If you think locked, secured cases are safe ... WRONG!

[FWOF]

On Monday my suitcase went missing between Amsterdam and Budapest. It did finally arrive at my hotel at 2.30am the following morning. It looked fine, still had the security strap around it and the combination lock looked intact, there was even an airport 'Security Seal' over it. However, when I opened it, I found that my external 120gb hard drive, a bottle of Dior perfume and Dior and YSL makeup had been stolen from within. Also my laptop carry case. Somehow it had been opened and I can see the combination lock has been tampered with, despite me thinking it was secure. Of course, perfume and makeup can be replaced. The four years work and photo's on my external drive cannot be. So, really it's just a heads-up for those of you that think that even when your case is locked and secured, it is not. And the worrying part? Worse than having items taken from your case? What could they put IN?

I flew KLM and with Malev on the AMS to BUD leg.

[MacBoero]

You put your life's work in hold baggage!? :hmm:

[FWOF]

I put an external hard drive that contained 4 years work in a hard shell case with three locks and a lockable security strap. I know people that have lost cameras, iPods, DS Lite's, phones etc. etc. If you lock and secure your luggage you should have some faith it will get to the other side containing everything you locked inside it. My biggest point in the post I made was that what can be put IN a locked case ... imagine getting pulled at the airport and drugs being found in your locked and sealed case. Would the Police beleive that these things were put in AFTER the case lelft your hands? It's a huge scam AND a known about occurence. It needs bringing to the forefront of our minds again.

Thank you so much for your heart felt message.

[parabellum]

I have posted this before but do so again for the new comers. Opening a passengers luggage is very simple, only a very few security systems will beat the determined thief.

A strong canvas or similar strap around the case with a very simple fastening of buckles will do, anything that is plastic and involves 'clicking in' is useless.

Many cases like Samsonite and Delsi have a single hinge down the back. A specially fashioned motor cycle spoke is all that is needed!

The thief applies the spoke, punches out the hinge, opens the case from behind and feels around for anything that feels expensive and saleable, case then closed, hinge replaced and case arrives at the carousel looking in mint condition, you only discover your loss when you get home.

ANYTHING that will cause time is to be considered, including plastic wrapping, if the thieves can't open your case and rifle it in seconds they can't take the risk. My favourite, a sturdy canvas strap that has a very simple metal buckle that can be pulled very tight on a very well travelled Samsonite.

If you choose to travel with soft canvas bags that can be ripped open with a knife, or the zippers can be opened with a Biro then you are asking for trouble. Genuine LV luggage is for stashing in the back of a racing green Bentley and never letting out of your sight!

[Icare9]

FWOF: I posted something similar recently with padlocks being removed from our bag several times.
No one seems to give adequate thought to the potential (as you raise) for apparently secure baggage having something added without your knowledge and then being discovered. There is a lot of time that baggage is outside of your care before being loaded, yet airlines don't seem to have any way of ensuring that your SECURE bags remain so after you check them in. Why can't they put a plastic cable tie round the entire case, so you have a visual clue when collecting at destination??
After all, Heathrow had notoriety as Thiefrow due to the amount of items extracted from passengers bags. Other airports may not be so prominent, but the opportunity is there at every airport. If the handlers have the freedom, skills and equipment to tamper with bags, then it is equally possible for them to add something. They do not necessarily have to believe in a cause, or money, they could be susceptible to blackmail that their thieving would be revealed.

[PAPI-74]

More and more airport workers are on a temp pass. Who are these people???
It may even be the security bods scanning the bag.
As an ex-locksmith, comb locks can be decoded fiarly swiftly with practice. The free locks with the case are free for a reason - they are naff.
As parabellum mentioned, sprung steel can be shaped to make picks or jigglers if you know what you are doing (good old internet). Choose a good quiality lock and think like a thief. If you find a way in, don't buy the case in the first place.
I always wire lock my zips that don't have a padlock (eg large rucksack). Make it discrete to avoid your case being victim to curiosity form the baggage handlers.

