973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Dec 18, 2013 11:46:52 GMT -5
Or some random person stole her garbage.
Do people really randomly steal every piece of garbage from two, 95 gallon containers? I actually had a sociology professor in college who used to take people garbage for his research. And yeah he would take the whole container. He didn't care about things like paper work he really anted things like empty containers of food and HBA to see what people bought. He could actually predict with amazing accuracy what people bought based on the neighborhood income levels and ethnic make up of the people. it would blow my mind for someone to steal from a neighbor and not realize they are going to get caught!
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Dec 18, 2013 11:52:29 GMT -5
Or some random person stole her garbage.
Do people really randomly steal every piece of garbage from two, 95 gallon containers? Yeah. People do weird shit all the time. Somebody stole all my underwear out of the dryer at the Laundromat one time, and left the expensive J. Crew shirts there.
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milee
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Post by milee on Dec 18, 2013 11:59:19 GMT -5
BTW, from what's been presented, I think if anyone is looking to do anything here, my bet is on Jordan, not the mom.
But again, none of this stuff is worth even a minor freakout since it is all either unexplained or easily explainable by innocuous stuff... Why would a kid show up at a house on a day you weren't there and the normal cars weren't in the driveway? How about because kids are really self-absorbed and until they start driving themselves don't notice cars, so the probability is that Jordan doesn't know/forgot the schedule and has no clue what car you drive. My friend's son who is 12 had a hard time even describing his own mom's car one day when asked.
You are getting way paranoid here.
The garbage is odd. Worth noting and keeping a look out for. The rest of the stuff is completely normal, not life threatening stuff. If there were a "Need to Freakout" meter that reads from 1 on the lowest level to 10 at FreaK Out Now!!!! this whole thing is about a level 3. Seriously. If you have some, take some Xanax. If you don't, think about getting some.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Dec 18, 2013 12:03:23 GMT -5
Rae and Sam,
If she lives in an area that is that unsafe, she should already have good locks, etc. The area has not changed in the past day or two, only the odd fact that someone may have taken her garbage. There is no indication that she has a stalker or that someone is targeting her.
So bottom line, I don't think it's wise to take any unnecessary risks, but standard safety precautions should be OK. There just isn't enough info to justify the level of freakout that's being drummed up when people recommend she arm herself or be scared out of her mind simply because the garbage disappeared.
I don't think she should arm herself and don't believe in having guns in my home. BUT doing things that will make random break ins less likely help me to NOT freak out which is why I shared the things I do.
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whoami
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Post by whoami on Dec 18, 2013 12:08:28 GMT -5
Do people really randomly steal every piece of garbage from two, 95 gallon containers? Yeah. People do weird shit all the time. Somebody stole all my underwear out of the dryer at the Laundromat one time, and left the expensive J. Crew shirts there.
LOL...I had a guy stand in front of my house for 15 minutes taking bolts out of an old wooden bed frame we had put on the curb for bulk trash pickup. A couple weeks ago, there was someone parked in front of my house taking pictures of either my house or the house next door. Come to find out, the house next door is apparently being foreclosed. I found out accidentally, so if I was the paranoid type I guess I could have freaked out that someone was casing my house. I have deadbolts, a security system and a dog that will rip your face off if you try and get in my house. Most thieves aren't going to go through that much trouble.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 18, 2013 12:21:36 GMT -5
I don't know, I guess I've learned to listen to my instincts more as I've gotten older instead of talking myself into ignoring them. If you're normally an easy-going person and this freaks you out a little, listen to your instincts. My impression of wrongside is that she is very easy-going. Yes, it's incredibly weird that someone will just take your garbage--other than the garbage truck of course! Who knows why, but I would be extra vigilant with keeping the house locked up and watchful of credit. Maybe it's the kid/neighbor and maybe not, but someone is doing something weird. I think it pays to not give thieves or whoever an opening.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Dec 18, 2013 12:29:35 GMT -5
I don't know, I guess I've learned to listen to my instincts more as I've gotten older instead of talking myself into ignoring them. If you're normally an easy-going person and this freaks you out a little, listen to your instincts. My impression of wrongside is that she is very easy-going. Yes, it's incredibly weird that someone will just take your garbage--other than the garbage truck of course! Who knows why, but I would be extra vigilant with keeping the house locked up and watchful of credit. Maybe it's the kid/neighbor and maybe not, but someone is doing something weird. I think it pays to not give thieves or whoever an opening. Nobody is saying ot leave the door unlocked and we're encouraging her to check her credit reports.
The whole thing about arming up is a bit much.......
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2013 12:31:09 GMT -5
What'd you do??!?!?
