Stolen Caches

2k · January 1, 2004

I had one of my caches go missing on me today ... I haven't had this happen before. <_<

How often does this happen? Can it be prevented? I'm hoping it is a case of somebody coming across it and taking it, vs. somebody with a GPSr who has a new stealing hobby.

Grrr.

1.7k · January 1, 2004

They only way to lessen these occurances is to select better hiding locations, and to check up on them periodically to make sure the finders do a good job hiding them.

(I've had one of my caches move several times. I even included a "rehide" note with pictures, but still it gets moved around or hidden poorly.)

January 1, 2004

Was it one of your own caches? You might be able to tie it or even chain it to a nearby object, but that might give it away...

I guess all you can do is hide it really good, and out of the way of most people.

January 1, 2004

Its not unusual, and I don't see a solution on how to prevent it. If it was in a more populated place, a muggle might have/probably took/taken it. Also, two of our caches have been lost due to tree/greenery removal.

January 1, 2004

Its not unusual, and I don't see a solution on how to prevent it. If it was in a more populated place, a muggle might have/probably took/taken it. Also, two of our caches have been lost due to tree/greenery removal.

tree/greenery removal???

20.7k · January 1, 2004

I've seen this a couple times. Your looking for a micro. The hint says that its in a tree. At ground zero, you find a flush-cut stump and lots of wood chips.

2.3k · January 1, 2004

Its not unusual, and I don't see a solution on how to prevent it. If it was in a more populated place, a muggle might have/probably took/taken it. Also, two of our caches have been lost due to tree/greenery removal.

tree/greenery removal???

yea, had that happen to one of mine...

Great multi with the final stage hidden behind a large palm tree between the tree and a wall at the very end of a park.

Went to go check on it one day and replenish some of the goodies and the whole line of palm trees were cut way way back and if they cache was removed by the landscaper or cityworker it was most certainly visible now and may have been muggled.

I don't think it was taken by the park staff cause they knew about it and left it in place before with minor clean-ups.

20.7k · January 1, 2004

I agree with DustyJacket. You can minimize muggling through the use of good hiding practices. If the average goob doesn't wander up on it, it will last longer.

This won't save it from a dishonorable Bevis with a GPSr.

3.1k · January 1, 2004

I'm hoping it is a case of somebody coming across it and taking it, vs. somebody with a GPSr who has a new stealing hobby.

There of course are some idiots who will do this on purpose. These people must be loners with a huge chip on their shoulder. Did I say loners? I think I meant losers.

I've had several disappear. It happens.

January 2, 2004

no matter how much you hide your cache the person after you has to try just as hard to hide it to. We must work togethor lol. but it is true. If you do hide the cache good you have help saved it untill the next person comes to fidn it. Then he must hide it just as good to save it from being stolen again.

But theres still the slight chance that some one logs onto gc.com and goes to find a cache to steal it.

January 2, 2004

I just did maintenance on one of my multi-caches today - four stages were missing! And these were hidden in rather remote areas. I actually suspect that squirrels are involved (these were rather small micros). I've never had a traditional cache go missing though.

January 2, 2004

One of my caches "500 Feet from the Pump Station" is hidden on the top of a hill within an illegal imigrant, and drug runner, campground (if you know what I mean). When I hid the cache I spent 6 hours up there carefully moving rocks from far and wide to not only cover the cache but to camoflauge the entire area on the top of the hill, all while not disturbing any rocks that are recognizable to the "campers". After everylog or so I try to get up there to rehide it myself. I find that most of the finders will make a big effort to hide the containter the way they found it, but most will miss the smaller detials.

January 2, 2004

One of my caches "500 Feet from the Pump Station" is hidden on the top of a hill within an illegal imigrant, and drug runner, campground (if you know what I mean). When I hid the cache I spent 6 hours up there carefully moving rocks from far and wide to not only cover the cache but to camoflauge the entire area on the top of the hill, all while not disturbing any rocks that are recognizable to the "campers". After everylog or so I try to get up there to rehide it myself. I find that most of the finders will make a big effort to hide the containter the way they found it, but most will miss the smaller detials.

seems like more time than what its worth why not get a new location?

January 2, 2004

It's worth it because;

1) I don't have much in my life as was discussed in the topic New Years Celebrations

2) It is a spot that means something to me

3)I plan to use it in the multi cache I am designing which will follow the route of my first hike (and is a great, interesting area for others who will be searching for the cache).

4)I didn't just hide it well to avoid muggles, I hid it well to make it more challenging for cachers as well.

January 2, 2004

Its not unusual, and I don't see a solution on how to prevent it. If it was in a more populated place, a muggle might have/probably took/taken it. Also, two of our caches have been lost due to tree/greenery removal.

tree/greenery removal???

