WL Safe Robbed

[Sarangel]

A family from India says its visit to the happiest place on earth has been miserable. The family says someone broke into their Disney hotel suite and cleaned out their safe, stealing thousands of dollars.


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The family says, instead of helping, the resort staff added insult to their injury.

Kaajal Anand says the plan was to end their trip to Disney World with a visit to one of the theme parks, but she says that plan drastically changed when she walked over to the safe in her suite to grab some cash.

"When I reached the safe, there was a second key in the safe and the safe was open and everything was gone," she explains.

Her passport, airline tickets, $3,000 in cash, $10,000 in travelers checks, Anand says the thief packed it all in her $3,000 Louis Vuitton travel bag and walked away.

But, Anand says, what is more shocking is how she believes the thief got into her room. She says hotel managers practically invited them in.

Anand says desk clerks at the Wilderness Lodge told her someone called from the room claiming to have lost their safe key.

"So, they actually sent an engineer up who made a second key for this person," she explains.

Anand says she could not believe this, since she was so thoroughly screened when she checked into the resort.

"It was such a procedure for me to get checked into my room. How come it was so easy for somebody to get a key to the safe without ID?" she wonders.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating the burglary.

A Disney representative told Channel 9, they are cooperating with the sheriff's office and conducting their own investigation as well.

As for Anand, she says she is borrowing money from friends in hopes she can fly to New York on Monday and get another passport to get home to India.

"I'm stranded. I don't have money, I don't have credit cards and I don't have my ticket, and the airline won't allow me out of here without photo ID," she says.

The sheriff's office says, since this is a property crime and not a violent crime, it could take several days before a detective is assigned to the case and they get to the bottom of this.

Anyone out there know what the proceedure for safe keys is at the resorts?

Sarangel

 

[Cricket2]

I know my in-room safe wouldn't open up in Vegas and they took my thumb print with 2 forms of ID (one photo) and a pre-opening description of the contents before the 2 security guards would open it up. They also stated that if there was anything over the value of $10,000 that they had to call the cops.

Now that's security!


JC

 

[raidermatt]

Hopefully they can get the traveller's checks replaced at least. Of course, this is another reason why I've taken to using credit cards on trips.

Can't help on the safe procedures...

 

[Planogirl]

I like to use credit cards too and I like to place credit cards in the room safe when I don't need them. I guess that i'll stop that nonsense!

 

[KNWVIKING]

Absolutely. Between ATM's and credit cards, I don't see a need for travelling with more the $100.00.

We stayed at Westgate a few years ago. They use the electronic PIN type locks. The previous guest is supposed to leave the safe open so the next guest can reset it with their own PIN. Our safe was closed. We call the front desk, they sent up a locksmith and he opened the safe, basically no questions asked, but the safe was found to be empty when he opened it so there was no need for any other security measures. Probably would have been a different story had the last guest left something in the safe.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
Absolutely. Between ATM's and credit cards, I don't see a need for travelling with more the $100.00.

We stayed at Westgate a few years ago. They use the electronic PIN type locks. The previous guest is supposed to leave the safe open so the next guest can reset it with their own PIN. Our safe was closed. We call the front desk, they sent up a locksmith and he opened the safe, basically no questions asked, but the safe was found to be empty when he opened it so there was no need for any other security measures. Probably would have been a different story had the last guest left something in the safe.

After a friend was stranded in Colorado with little or not cash during the week following 9/11 I will travel to my destination with more along the lines of $500 in cash...I used to be a $100 kind of person myself.

$10,000 in travelers cheques? Why didn't she just carry American Express?

 

[dcentity2000]

Amex is not that huge in Europe - Visa and Mastercard are which are, of course, credit as opposed to debit utilities. What if your credit limit is not that great? And remember, drawing cash out at cash machines (ATMs) does incur fees if done from overseas. There are so many reasons for carrying cash - most to do with not being able to afford to do otherwise

When I last went to WDW I had to take a fair amount of cash - my credit limit was around £500 (around $850 now) which at the time was pretty much halfway in use. I used to buy park tickets and a few other items but soon had to backtrack onto my cash. such is life.



