Uncategorized April 11, 2010

Robbed at KFC Greenhills

I saw the following video from my friend Azrael’s FB profile several minutes ago. It’s security footage from McDonald’s Dau showing how a woman’s bag got stolen right under her nose… so to speak.

I can’t help but remember what happened to me last January 27, 2009. My whole friggin’ bag was stolen from right under my nose at KFC Greenhills, just like this woman’s was. The scenario was exactly the same as above. I was feeding my son at KFC with my shoulder bag right beside me. When we finished, I turned to get it and it was GONE. I lost two cellphones, my iPod Touch, petty cash from the office amounting to P20,000 (I don’t usually bring my iPod or carry cash with me so that must have been the bastard’s lucky day), and some SM GCs. I felt like I was going to faint, as if a rug were pulled out from under me. My blogger account was inactive at the time so I wasn’t able to share it with you here. I suspect a woman took my bag as well, because it was a big ladies bag and it would have been glaringly obvious had a man suddenly walked out with it.

I went to the Greenhills Police Station near Theater Mall to file a blotter. The policeman told me that a lot of bags get stolen from that particular KFC branch. It’s the one across the Carpark facing Globe Telecoms. An average of 3 complaints are filed every week, he said. They allegedly advised KFC Management to put warning signs. a security cam, and brief the guards to be vigilant but it was still happening again and again. Their advice probably fell on deaf ears because there were no security cams at the time and we were seated within the guard’s full view. The KFC staff who escorted me to the police station told me that she herself had her bag stolen at the branch while she was on duty.

The only consolation I had with regards to the whole ordeal was that I got my IDs and keys back. G-Liner called me at the office the very next day to tell me that my bag had been abandoned inside their bus. My hubby and I picked it up from their terminal. G-Liner was able to contact me via my company ID.

Seeing though as this happens to a lot of the people, I’ve decided to share my experience and hopefully impart a few lessons learned the hard way:

When dining out, do not sit in a straight horizontal line. Like that woman above, my son and I were beside each other. Had someone been seated in front of me or us, he/she would have seen the culprit getting my bag.
Do not bring unnecessary items you’re not prepared to lose. Do you really need to lug around that PSP to accompany you while malling? After my experience, I’ve really cut down on the valuable items I put in my bag. I don’t even bring around cash anymore, just P500 to P1000 tops.
Do not let your bag / valuables out of your sight. Put it on your lap if you have to.
Be wary of your surroundings. The policeman told me that people who are out to steal your stuff, say in a fast food joint, will just stand around and loiter. They won’t order anything, they’re just there to wait for an opportunity to steal. Observe the people around you.
Memorize your credit card hotlines so you can cancel your cards in the event that they are stolen.

As you can see, mommies preoccupied with their kids are easy prey for these unscrupulous people. I’m just thankful that my son and I remained safe that day. Material things can after all be replaced eventually. Let’s learn from each other’s experiences and keep safe.

I don’t think I’ll ever go back to KFC Greenhills though.

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