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Dec 18, 2013 12:35:46 GMT -5
Glad you've reported it, wrongside. What did they say to do about it?
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 18, 2013 12:36:32 GMT -5
I don't know, I guess I've learned to listen to my instincts more as I've gotten older instead of talking myself into ignoring them. If you're normally an easy-going person and this freaks you out a little, listen to your instincts. My impression of wrongside is that she is very easy-going. Yes, it's incredibly weird that someone will just take your garbage--other than the garbage truck of course! Who knows why, but I would be extra vigilant with keeping the house locked up and watchful of credit. Maybe it's the kid/neighbor and maybe not, but someone is doing something weird. I think it pays to not give thieves or whoever an opening. Nobody is saying ot leave the door unlocked and we're encouraging her to check her credit reports.
The whole thing about arming up is a bit much.......
Well, yeah, I wouldn't go that far.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Dec 18, 2013 12:38:55 GMT -5
What'd you do??!?!? Maybe Jordan's mom wants to know if you are suitable adoptive parents. What a mess. Sorry you're having to deal with it.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Dec 18, 2013 12:39:24 GMT -5
Swamp has already state this, but for reinforcement...
DH and I had mail taken from our mailbox. This was used by someone to steal DH's identity (real Indiana DL issued in his name, car stolen from a dealership for a "test ride", diamond ring, lots of stuff). I felt very violated and scared and was worried about our personal safety because the criminal obviously knew where we lived.
We mentioned this to the police while filing out the police report on the vehicle and the policeman said we did not have anything to worry about. Identity theives are cowards who want to avoid confrontation and in his experience never attempted physical contact of any kind with their victims.
Every 3 or 7 years they try to ramp it up again but we have never been physically approached.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on Dec 18, 2013 14:46:18 GMT -5
BTW, from what's been presented, I think if anyone is looking to do anything here, my bet is on Jordan, not the mom.
But again, none of this stuff is worth even a minor freakout since it is all either unexplained or easily explainable by innocuous stuff... Why would a kid show up at a house on a day you weren't there and the normal cars weren't in the driveway? How about because kids are really self-absorbed and until they start driving themselves don't notice cars, so the probability is that Jordan doesn't know/forgot the schedule and has no clue what car you drive. My friend's son who is 12 had a hard time even describing his own mom's car one day when asked.
You are getting way paranoid here.
The garbage is odd. Worth noting and keeping a look out for. The rest of the stuff is completely normal, not life threatening stuff. If there were a "Need to Freakout" meter that reads from 1 on the lowest level to 10 at FreaK Out Now!!!! this whole thing is about a level 3. Seriously. If you have some, take some Xanax. If you don't, think about getting some.
My 3 year old can tell you different makes and models of cars. He can pick my dads truck going down the road. He can tell you which cars our neighbors drive. He can pick out dh's truck from sound only. My daughter was the same way. I dont think all children are oblivious.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Dec 18, 2013 16:46:39 GMT -5
Do people really randomly steal every piece of garbage from two, 95 gallon containers? Yeah. People do weird shit all the time. Somebody stole all my underwear out of the dryer at the Laundromat one time, and left the expensive J. Crew shirts there.
My fetish drove me to upper NY Laundromats as there was no longer any more women's underwear in Connecticut Laundromats.
I was so ashamed.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Dec 18, 2013 17:23:35 GMT -5
Jordan is here and his mom dropped him off (first time ever). She smiled and waved to me and it seemed like she was trying be friendly. I asked Jordan why he came over my house yesterday and not my moms, and he said that he thought I was on vacation (I will be off for 2 weeks starting next week). I asked him a bunch of questions. He did notice that my car and dh's car weren't here. He saw the strange truck in the driveway and thought we either got a new car or there was a robber at our house. Nothing he said made it sound like his mom had anything to do with him coming over yesterday. I don't think his family is up to anything. For some reason, the mom has just decided to try and be more friendly. Dh received an email with a tentative job offer from one of the gov jobs he applied for. Personally, I don't think the government is above sifting through trash during a background investigation, but the timing of this would be way too soon. Next up is his 4-6 hour polygraph test. We're going to be having an alarm system installed soon, so I think that wraps up everything that I can do. Oh, and I did buy a shredder! If I find out I'm being investigated for anything, I'll let you guys know. That'll make for a good thread. Maybe she found out about it coming out that she didn't like you, so she's trying to counter that by being extra friendly? I imagine the garbage thing could be part of their background check, if there's a tentative offer out there already. Some people are awfully pro-active, and it seems like our gov't loves investigating anyone they can nowadays. If there was anyway he could ask them, so you stop worrying if that is what it was...
