Bigrig1919 Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 I have a security system installed in my home and its done a good job of keeping thieves out. My problem is, the thief is already in my house. We had a Kindle Fire stolen last week from our bedroom and yesterday , my iPhone was stolen from our bedroom. They were being charged and both times, they took the devices and left the cord. Since we had workers in the house, the security system and cameras were off. Like most people, we have lunch, hair, appointments etc and cannot set the security on, due to having people in the house. I cannot fire anyone because , first, they are doing a great job and second! don't want to accuse anyone of stealing unless I can prove it. My mission now is to find out, who done it. Does anyone know where I can buy a hidden motion camera ( similar to the old Nanny Cam) that will run in a stand a long mode, without computers, Wi-Fi , etc. the ideal setup would be a camera system that has an SD card in it and if I want to view the video, I can remove the card over to my computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 First thing is to never leave people you do not know have the run of the house and never let two people you do know have the run of the house, it makes it impossible to know who has done it and really poisons relationships.. You guys need to take turn at being around and lock things up. It can also be a person like a maid who knows that you have no way of knowing who has taken your items and probably will blame the workers. You just never know and it makes it unpleasant. Good luck on getting them on a camera, but it will be nice if you do you can then make them pay for it. or return the items although they may be gone for good anyways. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khof Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 When workers etc. are in the house someone MUST be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhite1948 Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 I know this goes against the grain of how we gringos have been trained to act here, but I couldn't abide continuing to pay wages to someone who just stole from me. Talk to the jefe in private and tell him either the electronics get returned the next day or that's the end of the work and the pay. The tacit acceptance of crime around here does nothing to curb it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adafromhavana Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 A friend of mine that has a business had a problem with one of the workers stealing a cell from another. He talked to all the workers, No one confessed. So he had a police friend of his talk to the workers. He told them that there was a chip inside the phone that told them the location were the phone was at. That if the phone did not show up by the end of the work day that he was going to send a police car to the house to arrest the thief. It worked! The thief confessed and returned the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 Yes it is a very good advice if a maid or a gardner did not have access to the place. If there was someone not associated with that group, you cannot fire one group and not the other .This is why you cannot leave things out when they are workers you do not know in your house. Several years ago a worker picked up my keys and had them duplicated the originals were put back after lunch. After the job was over someone came back in the middle of the night. I was lucky I have double doors and only the metal doors´s keys were dduplicates as the others were in a safe place. . We also had a lot of robberies around that time in the area so I had an alarm installed without telling anyone and I did not put a sign up ..The alarm sounded the minute the man or men got near the door. They had the time to open one door and took off. I had been here for a while and never employed someone I had not known for several years and neither did I let anyone alone in a room and my keys still got lifted...you cannot be too careful and cannot leave anything like keys phones, money and so on in full view. Several years before the previous owners were remodelling and the owner ´s wallet was lifted from her purse. The men were also working on a house accross the street and she went running accross the street screaming at the foreman and the workers ,she got her wallet back quickly if no one else but the workers were there, tell the foreman to get you the items back or give you the money or the job is over. Construction is down , jobs are hard to get and good workers easy to get . Do not let them intimidate you, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanjo Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 It must feel awful to allow anyone in your sanctuary ever again after being invaded! No one would ever be alone in my house unless I trust them without reservation. Given what you say, all would be gone. No communication about it. DONE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky23 Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/category/hidden+cameras/experts+pick+top+hidden+cameras.do Here's a website with security items, hidden cameras & such. I know the extra cost associated with shipping to Mexico makes the cost steeper but it's a start to understand some products with hidden cameras. I do not know if BrickHouseSecurity.com ships to Mexico - I use Sol y Luna - http://www.solylunalogistics.com/importationrates.html Coupon savings for the website http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/category/company+info+pages/coupon.do The website provides video explanations and well defined specifications for the security products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artsnob Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 Call the police Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solajijic Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 I am sorry and it was a hard lesson to learn but going out to lunch or hair appts and in fact leaving the house etc... are all put on hold when workers are expected. We move around the house constantly and often times plunk down in a room where someone is working. After all these years and two household thefts, one major, I can say for certain that were it to happen again even a kindle recharging everyone would be fired immediately and the locks changed. Nanny cam? who is going to care not the guy you caught and no one you try to report him to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigrig1919 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/category/hidden+cameras/experts+pick+top+hidden+cameras.do Here's a website with security items, hidden cameras & such. I know the extra cost associated with shipping to Mexico makes the cost steeper but it's a start to understand some products with hidden cameras. I do not know if BrickHouseSecurity.com ships to Mexico - I use Sol y Luna - http://www.solylunalogistics.com/importationrates.html The website provides video explanations and well defined specifications for the security products. Thanks for the info. That is just what I'm looking for. http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/category/hidden+cameras/black+box+hidden+cams.do#bottominternallink Above is the link to the cameras I'm looking to buy. And, surprising, they are cheep for what they do. What I like about them is, they are HD quality, they are stand along, no computer required, Wi-Fi, etc. they record on an SD card and when you want to review the Video, you just remove the card and insert it into your computer. Plus, they are under $200 US. I know a lot of people stay home and watch everything, but my wife and I refuse to be a slave to our house. Naturally, we lock up thing that we consider valuable to us, but we are not going to walk around the house every time we want to go to the Grocery store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkgourmet Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 The same products are sold