Photo: KSBW
A mysterious car thief in San Francisco has turned to what they probably believe to be an easy way of making money: they leave a flyer on the windshield of the vehicles they plan to steal, asking the owners for donations.
As weird as this may sound, the flyer is pretty much an extortion attempt that warns car owners that their vehicles could end up being stolen if they refuse to pay.
On the other hand, what’s even weirder is the reason the thief invokes for turning to stealing cars: they have to pay the bills in one way or another, so unless they somehow get the money for the whole thing, they could end up breaking into vehicles.
“I don’t want to steal anymore! But I still have bills to pay. Can you help me please?” the thief explains on the flyer while also providing several payment options, including Bitcoin and PayPal.
The “anymore” reference in the phrase seems to suggest this wouldn’t be the thief’s first stolen car, so they claim they will stop doing it if the victim pays.
And according to the local media, some people do pay, though it’s not clear just how much money they transferred to the extortionist, given no amount was specified.
PayPal has reportedly confirmed that the account mentioned on the flyer does exist, but at the same time, the company also warned that any illegal activity would lead to a ban. However, no information has been offered as to whether law enforcement contacted PayPal for the account details.
Needless to say, a Bitcoin payment makes it impossible for the police to figure out who’s behind this scam. This is because nobody can tell who owns a certain wallet, so once the victims transfer money to the alleged thief, the funds are entirely gone, with no way for law enforcement to trace or recover them.
On the other hand, what’s even weirder is the reason the thief invokes for turning to stealing cars: they have to pay the bills in one way or another, so unless they somehow get the money for the whole thing, they could end up breaking into vehicles.
“I don’t want to steal anymore! But I still have bills to pay. Can you help me please?” the thief explains on the flyer while also providing several payment options, including Bitcoin and PayPal.
The “anymore” reference in the phrase seems to suggest this wouldn’t be the thief’s first stolen car, so they claim they will stop doing it if the victim pays.
And according to the local media, some people do pay, though it’s not clear just how much money they transferred to the extortionist, given no amount was specified.
PayPal has reportedly confirmed that the account mentioned on the flyer does exist, but at the same time, the company also warned that any illegal activity would lead to a ban. However, no information has been offered as to whether law enforcement contacted PayPal for the account details.
Needless to say, a Bitcoin payment makes it impossible for the police to figure out who’s behind this scam. This is because nobody can tell who owns a certain wallet, so once the victims transfer money to the alleged thief, the funds are entirely gone, with no way for law enforcement to trace or recover them.
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