Any way to stop someone from terrorizing my cache?

[mocrash]

Okay, so, I could really use some advice here. I set up a "TB hotel" cache recently. It was going well and seeing a lot of traffic. Then, one day, all of the trackables vanished. Since then, every time a trackable shows up, it vanishes within a day or two. No one logs a find. It's clearly not being muggled, as no swag vanishes and the cache is always closed and replaced almost exactly where it belongs.

 

Frankly, whoever is doing this is ruining the fun of the game for me and everyone whose trackable they keep stealing. There is only one person watching the cache, although I have no way of knowing who it is, if they are definitely the one doing it, and if they are collecting or intentionally terrorizing.

 

Do I have any recourse or do I just have to let the collector basically shut my cache down? I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[team tisri]

It isn't necessarily the person watching the cache, any premium member could have notifications set up or be running a pocket query looking for TBs.

 

If the person is logging the TBs out of the cache and moving them on then they aren't doing anything wrong however much you may dislike it. If they aren't logging the TBs out then either they don't know how to process TBs or they are stealing them. If they are logging the TBs out you can see who took them and whether they are moving them on.

 

If the TBs are just disappearing while still being marked as present perhaps the best thing to do is either archive the cache, or create sock puppet accounts and a load of logs suggesting TBs are present when they really aren't, to waste your mystery logger's time until they give up.

[+fuzzybelly]

Can you change it to a premium only cache then see who keeps checking it through the "audit log"?

 

But still I don't know what you could do about it anyway. I think this happens a lot at TB hotels.

[+briansnat]

If the trackables are being moved on eventually, then there is no issue. If someone is stealing them and collecting them then there isn't much you can do.

 

I never liked the idea of TB "hotels" in the first place. If a "Hotel" goes missing a lot of trackables go with it. For a "hotel" to be of any use then it needs to be in a high traffic, easily accessible area, precisely the sort of area that is a target for cache thieves.

 

I think if you just forget the idea that your cache is a TB hotel you will get more pleasure out of it.

[mocrash]

It isn't necessarily the person watching the cache, any premium member could have notifications set up or be running a pocket query looking for TBs.

 

If the person is logging the TBs out of the cache and moving them on then they aren't doing anything wrong however much you may dislike it. If they aren't logging the TBs out then either they don't know how to process TBs or they are stealing them. If they are logging the TBs out.you can see who took them and whether they are moving them on.

 

If the TBs are just disappearing while still being marked as present perhaps the best thing to do is either archive the cache, or create sock puppet accounts and a load of logs suggesting TBs are present when they really aren't, to waste your mystery logger's time until they give up.

 

Thanks for your response. If they were being moved on, I wouldn't mind at all. But I'm pretty sure they're just being stolen. At least so far, none of them have been logged out or showed up anywhere else ever again. I hate to archive it, but I may have no other choice. I do like the idea of the fake TB hides, although it kind of invalidates the cache for everyone else at the same time. Ugh. People like this ruin the game for everyone else. 3

[+niraD]

I took a look at the past trackables from The Nest (a TB Shelter). The Location column shows most of them in someone's possession or in some other cache. Very few of them are marked as being in an Unknown location (i.e., muggled).

 

Is there some other TB hotel that you're referring to?

[mocrash]

Thanks for your replies guys.

Can you change it to a premium only cache then see who keeps checking it through the "audit log"?

 

But still I don't know what you could do about it anyway. I think this happens a lot at TB hotels.

 

So even if I find out who it is, I guess I can't do anything about it.

 

If the trackables are being moved on eventually, then there is no issue. If someone is stealing them and collecting them then there isn't much you can do.

I never liked the idea of TB "hotels" in the first place. If a "Hotel" goes missing a lot of trackables go with it. For a "hotel" to be of any use then it needs to be in a high traffic, easily accessible area, precisely the sort of area that is a target for cache thieves.

 

I think if you just forget the idea that your cache is a TB hotel you will get more pleasure out of it.

 

It doesn't have to be a "hotel" per se. It's not even near a highway. But it's a large urban cache that should be perfect for locals moving trackables.

 

I almost feel like it's my responsibility to either downsize or archive so no one else loses their TB. I guess there's a reason my hometown is a TB black hole. I just hate that this one person is ruining the game for so many people.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Set up a game camera?