through Amazon, which may make it easier to ship to you. Some even have free super saver shipping if you can send it to someone NOB who can bring it down to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joco69 Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 A good way to test your employees, casual or permanent, is leaving some money, a watch or some piece of jewlery you don't care about, on a table, top of a drawer, desktop etc. It has worked for me both here and in Canada. Makes you learn who you can trust and who not, and take the necessary steps without even confronting the employee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valbogyo Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 That is frustrating. I would definitely tell them that those things went missing while they are in the house. Just say, if anything else goes missing you will have to fire everyone, and you do not want to do that. The person who is not the thief will know the other did it and may put pressure on that person in order to save their job. If you say nothing they may think you are so rich, it means nothing to you to loose an iphone or kindle I am sure you do not need lectures from the rest of us. I do not want to be a prisoner in my home, and I do not have a spouse to share the duty with. So, I do leave workers in the house. Not strangers, but regular workers that I know. I do not leave out tempting stuff, though. I lock up computers, cell phones, money, the good tequila in one room and then leave. Yes, they could get in if they wanted, but these are people with a good reputation and it would be time consuming and difficult to open the locked door. I take the only key with me. They know I do not keep money in the house because I am always having to go to the bank to pay them. I tell them, in Canada... we use debit cards for almost everything and do not carry a lot of cash. I do think a camera in the house is a good idea, though. I have thought of doing that myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigrig1919 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 The same products are sold through Amazon, which may make it easier to ship to you. Some even have free super saver shipping if you can send it to someone NOB who can bring it down to you. I would love to be able able to buy from Amazon since I'm a prime member and get 2 day free shipping. but I cannot find the same cameras I listed above on their site. I will keep looking. The more I have thought about it, two of these Cameras would be a perfit addition to my house and provide me input if something else goes missing. I've already made one change in out house. We have started charging all mobile devises only in my office which has a lockable door. When we leave the house, we lock my office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyfull Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 I wouldn't leave workmen alone in my house NOB. Why would anyone do that here? For a couple it makes things easier since you can take turns going out...unless you are tied at the hip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparks Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Why do they have access to anything? Come on, wake up!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCC Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Would you mind private messaging me the name of the contractor. I have heard this before and wonder if it is the same crew. I ask for a pm in case it is not. In my friends case they got wiped out and the crew disappeared mid job. This was after a few small thefts, very similar to your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigrig1919 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Would you mind private messaging me the name of the contractor. I have heard this before and wonder if it is the same crew. I ask for a pm in case it is not. In my friends case they got wiped out and the crew disappeared mid job. This was after a few small thefts, very similar to your situation. There's one small misunderstanding here about workmen in my house. We had our cleaning lady working that day in our house and our Gardener was working outside. We had about 5 workers, working on an outside construction project. They were not working inside our house. We suspect someone came in a side or back door and took our iPhone and Kindell. Our cleaning lady has worked with us for several Months and we have left the iPhone, iPad, Kindle etc pluged up with no problem. To have two devices stolen in a few days, leads us to believe it was one of the workers. Anyway, we will be more carefull and install the video cameras that will help us in the future to catch the thief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux4noff Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Or the housekeeper knew the suspicion would be cast on the workers. I agree with others, put valuables away, and also sta home when workers are there. After the first item disappeared, I would have been on alert for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Pretty foolish to go out when your house isn't locked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valbogyo Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Pretty foolish to go out when your house isn't locked up. What is useful about this forum is that it provides a place for we expats to discuss problems/concerns with any aspect of living in this area of Mexico. I don't know how helpful it is to reply to questions with remarks like this. So discussing strategies on how to secure your home, while not being a prisoner of it is useful. Even if you are at home, being in every room at all times is not always possible. Installing cameras inside the home is a interesting solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanMexicali Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 What is useful about this forum is that it provides a place for we expats to discuss problems/concerns with any aspect of living in this area of Mexico. I don't know how helpful it is to reply to questions with remarks like this. So discussing strategies on how to secure your home, while not being a prisoner of it is useful. Even if you are at home, being in every room at all times is not always possible. Installing cameras inside the home is a interesting solution. I always take my valuables and lock them in the trunk of my car, lock my car, and keep the key in my pocket when having anyone I don´t know very well in my house, workers, party etc.. I started doing this after I lost a Mont Blanc pen I had sitting on my nightstand a decade ago while getting an estimate to redo the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Having someone working for you for a few months does not mean anything unless you know people who had her working for them for years and nothing has ever happened,,,If the workers were working outside, unlesss a door was left open or they could clearly see what they wanted chances are that the housekeeper saw an oportunity to take something knowing that the blame could be shifted to the workers...That is the problem with having various people working around..you cannot blame one or the other.In your case the camera is a good solution . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 Very helpful. Much more sensible than installing cameras. It makes more sense to prevent the theft from happening in the first place than trying to pursue someone with some photos. What is useful about this forum is that it provides a place for we expats to discuss problems/concerns with any aspect of living in this area of Mexico. I don't know how helpful it is to reply to questions with remarks like this. So discussing strategies on how to secure your home, while not being a prisoner of it is useful. Even if you are at home, being in every room at all times is not always possible. Installing cameras inside the home is a interesting solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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