[Bushfiva]

My local airport will shrinkwrap the entire case for a small fee. On the one occasion it arrived with the shrinkwrap damaged, I asked the airline handling agent to open the case with me.

[beamender99]

A strong canvas or similar strap around the case with a very simple fastening of buckles will do, anything that is plastic and involves 'clicking in' is useless.



I have a collection of straps.
Those I bought, the silly fastners snapped off.
The remainder, I admit, have all been retrieved, as they went round and round carousels all on their lonesome, having been separated by the system from their cases.

I usually use a simple strap and then tie knots with the end thats left.
This avoids the loose end getting caught in the system and is a small deterrent.

If I resort to a clip type then I always loop heavy cord around the clip so that if it releases it is still retained.

If I use a holdall (for clothes /shoes) I always bind the two handles together to reduce the risk of the holdall being swung by just one handle.

[Skipness One Echo]

Very informative thanks for that. I always carry the stuff I don't want to lose with me in hand baggage, camera, lenses etc. I leave the hold luggage to be the underwear and smelly socks. Good luck with that.......

[PaperTiger]

My biggest point in the post I made was that what can be put IN a locked case ... imagine getting pulled at the airport and drugs being found in your locked and sealed case.I think drug couriers would probably pick a location from where they can retrieve the drugs. Why on earth would they put it in your bag and leave it there ? :confused:

Never, EVER, check anything you cannot afford to lose.

[Michael SWS]

FWOF]Of course, perfume and makeup can be replaced. The four years work and photo's on my external drive cannot be.But, of course, it will be a simple matter to retrieve all that work and those photos from your backup as soon as you get another external drive.

You do have a backup of that four years' work and irreplaceable photos, don't you...?

[bizzy liz]

I may be mad or just lucky, but.... I NEVER lock my hold luggage ever! I think it is an invitation to would be thieves, if it is really secured, there must be something in there worth taking.

I just use a simple keyring on the double zips to keep them together when thrown around and that's that. Of course anything of value is in the carry on.

If something happens to the hold luggage, well, where in the world can you not buy essentials, and incidentally, no matter where I go, if I check in luggage I bring a spare set of essential undies, and a spare top or two in the carry on. If the hold luggage is damaged or goes to another airport, I am fine until they find it! Long experience taught me!

[VAFFPAX]

Just one thing... those who put harddrives etc into their cabin baggage risk having it copied by the TSA as the Department of Homeland Security in the US has the authority to do so with memory cards, harddrives, laptops, video cameras etc, all in the name of safety.

That's one reason why some put their drives into their hold luggage which means the TSA does not get to see it (except on screen for hold luggage scans).

As for locking your cases, I WAS surprised to see a letter from Flughäfen Berlin (the authority that manages the three airports in Berlin) in my hold luggage in June and wondered if I'd left the luggage unlocked (but I didn't). But where airports have wrapping facilities, I do take my stuff there purely because of the airports I fly from. At the risk of sounding trés un-PC, I don't trust the workers in those airports. Period.

S.

[FairlieFlyer]

and you dont think when they scan your Hold lugagge they wont pull it and copy it anyway?

Gotta say, dont check anything valuable in - youre asking for it to be lost/stolen/damaged/cooked/soaked sitting on the tarmac

[Atlantean1963]

Hi FWOF,

sorry to hear about your experience :(. It's a theme that's been explored on here before (see http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf-self-loading-freight/348681-missing-padlocks-baggage.html ) - and in my experience, AMS is particularly bad for baggage loss and tampering.

You comment about possibly having stuff put in your case did remind me of something that happened to me about ten years ago, on a CDG - BHX flight. I collected my bag, got home, opened it to unpack; and on top of my clothes was a pair of lady's undergarments that were most certainly not there when I packed the case. It's just a good thing Mrs. A wasn't there when I opened the bag. :eek:

And sadly, we always learn more from our bad experiences - never put anything into the hold that you're not prepared never to see again.

