Wrong (Again??)

Wrong (Again??)

    I was wrong.  Don't you love to hear those words...from anyone?  Weather folk who badly miss their forecast, or stock predictors or even politicians?  Or bloggers like me?  Yes, I was wrong in quoting the severance figures for the departing CEO of Wells Fargo.  As it turns out, CEO John Stumpf has not yet left but if and when he does he would receive an estimated figure less than what I had mentioned, a measly $123.6 million severance package instead of the $150 million I had originally written; he would still receive a personal driver and assistant for two+ years, as well as possibly continue to be paid a "working" salary of nearly $3 million, said Fortune.  So apologies there...my confusion came because earlier (and due to the scandal of creating false accounts and thus driving the stock of Wells Fargo artificially high) another executive of Wells Fargo departed as Fortune reported two weeks ago:...that Carrie Tolstedt, the Wells Fargo executive who oversaw the unit making the phony accounts, stands to leave the bank with $124.6 million.  But that’s in part because Tolstedt was allowed to retire.  If she had been fired Tolstedt would have had to forfeit as much as $45 million of that payday.  Of course, Mr. Stumpf may decide to wait another year so that he can indeed retire and not forfeit a portion of his holdings by being fired, and of course he would thus keep making what many other banking CEOs make (of the top ten CEOs in banking, the lowest paid is given over $12 million each year with the average being about $15-16 million, says USA Today).

    But let's jump out of that quagmire and onto some practical advice.  As you know, I was robbed a little over a week ago and while things have settled down substantially I have also learned much from the police and others about the workings of crooks and some of the ways to protect yourself...but in particular this will mean sacrificing some of your conveniences.  Number one is your car key fob; stolen keys are perhaps the easiest take for thieves, grabbing them from open purses in grocery carts or placed on a shelf in the workout room (one friend placed her keys on a bench next to her while she sat to text back a message and her keys disappeared, as did her car).  A quick grab, a few clicks wandering around the parking lot and your car conveniently opens up; at that point they can grab the contents inside or simply drive away to do so later (which is what happened in my case).  So you step outside and discover your car is missing...but luckily you have a spare key at home.  But, so does the thief (and he has your fob).  Disabling the fob so the thief can't steal your car again means a reprogramming of your car (either to a new fob) or having a new cylinder put in the ignition and in the door locks so that the keys the thief has don't work...it'll run you about $200 and several hours of your time.  My car keys themselves also have a chip in them so forget your local Home Depot.  Have that blank made without the proper chip and after your car starts (with the non-chipped key), it will be dead and locked within a few seconds (that's the anti-theft feature of most cars made after 2000).  Did I mention that my wife and I had fobs for both of our cars (so double that $200 cost).  Our new keys we had made without the fobs.  The thief might spot the car but this time he'll have to look and actually try his key and then see if the car starts (it won't).  None of this easy click the fob and off he goes stuff.

   Second, your garage door opener.  This is a biggie.  Once your thief nabs your car he'll likely look in your glove box or visor to try and find your garage door opener.  He already has your address from your car registration (or license, if he's taken your wallet or purse) and will likely beat you home.  He clicks open the garage door, drives in, then closes the garage door.  To your neighbors and others walking by, everything looks normal as if you've just arrived back home.  This gives the thief time to enter your house (many people don't lock their entry door from garage-to-house), rifle through your things and grab what he wants, perhaps even loading the car with your laptops and guns and other quick-to-pawn items, then back to opening the garage door and off he goes fully loaded (and perhaps ready to get loaded).  To your neighbors again, they simply think that perhaps you forgot something, or that your cousin staying over (and driving your car) looks nothing like you.  Ah well, a shoulder shrug and back to tending their lawn.  I was lucky...no garage door opener in my car when they drove off. 

    There's more, of course.  But the point is to not make it easy for the thief, even if it makes it easy for you (after all, who wants to get out of the car and manually open the garage door each time you come and go especially in the pouring rain or if it's snowing?)...just saying.  As my retired police friend told me, crooks want easy.  If your house is lit outside at night but your neighbor's isn't, they'll move on.  If you have a yappy dog inside and the next person doesn't, they'll move on.  If you have an alarm system (they know all the fake stickers so don't bother) and the next house doesn't, they'll move on.  If they never see you putting your to-go mail (bills you're paying with your checks inside) in your unsecured outside mailbox, they'll move on (this form of theft is common nationwide for you don't usually question unreceived mail until several days have passed).  If your side entry gate to your back yard is locked and the next house isn't, they'll move on.  If your garage door is generally closed, even if you've left for just a short errand, they'll move on (this is another common thing thieves look for, the open and empty garage being a tempting quick steal, especially regarding items such as ladders and tools for selling underground and at swap meets for quick cash).

    I was wrong, wrong to have my key fob in my locked locker and wrong to have my checkbook and other papers in my car.  I got careless (the police tell me that there is usually an 8-month cycle, that being the amount of time thieves feel people grow complacent and feel that all is again well so the thief can somewhat-safely return to the same site or home or car to hit it again).  I was wrong about the Wells Fargo CEO departing...should have checked.  Should have, should have, should have.  We can all look back; but in the case of thieves, it might be easier to look and plan ahead...and to not make it so easy.