 

Other than that, archive and publish a new TB in a more secure location, like your front door-step.

[mocrash]

I took a look at the past trackables from The Nest (a TB Shelter). The Location column shows most of them in someone's possession or in some other cache. Very few of them are marked as being in an Unknown location (i.e., muggled).

 

Is there some other TB hotel that you're referring to?

 

No, that's the one. It had a decent amount of TB traffic until the terrorist struck. But the last five TBs to be left there (including the two still listed as being in the cache) have vanished in the exact same way, each gone within a day of being placed.

[mocrash]

Set up a game camera?

 

Other than that, archive and publish a new TB in a more secure location, like your front door-step.

 

A game camera and a tranquilizer gun.

[+fuzzybelly]

Set up a game camera?

 

Other than that, archive and publish a new TB in a more secure location, like your front door-step.

 

A game camera and a tranquilizer gun.

And then ask nicely for the TB's back

[+fizzymagic]

Okay, so, I could really use some advice here. I set up a "TB hotel" cache recently. It was going well and seeing a lot of traffic. Then, one day, all of the trackables vanished. Since then, every time a trackable shows up, it vanishes within a day or two. No one logs a find. It's clearly not being muggled, as no swag vanishes and the cache is always closed and replaced almost exactly where it belongs.

 

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

[+stijnhommes]

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

If you do this, the trackable will appear in the cache you took it from until you choose to replace it somewhere. For all intents and purposes, the owner will believe it has been stolen or gone missing. Why not log the pick up and posting a detailed log to let the owner know exactly when and where you plan to move the TB?

 

As a TB owner, I know I'd be much happier knowing someone is planning to move it, than being left in limbo over its fate...

[+The Leprechauns]

There is only one person watching the cache, although I have no way of knowing who it is, if they are definitely the one doing it, and if they are collecting or intentionally terrorizing.

As discussed before, this is Exhibit A when answering the question "why can't I see who's watching my cache?"

 

Can you change it to a premium only cache then see who keeps checking it through the "audit log"?

 

But still I don't know what you could do about it anyway. I think this happens a lot at TB hotels.

 

So even if I find out who it is, I guess I can't do anything about it.

As discussed before, this is Exhibit A when advocating for the abolishment of the premium member cache audit log feature.

 

I took a look at the past trackables from The Nest (a TB Shelter). The Location column shows most of them in someone's possession or in some other cache. Very few of them are marked as being in an Unknown location (i.e., muggled).

 

Is there some other TB hotel that you're referring to?

 

No, that's the one. It had a decent amount of TB traffic until the terrorist struck. But the last five TBs to be left there (including the two still listed as being in the cache) have vanished in the exact same way, each gone within a day of being placed.

The two trackables still in the cache inventory were placed there on December 23rd. That is three days ago. And, there was this little thing called "Christmas" in the middle of that. Odds are, someone from out of town picked them up while visiting their family, and will log the movements after dropping the trackables off in a cache far, far away.

 

Why do I say "odds are?" Because 48 trackables have moved through the cache, and all but three of them are logged in someone's posession, or as being in another cache. That is actually pretty good, in my experience.

 

Like fizzymagic, I very rarely move trackables at all anymore, because of scenarios like this one. It's a shame, too -- I cached in 11 states during 2013, from coast to coast, and I've clocked well over 100,000 cache-to-cache miles over the years.

Edited December 27, 2013 by The Leprechauns

[+Dogmeat*]

Okay, so, I could really use some advice here. I set up a "TB hotel" cache recently. It was going well and seeing a lot of traffic. Then, one day, all of the trackables vanished. Since then, every time a trackable shows up, it vanishes within a day or two. No one logs a find. It's clearly not being muggled, as no swag vanishes and the cache is always closed and replaced almost exactly where it belongs.

 

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

 

... that's not cool at all.

[Martymarquette]

place a tb in there and then wait in hiding near the cache till the person comes - then -- well do what you think is best....

[+Manville Possum]

Set up a game camera?

 

Other than that, archive and publish a new TB in a more secure location, like your front door-step.

 

A game camera and a tranquilizer gun.

No! A portable Bear trap and a tranquilizer gun. Then relocate the offender up in the mountains.

Really, theft of my trackables has not stopped me from collecting them, only leaving them in a geocache. I think that most of us use the dip or discover feature now and only share tracking numbers at events.

