This is just maddening!
I'm on my annual national Cool Tools for Back-to-School with Mr. Gadget tour. After TV on WFAA (ABC) in Dallas this morning, it was off the DFW for my American Airlines flight to Atlanta. I arrived at the AA counter at DFW a couple of hours before my flight, picked up my boarding pass, then, as instructed, took my bag to the TSA screening area just to the left of the AA counter. I dropped my bag and answered YES to the question, "Is your bag locked?"
I use SearchAlert TSA-approved luggage locks by CCL Security - http://bit.ly/1ay3re - As you can learn from the linked story, these are combo locks that consumers open by way of user-settable combination, and the TSA can get into using their special key. Using this key trips an indicator that changes from green to red, alerting the owner that the TSA has used the special key and gained entry to the bag for inspection. Then, the user can inspect for anything out of sorts, knowing it was the TSA person who was inside. These locks are not hardened steel. They will not deter a determined thief. A pair of pliers can be used to bend the metal to disengage the lock, and then that loop of metal can be bent back into place closely resembling the way the lock should look. Besides, going through baggage handling equipment these locks take a beating and get bent out of shape in normal handling.
Fast forward to arrival in Atlanta. I exited the AA flight, walked across the hall to the escalator which took me directly to the baggage claim area, certainly less than 300 feet from the belly of the plane. Bags from my flight were not delayed. My bag came out with the others, and even was part of the middle group of off-loaded bags. Keep this in mind.
My bag appeared to be normal, except that the main compartment's twin zipper pulls with the lock holding them together was at the opposite end of its travel from where I had left it. Oh, well, these things happen. Visually, on cursory inspection, all appeared normal. Off I went to a cab that would take me to my hotel.
Into my room I went, asking the bellman to place my big and heavy bag on a luggage rack. That detail accomplished, I puttered around and eventually opened the suitcase.
To my surprise, all was not right. I had carefully packed the contents, my clothes and other personal travel needs along with the products to be shown on the tour. I had placed some in tacky textured bubble wrap that stays wrapped, along with others that were in boxes. Two of the boxes were FedEx-type boxes. All was neatly placed for maximum protection and efficiency. On top of all the contents was a multi-layer of bubble wrap and then, on top of it all were the straps that lock in the middle holding everything neatly in place beneath. Experience has made me a good packer, if I do say so myself!
What I saw when I opened my suitcase was that the contents were askew. Not all contents, mind you. My clothes and other personals on the left side were relatively in place and seemingly undisturbed. However, the bubble wrap that had been so neatly laid out on top was bunched and wrongly placed and the big cross strap over the bubble wrap was unfastened and seemed hastily placed back in the bag. And then I saw the box in which were bubble wrapped products that included one $19.99 Sanyo SCP2700 messaging phone in its box and another simply in bubble wrap. There was an obvious lack of products in that box, and the phones were the missing objects. Both phones were activated. Not missing is a pair of TI Nspire graphing calculators, half a dozen Logitech V220 cordless optical mice and a bubble-wrapped set of Vtech Bugsby Reading System books plus a starter kit of the same product.
Isn't that weird??
Upon closer inspection of the lock on that part of my suitcase, I checked to see if the alert had been triggered. Nope, still green. However, the metal shackle looked out of sorts. I notices that it was bent in a way that would make the part that sticks into the lock only when the lock is closed was not mating with its hole as it should. Remember this, too.
So, now I was thinking about how this would have likely gone down and I think I have figured it out. You will have to let me know. Here is my forensic analysis:
After I dropped off my bag, the TSA personnel ran it through the baggage scanner. Someone had to be observing the monitor in an effort to spot contraband. The trained observer is accustomed to seeing the visual signatures of common and not so common items, including what a mobile phone might look like. This observer had to notice two in my suitcase. Mobile phones are small. If activated, they might be able to be used until shut off, perhaps for a few hours or more until their rightful owner could report the problem. Further, mobile phones can also be used, that is, activated for nefarious purposes. It may not be apparent to the TSA checker whether the phones are of the type that can have a SIM card inserted, thus making them, possibly, useful most places in the world. Even if just for a little while, my phones could go into the hands of, say, a drug dealer, who could use them for his or her dastardly deeds.
So, it is my guess that the topside observer noticed the visual X-ray signature of phones and then alerted an accomplice below to segregate that bag, also noticing that there was plenty of time before it would need to be loaded aboard the departing aircraft. I think that the second perp was clued in to where in my bag was his or her target. Then, that person saw the opportunity to bend the lock's shackle just enough to part the pieces so it could be slipped off the zipper pull. Then, the zipper was opened, the inner strap opened, the bubble wrap moved aside and then, down a layer was the object of the theft. Quick as can be, the phones were snatched, and everything else was haphazardly placed back in the bag. Neatness, at this point, did not count! My bag was zipped back up and the lock put in place, bent back the right way just enough for it to appear close to normal, yet not revealing that a legitimate opening had been made.
The responsible, or, rather, the irresponsible party what copped my stuff had to know the exact location of his quarry. Nothing else was disturbed. How could it be known that there was nothing of material value or interest in any other closed organizers within my suitcase, and there are a few of these? Yes, quite clearly, the person or persons responsible for this crime simply had to know before entering what to take and where they were. Perhaps even the thief looks only for mobile phones? Maybe digital cameras and jewelry? None of these items are in my suitcase.
Once secured after the theft, on its way went my bag, minus a couple of items. The thief may be part of a larger operation. I cannot imagine that he or she was able to do this without others knowing, seeing what was happening. How could a bag be separated from the others, surgically opened, pilfered, and then closed up, even if it took only a minute for an experienced thief to act, without something being noticed by a co-worker? Of these details I am not certain. Similarly, I have no idea what occurred next. How did the thief make off with the goods? Where were they placed immediately after removal? Was the crook wearing a jacket into which the merchandise could be secreted? It was a characteristically hot day, so wearing added clothing would raise suspicion. I am wondering about all these details.
The fact remains that there is at least one dishonest individual in the system and I believe I have presented a case suggesting that the rotten egg is on the Dallas side of the travel equation.
I put in a call to an AA Baggage Claims rep, who, for all her courtesy and sympathy could offer nothing beyond sympathy. I am going to see if I cn find someone in AA customer Service to call tomorrow morning just to let them know. And MAYBE, just MAYBE some other unlucky soul was picked today and reported it. Maybe the dots can get connected. In addition, I will communicate with the TSA in their HQ. I know they know when my bag was scanned at each step of the process. They can learn who was on duty and where. They could even mount what might be a simple sting operation. Surely, the person or persons who stole my stuff did not do this as a first and only effort. The job was just too cleanly done. So, why not bait the trap and see what they catch!
Have YOU taken all due care in your travels only to have been victimized in similar fashion? I'd be happy to see the results of your venting, so let me see your story and share it with others here.
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Update 8/11/09 9:45am
Recieved a call from TSA supervisor at DFW airport. He listened and sympathesized. He indicated there will be an investigation as he would like very much to find and prosecute the bad eggs in the system. He also asked that I call DFW PD (like many big cities, the airport has its own police department) to file a police report. I will do this later, after I can call home to get at least one phone's identification numbers. Just how great would it be if they actually find and prosecute in this matter!
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