Questions tagged [theft]
For questions about criminal deprivation of property as well as property torts
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What are the powers of a retail security guard compared to a police officer?
I watched a video about the legality of security guards doing random compulsory receipt and bag checks and it raised a question for me. So of course they can stop you in the act to prevent an imminent ...
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can a parent take away property their child borrowed from me?
I bought a phone and have since let my minor cousin use the phone. Her mother has taken the phone and I told her that it is my property and needs to be returned to either me or her daughter or I will ...
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Theft by proxy using wild Crows?
Feeding birds gets them to behave different, we all know that. Allegedly, someone feeding crows turned the neighborhood crows to turn them into an active deterrent for thieves - and an alert that an ...
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Liability with Stolen Property
A car is stolen and the thief injures himself, another, or property.
Does liability extend to the owner? Does it matter if the owner had yet reported the car stolen?
For the sake of this question let ...
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Is it making off without paying to dispute the charged amount based on a misunderstanding, even if this is the customer’s own fault?
Bob goes to a burger joint every week for several months and orders an individual beef patty for £4 which they are able to put through on the till as an “extra.”
One time Bob arrives at the place and ...
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If I use stolen money to gamble, do I get to keep the winnings?
If a person were to steal $10,000 from a convenience store and gamble with it, winning $500,000.
And later they were caught, would the government only claw back the $10,000 or also the $500,000?
Would ...
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Can you give stolen property back to the thief?
This question is inspired by this video by the lock picking lawyer, who given his name I'm assuming knows a thing or two about law.
However in the video he explains the lock was sent in by a viewer ...
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Is theft of virtual currency prosecutable?
My friend and I play a virtual game called Second Life. In this game there is virtual currency called Linden dollars that you can either earn within Second Life from other players through virtual ...
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Is a statement saying that a party committed a crime by a non-benefiting accessory to the crime considered a party-opponent admission?
I was taking an MBE Prep Test for the hell of it, and I found this question's answer to be controversial.
"Several persons together stole a painting from an art museum. One of them, who was the ...
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If a friend allows me the right to store property on his property but eventually tires of this agreement, can he legally deny me access to my property
He gave me a “24-hour” time period to retrieve my property when he knew I would be busy and not able to.
He gave me keys to locks that sealed entrances to his property without my request for them.
He ...
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A German company is accusing me of stealing and threatening to confiscate compensation for my service. Is it in the legal right to do so? [closed]
Backstory:
I (a natural person) cooperated with a German company (I assume a legal person). The cooperation consisted of a digital marketing service for the company. I did not ask for money for this ...
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Renting a vehicle and grand theft auto
Let's say hypothetically someone rents a vehicle to another person. They sign a contract and the other individual agrees to pay $300 to the person at the start of every month. The contract also states ...
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Is using hidden city ticketing a theft of service?
In some cases, A-B-C flights (from A to C with layover at B) cost less than a direct A-B flight with the same company. "Hidden city ticketing" is the practice of taking the cheaper A-B-C ...
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If someone robs a bank at which (s)he has an account, can the bank deduct that amount from the robber's account?
Bob has $100,000 in an account at First Example Bank. Bob robs the bank, taking $50,000, and he escapes. He is never caught, but the bank is 100% sure that he is the one who robbed the bank. Can they ...
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How could someone whose trades are being copied be liable to the person who is doing the copying?
It is reported that someone was copying the trades of a noted NFT trader. This noted NFT trader profited from this by making an inflated bids on one of his own NFTs, and when the copycat replicated ...
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What is the difference between trespass on a venue and theft of services?
Alice sneaks into a concert venue and enjoys the show.
Bob sneaks into a spa to enjoy a jacuzzi and steam bath.
Charlotte sneaks past the usher into a cinema and watches a film.
Have each of these ...
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What are my rights when someone else uses a voucher issued to me?
I was issued a £360 voucher from Easyjet after my suitcases didn't arrive for four days after a flight I took. The voucher was sent to me via email in direct response to a protracted claim I had made.
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Purchased merchandise stolen from customer before taken off retailer’s premises
Bob purchases an item from ACME stores Ltd but it was stolen from him before he left the store. Bob would like to request a replacement or refund. Whose loss is this? Whose property was stolen (...
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Roommate accusing me of theft in Germany [closed]
my stuff kept going missing and when I asked my roommate they denied but later I looked through their bags and found out it that they were stealing my stuff and hiding it in their bag. I took a ...
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Is an unauthorised appropriation with simultaneous deposit of another value a theft? 🍫
Today I tried to explain to my daughter what the saying "opportunity makes the thief" means.
My example: Someone forgets his expensive chocolate 20 euros on a table in the park. You see the ...
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Closed source code theft prevention via license
Let's say I have an app stored as a closed source code (e.g on github) for which I have a software license in place (Apache 2.0), is this enough to prevent/prosecute an employee or just a random ...
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Why can’t I take the Uber/Lyft/etc Electric Scooters?
NOTE: This is a hypothetical question I came up with while walking around. I’m not planning on taking scooters.
In many major US cities, i.e. DC, Philly, NYC, companies will place electric scooters ...
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Force allowed against pickpocket
If a victim catches a pickpocket in the act, what degree of force is legally justified by the victim against the pickpocket, given that pickpockets do not usually pose a threat of violence, but the ...
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Can you be arrested for not paying a vendor like a taxi driver or gas station?
I have read conflicting information about police in the United States arresting people for not paying a bill from a retail vendor, like a taxi driver, auto mechanic or restaurant.
On one hand my ...
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Taking spare parts from a thrown away bike [duplicate]
Alice takes a walk outside everyday and passes a bike just lying around, which is clearly not in a location where people would normally leave their bike (cycle rack, near a store or a bus stop, ... ) ...