Best Regards,

Atlantean

[deltayankee]

AMS is particularly bad for baggage loss and tampering


Never had any experience with tampering there, but I have seen how bags can go astray. Just last week I saw some bags fall off a dolly and all the passengers just laughed (it might be your own bags, dummies!) and on one occasion the bus driver had to stop the bus, get out and kick some bags to the side of the road to get past.

Anyway, you should always say goodbye to your hold bags at checkin because you might never see them again. ALWAYS carry valuables and any papers/data that can't be replaced with you in the cabin.

Practical tip: if you have any important business papers in your hold bag make sure there is an electronic copy somewhere, either original files, a scan or even a macro photo of each page.

[Avman]

I find it very naive to think your bag is safe from thieving when locked. My one and only simple recommendation is NEVER put anything of any personal value in hold baggage.

[VAFFPAX]

Fairlieflyer, it is apparently less likely to happen (according to IT sources in the US) in the higher-pressure hold luggage check environment than the security check for pax.

The general view though is - don't leave it on your laptop, either hardware encrypt your drive (which Seagate's new drives do automatically), have it couriered to you or park it in GMail (any webmail service really) or some other accessible location once you're through the security check

S.

[barry lloyd]

Quote:
AMS is particularly bad for baggage loss and tampering

Never had any experience with tampering there, but I have seen how bags can go astray. Just last week I saw some bags fall off a dolly and all the passengers just laughed (it might be your own bags, dummies!) and on one occasion the bus driver had to stop the bus, get out and kick some bags to the side of the road to get past.


Travel through AMS regularly. Baggage handling seems to be much better these days, but a few years ago, it was abysmal. I was travelling to Athens regularly at the time, and the bag went missing on about one in three trips. Nothing ever went missing, apart from once.
When I unpacked my case at home, I found that my razor was missing. I distinctly remember packing it, and all my other toiletries were intact, so it was in the case for sure when I checked-in. Cue X-Files theme...

In the 70's I travelled BA to Teheran. My case did not arrive, and four days later when I returned to THR, it had still not appeared.
It did appear eventually. Three months later a van turned up at my door, with a very light case. Just my socks, underwear, shaving kit and shoes were in it. Everything else, including my brand new safari suits (this was the 70s remember!) had disappeared. The compensation claim was swift and merciless, but BA did pay up without a murmur.

[Flight Detent]

Just something that caught my eye....

bizzy liz...you don't seem to have travelled much off the "beaten track"...

"well, where in the world can you not buy essentials," you say!

...would you like a list!!

Cheers...FD...:)

[EC-ILS]

I work in baggage claim, Im not a thief and sometimes have to open locked suitcases to see if I can trace their owners.

Ive never come up against a suitcase that I couldnt open. But I prefer when people tag their bags on the outside.

My advise to you is, dont put non-replaceable stuff in your bag because there is scum out there who will take it. To late now tough! I had a $25000 camera lense go missing last week!

[LA4200]

A friend of my cousin was on a return flight to Ireland and due to a report of smoke in the cabin (I think this later turned out to be a false alarm), the aircraft landed, cleared the active runway and came to an abrupt stop, passengers were told to leave ALL their belongings behind and evacuate. They were taken to the terminal building where they waited and some time later, were reunited with their 'carry on' items.

After returning home she opened her small travel bag only to find that her jewellery case had been 'removed':(.....

[larssnowpharter]

My favourite, a sturdy canvas strap that has a very simple metal buckle that can be pulled very tight on a very well travelled Samsonite.

That really says it all.

The toerags who break into your luggage know what they are doing and look for the 'soft target'.

My 2 twenty odd year old Samsonites are secured with a buckled strap, they have innumerable old stickers on them going back a long time and are both about as scuffed and battered as you can imagine. They are also bloody heavy compared to the modern lightweight stuff.

In 20 odd years of very, very frequent airline travelling they have never been touched to my knowledge.

Anything really valuable goes with me and I keep data backed up on a remote server as well as an external hard drive.