[mocrash]

The two trackables still in the cache inventory were placed there on December 23rd. That is three days ago. And, there was this little thing called "Christmas" in the middle of that. Odds are, someone from out of town picked them up while visiting their family, and will log the movements after dropping the trackables off in a cache far, far away.

 

Why do I say "odds are?" Because 48 trackables have moved through the cache, and all but three of them are logged in someone's posession, or as being in another cache. That is actually pretty good, in my experience.

 

Like fizzymagic, I very rarely move trackables at all anymore, because of scenarios like this one. It's a shame, too -- I cached in 11 states during 2013, from coast to coast, and I've clocked well over 100,000 cache-to-cache miles over the years.

 

I hope you're right. It just fits the pattern too well. Also, I know 48 trackables have passed through, but keep in mind that the majority of those were visiting, not dropped. And all trackables left in the cache since the first theft have gone missing. I'll give it a few days and we'll see.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Okay, so, I could really use some advice here. I set up a "TB hotel" cache recently. It was going well and seeing a lot of traffic. Then, one day, all of the trackables vanished. Since then, every time a trackable shows up, it vanishes within a day or two. No one logs a find. It's clearly not being muggled, as no swag vanishes and the cache is always closed and replaced almost exactly where it belongs.

 

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

 

... that's not cool at all.

 

Agreed. If you take a trackable, you should log it right away. Not just for the trackable owner, but for other cachers who go visit the cache, expecting to find the travel bug there. I keep a careful eye on the trackables in my caches. Quite often some will post in their log that they were disappointed that such n such trackable was not there. Even if it's only been a couple weeks, I will go ahead and mark it missing. I don't care much about trackables myself, but for many people, trackables are really important, so I think it's good sportsmanship to honor that.

 

If you plan to keep a trackable for a long time, then perhaps you should just not pick it up (especially if you're not planning to log it).

[+The_Incredibles_]

Why not log the pick up and posting a detailed log to let the owner know exactly when and where you plan to move the TB?

 

As a TB owner, I know I'd be much happier knowing someone is planning to move it, than being left in limbo over its fate...

 

Exactly. I found a cache once and happened to notice that one of the trackables that was supposed to be in it wasn't. I emailed the trackable owner to let him know. He got quite worried as the trackable was special to him and had tens of thousands of miles on it. So he emailed the most recent finders to try to find out who took it. Eventually he did figure it out. They had simply forgotten to log it and hadn't gotten around to dropping it yet. The situation made for a lot of extra emails and worry on the part of the trackable owner. So if you're not going to log trackables you pick up, you should at least be aware of the amount of hassle you're going to cause your fellow cacher.

Edited December 27, 2013 by The_Incredibles_

[+fuzzybelly]

I agree crdibles,

 

One shouldn't HOLD the TB while it still shows as being in a cache(I think that's a Seinfeld line). In fact I'm fairly sure there is some sort of unwritten rule about moving them along in a reasonable amount of time.

 

I don't have a problem with a cacher holding my TB's as long as they want, but I'd love some "visits" at least, maybe a photo with it somewhere to just show me the little fella's still alive. No posts or anything for months makes me think the last cacher lost it.

[+wmpastor]

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

If you do this, the trackable will appear in the cache you took it from until you choose to replace it somewhere. For all intents and purposes, the owner will believe it has been stolen or gone missing. Why not log the pick up and posting a detailed log to let the owner know exactly when and where you plan to move the TB?

 

As a TB owner, I know I'd be much happier knowing someone is planning to move it, than being left in limbo over its fate...

+1

[+Crow-T-Robot]

 

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

 

I know you don't think keeping the trackable inventory correct is a cache owners job but I also think it's pretty inconsiderate to put another CO in that position. You are choosing to take the trackable. Noone is forcing you. Taking the TB means you are assuming responsibility for it while you have it and that includes logging it in a timely manner.

[+fizzymagic]

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

If you do this, the trackable will appear in the cache you took it from until you choose to replace it somewhere. For all intents and purposes, the owner will believe it has been stolen or gone missing. Why not log the pick up and posting a detailed log to let the owner know exactly when and where you plan to move the TB?

 

As a TB owner, I know I'd be much happier knowing someone is planning to move it, than being left in limbo over its fate...