Rich::

 

[mrsR123]

I'm surprised at this to say the least. Two years ago DH left his wallet in the safe in our room at the Poly when we'd checked out-- DH's wallet security is a whole other thread. It took great measures of begging and ID checking to even get a manager to go to the room to retrieve our stuff from the safe. The mangager REALLY didn't want to go into that room/safe after another guest had occupied the room. That was even with my having the key still. I had to tell them exactly what I expected them to find and show my matching- address IDs before they would give back DH's stuff.

How certain was the news source that WDW staff really issued the key without thorough ID checking?

 

[Chuck S]

I can understand why overseas travelers may carry cash & travelers checks. It wasn't too many years ago that most folks traveled with cash here in the US.

But, the circumstance of them having THAT much $$ in the safe, and having the key with them...then someone using a duplicate key...it just doesn't sound quite right. For a thief to "randomly" pick that room, be able to gain access to the room, and Disney to simply replace the key?

If this scenario is truly as presented in this report, someone had to have known how much cash & valuables these people were traveling with. But overall, it just sounds "odd".

 

[mitros]

Sheesh, I wish had $13,000 to spend when I go to WDW.!

 

[eleanor]

This is a strange story. I have never heard one like it before. I have to wonder about it.

 

[vernon]

I agree with Chuck, something not quite right with the story as it has been explained IMHO.

 

[TiggerFreak]

Another vote alligned with Chuck.
Something does smell fishy.
Can anyone say Grifters?

 

[antnee]

with that much cash I might have opted to aks if they could store it in the Hotels Safe

 

[2angelsinheaven]

I honestly think people are too lazy to bother asking for ID's, etc anymore. When we went on our cruise it had a stip that you lock the safe with an ID, Credit Card, etc... anything with magnentic strip. So we used my ID... well I lost the ID that day, in the safe was all my cash, credit cards, video cam, etc. I was panicked. I called the desk from the room and told them, he came up slipped a card through and opened it... not once asking for ID. Heres the kicker. I wasn't even staying in that room officially according to their records I was in a cabin two floors down (had traded rooms with my sister). Didn't even ask my name...lol! I sure didn't look like an 18yr old or 7yr old boy, the two people listed in the cabin.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Chuck S
I can understand why overseas travelers may carry cash & travelers checks. It wasn't too many years ago that most folks traveled with cash here in the US.

But, the circumstance of them having THAT much $$ in the safe, and having the key with them...then someone using a duplicate key...it just doesn't sound quite right. For a thief to "randomly" pick that room, be able to gain access to the room, and Disney to simply replace the key?

If this scenario is truly as presented in this report, someone had to have known how much cash & valuables these people were traveling with. But overall, it just sounds "odd".

It does sound very odd. I can't imagine owning a $3000 bag let alone taking one to WDW either. I really can't imagine a theif randomly picked this room. Few people even have that much money, let alone take it in cash & travelers checks to WDW. It's all very strange.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

"Anand says desk clerks at the Wilderness Lodge told her someone called from the room claiming to have lost their safe key.

"So, they actually sent an engineer up who made a second key for this person," she explains."

Fishy to say the least. If this 'thief' called from, and was in the room, then they must have also had the room key.

I ain't buyin' it...

MG

 

[wdw4us2]

It sounds a bit off to me, too.

Why would someone target that particular room? Unless there's some stereotype of India Nationals traveling with large sums of cash.

I hope someone is able to follow up on this report.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by wdw4us2
It sounds a bit off to me, too.

Why would someone target that particular room? Unless there's some stereotype of India Nationals traveling with large sums of cash.

Or perhaps someone had been watching the family, or saw them when they checked in ... if they had that much cash on them, they might have paid with cash, which would have tipped off someone waiting to find a "mark."

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Or perhaps someone had been watching the family, or saw them when they checked in ... if they had that much cash on them, they might have paid with cash, which would have tipped off someone waiting to find a "mark."

But the question remains.... How did they get in the room?

MG