobile phone apps to log their routes - these sites allow users to view each other's routes and track their rides," Sgt Dave Morris commented before explaining the data can be so accurate that it allows the individual's house to be pinpointed.

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Theory & hazard 24-may 2016, CBT 8th June 2016, MOD 1 2nd Aug 2016 Mod 2 2nd-Nov 2016 - Current bike CBR 600 RR
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yaigi
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PostPosted: 10:39 - 13 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

Clever. Not good, but clever nonetheless. I've always been weary of those kind of apps and so thus far have installed none, SO many of them have crazy access rights listed in their Ts & Cs - things like having access to make phonecalls from your phone and being able to read texts. I bet nobody ever reads the Ts & Cs before they install Shocked
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Currently own - Fazer 600, 2000, Red. (But no riding as baby on board atm)
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G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
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PostPosted: 12:36 - 13 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

Strava certainly allows you to set a privacy zone around your home.

Also, consider what you're posting on facebook, BCF etc (not just routes, everything) and who can read it and even if you 100% trust everyone there, can you be sure their brother who's got some dodgy mates might not be sat at the computer instead?
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soforene This post is not being displayed because the poster has bad karma. Unhide this post / all posts.

oldpink
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PostPosted: 22:37 - 13 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

I actually think there is a good bit of truth in this
I have personally seen friends post things on FB showing routes they cycle / walk
If I was a tea leaf I could quickly figure out their home location then scan ther FB account and see if their worth robbing
then find out if they work and when their out and rob them

lots of people are internet savy and do thing's to protect them self like mask there numberplate if posting a bike pic
or blurring any personal info on documents or letters when the post up querying something
but the vast majority of people are clueless and open to getting scammed or robbed via the net

A Ferrari got stolen because the guy posted pic's on auto trader reviling his address by accident
they broke into his house nicked the keys and made off
TL;DR
when caught they told cops how they new where the car was and used google maps to reccy the area
and figure out what tools they needed to do the job Shocked

they may be playing the situation up but it should be pointed out to people to take care on line
and as G said esp what info you give out
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I have become comfortably numb

Theory & hazard 24-may 2016, CBT 8th June 2016, MOD 1 2nd Aug 2016 Mod 2 2nd-Nov 2016 - Current bike CBR 600 RR


Last edited by oldpink on 22:44 - 13 Mar 2013; edited 1 time in total
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Tungtvann
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PostPosted: 22:38 - 13 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's backward maths like soforene mentions. Owners of expensive bikes = more likely to be enthusiast riders = more likely to have bike related apps on their phones.
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yaigi
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PostPosted: 12:22 - 14 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

Our marketing director (A) pulled a brilliant one on the managing director (B) at the conference this year. B is on Twitter and uses that 'check in' function (whatever it's called). From this data, A found that B was in certain places at certain times... right ok, not toooo bad, so B thought. But B had also 'checked in' at home, so A now had his address. Cue A putting picture up of B's home on a massive screen at company conference - now we all know where he lives. It gets worse - B was then a few weeks later tweeting from where he was on holiday with his family. So ANYONE now knew where he lived, and that he was on holiday. He just offered his house up on a plate. Rolling Eyes
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smegballs
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PostPosted: 18:36 - 18 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

So many lovely road bikes at uni locked up with shitty £10 combination locks, or tiny pussy cable locks.

Surprises me that people are happy to leave £300+ tied up with such minimal security.
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Joncrete Cungle
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PostPosted: 18:40 - 18 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leafing through our local rag at work, there is usually five or six nicked pushbike, motorbike, done over shed or garage reports per week. Shocked
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GTR1400
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Joined: 16 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: 18:57 - 25 Mar 2013    Post subject: Reply with quote

smegballs wrote:
So many lovely road bikes at uni locked up with shitty £10 combination locks, or tiny pussy cable locks.

Surprises me that people are happy to leave £300+ tied up with such minimal security.


Yup, I know a little shite who goes round uni campuses with a load of other little shites, just to steal bikes.

Stupid students though for not locking them up properly.
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