 

With trackables, there is no way to win. Either the cache owner whines or the trackable's owner whines. That why I only move them in extreme circumstances. I have moved maybe 2 in the last 3 years.

 

And no, I am not going to start logging them out again. As I said, I have received too many emails from trackable owners complaining.

[+fizzymagic]

Why not log the pick up and posting a detailed log to let the owner know exactly when and where you plan to move the TB?

 

As a TB owner, I know I'd be much happier knowing someone is planning to move it, than being left in limbo over its fate...

 

Exactly. I found a cache once and happened to notice that one of the trackables that was supposed to be in it wasn't. I emailed the trackable owner to let him know. He got quite worried as the trackable was special to him and had tens of thousands of miles on it. So he emailed the most recent finders to try to find out who took it.

 

In other words, you and he worked together to punish a person who was doing him a favor. And you punished a bunch of innocent people as well.

 

As someone else said, "not cool."

Edited December 27, 2013 by fizzymagic

[+WarNinjas]

We had this same problem on our TB motel. Of course being new we placed one in a crazy popular area. It would make for the best TB motel as it is visited often from many from many different country's. It ended up getting muggled and some possible TB's went missing. Someone from these forums was very upset that we placed it there and there TB went missing. It was a good placement and all should have been fine but still had problems. Here is what we did. We changed it to premium members only and then moved it. As far as being muggled it has had no problems after that. We also changed it not to be named a TB motel. However it is so popular that some TB's still go missing. We think this is because of members on vacation that don't log them for a long time or forget to move them on. We justify a couple going missing because of the numbers that go threw to great new places. I am sure some would go missing at other caches as well. There are many that linger on the list for many months if not a year then get logged. Belive me we feel horrible if they do go missing but as a TB owner of 14 TB that hardly ever move and most have gone missing we think ours would have better chanced in this cache of ours then they have had in ones they were placed in.

WarNinjas Pier 39 Cache! (used to be WarNinjas TB MOTEL)

1733 finds on it

2284 Trackables threw the cache!

We have marked maybe 15 as missing at time of muggled and some of those have shown up.

Shows 13 in the cache and all but one from 2013.

Most of those will be logged out from the history of this hide. We don't want any to go missing but guess it happens with this many going threw it. We thought of archiving it but we also think it is a good cache. Most go off to different country's.

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3170E_warninjas-pier-39-cache?guid=f9c7c514-58da-4430-ac33-0f3c2a665292

Anyways our advice is to change it to premium member only then move it a bit so if the muggle is around he/she wont know where and then see what happens. Hope it all works out.

-WarNinjas

[tttedzeins]

Set up a game camera?

 

That was my initial thought.

[+The_Incredibles_]

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

But I never take them from caches I have already visited, so I always leave a Found log.

If you do this, the trackable will appear in the cache you took it from until you choose to replace it somewhere. For all intents and purposes, the owner will believe it has been stolen or gone missing. Why not log the pick up and posting a detailed log to let the owner know exactly when and where you plan to move the TB?

 

As a TB owner, I know I'd be much happier knowing someone is planning to move it, than being left in limbo over its fate...

 

With trackables, there is no way to win. Either the cache owner whines or the trackable's owner whines. That why I only move them in extreme circumstances. I have moved maybe 2 in the last 3 years.

 

And no, I am not going to start logging them out again. As I said, I have received too many emails from trackable owners complaining.

 

You've received many whiny emails?? How long do you keep these things? I've moved many trackables and haven't yet received a concerned email.

 

It's not rocket science. 1) Pick it up 2) Log it 3) Move it along in a timely fashion.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Agreeing with Lep, there's no indication that the TB Hotel that belongs to the original poster here is being terrorized.

The history of trackables in it is quite good.

that the last 2 trackables placed there by the CO may be gone right now with no log is probably related to Christmas travel. It may be after New Year's before finds/trackables get logged.

 

Re fizzymagic's TB logging technique - seems okay to me. Logs 'em when he drops 'em. I bet he rarely holds one long, I bet he doesn't forget either.

 

I don't handle trackables much myself - as fizzy and others have mentioned, too many hyper-active TB owners.

 

I've been contacted by a TB owner to please remove a TB of theirs from one my caches ASAP - heat of summer, remote paddle cache - seriously getting there was not on the to do list, let alone ASAP. I didn't put the TB there.... I did eventually move it.

