I’m sure there have been more expensive surf sessions but this one has to be high on the list. A man named Sean Harrington, who says he’s been surfing Topanga Beach for 40 years — a wave where surfers park steps away from a busy, crowded Pacific Coast Highway — had tens of thousands of dollars charged to his credit cards while he caught a few waves. Relying on the old tactic of hiding car keys while he thought nobody was looking, somebody snagged his wallet and had themselves one ridiculous shopping spree. A very LA shopping spree, to be honest.
The final bill, according to a local ABC News station, included $37,000 spent at a Beverly Hills Cartier store, thousands of dollars spent at the Apple Store, a cash transfer, and a jaunt over to the Grove — a drive that takes about 20 minutes on a good day in Los Angeles traffic. There, the perps took off with $40,000 worth of merchandise.
“Nordstrom would not let them process the credit card, while Cartier processed my second credit card after the first card was declined at Cartier,” Harrington told ABC. “So, I’m a little frustrated that Cartier would allow that to happen, especially on a large purchase with someone who didn’t look like me.”
Surfers being targeted by everyday thieves isn’t anything new in California. You can easily Google search methods for breaking into lockboxes, so relying on hiding a key in your wheel well, under a bumper, or even in that “secure” lockbox isn’t really a viable option anymore. The Inertia Gear Editor, Will Sileo even wrote that using Master Lock lockboxes is the first thing not to do when looking for safe key storage options. There are electronic key pouches that enable surfers to bring their keys into the water, or safe bags that allow you to store the remote inside a locked car and bring the valet key with you, and plenty of other options that are a lot cheaper than a Cartier bracelet.
Stay safe out there.