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Are parents liable to prosecution as soon as they know that their child has stolen something?
In Germany, children up to the age of 14 are not liable to prosecution. What happens when a child steals a sweet in the supermarket and the parents don't notice at first? Only when they get home do ...
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Insurance claim chain of causality vehicle damages garage causes theft
In England.
A vehicle damaged the sole ingress and egress for cars at a block of flats in careless but normal use. The damage was such that the ingress/egress (a garage door) could no longer be closed....
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Call from detective [closed]
say hypothetically someone committed a the crime of stealing a public sign and being publicly intoxicated under the age of 21..
The next day a detective calls asking to talk in person and says they &...
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What recourse do I have if my car was broken into while in police impound?
My car was being held as part of an investigation, while it was in police custody, it was broken into and personal effects were stolen along with the catalytic converter, it was one of several cars.
A ...
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If you let a thief into the building, are you liable?
In a building with gated entry, if a resident lets a stranger into the building, and he turns out to be a thief, would the resident who let him in be liable for the damages?
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Is it legal to take items left by others on the side walk? [duplicate]
Locality: California, USA
In my city I often find belongings left on the sidewalk, things like old clothes, plastic bags sometimes filled with items inside, shopping carts, trash bags, etc. Most are ...
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What makes a car not a “negotiable” chattel?
Another answer contrasts negotiable instruments like currency with the example of a car where a thief of the car doesn’t “own” the car and cannot transfer ownership. What is it about a car that makes ...
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I have copyright of a precious notebook that its thief bequeathed to a museum that refuses to give me back the notebook. What is my recourse?
The museum does not dispute that this historically important notebook belongs to my family. Nor does it dispute how it came into the thieving family's hands. In correspondence the museum offers a &...
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Is "not committing a crime" sufficient consideration?
Alice sees John attempting to steal her car. For some reason, instead of calling the police, she says "I'll give you $1,000 tomorrow if you don't steal my car." John agrees.
Scenario 1
Alice ...
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I bought a bottle of spirits with the security tag intact. Have I committed theft?
I bought a bottle of spirits from a local supermarket, when I got home I noticed the BottleLox anti-theft cap hadn't been removed.
I paid for my shopping (including the bottle!) at a self-service till,...
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Assuming a one trillion dollar coin exists, and is stolen, is there are sequence of events that could lead to someone legally owning it?
A funny (and seemingly legal, if absurd) proposal during the current debt ceiling debate is to mint a one trillion dollar platinum coin and deposit it with the Treasury to reduce the debt below the ...
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Has anyone been charged for stealing their own stuff?
Suppose someone "A" has a storage unit, and was told by the manager to remove their belongings by a certain date.
"A" was then notified that the manager was leaving early and not ...
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Is a non dwelling burglary under s91b theft act 1968 strict liability?
Section 9(1)(b) of the theft act 1968 specifies an offence of entering as a trespasser and then taking or damaging things from a building. Does conviction for this offence require a demonstration of ...
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Does consuming a product in a shop count as theft, if the intent to pay for that product at checkout exists?
I sometimes see this happen in supermarkets; parents of bored children will give them some non-specific snack while shopping or while standing in line to pay, and will then scan the wrapper of the ...
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How is Seditious Conspiracy distinguished from ordinary robbery?
Seditious Conspiracy is defined as:
If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to [...] or by force to seize, take, ...
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Is it a crime for a mail lady to take mail out of your hand, threaten to destroy it and drive off?
The mail lady knocked on my door, handed me a stack of mail, and asked for me to sign for one piece of certified mail for my dad. I declined.
She ended up snatching all the mail she handed me which ...
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Are there any jurisdictions where theft is not a crime but victims can sue theives?
Are there any jurisdictions where theft is not a crime, but the owner of a stolen item can sue the thief for either return of the item or monetary damages? This would be similar to how copyright law ...
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What are reasonable steps to ascertain or contact lost property's owner to avoid liability for theft by finding?
Suppose one finds an item on the street that seems to have been lost by someone. What are examples of reasonable steps one could take to attempt to contact the item's rightful owner before concluding ...
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Can a victim of theft retroactively give the stolen item to the thief?
If Joe steals Alice's widget, but Alice for some reason doesn't want Joe to be convicted and is okay with him having her widget, can she retroactively give him permission? Does this prevent him from ...
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Theft as Distribution of Software
I recently posed a hypothetical to a lawyer who deals with software licensing (His role is to protect a company from accidentally misusing FOSS software) and got a startling response. My hypothetical ...
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Alice stole a package from Bob. Is it legal? [closed]
Alice stole Bob's Amazon package and opened it. It contained sheets of processed wood, 216 by 365 millimeters. Is this legal?
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What is the threshold of suspicion for retail loss prevention to subject shoppers to various impositions
Meet Bob. Bob purchased something and elects not to print/collect a receipt from the self checkout till. The security then accosts him suspecting him of not paying for it and he insists that he did, ...
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What legal action will be most likely to succeed in reclaiming money stolen by a contractor? [closed]
I've hired an individual to do various repairs on a mobile home. There were two initial sections that had two handwritten contracts, and they were (mostly) completed. After those two contracts, I gave ...
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What is the status of money in a bank account, compared to a debt obligation or a safe deposit box?
I am trying to figure out what the legal status of money in a bank account, and I have asked these two questions but not figured it out. I think this hypothetical highlights the problem.
Suppose ...
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Is it a crime to "steal" your own money from a bank?
It is in the news that it has become a thing to stage a bank "robbery" to get access to ones own money in Lebanon. While these have involved things that are undoubtedly crimes (such as ...
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