Try This

[+Team FUBAR]

Just thought I would share this with everybody. When I leave my truck especially at night in a parking lot I have a sign made up that I stick in my drivers side window. It simply states that this truck is not abonded and I'm geo-caching in the near by area and it list the official web page and my team name. I've had several cops pull in to a parking lot look at the note and simply leave. I've even had one that checked the note and left, he came back to the lot about 40 minutes later and noticed my truck was still there. He then intered the woods just to make sure I hadn't fallen or gotten hurt. I didn't have to explain anything to him. He had stated that he wished all area cachers did the same. He said they would leave us alone at night as long as they knew what we were up too. SDome of you all may want to try this as well. It helps. Atleast it draws less suspicion.

 

If anyone wants a copy of the one I made just reply and I'll gadly sent it to you. It looks very official and like I said it seems to help.

[+TeamTek]

I'd like to see one.... That seems like a smart thing to put up!

[+tirediron]

<snip> I've had several cops pull in to a parking lot look at the note and simply leave. I've even had one that checked the note and left, he came back to the lot about 40 minutes later and noticed my truck was still there. He then intered the woods just to make sure I hadn't fallen or gotten hurt. </snip>

Wow... concerned cops. I've seen a broken-down truck sit on the side of the highway for 9 days here without so much as a sideways glance from the constabulary....

[+PandyBat]

I have a geocaching license plate holder, a long geocaching.com window cling across the front of my windshield and a fake geocaching permit in the back window. Surely if someone saw my van, they would have some idea of what I'm doing.

[+The Jester]

We have a local cacher who makes up "Official Geocache Recovery Vehicle" permits, and leaves them in caches. Lots of people around here want them - it identifies cachers and explains what the vehicle is doing there.

[+TeamK-9]

We have a local cacher who makes up "Official Geocache Recovery Vehicle" permits, and leaves them in caches. Lots of people around here want them - it identifies cachers and explains what the vehicle is doing there.

Do you have any pictures or contact info for the cacher? I'm interested in this, if you'd be willing to PM me anything.

 

A few months ago, there was a thread similar to this, where someone wanted an official-ish note to put in their window. I created one that claimed that the person was a USGS volunteer, but I like this idea better.

 

Right now, I just have a little placard thing that I made up that I put in my window occasionally. It's a sideways piece of paper cut in half with a nice looking thing on either half.

 

They both have the Geocaching and Groundspeak logos on the far left side. One of them says Official Vehicle and one says my handle, TeamK-9.

 

I use the official one when I'm afraid someone might question what the Jeep is doing parked somewhere. I use the one with my handle when I'm in an area where I suspect I might run into other cachers...

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

Wow... concerned cops. I've seen a broken-down truck sit on the side of the highway for 9 days here without so much as a sideways glance from the constabulary....

Last year I spent over two hours calling in a missing persons report with the Sherifs Department. The missing people made it to a phone the next day and let us know they were ok (they had car trouble and were in the middle of nowhere), so I called to cancel the report and do you know what I was told? "We don't have a record of your call." Two hours! And they don't have a record of it?

 

Back on topic: I normally leave a note on the dash when I'm caching in rural areas.

[+SerenityNow]

We have used a sign like that in our car on occasion too. One of the cachers in our area asked that we do so when doing his caches. Guess we should use it more often. It only makes sense!

[+Imajika]

We have a sign like this that we put on our car's dash, right next to the VIN plate. Most police officers will run your plate first and then run the VIN to make sure the vehicle isn't stolen. Placing the sign by the VIN plate makes sure they will see it right there on the dash.

 

If anyone is interested in receiving a copy of our sign in word format, please email me at imajika@dr.com and I will be happy to send you one!

[dampeoples]

<snip>  I've had several cops pull in to a parking lot look at the note and simply leave. I've even had one that checked the note and left, he came back to the lot about 40 minutes later and noticed my truck was still there. He then intered the woods just to make sure I hadn't fallen or gotten hurt. </snip>

Wow... concerned cops. I've seen a broken-down truck sit on the side of the highway for 9 days here without so much as a sideways glance from the constabulary....

What do you want them to do? If there are no people in/around it, and assuming it's off the road, they should just keep going, the tow truck is supposed to pick those up

[magellan315]

We have a local cacher who makes up "Official Geocache Recovery Vehicle" permits, and leaves them in caches.  Lots of people around here want them - it identifies cachers and explains what the vehicle is doing there. 

 

I'd be interested in getting on of those. sounds like a great thing to have in your car and leave as a trade item.

[Major Catastrophe]

We have a sign like this that we put on our car's dash, right next to the VIN plate.

FWIW, I always cover the VIN plates in my vehicles (the one that's on the dash, visible through the windshield.) It's a fact, that some dealers will cut a key for someone who comes in and says they're locked out of their car, here's the VIN....without proof of ownership. This makes a simple way for some creep to pick, choose and drive away.

