Need help. My staff person was just robbed at Salt Pond.

Xislandgirl · Post by **Xislandgirl** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:30 am

I agree about not emailing them.

I keep a photocopy of all our docs in our travel folder that we lock in the villa safe and my parents have a copy at home. I can call them and they can fax them if we get in a tough spot. They also have CC numbers that we are bringing with us. Just gives me piece of mind.

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:13 am

Since we are talking safety and security, we have made it a practice to make a copy of our ID's and a seperate copy of all the CC's (front and back) we are taking with us on any extended trip. We keep the copies seperate and in places where they would not easily be found. When we arrive at our destination we lock up the originals and the copies. We also have an electronic copy of the ID's & CC's that we leave at home but it can be sent to us easily. In the past I have kept these e-copies in my email box under a non-descript title but have since decided that the risk is too high anymore. We have had to use these copies only once. My wife had her purse pickpocketed while we were in Chicago. The copies had all the contact info, account numbers, expiration dates and all the other information to cancel the CC immediately when we returned to the hotel room. Since we were able to call the banks as soon as we realized the theft we were able to stop them dead in their tracks. The thief first tried to use the ATM card multiple times to no avail. Then was able to purchase a TV at Target I think. But since we had already provided notfication we were on the hook for $0.

We had our rental car broken into in Cancun on a cruise stop and they stole snorkel gear, clothes, towels camera etc. I will not return there and unfortunately that is the memory I have of Cancun except that the police seemed to have little interest and the police report was filed in a notebook that actually had Mickey Mouse on the cover.

Good luck to your friends and hopefully they will come home with better memories of StJ than just being robbed.

stjchica · Post by **stjchica** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:19 am

Exit Zero wrote:I only thought the original post said the ID and cash and credit cards were stolen - a lot of the other tips included passports and other good ideas.
It was the topic header that really intrigued me because robbery includes another person and a threat or act of violence -[ they were not robbed at Salt Pond ! ] and I was relieved it was a simple case of theft.

I was going to address that as well...While it is sad that this event happened, it was not a "robbery" as I initially thought...and I felt relief as well.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:19 am

jimg20 wrote:
surfnh wrote:Ha! Excellent lesson......what am I doing awake so early reading this stuff?????

Oh well, I guess we've all wondered about that parking lot at salt pond over the years, it's pretty remote but it's always been empty of people hanging around when we've been there and we've never had an issue (knock on wood). Some of the places where we surf in Puerto Rico we're advised to leave nothing in the car and leave the windows wide open, so they won't break anything while searching through ur car. Not sure if I'm game enough to try that at salt pond?

This stuff could happen anywhere, just a shame it even comes up in this world, bad people really suck!
When we were in Bonaire last month, we were given the same instruction about leaving the car open with nothing in it that you ever want to see again.

JIM

We were told the same thing on Provo, T & C. We rented a car from the villa owner and she said keep the windows down and the doors unlocked.

toni · Post by **toni** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:40 am

surfnh wrote: "we're advised to leave nothing in the car and leave the windows wide open, so they won't break anything while searching through ur car.

We were advised about this on Oahu as well when hitting the beaches and did see somebody's car that had their windows smashed.

Heck, here at home I put things in my trunk that I don't want people to see/steal. It's a shame, but that's how it is.

Just hope it doesn't wreck their vacation and all their positive memories of St. John.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:20 am

In our case, the rental lady told us straight out that she didn't want to deal with the hassle of a smashed window.

Wasn't there someone else on the forum who saw people trying to break into their car or someone else's car at Salt Pond? about a year or so ago?

I hope it didn't ruin Bill's friends vacation

Chet · Post by **Chet** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:43 am

An exboyfriend of my SIL was a professional photographer. We parked the car at St Pete Beach and headed for the water. He carried a cheap Instamatic. Why?

"Never bring your good stuff to the beach."

Theft can be calculated or a simple crime of opportunity. It breaks my heart to hear these tales. And there are some good "backup" ideas expressed here. In my IT world, it's disaster recovery. Planning for DR on a vacation can be a buzz kill. Reduce the need for planning - skinny down your stuff. Remember, your jeep has a big rental sticker that looks like a target...

JT · Post by JT » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:00 am

Saltpond has had a reputation for thefts from cars as long as long as I can remember. Also, things have been taken that are left on the beach while folks are snorkeling. We witnessed a theft on the beach once.Can't help it, but we were laughing as it was happening.Sorry, but watching mongoose dem stealing stuff out of an un-attended cooler is pretty funny.I should've called the proper authorities.

Bill in Va · Post by **Bill in Va** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:37 pm

Yo troops. My staff person and her family made it through security with the police report and her rental car agreement. On the plane now. They had a ball and want to go back again. A happy ending....God bless....Bill

FinsUp · Post by **FinsUp** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:41 pm

All's well that ends well!!!

So glad they could see beyond it to what STJ is really about and all it has to offer!!

nascarfan59 · Post by **nascarfan59** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:39 pm

My 2 cents: I copy my documents to a USB flash that requires a password to access. Small enough to hide away in your carry on, shaving kit, or where ever you like.

paulandtracie · Post by **paulandtracie** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:54 pm

I am also relieved that everyone is safe back home and not feeling negative things about St. John. A few years back we took all of our kids to Mexico, flying into Cancun, and we were essentially 'held up' by the policia! They pulled us over, told us we were in violation of the seat belt laws (what seat belt laws??), even though the kids were wearing seat belts, and demanded $300 or they would take my husband into custody at the police station. Luckily we had also heard tips on the message board and refused, telling them we would accompany them to the 'station', and they eventually waved us on. Unfortunately it colored our view of that area and we will no longer go back. I figure if the authorities will rob you, what happens if you need actual help? Whether our experience should have given us such a bad attitude or not, the fact is that it did. It was our oldest two son's first visit to Mexico and you can imagine what they think. Sad, really. One of the reasons we love St. John so much is that we don't have to worry about anything like that, thank goodness.

EagleRayLover · Post by **EagleRayLover** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 6:49 pm

so glad they got home safely and want to come back to Paradise despite a big hiccup- they really have a positive outlook on life- I like them a lot - tell them to post a trip report !!

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:22 pm

After all the good ideas, I scanned my stuff and uploaded to google docs, gave my wife permission to access the doc in case I get hit by a beer truck after I get robbed.

usvi-on-line