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Works4me
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Post by Works4me on Dec 18, 2013 18:18:55 GMT -5
My first thought was a trash pull as part of pre-employment investigation - what better way to find out what a person really lives like. My second thought was Jordan's family casing your place. I love what your relative said when he answered the door - perfect. So if you are crazy Wrong so am I amd I am pretty sure I am not crazy!
I have lived in the same neighborhood for over 20 years and have had many college students come and go. The local university is known as one if the best places for engineering and many of the graduates go on to work for the government, military and other places requiring security clearance. I also have willingly served as a reference for my friends' children for police, military and high ranking business positions. Because of this I have been questioned by g-men more times than I can count. From the types of questions asked and having seen them snooping around houses in the neighborhood, it would not surprise me if sometimes a garbage pull is done.
Also, when I was working in the Bay Area, I was part of the team that supported some pretty big names in the technology industry - as in the founders is some of the richest men in the world. The background that was done on me was extremely comprehensive, the types questions asked of my friends were rather interesting and knowing corporate security as well as I came to, nothing would surprise me. Found out later that the investigation was done by a retired FBI agent who was head of security and in that position he did not have to go by the same rules/laws the government does. In fact, they routinely did some rather interesting subterfuge. My point is depending on what he has applied for, both private and public entities do thorough background checks. The applicant consents to be back-grounded on the initial application and in my experience a lot of it is done before offered are made, sometimes even before interviews are completed .
If it were me I would keep on eye on things, try not to leave the house empty for now and be careful but not paranoid. Try to have an adult home at all times for a few weeks and keep as much of your schedule as private as possible for a bit. In other words, do exactly as you are doing.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Dec 18, 2013 18:44:46 GMT -5
The government doesn't pull trash during background checks. They do too many a year to make it practical. A private company could I suppose, if they're willing to pay a PI to sort through trash on every candidate.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Dec 18, 2013 19:00:23 GMT -5
My neighbor works for the VA. She and her same-sex partner have been together for 20 odd years. Every few years the VA goes around talking to their neighbors and asking questions about their character, any known extraxagant spending/purchases and other stuff.
The VA rep asked me a few question about her personal/home life. I knew they were gay (we have spoken about it a number of times (they also feed my pets when I go away so they have access to my home)) but I pretended I knew very little about their personal lives as I really had no idea about his purpose being there or his intentions. I suppose the VA rep was able to read between the lines of my vague answers.
I told my neighbor about the interview later that evening and about the personal questions he was asking. She said not to worry-she said she told her employer over 25 years ago she was gay.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 18, 2013 20:02:53 GMT -5
Tennesseer, you neighbor likely has a security clearance that must be updated periodically (mine was every 5 years). The employee fills out a multipage questionnaire giving names of personal references. The investigators interview the references. They also go to the employee's neighborhood and interview neighbors. There is nothing sinister about it. It's routine, and the employee knows it's coming beforehand because of having to fill out the paperwork.
I agree with Dark. It is highly unlikely that any government entity doing a background investigation would bother with trash. What if all you were throwing out on the day they took your trash was a lifetime's collection of packing peanuts? A lot of government background investigations are now being done by private contractors, but even then I just can't see them taking trash for the same reason and also because it would add to the time and expense required, which is something they would want to keep down to maximize their own profit.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Dec 18, 2013 20:57:45 GMT -5
Tennesseer, you neighbor likely hs a security clearance that must be updated periodically (mine was every 5 years). The employee fills out a multipage questionnaire giving names of personal references. The investigators interview the references. They also go to the employee's neighborhood and interview neighbors. There is nothing sinister about it. It's routine, and the employee knows it's coming beforehand because of having to fill out the paperwork. I agree with Dark. It is highly unlikely that any government entity doing a background investigation would bother with trash. What if all you were throwing out on the day they took your trash was a lifetime's collection of packing peanuts? A lot of government background investigations are now being done by private contractors, but even then I just can't see them taking trash for the same reason and also because it would add to the time and expense required, which is something they would want to keep down to maximize their own profit. DL-I did no think ìt was sinister but ìt would have been nice to know I may be ìnterviewed and for the VA rep to thoroughly explain his mission and ìntent of the questions. Yes, my neighbor does have security clearance.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Dec 18, 2013 21:09:23 GMT -5
I used to work for the agency that did the background investigations for military and DoD contractors. The person going through the renewal has to provide references that know them in and outside of work. The investigators usually talk to those people very briefly if they're contacted at all and are mostly interested in getting names of other people that know the person being investigated. They do a more in depth interview with those second tier contacts. They don't want to rely solely on the people that the person being investigated wants them to talk too.
