Taxi driver tipping off burglars?

Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

I've searched and found a couple of cases of taxi drivers taking people to the airport tipping off burglar friends.

Is this really a wide spread thing?

Several families in this street have taken a taxi to the airport and their houses have been broken into shortly after.

Now I'm semi arguing with the other half now about driving her to the airport. I insist on driving her, but she thinks a taxi will be fine and the burglar taxi tip off thing is an urban myth.

Or I may just book her a taxi from the nearby pub instead.

What says BCF?
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arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

Used airport taxis loads of times. No problems.

But who's to say you won't have problems.

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Book it using a house number a few doors down and be waiting outside if worried?

hellkat · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

I wouldn't get obsessed about it, although even I've thought "crikey they're off to New York for two months, I wonder who lives in that Posh House in Windsor when they're not there, does it sit empty" ... although more from a "homeless people could be living there and its empty all the time" point of view.

But I've no doubt there are *some* taxi drivers who make conversation with their passengers and find out when they will be back. Just the same as there are taxi drivers who have friends that run brothels or hotels, and will take you to their friends and get a bung. I just don't think the burglars thing is as regular a thing as you suspect, so there's no point getting so bent out of shape that you insist on taking the Mrs to the airport yourself every time. MOST NORMAL taxi people wouldn't give it a second thought. There's always a bad apple in any barrel but that doesn't mean you get it every time.

Besides. You can always disengage from conversation and not tell the driver where you're going or for how long. Because for all they know (a) you might be back tomorrow and (b) they have no idea who else might be living in the house, or accessing it whilst you are away. If your cleaner comes in once a week, the taxi driver isn't going to know when or for how long, so they can't warn their scummy burglar mates about that, can they.

You could always lie to them, anyhow "Yeah, off on a business trip, back again in the evening" ... who cares if you lie to a taxidriver that you'll probably never see again anyway.

As well as that, the driver isn't going to know whether you live alone or whether you have family, so how will they know if you have people coming and going (or not) ... you'd have to quiz your passenger on so many aspects of their trip that you'd look suspicious.
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Freddyfruitba... · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 May 2016 Karma :

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

Taxi driver tipping off burglars?

Well they won't get a tip off me Shifty

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MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

Itchy, ordinarily if it were anyone else I'd probably humour them. However, you seem to be the most paranoid individual on BCF, so just book her the flipping taxi.

I've used reputable taxi firms dozens of times and never had an issue.
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

So a couple days later?

I've had my doorbell rang at 11pm.

CCTV caught a fully hooded man. The CCTV taken from across the street catches the lights going on in my home and him running into a waiting van.

Might be somebody being an idiot might not.
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Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

If you took her to the airport, someone else must be tipping off the burglars. Shocked

Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

Polarbear · Super Spammer Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

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Sister Sledge · World Chat Champion Joined: 17 Aug 2018 Karma :

One of the biggest problems here is people tell others that they're going on holiday, where to and how long. Add a little gossip and sooner or later burglar HQ get all the information they need.
I also blame social media for people bragging about holidays (I really don't like FB..) and bingo - burglars have free run for a week in your house.
Yes some taxi drivers are iffy but I reckon the majority of it comes from holidaymakers telling others.

MCN · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2015 Karma :

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

bugeye_bob · World Chat Champion Joined: 05 Sep 2013 Karma :

Id make contact at my local police station(if you can find one)
Inform them of what you have found, it wouldn't be hard to set up a sting . . .
Many moons ago we wired a huge new extension for a local tool hire company, that had about 90k of power tools delivered on a Friday afternoon,
Now the security company couldn't install the new alarm until the following week,
Yep they got robbed, a few months later it turned out that it was a guy from the local Alarm company that had been feeding information to thieves, he got time for it, so no urban myth,
So "The inside man" does exist.