 

I will remove trackables from the end of my own and sometimes other cacher's remote multi and hiking caches, particularly at the end of the caching season here. I'm fortunate to walk by a well placed ammo can often, an easy place to drop 'em.

[+ras_oscar]

To the OP; Try taking your cache offline for a few months. If someone is watching for trackables they will likely move on to someone else's cache.

[JASTA 11]

I only counted a few TB's that were listed as 'location unknown'. Quite a few were in possession of one particular cacher.

 

It appears that they are playing the game within the guidelines. They took it, they logged it.

 

That is, unless you subscribe to the 'take a trackable - leave a trackable' mindset, which isn't correct since the purpose of a trackable is to move, not necessarily to be traded.

 

Perhaps this cacher is really into collecting GC icons?

 

They could 'discover' the trackables to get the icons instead of removing them, but I don't see anything really wrong here.

 

Just sayin'.

[mocrash]

We had this same problem on our TB motel. Of course being new we placed one in a crazy popular area. It would make for the best TB motel as it is visited often from many from many different country's. It ended up getting muggled and some possible TB's went missing. Someone from these forums was very upset that we placed it there and there TB went missing. It was a good placement and all should have been fine but still had problems. Here is what we did. We changed it to premium members only and then moved it. As far as being muggled it has had no problems after that. We also changed it not to be named a TB motel....

Anyways our advice is to change it to premium member only then move it a bit so if the muggle is around he/she wont know where and then see what happens. Hope it all works out.

-WarNinjas

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I may end up having to do that. I just hate excluding anyone and that also assumes that the collector is not a premium member himself. Plus, I myself am not a premium member yet.

 

Set up a game camera?

 

That was my initial thought.

 

Are you guys being serious? I totally thought that was a joke. If I DO get a picture or video of the perpetrator, then what?

 

Agreeing with Lep, there's no indication that the TB Hotel that belongs to the original poster here is being terrorized.

The history of trackables in it is quite good.

that the last 2 trackables placed there by the CO may be gone right now with no log is probably related to Christmas travel. It may be after New Year's before finds/trackables get logged.

 

I hope you're right and I'm over-reacting. But what you can't see from the stats is the change in pattern. Yes, over the history of the cache, many trackables have safely come and gone, most "dipped." However, on 11-30, the following logs showed up on the same day:

1. "Dropping TB."

2. "...No more trackables. I think a local cacher is collecting them. I hope yours gets moved along..."

 

Since that day, all trackables left behind have vanished without a trace.

 

I only counted a few TB's that were listed as 'location unknown'. Quite a few were in possession of one particular cacher.

 

It appears that they are playing the game within the guidelines. They took it, they logged it.

 

That is, unless you subscribe to the 'take a trackable - leave a trackable' mindset, which isn't correct since the purpose of a trackable is to move, not necessarily to be traded.

 

Perhaps this cacher is really into collecting GC icons?

 

They could 'discover' the trackables to get the icons instead of removing them, but I don't see anything really wrong here.

 

Just sayin'.

No problems with every single TB being logged out and moved on from my cache. That's the point. TBs SHOULD be moved along. The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

To the OP; Try taking your cache offline for a few months. If someone is watching for trackables they will likely move on to someone else's cache.

 

Thanks for the advice. I hope that works.

Edited December 27, 2013 by mocrash

[mocrash]

Okay, so, based on the suggestions from you guys, it appears that my best options are:

1. Wait a few weeks and hope I'm wrong about the last couple TBs that went missing

2. Make the cache premium only and remove the word "TB" from the name

3. Temporarily archive and hope the terrorist moves on.

4. Downsize or disable

 

What do you guys think about posting a log on the cache basically telling the terrorist that tb's are not collectibles, that if he is planning on moving them, he needs to log them, that if he is keeping them, he is stealing and ruining the game for everyone else and that all that is going to happen is that he is going to force me to archive the cache so no one else loses their TBs? Any chance it's ignorance and I can solve it that way? My gut says no, but that would be an ideal solution if it worked.

Edited December 27, 2013 by mocrash

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

[mocrash]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

[4wheelin_fool]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

 

BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully.

Edited December 27, 2013 by 4wheelin_fool

[team tisri]

Okay, so, I could really use some advice here. I set up a "TB hotel" cache recently. It was going well and seeing a lot of traffic. Then, one day, all of the trackables vanished. Since then, every time a trackable shows up, it vanishes within a day or two. No one logs a find. It's clearly not being muggled, as no swag vanishes and the cache is always closed and replaced almost exactly where it belongs.

