We should be able to trust our friends more than anyone else. After all, they’re only in our lives because we choose them, so there’s no point in keeping them around unless we value our relationships with them.
But when one man realized that his boyfriend’s camera had gone missing during dinner, he had a difficult time accepting that it was a close friend who swiped it. Below, you’ll find the full story that the man posted on Reddit, seeking advice on how to address his friend’s thievery, as well as some of the replies invested readers shared.
This man was excited to borrow his boyfriend's camera while going out to dinner with friends
Image credits: lookstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
But when he realized that a close friend had swiped the expensive camera, he began to wonder if he should get law enforcement involved
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Zealousideal_Ear7529
The author then responded to several comments and shared a few more details about his situation
40% of people admit to stealing something at one point or another
Image credits: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
It may not have ever crossed your mind that you could simply take whatever you want without paying for it. After all, you know that stealing is wrong, and you probably don’t want to get arrested. But according to BusinessDasher, shoplifting is extremely common. In fact, there are over 500,000 incidents of shoplifting every single day in the United States.
40% of people admit that they’ve stolen something at least once. Meanwhile, two thirds of shoppers say that they know at least one person who has shoplifted. And apparently, this behavior is more common amongst women, as 43% admit to stealing, compared to only 37% of men.
Over half of people who have shoplifted say that their biggest motivation for doing so was struggling financially. However, nearly one fifth of shoplifters admit that they simply do it for the thrill. But there’s not very much risk involved, as only one in 48 shoplifting cases actually leads to someone getting arrested.
When this behavior really starts to become concerning is when it begins to develop into a habit or compulsion. Absolute Advocacy notes that some people shoplift compulsively, which can sometimes be caused by their family history, mental illness or head or brain trauma. These individuals are not stealing because they needed something, but instead, because they couldn’t resist the urge to do so.
There’s no question, though, that this kind of behavior can take a significant toll on a person’s life and relationships, especially if they end up taking things from their loved ones. Confronting a friend in a situation like this will never be easy. There’s no way to predict exactly how they’re going to respond, and it can be heartbreaking to imagine that the relationship may never be the same again.
Image credits: Ahmet Kurt / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
It's wise to file a police report for stolen property, even if the item can't be recovered
But especially in a situation like this, where the author is now responsible for replacing a thousand dollar camera, this simultaneous crime and betrayal of friendship can’t simply be overlooked.
When it comes to filing a police report for stolen property, Doyle Security recommends first staying calm and assessing the situation. Document any details that are relevant and will assist the investigation, as well as all information that you have about the item that’s been taken.
While contacting the police, provide them with as many details as possible, and be sure to cooperate with the investigation after filing your report. Follow up with them, and continue to share any new information you may come across. Meanwhile, you may want to notify your insurance company and take preventative measures to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again in the future.
Unfortunately, the FBI reported that only 12% of stolen property was recovered in 2021. So there’s always going to be a significant risk that whatever is missing will never be seen again. But if you’ve lost something that was valuable or important to you, it’s certainly worth trying to track it down. And it might be nice to know that the person responsible for stealing it will finally face some consequences too.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think the author should have filed a police report as soon as he realized that his friend had stolen from him? Feel free to weigh in. Then, you can find another Bored Panda article discussing similar drama right here.
Many readers called out the man for failing to go to the police immediately
And others warned the author that this woman is definitely not his friend
Later, the author reached out to his friend again and shared a few updates on the situation
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: freepic.diller / Freepik (not the actual photo)