 

Yeah, I know, somebody is going to tell me that it's illegal to cover the VIN in some jurisdiction or another. I'll deal with that when I have to...

[+Imajika]

FWIW, I always cover the VIN plates in my vehicles (the one that's on the dash, visible through the windshield.) It's a fact, that some dealers will cut a key for someone who comes in and says they're locked out of their car, here's the VIN....without proof of ownership. This makes a simple way for some creep to pick, choose and drive away.

 

Yeah, I know, somebody is going to tell me that it's illegal to cover the VIN in some jurisdiction or another. I'll deal with that when I have to...

No, it's not illegal to cover the dash VIN plate where I live (I work in law enforcement and I asked!). If they really want to know what your VIN is there are two other places in/on the car that show the VIN.

[+Team FUBAR]

We have a sign like this that we put on our car's dash, right next to the VIN plate.

FWIW, I always cover the VIN plates in my vehicles (the one that's on the dash, visible through the windshield.) It's a fact, that some dealers will cut a key for someone who comes in and says they're locked out of their car, here's the VIN....without proof of ownership. This makes a simple way for some creep to pick, choose and drive away.

 

Yeah, I know, somebody is going to tell me that it's illegal to cover the VIN in some jurisdiction or another. I'll deal with that when I have to...

There is a code on your original keys that a dealer can use to recut them. But your VIN number will not allow anyone to simply cut a key and drive away with your car. Your VIN number is simply a identifying mumber. The majority of it cantains information such as what make, model, does it have abs or air bags, evn does it have a/c. Only a very small portion of it actually contains information to differantiate your car from the nex in the manufacturing line. and those numbers DO NOT correspond with the ignition. It takes more research than just looking at the VIN number to get a replacement key cut. If somebody wants your car they are not gonna go throught all that trouble. Even the really good theives won't. Theymay just get ahold of the master key for either a GM or FORD ignition. But they aren't gonna go through all the trouble of getting a key cut. So nobody panic and don't worry about covering your VIN number. No bodys gonna run to the nearest dealer and order a key and wai for it to come in and then find your car agin and take it. It's all right calm down.... Don't panic. be more worried about when your daughter grows up and meets the guy that has so many piercings he looks like he fell into a tool box.

[Major Catastrophe]

Don't panic. be more worried about when your daughter grows up and meets the guy that has so many piercings he looks like he fell into a tool box.

Oh, that was the guy who showed up for a date with his pants sagging halfway to his knees. I used my pneumatic staple gun to help him keep them up!

[+New England n00b]

Don't panic. be more worried about when your daughter grows up and meets the guy that has so many piercings he looks like he fell into a tool box.

Oh, that was the guy who showed up for a date with his pants sagging halfway to his knees. I used my pneumatic staple gun to help him keep them up!

Next time 'accidentally' step on his pant leg. You can then judge the nature of your daughter and his relationship by the expression on her face. Of course, no matter what happens, she'll hate you for life. But being a teenager, what's new?

[+Triac]

Just thought I would share this with everybody. When I leave my truck especially at night in a parking lot I have a sign made up that I stick in my drivers side window. It simply states that this truck is not abonded and I'm geo-caching in the near by area and it list the official web page and my team name. I've had several cops pull in to a parking lot look at the note and simply leave. I've even had one that checked the note and left, he came back to the lot about 40 minutes later and noticed my truck was still there. He then intered the woods just to make sure I hadn't fallen or gotten hurt. I didn't have to explain anything to him. He had stated that he wished all area cachers did the same. He said they would leave us alone at night as long as they knew what we were up too. SDome of you all may want to try this as well. It helps. Atleast it draws less suspicion.

 

If anyone wants a copy of the one I made just reply and I'll gadly sent it to you. It looks very official and like I said it seems to help.

I would like one of these for all the night caches (and sometimes day) that I hit.

[+Team Perks]

FWIW, I always cover the VIN plates in my vehicles (the one that's on the dash, visible through the windshield.)  It's a fact, that some dealers will cut a key for someone who comes in and says they're locked out of their car, here's the VIN....without proof of ownership.  This makes a simple way for some creep to pick, choose and drive away.

Not exactly. Snopes.com sums it up pretty well:

 

Stealing cars by using VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) to obtain duplicate keys from auto dealerships certainly has worked for some car thieves. A December 2002 article in The Atlanta Journal and Constitution described the break-up of a multi-state car theft ring which employed just such a scheme:

 

A man recently arrested by Lilburn police may be part of a car theft ring that operates in the Southeast and involves at least $580,000 worth of stolen cars, authorities said.

 

Kevin Lee Davis, 32, was arrested Dec. 4 by Lilburn police and charged with theft by receiving stolen property and illegally falsifying the vehicle identification number on a car, said Lilburn Police Chief Ron Houck.