 

That's weird. I rarely move trackables (only removing them from extremely low-traffic caches or taking them to another continent) and when I do I never log that I have taken them until the same time as I place them. That's because I don't care to receive emails from trackable owners who want to "remind" me to move them more quickly than I have planned.

 

I haven't had a mail like that in years. I recently got a mail from a concerned TB owner on the basis I had the first bug they released and hadn't moved it for two months and they just wanted to know if I still had it or if it had gone missing. It was no big deal to reassure them and explain why I hadn't moved it. I dropped it off the other side of the Atlantic.

[+Ambrosia]

I realized that I haven't gotten around to electronically retrieving the two bugs I found in a cache recently. I had to check where the OP lives to make sure I wasn't the one who was making him stressed out. Whew! Not me!

 

I need to go log those tbs now.

[+Geo-Nome]

Set up a game camera?

 

Other than that, archive and publish a new TB in a more secure location, like your front door-step.

 

A game camera and a tranquilizer gun.

No! A portable Bear trap and a tranquilizer gun. Then relocate the offender up in the mountains.

Really, theft of my trackables has not stopped me from collecting them, only leaving them in a geocache. I think that most of us use the dip or discover feature now and only share tracking numbers at events.

 

[+dphickey]

Change the cache to a Mystery cache, put a combo lock on the cache and put a simple puzzle on the page to get the combo.. If it's muggles they won't bother it anymore, if it's a cacher outside of the game camera or a GPS tracker on a TB not much you can do.

[mocrash]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

 

BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully.

 

Wow. Put that buzzer away. I'm not sure what you're objecting to here. Yes, several TBs have passed safely through my cache. Until 11-30. Since then, five TBs in a row have gone missing, all vanishing within a day or two of being placed with nothing else being taken from the cache. I haven't marked the last two as missing yet, so the history will show three listed as missing. And yes, I dropped off the last two myself on 12/23 before I recognized what was going on. Once the same thing happened to them, I saw the pattern and I came on here to try to figure out how to solve the problem before any more were stolen.

[mocrash]

I realized that I haven't gotten around to electronically retrieving the two bugs I found in a cache recently. I had to check where the OP lives to make sure I wasn't the one who was making him stressed out. Whew! Not me!

 

I need to go log those tbs now.

 

Haha...no,not you. I understand that kind of thing, especially if you're traveling. If I wasn't seeing a pattern, I wouldn't sweat it.

 

 

Haha...PERFECT!

 

Change the cache to a Mystery cache, put a combo lock on the cache and put a simple puzzle on the page to get the combo.. If it's muggles they won't bother it anymore, if it's a cacher outside of the game camera or a GPS tracker on a TB not much you can do.

Thanks for the advice. Pretty sure it has to be a cacher though - they always come right after a new TB drop is logged and they never take anything else, even though some of the swag is actually cooler looking than some of the TBs that have gone missing. It would make more sense and be easier to handle if it had just been muggled.

[4wheelin_fool]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

 

BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully.

 

Wow. Put that buzzer away. I'm not sure what you're objecting to here. Yes, several TBs have passed safely through my cache. Until 11-30. Since then, five TBs in a row have gone missing, all vanishing within a day or two of being placed with nothing else being taken from the cache. I haven't marked the last two as missing yet, so the history will show three listed as missing. And yes, I dropped off the last two myself on 12/23 before I recognized what was going on. Once the same thing happened to them, I saw the pattern and I came on here to try to figure out how to solve the problem before any more were stolen.

 

BZZZZT. Wrong answer again. You marked the 3 trackables as missing on 12/2 with a note that someone was collecting them and indicated a problem back then. Three weeks later on 12/23 you visited the cache and dropped 2 coins into it. You are now saying that you revisited the cache since then and discovered the new ones gone? That's a bit quick, the person likely hasn't logged their find yet.

Edited December 27, 2013 by 4wheelin_fool

[+niraD]

Agreed. If you take a trackable, you should log it right away.

