ingenious theft of sets

[Horry]

I did not believe this at first when I read it doday. According to newsservices a millionaire has been arrested for stealing LEGO sets by manipulating the bar codes of the sets so that they would register as being much, much cheaper.

I cannot help myself but find that idea to be devilishly innovative and bold. On the other hand I thought about how much I spend on LEGO every year and what I need to economise in order to do so. To read about a millionaire that steals LEGO just makes me wonder of how people sometimes loose their sense of commensurability...

Do you sometimes get carried away be the idea of wanting more and more LEGO? I sometimes find myself dreaming about having all the bricks that I want - what leads me to dreaming about having enough room to store it and display it...

[JopieK]

There used to be a guy in the states that was very famous with his bricklink shop that did the same trick. I took the liberty to look it up:

http://www.justice.g...nberg102506.htm

So this is probably his evil twin brother ;)

I have seen more AFOLs steal LEGO (at events), even some people encourage their children to literally fill their pockets with LEGO.

But as we all know: honesty is the best policy.

@OfTopic: B.t.w. that was my 1000th post.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

I did not believe this at first when I read it doday. According to newsservices a millionaire has been arrested for stealing LEGO sets by manipulating the bar codes of the sets so that they would register as being much, much cheaper.

I cannot help myself but find that idea to be devilishly innovative and bold. On the other hand I thought about how much I spend on LEGO every year and what I need to economise in order to do so. To read about a millionaire that steals LEGO just makes me wonder of how people sometimes loose their sense of commensurability...

Do you sometimes get carried away be the idea of wanting more and more LEGO? I sometimes find myself dreaming about having all the bricks that I want - what leads me to dreaming about having enough room to store it and display it...

I must say that I'm impressed by such a story... I sometimes dream about having all the minifigs and sets that I want, and having some super safe room in which to keep everything, but it's just a nice thing to daydream about.

[NiceMarmot]

Well, being a millionaire in Palo Alto doesn't get you much. I live here, walking distance from SAP actually, where this guy worked. Around here, a run-down 3-bedroom 1950s ranch house will cost you about $1.6 million. A 4-bedroom is typically over $2 million. After paying his mortgage, he probably didn't have any money left over for LEGO! Although if he's been at SAP since 1988, he's probably done OK for himself.

BTW, that Target store that he stole from in Mountain View has the absolute worst selection of LEGO I've ever seen. If you're going to steal LEGO, at least go somewhere that has a decent selection!

From the article in our local paper: "Among the items found in Langenbach's home were: 46 boxes of special edition Magma Monster LEGO sets, 16 Sunblock LEGOs and 75 packages of LEGO Mini Figures. Wylie said it isn't yet known if the items were purchased using fraudulent barcodes or at legitimate prices." 46 boxes of Magma Monster? Seriously? With all the new Star Wars, LOTR, Marvel and DC sets, he steals Magma Monster?

[Wardancer]

HOHOHO, 46 Magmamonsters :laugh: That is army building!

Here is a German article about it:

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/gadgets/multimillionaer-faelscht-billig-barcodes-fuer-lego-steine-a-834454.html

Edited May 22, 2012 by Wardancer

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

From the article in our local paper: "Among the items found in Langenbach's home were: 46 boxes of special edition Magma Monster LEGO sets, 16 Sunblock LEGOs and 75 packages of LEGO Mini Figures. Wylie said it isn't yet known if the items were purchased using fraudulent barcodes or at legitimate prices." 46 boxes of Magma Monster? Seriously? With all the new Star Wars, LOTR, Marvel and DC sets, he steals Magma Monster?

Perhaps he wanted to keep a low profile. :laugh:

[Vindicare]

What an megablocks... if I had millions, I'd certainly be buying LEGO, but not ripping off the company... Loser.

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

What an megablocks... if I had millions, I'd certainly be buying LEGO, but not ripping off the company... Loser.

Actually, he wasn't ripping off Lego, but Target. Not that that makes it any better, though.

[Sisco]

What an megablocks... if I had millions, I'd certainly be buying LEGO, but not ripping off the company... Loser.

Well, the rich tend to want to stay rich. So they do little things like rip off toy companies to save a few bucks. It may only amount to a few hundred dollars, but that's a few hundred dollars Mr. Rich didn't have to take out of his millions.

[chelman]

The method is one of the oldest tricks in the books. Having managed a small hardware retail outlet during my college years I can tell you that it happens a lot.

As to the stealing itself it often has little to do with money. Some people are compulsive thieves and do it for the thrill.

[purpleparadox]

Makes you wonder how he really became a millionaire in the first place.

[Flare]

Makes you wonder how he really became a millionaire in the first place.

Now that's a good question...