Yes, one of our caches was located deep in a fallen stump/tree, and it was removed. Our other cache was simply hidden in a large area of some plant/flower thing, and this was removed by the park, also. :unsure:

9.4k · January 2, 2004

My first cache was the victim of poor placement. It lasted a month before being muggled.

One of my other caches lasted several months before being stolen. It might have been an electrician who found it and threw it away (fake electrical box) or a cacher might have been observed (busy park) finding or replacing it. I have replaced it as it has proven to be a good cache (no complaints, lots of finds) and the replacement container cost less than $2.

My other 9 caches have all been fine. I think I'm just better at choosing a spot than I was at first (experience)

January 2, 2004

As a newbie, one of the things that I find suprising is that there are not more caches lost to muggles...

My first find was pretty public, I didn't really think about it until reading some of the logs that night and I've since become a stealth fanatic.

Maybe this is a subject that should be stressed more in the FAQ, some tips on being stealthy?

9.4k · January 2, 2004

Many cache owners will tell you to be discreet or stealthy when finding or replacing the cache, but some people will go looking for it regardless of the muggles milling about.

January 3, 2004

Yeah, having a cache stolen is pretty discouraging. My very first cache in a public park came up missing a couple of months after I placed it. The main thing I hated about it was I lost the log with all the sigs and comments on it!

After asking advice here on the forums, I then moved the cache to another location less than a foot away from the original place and all is well. Sometimes what you think is a safe place isn't. the place I had it before was really too exposed to muggles and the new one isn't, so much... you learn! try putting it in a slightly different location where the coords will still work and see what happens!

and workerofwood is correct, many (including me) could use lessons in stealth!Usually, if there are too many people around that could observe me, I just walk away and do the cache another time. I usually try to avoid even having to use stealth by caching at an early hour on the weekends when nobody else is up yet (I hope)!

Edited January 3, 2004 by mozartman

January 3, 2004

Many cache owners will tell you to be discreet or stealthy when finding or replacing the cache, but some people will go looking for it regardless of the muggles milling about.

I had to log my first ever DNF because of the muggles around. They were everywhere. I didn't see the cache, but am pretty sure that I was no more than 10 feet away. Didn't want to expose and have it disappear. I'd hate to be the last re-hider of the cache only to see that it disappeared the next day.

F_M

January 3, 2004

One of my caches "500 Feet from the Pump Station" is hidden on the top of a hill within an illegal imigrant, and drug runner, campground (if you know what I mean). When I hid the cache I spent 6 hours up there carefully moving rocks from far and wide to not only cover the cache but to camoflauge the entire area on the top of the hill, all while not disturbing any rocks that are recognizable to the "campers". After everylog or so I try to get up there to rehide it myself. I find that most of the finders will make a big effort to hide the containter the way they found it, but most will miss the smaller detials.

I can attest to how many rocks are on top of this mountain. It took me twice to find it, and literally, if you wanted to punish someone, sifting through the rocks up here is a great way to do it.

I can understand why though, because there are clearly occasional 'residents' up here. Gave me the willies.

--The Cow spots

4.2k · January 3, 2004

I'd hate to be the last re-hider of the cache only to see that it disappeared the next day.

It's too bad that others don't share this sentiment. I read one of the logs (online) from one of my caches that said something like "was having trouble finding the cache so we enlisted the help of nearby kids from the park".

And wouldn't you know it, I went to check the cache 2 days later and it was gone.

(sigh)

If I had wanted the park kids to find it I wouldn't have HIDDEN IT!

As for the topic, I've had 3 caches go missing now. 1 was because of the above quote; 1 was my first hide and wasn't very good; 1 was a micor hidden in an area (unknown to me at the time) that some local kids used at night for various activities .

Live and learn. C'est la vie.

January 3, 2004

I have had two of my caches stolen so far, and I am positive it was by a loser with a gps! both were in thicker timber where nobody ever has a reason to go there, and I purposely made them hard to find. They both came up missing within two weeks of eachother. I wish there were a way to combat this, but I'm not sure how. Having to be a paying member to get goordinates may work, but the thrill of screwing up other peoples fun & enjoyment may be thrilling enough for the losers to pay to do it!

1.3k · January 3, 2004

both were in thicker timber where nobody ever has a reason to go there

Do you mean like the places many of us used to bushwack through when we were 10-15 years old pretending we were Lewis and Clark?

There's a local cache near a schoolyard that was hidden over the cliff near a ditch. I realized, if I was about 13 and lived there, I would have been wandering through that ditch with a stick getting muddy every weekend, because that was the kind of person I was. I almost laughed because I could picture the cacher thinking "No one would ever go down here." and at the same point I could see a younger me thinking "Cool, I wonder what's down there".