IMHO, there are very few things in geocaching that need to be logged online "right away". An angry land owner who wants the geocache and the geocachers gone? Sure, I'll log the NA right away. Serious problems with the cache (e.g., it broke and I took the pieces home with me)? Sure, I'll log the NM right away. But Finds, DNFs, FTFs, TB movement, Notes, etc.? No, I log them when convenient.

[mocrash]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

 

BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully.

 

Wow. Put that buzzer away. I'm not sure what you're objecting to here. Yes, several TBs have passed safely through my cache. Until 11-30. Since then, five TBs in a row have gone missing, all vanishing within a day or two of being placed with nothing else being taken from the cache. I haven't marked the last two as missing yet, so the history will show three listed as missing. And yes, I dropped off the last two myself on 12/23 before I recognized what was going on. Once the same thing happened to them, I saw the pattern and I came on here to try to figure out how to solve the problem before any more were stolen.

 

BZZZZT. Wrong answer again. You marked the 3 trackables as missing on 12/2 with a note that someone was collecting them and indicated a problem back then. Three weeks later on 12/23 you visited the cache and dropped 2 coins into it. You are now saying that you revisited the caches since then and discovered the new ones gone? That's a bit quick, the person likely hasn't logged their find yet.

 

Relax, man. I'm not sure why you're so determined to prove that I'm wrong here, unless you're just one of those guys who likes arguing on the internet to try to prove how smart you are. The worst I'm being is impatient, and that has been pointed out to me already in a much less confrontational manner. If that's the case, we don't know if I'm right or wrong about the second incident. I hope I AM wrong about it. But I'm definitely not wrong about the history of the cache. Yes, on 12/2 I recognized an incident. An incident, not a pattern. And yes, I placed more trackables in the cache roughly three weeks later. And yes, I've revisited the cache since placing the last two coins or I would have no way of knowing they vanished right away. And yes, it is possible someone on vacation grabbed them, didn't log anything, and will log them next week when they get home.

 

So, let's put this in perspective here. I think someone is watching my cache and taking trackables from it as soon as they are placed. I'm not putting together a posse to go have an old fashioned hangin'. I came onto a discussion forum to seek advice. Some cachers have offered advice or shared similar experiences and I have appreciated it. It helped me and didn't harm them. You have come on here and tried to nit pick details to show me how wrong I am and how smart you are. Well, if you think I'm wrong about everything, then just don't offer advice. Simple enough.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Agreed. If you take a trackable, you should log it right away.

IMHO, there are very few things in geocaching that need to be logged online "right away". An angry land owner who wants the geocache and the geocachers gone? Sure, I'll log the NA right away. Serious problems with the cache (e.g., it broke and I took the pieces home with me)? Sure, I'll log the NM right away. But Finds, DNFs, FTFs, TB movement, Notes, etc.? No, I log them when convenient.

 

Just to clarify, when I said 'right away', I mean 'same day'. Not sure what your definition, but if you wait longer than that, be aware that someone might go looking for it and be disappointed.

[+niraD]

Agreed. If you take a trackable, you should log it right away.

IMHO, there are very few things in geocaching that need to be logged online "right away". An angry land owner who wants the geocache and the geocachers gone? Sure, I'll log the NA right away. Serious problems with the cache (e.g., it broke and I took the pieces home with me)? Sure, I'll log the NM right away. But Finds, DNFs, FTFs, TB movement, Notes, etc.? No, I log them when convenient.

Just to clarify, when I said 'right away', I mean 'same day'. Not sure what your definition, but if you wait longer than that, be aware that someone might go looking for it and be disappointed.

As I said, I log routine stuff (including Finds, which includes FTFs and retrieving/dropping TBs) when convenient. Sometimes that's the same day. Usually, it's the same week. Sometimes, it's longer than a week.

 

When I go on a week-long camping trip, it usually takes me at least a few days to settle in once I get home. The logs for any geocaching I did at the beginning of the trip can wait. My field notes and photos will be there when I finally get a chance to log everything online.

[4wheelin_fool]

 

The problem is with the last five in a row, all gone with no trace.

 

 

Was there a log for them being dropped off into the cache? If so, you should be able to look at the "View Past Trackable" link (right side of cache listing page) and see where they are now. As others have mentioned, almost all travelers that were logged in to the cache appear to have been logged out of the cache.

 

Are the two geocoins listed as being in the cache not there? As someone mentioned, it could be the finder who grabbed them hasn't had a chance to log them due to their being on vacation in the area.

