toilet robber

Another good reason for going to the toilet in a group. Ladies better be careful.

The Latest Scam: Robbing Females using the bathroom at a shopping mall

The way the scam works is, a man slips into a women's restroom and sneaks into a stall. He waits until there is only one woman in the restroom in a neighboring stall.

The criminal then stands on the toilet and points a hand gun into the next stall, demanding the woman's valuables. After getting her cash and jewelry, he demands that she remove all of her clothing and kick them out of the stall.

The thief tosses the clothing into a shopping bag, hangs an out-of-order sign on the restroom door and slips back into the mall. The out-of-order sign ensures no one will soon come to the woman's rescue.

It usually takes an hour or two for the woman to work up the nerve to leave the restroom in the nude, giving the criminal ample time to make his getaway. The woman is left naked and humiliated in a mall full of strangers.

The best defense, say police, is to never go into a shopping mall restroom alone, as only women who are by themselves are targeted.

This has so far been a nearly perfect crime, as none of the perpetrators have been caught.

Forewarned is forearmed.

- bugsybee, 'A Warning', 2 Aug 2005.