A thief in our midst?

[+clupea]

I'm posting this heads-up to warn PDX area cachers that there appears to be a cacher (Laura the explorer) who is pilfering caches for geocoins.

 

I sometimes go back to look at logs for caches I've visited. I recently noted that a coin I discovered in a cache was subsequently reported as not being there two finds later. I emailed the cacher who found the cache after I did and she replied that the coin was not in the cache at the time she logged her visit. I checked the history of trackables for the cache and made a very interesting discovery. The coin had been grabbed by a cacher who never logged a find for the cache itself. In fact, this cacher shows 14 coins in her hands. She has NO cache finds. In every case, she retrieved the coin with the comment "found and moving". The date of retrieval in many cases precedes the date it was dropped - and sometimes precedes the date she created her geocaching.com account!

 

Two days ago I emailed her and posed this subtly facetious question to her...

Please take a look at the August 27th through September 10th logs for "giont,s standing tall" [GC1C5QY]. I see that "Signal Geocoin - Apr 07" is in your hands, yet you show no cache finds. The coin was never logged out of that cache. I'm curious how that came to be. Could you shed some light on that? Obviously, I've a thing or two to learn about geocaching.

I have not gotten a reply. She has logged into her account since then, and fortunately her coin count has not increased.

 

I've created a public bookmark list (gonif) which shows the caches she has raided. Here's a link to a mashup showing where those caches are...

 

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/display/12216...7.109.69.4.html

 

I don't know what can be done about this. I'm tempted to ask geocaching.com to investigate, but nothing prevents her from creating a new username.

Edited September 17, 2008 by clupea

[+clupea]

The gpsvisualizer.com link has expired. If you're curious, you can create a .loc or Pocket Query (.gpx) from my 'gonif' bookmark list and load the file into an application such as Google Earth.

Edited September 19, 2008 by clupea

[+NeverSummer]

Unfortunately, there is little the Groundspeak or geocaching.com can do about it. If there is certain, undeniable truth to it, there may be some things they can do, but that is a rarity (if ever). There are many threads in the geocoin forum that discuss lost and stolen coins, and they all get shut down due to flame wars. It does raise awareness, but for the most part won't go the route we would hope. I'd also be careful about using the geocaching email system to even border on "e-stalking" a possible thief--accounts can be locked, as it is a violation of the Terms of Service.

 

I do appreciate the heads up, as I transfer coins and bugs all the time and would not like to place a coin or bug in a vulnerable cache.

 

pdxgeocaching.com is another good forum to take it to if you want to communicate with local Portland cachers on a message board. I think you and I are the few and proud that prowl this forum for Portland (or even just plain Oregon)!