Yeah, they were logged in. Then vanished. They were still listed in my cache until I marked them missing. Now they are listed as unknown.

 

BZZZT. Wrong answer. The 2 coins are still listed in the inventory, and are the ones that you dropped off on 12/23. I have no idea why you would do that if someone is terrorizing your cache. Also, there are only a grand total of 3 trackables missing from your cache. Here is the history. Look it over carefully.

 

Wow. Put that buzzer away. I'm not sure what you're objecting to here. Yes, several TBs have passed safely through my cache. Until 11-30. Since then, five TBs in a row have gone missing, all vanishing within a day or two of being placed with nothing else being taken from the cache. I haven't marked the last two as missing yet, so the history will show three listed as missing. And yes, I dropped off the last two myself on 12/23 before I recognized what was going on. Once the same thing happened to them, I saw the pattern and I came on here to try to figure out how to solve the problem before any more were stolen.

 

BZZZZT. Wrong answer again. You marked the 3 trackables as missing on 12/2 with a note that someone was collecting them and indicated a problem back then. Three weeks later on 12/23 you visited the cache and dropped 2 coins into it. You are now saying that you revisited the caches since then and discovered the new ones gone? That's a bit quick, the person likely hasn't logged their find yet.

 

Relax, man. I'm not sure why you're so determined to prove that I'm wrong here, unless you're just one of those guys who likes arguing on the internet to try to prove how smart you are. The worst I'm being is impatient, and that has been pointed out to me already in a much less confrontational manner. If that's the case, we don't know if I'm right or wrong about the second incident. I hope I AM wrong about it. But I'm definitely not wrong about the history of the cache. Yes, on 12/2 I recognized an incident. An incident, not a pattern. And yes, I placed more trackables in the cache roughly three weeks later. And yes, I've revisited the cache since placing the last two coins or I would have no way of knowing they vanished right away. And yes, it is possible someone on vacation grabbed them, didn't log anything, and will log them next week when they get home.

 

So, let's put this in perspective here. I think someone is watching my cache and taking trackables from it as soon as they are placed. I'm not putting together a posse to go have an old fashioned hangin'. I came onto a discussion forum to seek advice. Some cachers have offered advice or shared similar experiences and I have appreciated it. It helped me and didn't harm them. You have come on here and tried to nit pick details to show me how wrong I am and how smart you are. Well, if you think I'm wrong about everything, then just don't offer advice. Simple enough.

 

Ok, I'm relaxing. I'm still not convinced there is a problem yet, but you could be right. Given that the TB hotel is in a lone tree, on commercial property a few feet from traffic, there may be someone watching it, as geocachers in that area would be mighty conspicuous. A good TB hotel would be close to a main road, but cachers should not be visible from the street.

[+NanCycle]

Agreed. If you take a trackable, you should log it right away.

IMHO, there are very few things in geocaching that need to be logged online "right away". An angry land owner who wants the geocache and the geocachers gone? Sure, I'll log the NA right away. Serious problems with the cache (e.g., it broke and I took the pieces home with me)? Sure, I'll log the NM right away. But Finds, DNFs, FTFs, TB movement, Notes, etc.? No, I log them when convenient.

 

Just to clarify, when I said 'right away', I mean 'same day'. Not sure what your definition, but if you wait longer than that, be aware that someone might go looking for it and be disappointed.

 

To some people "right away" means while you're still on location at the cache, or at least when you get back to your vehicle. If you have to wait until you get home that evening, or wherever you're spending the night, they're already complaining about trackables not being logged when they were taken.

 

I totally disagree with the idea that it is acceptable to delay logging a trackable retrieval until you're ready to also log dropping it off; this practice gives the impression that the trackable is still in the cache that it was taken from weeks ago, months ago.

 

I always try to log trackable activity the same day, or at the very latest, the next day, even if I can't get all my cache activity logged for a few days longer.

[+mom2sage]

Agree with those who recommend logging the trackable when they take it from the cache (within a day or so if possible). I found a cool one two months ago and emailed the owner to ask if it would be ok for me to hold it until Xmas so I could move it to a different city. They wrote back right away and thanked me. No negative emails on either end.

I always note in my online log if trackables are not present in a cache when it indicates online that they should be there. I will not leave one there myself in that case since the cache appears to be less secure than I would like.