Makes it hard to notify friends and family that an investigator might be talking to them, because as the person being investigated you have no idea who they're going to talk too. I always let the folks that I wrote down on the paperwork know, but most of the time they said they weren't contacted at all. I'd get FB messages from old friends I hadn't talked to in a while about men in black asking questions about me, or a friend of a friend would share a message wondering if I'd robbed a bank or something because government guys were asking questions about me. It was funny seeing the people that would get talked too and wouldn't.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Dec 18, 2013 21:16:54 GMT -5
"My 3 year old can tell you different makes and models of cars. He can pick my dads truck going down the road. He can tell you which cars our neighbors drive. He can pick out dh's truck from sound only.
My daughter was the same way. I dont think all children are oblivious. "
I agree. I was concious of various cars early on as well. I think it depends on one's interest no matter how young or old.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 18, 2013 21:19:32 GMT -5
I used to work for the agency that did the background investigations for military and DoD contractors. The person going through the renewal has to provide references that know them in and outside of work. The investigators usually talk to those people very briefly if they're contacted at all and are mostly interested in getting names of other people that know the person being investigated. They do a more in depth interview with those second tier contacts. They don't want to rely solely on the people that the person being investigated wants them to talk too. Makes it hard to notify friends and family that an investigator might be talking to them, because as the person being investigated you have no idea who they're going to talk too. I always let the folks that I wrote down on the paperwork know, but most of the time they said they weren't contacted at all. I'd get FB messages from old friends I hadn't talked to in a while about men in black asking questions about me, or a friend of a friend would share a message wondering if I'd robbed a bank or something because government guys were asking questions about me. It was funny seeing the people that would get talked too and wouldn't. Not to mention you have no idea when they will actually start doing the interviews. Sometimes they are so backed up it can be months after the employee submits the paperwork before the investigation actually begins.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 21, 2013 16:22:41 GMT -5
The government doesn't pull trash during background checks. They do too many a year to make it practical. A private company could I suppose, if they're willing to pay a PI to sort through trash on every candidate. Even for positions within one of the Intelligence agencies? BIL spoke with the chief of police and he said no way in hell was this a random thing. This was an investigation. Um, yes. Even for one of those positions. (Don't ask me how I know this).
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Dec 21, 2013 16:29:50 GMT -5
I had access to top secret intelligence from FBI, CIA, DIA, etc and my trash never went missing.
The FBI and CIA are pretty large organizations. Do you know how many people they hire annually? That's a lot of trash to sort through. They worry more about foreign connections, and skeletons in a candidates closet that could allow them to be compromised. Neither of those are likely to be found by looking through your trash.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 21, 2013 16:47:39 GMT -5
It might make sense for a limited, targeted investigation of a specific person suspected of a specific crime. Trash would have to be taken more than once, though, unless they just happened to luck into taking the trash on the day the target discarded all of his or her incriminating information. It would not make sense for an organization doing background investigations on hundreds or thousands of applicants. It would take too much manpower and too much time with no promise of actually acquiring any actionable information.
If something specific comes up in a background investigation, say a former colleague suggests that the applicant might be counterfeiting money, the organization doing the background investigation does not launch an investigation into whether the person is counterfeiting money. That is not within their jurisdiction (especially if they are a contractor) If information regarding possible criminal activity surfaces during a background investigation, the appropriate investigative agency would be notified, and that agency would then, eventually, maybe open an investigation. They might at some point inspect the target's trash, but they would be unlikely just to take it outright without replacing it with something very similar so as not to tip off the target to the investigation.
If your trash was targeted for removal, it is really, really unlikely that it was done by any government entity or by anyone trained and experienced in how to do the kind of investigation that involves searching trash for evidence. If that had been the case, it is likely you never would have noticed it was missing.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 21, 2013 17:16:00 GMT -5
If it had been part of a background investigation, the job offer would not have come "right after" they had taken your trash. The investigation was completed long before the job offer came, probably weeks if not months. It takes time to compile the report and submit it to the relevant agency, then it has to wend its way through the agency HR process before an offer is made.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Dec 21, 2013 17:36:51 GMT -5
If it had been part of a background investigation, the job offer would not have come "right after" they had taken your trash. The investigation was completed long before the job offer came, probably weeks if not months. It takes time to compile the report and submit it to the relevant agency, then it has to wend its way through the agency HR process before an offer is made. His BI is not complete, that's why it's a tentative offer. Polygraph is next. I thought maybe they were digging for things to interrogate him with. I'm sure the offer was decided weeks before HR sent the email. I hope all goes well and he gets the job! Also hoping you eventually find out what the missing garbage was about and that the answer brings peace of mind.
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