User logging long lost trackables as "Found online"

[PatrickD]

Over the last few weeks, some of my trackables which have been lost for DECADES have started getting logs of "Found online".  For example, this travel bug at https://coord.info/TBHG4D was lost in 2005.  It had a couple notes added in 2006 saying it wasn't in the cache where it was listed.  Now, nearly 20 years after its last legitimate find, "Operation Monkeys" says "Found online(virtueel)"...which is suspect.  The code for this has never been posted and is not visible in any of the 5 photos that exist.

 

I suspect this user might be brute forcing codes to see which ones are valid.  The user also claims to have found the following "online":

https://coord.info/TBH85X (missing since 2006)

https://coord.info/TBH8VD (missing since 2018)

https://coord.info/TBHDN0 (missing since 2013)

 

It's not like I accidentally posted a photo showing the codes of all those trackables.  They were never all in the same place at the same time.  I'm curious if this user has been hitting up other users' trackables.

 

The common thread is that these all use the travel bug dog tag.  I don't even recall the tracking codes myself, but I suspect they're in the same range.

[+kunarion]

3 hours ago, PatrickD said:

I'm curious if this user has been hitting up other users' trackables.

 

If you don't wish to allow virtual logs, delete the logs.  I've received one or two weird "Discovered Online" logs on long-gone TBs, so I deleted the "discovery" and locked the TB, so that more such logs don't accrue.  On some of my TBs, I specifically state that I accept no Virtual Logs, but if I were to post all of the bad etiquette restrictions, the text would currently occupy many paragraphs, and the robotic mindset that creates logs for Stats doesn't seem to read anyway, nor understand that most TB Owners DON'T EVER want fake logs.

 

Tracking Codes are on the page of each of your Trackables.  You can see if the codes are maybe in a close sequence, if you're trying to deduce what happened.

 

Maybe it was an error by someone posting from a database of "discovered" Tracking Codes.  Were the logs all posted within microseconds of each other?  Can you tell?  When you get a "Discovered Online" log, it's kind of unusual for there to only be one such log per TB.  But maybe that member is simply the first of a bunch to "discover" it.

 

The member's Profile has Trackable logs set to "private"...  Go figure.  You might ask about the issues, in the Help Center.

 

Edited May 20 by kunarion

[+steve-geo]

I think you should message Operation Monkeys and straight up ask them where they found the tracking codes online.  Somebody with stats of 62K finds clearly is a very resourceful and knowledgeable geocacher.

[+TeamRabbitRun]

They could be brute-forcing the codes, meaning having an automated process attempt ABCDE, then ABCDF, then ABCDG, etc. but I don't get the end-game there. Cool programming exercise, but no practical 'win'.

 

Or, you say the code wasn't exposed "in any of the five photos that exist," but you don't know what exists. I've seen people post pics of their finds, including the tracking codes.

I agree with Steve-Geo, just ask the guy.

 

You can't DO anything about it except post a note on the page that virtual logs will be deleted, then delete them.

 

[+Hynz]

13 hours ago, TeamRabbitRun said:

They could be brute-forcing the codes

I'm absolutely sure that this is the case.

A TB (or even multiple ones) has no logs for years and then *only one single cacher* comes along posting a discovery log.

I mean if he really found it online why are there no other logs from other cacher?

[+Queens Blessing]

I have also had geocoins discovered virtually.  I learned that the Trackables Gallery is often the place these armchair loggers are getting the codes for the trackables they never physically saw:   https://www.geocaching.com/track/gallery.aspx

 

I definitely need to be more diligent about blurring the tracking code on any of the images I put on my trackable pages.

 

As other have mentioned, when you receive the email that someone has discovered your item, you have the opportunity to leave your comments regarding your decision to delete. I assume this message is sent to the person who posted the discovery.

 

[+GeoCharmer81]

Although it likely does not apply to these trackables... There are multiple sites online where people are posting lists of trackable codes. Most do not belong to them and are posted without the true owner's knowledge or consent. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to stop that type of unethical behavior.

 

I have put a disclaimer on most of my trackables that armchair logs will be deleted without notice. And I do delete them. Doesn't stop the armchairs, but slows them down a bit.

[+Goldenwattle]

6 hours ago, GeoCharmer81 said:

Although it likely does not apply to these trackables... There are multiple sites online where people are posting lists of trackable codes. Most do not belong to them and are posted without the true owner's knowledge or consent. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to stop that type of unethical behavior.

 

I have put a disclaimer on most of my trackables that armchair logs will be deleted without notice. And I do delete them. Doesn't stop the armchairs, but slows them down a bit.