[Rook]

I wouldn’t call it in “ingenious”, unless you mean the lack of genius. People have been shoplifting in various ways for thousands of years. The only thing interesting about this is that a millionaire stooped to petty theft. He’s a millionaire! He could have been at last a little more James Bond and little less Winona Ryder in his craft.

I mean come on! Cut the power lines, cut a hole through the roof, repel in, load the Lego into a net, and hoist it away with a helicopter at least!

Edited May 23, 2012 by Rook

[Paul Boratko]

There used to be a guy in the states that was very famous with his bricklink shop that did the same trick. I took the liberty to look it up:

http://www.justice.g...nberg102506.htm

So this is probably his evil twin brother ;)

I have seen more AFOLs steal LEGO (at events), even some people encourage their children to literally fill their pockets with LEGO.

But as we all know: honesty is the best policy.

@OfTopic: B.t.w. that was my 1000th post.

I bought a TON of Lego from that guy before... he always had the best prices... I was sad to see his store close up...

[Dakar A]

I wouldn’t call it in “ingenious”, unless you mean the lack of genius. People have been shoplifting in various ways for thousands of years. The only thing interesting about this is that a millionaire stooped to petty theft. He’s a millionaire! He could have been at last a little more James Bond and little less Winona Ryder in his craft.

I mean come on! Cut the power lines, cut a hole through the roof, repel in, load the Lego into a net, and hoist it away with a helicopter at least!

Hahaha! When I was younger, I would sometimes have fantasies of being in the bathroom of a target at closing time, getting locked in, and spending the whole night building all of their large Lego sets. It's obviously impossible, but such sweet dreams...

[KotZ]

Now, I don't advocate stealing, but if you're going to be a thief, a LEGO thief is where it's at. Although that MagmaMonster thing is just plain crazy, but maybe he was waiting a few years and then sell them? And a little off topic, but this is probably how he made his money, steal items and then sell them.

[Faefrost]

Now, I don't advocate stealing, but if you're going to be a thief, a LEGO thief is where it's at. Although that MagmaMonster thing is just plain crazy, but maybe he was waiting a few years and then sell them? And a little off topic, but this is probably how he made his money, steal items and then sell them.

I wonder how much grief this causes sites like Bricklink? I mean they are a Lego buying selling and trading site. Children's toys? You don't exactly expect to be fencing stolen merchandise on this scale when you set up something like that?

[TheLegoDr]

Hahaha! When I was younger, I would sometimes have fantasies of being in the bathroom of a target at closing time, getting locked in, and spending the whole night building all of their large Lego sets. It's obviously impossible, but such sweet dreams...

I had the same dream when I was a kid.. That is very odd haha. But a dream for sure. Now I'm stuck buying all of them and building them at my house.

[Johnny 5]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/video-captures-alleged-lego-bar-code-scam-by-tech-executive.html

Here's the LA Times article. I find it funny how they can't understand why someone would need so much Lego, c'mon you can never have enough Lego. They've obviously do not know what an AFOL is.

[vexorian]

Bar code switching:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_20675946/silicon-valley-tech-exec-gets-popped-allegedly-stealing

"In his house, we found hundreds of boxes of unopened Lego sets," said Liz Wylie, a spokeswoman for the Mountain View police. "He sold 2,100 items in just over a year on eBay, and made $30,000. The motive was clearly money.

I doubt it was his initial motive:

At his home, investigators discovered "many, many sets of Legos that he had built, separated in bricks by color, by type, by size."

Sounds familiar?

[hiroki]

So he sticks new bar codes to the existing ones? Don't the salespersons at the counter know when he has a Batcave that retails for the price of a Batcycle?

Edited May 31, 2012 by hiroki

[vexorian]

I guess that in order not to make it obvious, you can put a 80.0 USD's set bar code in a 100.0 USD one. The clerk would then just think it is in discount.

But some clerks are really just zombies (Not like I blame them). No surprise he did this in large stores.

Edited May 31, 2012 by vexorian

[sharky]

Now, I don't advocate stealing, but if you're going to be a thief, a LEGO thief is where it's at. Although that MagmaMonster thing is just plain crazy, but maybe he was waiting a few years and then sell them? And a little off topic, but this is probably how he made his money, steal items and then sell them.

Actually, the articles about him state that he was a Vice President of SAP. It wouldn't surprise me if he became a millionaire simply from his position with that company and the fact that he lived and worked in California.

[Vindicare]

So he sticks new bar codes to the existing ones? Don't the salespersons at the counter know when he has a Batcave that retails for the price of a Batcycle?

I don't think checkers at Target know the prices of toys, or many items in the store. Unless it's something they're familiar with in their own shopping habits.

[hiroki]

Wow. I still can't believe this:

So, for instance, Hendrickson said that Langenbach bought a $279 box of Millenium Falcon box of LEGOS for just $49, and he bought a $90 Anakin LEGO set for about $35.

A MF for 50USD? The Podracers for 35USD? Holey moley.