MrsGraupel

Last week, spouse was going through security at DCA. He has a decent watch and had placed it in the bin with some other items. As it went through the X-ray, he saw one of the two TSA screeners subtly reach in through opening on their side to pull the corner of the bin out so the watch would be in reach. Screener looked up to see spouse glaring at him and pushed bin back. Spouse definitely had a vibe that something was up. He'll now be placing watch in carryon when going through security - yes he should have already been doing that!

RockyBalboa

Sneaky jerks!

Last time I was at IAH some poor dude behind me had his iPhone come up missing.

I always tuck mine into my carry on or wedge it deep into my shoe.

Dan_E

So why should we not place valuables in bins, because TSA agents may adjust them? Or was I supposed to read through the lines and guess that without the glare of the travelers spouse that the watch would surely (in his humble opinion) have been absconded with?

Dan_E

Yeah, I left a blackberry at the checkpoint myself. You wouldn't believe the number of times I hear a page throughout the airport that announces "will the owner of a (fill in the blank) return to checkpoint X.

MrsGraupel

Hopefully, you're right - they were just adjusting the contents. However, after 12 years of flying as a crew member, this incident struck him as noteworthy.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

When in line and I see some putting lose valuables in the bin I ask them if they would like a travel tip - "Put all your stuff into your carry on so that if you get separated from it no one will be tempted to take it." Said the to some "kids" traveling which seemed to appreciate the tip.

RockyBalboa

And you wouldn't believe the number of instances of TSA related theft that causes them to be looked at with a sideways glance, at least by me, when I hear stuff come up missing.

InkUnderNails

We are told that the TSA folks are much like the general population, so you are correct that many, if not most are honest, law abiding citizens.

Just not all of them.

unLogical

And it is the few that tarnish everyone. But I will say this, it is not only the screeners you have to worry about, it is the traveling public. There have been a number of cases where a pax tried to take something that wasn't theirs. Sometimes it is a mistake, sometimes not.

kaszeta

I've definitely changed my carry-on configuration to include a lock, after an incident early last week at DTW. While I was waiting in the "holding area" after going through the scanner (I think it was one of the mm wave ones, with the readout right at the station), I looked over at the X-ray machine, and watched one of the two TSOs there reach in through their opening, open my bag (in which I put all of my valuables, including my wallet), and take an item out of it (from that distance and viewpoint, I couldn't tell if it was my book, or my iPad). I instantly made a stink and had to get the STSO of the checkpoint over there so I could immediately check my bag to make sure nothing was missing.

Nothing was missing (the agent had put the item back immediately). The TSO claimed he was just showing the other agent at the x-ray who he was training what a "big book" looks like, and the STSO told him that in the future that something like that was actually a "bag check", and that policy was that I should be present when the bag was opened.

However, the incident reminded me of how easily some of the valuables in my bag could be lifted by a TSO, and I've added a lock to one of my bag compartments to keep something like this from happening again.

goalie

Bolding mine: No offense meant but that's a bad a idea for a two of reasons.....

• The x-ray TSO may re-run the bag and remove the item(s) anyway to get a better picture thus exposing your items to potential theft
• A TSO may bark at admonish you not to put anything into your shoes as they cannot get a clear x-ray view of your shoes

My SOP is to have nothing exposed. Everything (cell phone, wallet, etc) sans any loose change* goes either into an inside pocket of my jacket and the jacket is then folded so that the inside pocket is "inside the fold" or everything goes into an exterior pocket of my carry-on or briefcase.


*My loose change sits in plane view on top of my folded jacket on purpose and I know exactly how much is there

kaszeta

My shoe is where I stash my boarding pass and ID, the only things I didn't have to secure before getting to the checkpoint.

InkUnderNails

I roll up my belt and put it in my backpack as well. I have had my frisker ask where my belt is. In one particular case, I was traveling with Mrs. INK and she had picked up my stuff and taken it as we had agreed to do. I told him my stuff was already in the secure area as my wife picked up my stuff off the belt for me. He asked about my ID and BP. In my backpack, with my wife. I said all that stuff had already cleared screening and why did it matter. The ID and boarding pass was approved earlier at the TDC.

I was sincerely worried that we may have created a terminal dump. But, he completed the frisk quickly and sent me on my way.

BTW, Mrs. INK was sitting at the window about 30 feet away and watching, camera ready, but he did not know that.

N965VJ

My money clip gets locked in a zippered compartment before I get to the TDC'er, in fact all my loose stuff is stowed so I don't have to mess around at the checkpoint.

Didn't you hear? BlackBerrys are old school; TSA thieves prefer Apple products.

goalie

I've got it down to a science for putting my watch, cell phone, BP and anything else that doesn't live in a pocket into my jacket so that all I have to do is remove my jacket, fold it as noted above and then place it in the bin along with my freedom baggie from it's partially opened briefcase zipper.

Hey, at least this one was actually paying attention....