When I am holding a trackable I find it annoying when that sort of thing happens and the TB owner does nothing about it. Not being the owner I unfortunately can't delete that 'discovered' log made in Germany, when I am holding the TB in Australia.

[+cerberus1]

On 6/12/2025 at 5:01 PM, GeoCharmer81 said:

I have put a disclaimer on most of my trackables that armchair logs will be deleted without notice. And I do delete them. Doesn't stop the armchairs, but slows them down a bit.

I've 'Discovered' quite a few Trackables online.  In my log I tell where I found i.

I'll tell you the name of the person holding it, traveling event-to-event like it's their own, or what site I found it on. 

Most times when people complain about their Trackable being Discovered by many, I find it front n center on their own Trackable's page.  

We're not numbers people, so if you want to delete it that's fine, and I won't help again...   

[+GeoCharmer81]

1 hour ago, cerberus1 said:

I've 'Discovered' quite a few Trackables online.  In my log I tell where I found i.

I'll tell you the name of the person holding it, traveling event-to-event like it's their own, or what site I found it on. 

Most times when people complain about their Trackable being Discovered by many, I find it front n center on their own Trackable's page.  

We're not numbers people, so if you want to delete it that's fine, and I won't help again...   

 

While I do agree that Sometimes the trackable code is on the trackable's page. However, that is not always the case. 

And, sometimes, as in the case with one of mine, someone else posted a photo with the code visible. I removed that photo.

Also, there have been logs on mine when I know the codes are not visible on the page. Removed, as well.

The ones that I am most concerned with bogus logs are my three trackable tattoos and (now five) Live trackable Hedgehogs. I Know where those have been and where they haven't been. And, I almost always respectfully say that it is okay to post photos as long as the codes aren't showing and to please not share the codes.

 

 

 

[+kunarion]

42 minutes ago, GeoCharmer81 said:

And, sometimes, as in the case with one of mine, someone else posted a photo with the code visible. I removed that photo.

Also, there have been logs on mine when I know the codes are not visible on the page. Removed, as well.

The ones that I am most concerned with bogus logs are my three trackable tattoos and (now five) Live trackable Hedgehogs. I Know where those have been and where they haven't been. And, I almost always respectfully say that it is okay to post photos as long as the codes aren't showing and to please not share the codes.

 

If I make a T-shirt or other item with tracking information in view, where it might show up in a photo, I will likely display the Reference Number, not the actual Tracking Code.  That's what I did with my car TB, the reference number TB7QV9W is visible, and the TB page has info on how to log the Tracking Code.  It has a rare icon, I sure don't need the Tracking Code in photos online.

 

That doesn't help if it's already being logged online, but my plan is to make that less likely to occur.

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:27 PM by kunarion

[+GeoElmo6000]

On 6/17/2025 at 7:10 PM, kunarion said:

 

If I make a T-shirt or other item with tracking information in view, where it might show up in a photo, I will likely display the Reference Number, not the actual Tracking Code.  That's what I did with my car TB, the reference number TB7QV9W is visible, and the TB page has info on how to log the Tracking Code.  It has a rare icon, I sure don't need the Tracking Code in photos online.

 

That doesn't help if it's already being logged online, but my plan is to make that less likely to occur.

 

 

I think what you should do is make them ask you for the tracking code, then send only half in an email and half in a voicemail, so there's less chance of someone falsely logging it.

 

Edit to add: I actually looked at your trackable page and you have an even more inane way of getting the code!  Using chirp, really?  That's pretty hilarious.  I actually had a chirp-enabled GPSr but had never gotten it to pick up a chirp signal successfully; eventually I sold it since I just use the Cachly app which was better than the GPSr.

Edited 22 hours ago by GeoElmo6000

[+kunarion]

38 minutes ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

 

I think what you should do is make them ask you for the tracking code, then send only half in an email and half in a voicemail, so there's less chance of someone falsely logging it.

 

Edit to add: I actually looked at your trackable page and you have an even more inane way of getting the code!  Using chirp, really?  That's pretty hilarious.  I actually had a chirp-enabled GPSr but had never gotten it to pick up a chirp signal successfully; eventually I sold it since I just use the Cachly app which was better than the GPSr.

 

Two of my Chirps work very well.  The car Chirp has a range of 50 feet.  The one I used for a cache stage has a range of 80 feet.  I had several paragraphs of info on the cache page with help on how to reliably get the data.  It was tricky for sure.

 

As it applies to personal TBs that remain with the Owner for Visits and Discovery logs, two that I brought with me to an Event also had the Reference Number.  I gave the Tracking Code to cachers who wanted to log the TBs.