 

Since the arrest, Davis has admitted to working with a group that has been stealing cars in at least four states, Houck said.

 

Huntsville, Ala., police officer Jeffrey Weaber said Davis had a few car-stealing schemes that he had never seen before.

 

"He has to be in the top five of the smartest criminals I've encountered," said Weaber. "I've never seen a scheme like that."

 

In one scheme, Davis was able to create authentic looking titles for cars he would steal, said Weaber.

 

According to police, Davis would go to used car lots and copy down the vehicle identification number of cars he wanted to steal. He would put the stolen VIN numbers on the titles he created and then take them to the dealership, Weaber said.

 

"He would go to the dealer and tell them that he lost the key to his car," said Weaber. "Because he had proof of ownership they would make the key for him and he would just drive the car off the lot."

While this article validates that the VIN scheme has been successfully used, it also demonstrates why the scheme doesn't necessarily pose a threat to the average car owner. Using VINs to steal cars isn't nearly as easy as the warning quoted above makes it sound: the thieves have to case the cars they want to steal, record VINs, make trips to auto dealerships, present some form of registration or proof of title, wait for the dealers to contact the manufacturers and make up duplicate keys, then return to wherever they found the cars in the first place and use the duplicate keys to steal them. But this is antithetical to the way car thieves generally work -- they're creatures of opportunity who steal cars as they find them, quickly and anonymously. They don't want to have to go around recording VINs, forging documents, calling attention to themselves and risking exposure by showing their faces at auto dealerships, waiting around for keys to be made, and hoping the cased cars are still where they found them when they finally return with their duplicate keys. Car thieves have plenty of other methods for stealing automobiles at their disposal, and most of them will gladly accept the slight damage those methods might cause to cars during the course of their thefts (especially if, as claimed above, the merchandise is destined for a "chop shop") than have to go through the delay and risks entailed by the rigamarole described above.

 

The auto theft ring described in the Journal and Constitution article quoted above was successful because not only were the thieves able "to create authentic looking titles for cars"; they were stealing automobiles from used car lots, not off the street or from parking lots. They didn't just select some cars, then breeze into auto dealerships, walk out with keys in hand, and drive off in stolen cars a few minutes later: they had to take the time to generate forged certificates of title for the target cars first, and they were stealing cars from other dealerships, a method that guaranteed all the cars they had cased would still be in the same spot once they returned with their keys. Crooks who stalk mall parking lots for their targets have no such guarantees -- once they've expended the time and effort required to obtain duplicate keys, they're more likely than not to find that the cars those keys fit have already been driver off by their owners.

Back on topic...I'm not sure leaving a note basically saying "Hi, I'm out in the woods for an undetermined amount of time, possibly hours...so please don't tow (or break into) my car" is always the wisest of ideas. If you're worried about going missing, in my opinion it's best to leave your itinerary with someone so they'll know where to point the cops when you don't show up.

[+WalruZ]

Not necessary.

 

My first rule of night geocaching is not to park in a parking lot near the cache site. Eg, if you're going after a cache in a regional park, don't drive in and park in the lot. Look for legal anonymous on-street parking somewhere more or less nearby. Accept that you're going to have to walk a little further to find the cache.

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

Depending on the area you're in, it may be a bad idea to leave a note for the bad guys saying "I'm going to be away from my vehicle for a while, please help yourselves!".

 

Just something to consider.

 

John

 

corrected your to you're.

Edited August 25, 2004 by 2oldfarts (the rockhounders)

[+Crusso]

As far as the VIN thing goes..... I was in the business and Yes, you can cut a key by the VIN #. You just cross reference it to a master list. The difficulty is that it has to be done by an authorized dealer of that type of vehicle.

 

Fortunately, most dealers will not issue a key without a title. Downside is there are some dealers who simply don't care as they aren't doing anything illegal by cutting the key, especially when they can charge $75-$125 for it.

 

When I locked myself out of my new Camaro, I simply called the 800 Chevy Help # and within 2 hrs they had a locksmith pull up to me with a brand new key. He checked my proof of ownership which was just showing him the registration which was in the glove box where most people keep it. All I had to do was read my VIN off the dashboard to the rep on the 800 # which was on a sticker on my side window. They asked me for my name and address which I could have easily gotten from the glove box or running the plate # through Motor Vehicles. This is easier than you think.

 

At least in NY, even if you cover the VIN plate on the dashboard, the VIN is printed on the registration sticker which is stuck to the windsheild!

[+Team FUBAR]

I'm tired of reading about people who act like news men and women. Just out to scare people. There are better ways to steal a car then to go through all that trouble. You have better things in life to worry About then some kid or older person(i better add that before someone bickers that anyone can steal a car regardless of age) stealing your vin and getting a key made. You should go geo-caching and having fun with your friends and family. So in light of that and we are way off topic without any sign of going back I'm closing this thread by my self.