January 5, 2004

It's too bad that others don't share this sentiment. I read one of the logs (online) from one of my caches that said something like "was having trouble finding the cache so we enlisted the help of nearby kids from the park".

I would also think that any GC'er would try to keep from giving away a cache location to muggles. However, here's another snippet proving otherwise:

"Lots and lots of people around, sitting in the bleachers, playing tennis, picnics, bike riding....it was wall to wall people. But, despite all the people around, I dove into the bushes..."

They visited on a day of a tennis tournament and didn't think it would be best to return later.

1.4k · January 5, 2004

many (including me) could use lessons in stealth!

Hear, Hear! Someone with some good ideas wants to start a stealth thread? How do you look for something without looking like your looking for something?

January 5, 2004

I have lost 2 caches so far. The first, soneone stole the canister and left the cache contents all over the ground.

The second was a micro on the back of a payphone. Seems the payphone was removed and my cache along with it.

January 5, 2004

I've had one of my micros disappear twice but that was due to the hiding location being removed. You think I would have learned the second time.

1.3k · January 6, 2004

many (including me) could use lessons in stealth!

Hear, Hear! Someone with some good ideas wants to start a stealth thread? How do you look for something without looking like your looking for something?

Act like an insane homeless person. The "looking at my GPSr" hunch is already perfect and the collection of swag and CITO bags work perfectly. A good solid muttering with a pinch of tourette's syndrome is always a good touch. "Buggerit, millenium hand and shrimp" is always a good catch phrase to get people to walk quickly away.

January 6, 2004

This is along the same subject... I have a friend who is a Law Enforcement Officer for the US Forest Service who told me they get a lot of caches turned in from people who search for them on the geocaching web site, and then go find them and turn them over to the Forest Service. Their claim is that the caches were planted illegally on Forest Service land and they are doing the right thing by turning them in. He said some of them even go so far as asking that the owner of the cache be prosecuted. Obviously the owners are not going to be prosecuted by any means and the Forest Service does not have a problem with geocaching, but in the end the caches are still being removed by "cacher vigilantes." So there could be other areas of the country where non-cachers are out there removing caches because they think it's the right thing, too bad they can't just stick to burning books and such!

January 6, 2004

To all of you geotrashers out there,

here is a message for you.

We're sick and tired of your "existence",

and the awful things you do.

We will find out who you are

see, our members stick together.

You'll never know when we'll pop up,

in any type of weather.

So, please leave our caches alone;

don't be an S.O.B.!

No one knows who you are

or what your point might be.

It might be that you like the box,

or you just might like the stuff;

But remember, one thing is for sure,

carma can sure be tough!

D

Upinyachit

January 6, 2004

There seems to have been a rash of cache thefts in my area in the last few months I have had to replace seven caches myself and I only have sixteen hidden that’s almost 50% of my caches stolen. A few could have been stumbled on by geomuggles but several were so well hidden that I am convinced that they would have never been found had the person who stole them not been looking for them. I am not the only one to loose caches in this area, several other hiders in my area have been victims of cache theft also. One person has had several stolen, although I don’t know of anyone who has lost as many as I have.

I am considering setting a game-cam near one of my caches to see what happens.

1.4k · January 6, 2004

I have had 3 go missing but only one of those a theft so to speak. 2 of them had their trees cut down and hauled away (park clean up after a storm).

January 7, 2004

I had one of my caches go missing on me today ... I haven't had this happen before.

How often does this happen? Can it be prevented? I'm hoping it is a case of somebody coming across it and taking it, vs. somebody with a GPSr who has a new stealing hobby.

Grrr.

A couple of things you may want to try is first making it a multi cache. Those that lurk to just get the coordinates and steal caches don't seem to like multi's.......

Second, try making it a members only cache. If it still gets stolen.....then you aren't hiding it very well. We've been fortunate.....we've had caches found by non cachers.....but so far all they've done is log the cache....leave a cute note...and re-hide it. I thought that was quite nice of them!!

2k · January 7, 2004

There has been a rash of plundered caches in our area this year. Some of us are beginning to think it is someone who is getting the coordinates off the site for that purpose. I even had one cache plundered twice. This cache was extremely well hidden both times. It appears that this cache was plundered because the last finder did not rehide it as well as he or she should have. It is unfortunate when cachers do not take the time necessary to ensure that the next person will be able to search for that cache. sometimes it doesn't matter how well you hide the cache it is still going to get plundered :rolleyes:

April 27, 2004

There of course are some idiots who will do this on purpose. These people must be loners with a huge chip on their shoulder. Did I say loners? I think I meant losers.

I've had several disappear. It happens.

Yesterday I went to check on my very first cache and it wasn't there. We had used Criminals method of painting the ammo can and I was very proud of how it turned out. I am just not sure whether neighbors went looking and found it and didn't want strangers around, even though it was way off of any private property, or if someone just wanted the ammo can and content or if I got hit by the local geocacher who is a geotrasher and steals ammo cans listed on the site. How do you keep from being hit by a stalker of geosites who is just looking for the stuff and not the pleasure of the hide. We rehid a painted coffee can and will see if it goes away too. What a way for our first to be kidnapped. I am really suprised that it doesn't happen more often with the good containers.

April 27, 2004

I've had both of my caches go missing. I don't have time to check on it constantly since I am in High school. So I have to wait like weeks before I can rehide a cache. So Thats my two cents worth

Ficky

38.2k · April 27, 2004

. I am just not sure whether neighbors went looking and found it and didn't want strangers around, even though it was way off of any private property, or if someone just wanted the ammo can and content or if I got hit by the local geocacher who is a geotrasher and steals ammo cans listed on the site. How do you keep from being hit by a stalker of geosites who is just looking for the stuff and not the pleasure of the hide.

One of the sure fire, quickest ways to have your cache stolen is to plant it where nearby homeowners can see people searching for it. A lot of people have a problem with something in their neighborhood that causes strangers to wander around.

There is no way to keep from being hit by cache thieves who get the coordinates off this site and go out steal caches, but there are ways to make it reasonably certain your cache won't be taken by someone who accidently discovers it.

6.5k · April 27, 2004

[<SNIP>Do you mean like the places many of us used to bushwack through when we were 10-15 years old pretending we were Lewis and Clark?

There's a local cache near a schoolyard that was hidden over the cliff near a ditch. I realized, if I was about 13 and lived there, I would have been wandering through that ditch with a stick getting muddy every weekend, because that was the kind of person I was. I almost laughed because I could picture the cacher thinking "No one would ever go down here." and at the same point I could see a younger me thinking "Cool, I wonder what's down there".<SNIP>

I immediatly thought of this cache when I read Bons' post. I used to play down by these falls all the time from age 8-15 (OK so we did more than play later on in childhood ). When I did a search last summer befoe visiting my parents I cracked up to see there was a cache here now. I grew up within a few blocks of this site.!

April 27, 2004

The only way my cache will be 'discovered' or stolen is if someone specifically sets out to do that. And unless they have a GPS, they aren't going to be able to do that, since it's a multi. The place where the actual cache is, is somewhere that it's highly unlikely that there will be Muggles coming across it. There are some advantages to living in the boonies. LOL.

24.7k · April 28, 2004

I think I'm down 4 or 5 caches in my vicinity. It has caused me to fall behind in checking out my caches that are suspect. The thieves have me outnumbered right now.

1.4k · April 28, 2004

I'm down 5 caches, add that to RK's, Nightstalkers and some others that have been horked, adds up to at least 20 missing in the past few months in our rural little corner of paradise. Given that the snow has just come off, that seems like alot.

This works out to around 10% of all caches in my area have been recently plundered. I don't know how that compares to other places.

April 28, 2004

There is a cache in south central PA that keeps getting muggled by a black bear. The bear has shreadded ammo cans, eaten tupperware and pretty well abused every attempt the owner has made to maintain the cache.

Don't think the bear has a GPS so I figure it must all be in good clean fun.

April 28, 2004

Well, there are only SEVEN caches in our whole county, including one that I just placed less than a week ago, so if any of ours go missing, it's a huge loss!!

April 28, 2004

I have had 3 come up missing 2 of them were replaced 2 times before I gave up. The part that is most fustrating to me is at least one cacher has to waste their time looking for it before it is confirmed gone.

April 28, 2004

We don't know how many really used their time to look for the cache as most would not want to look bad and log a did not find. Maybe if we weren't so afraid to look bad we would be able to stay on top of lost caches. Now I'm wondering if some one just didn't like a newbie in the neighborhood or if it is muggles. Just now someone said they went to check on the relocation and didn't find it. I hope that they just didn't look too good as we hid it better this time and hasn't disappeared in less than three hours after being replaced.

April 28, 2004

But theres still the slight chance that some one logs onto gc.com and goes to find a cache to steal it.

If you want to reduce the chance of a potential thief finding your cache by logging onto geocaching.com, I recommend that you make your caches Member's Only. The rogue geocaching thieves would have to pay the membership fee to find those caches, and such thieves are not likely to pay the fee.

Stolen Caches

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