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I just stole a Trackable Stamp


jecepede

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Aloha !

 

Ok weird story here;

I was caching with my lil' gurl and we discovered a trackable stamp in the "MiLi-cache (GC4PR1H)" cache. Naturally we took a picture of it so we could discover it back home. But at home while discovering, something weird happend...

 

I had typed in the trackingnumber and the stamp came up. After typing out the discovery-log, I hit submit and almost immidiatly I got an error about failed activation (?). I clicked on the back button of my browser and fell into a 404 page not found. After reloading I searched the trackable stamp again. After it came up it was very, very empty. There were no pictures, no logs no nothing. Then I noticed I had the option "Edit this trackable".

 

Ehhrr ??? "Edit this trackable" ???

 

Sure enough, it suddenly was in our account. So I added a goal and a discription saying it is does not belong to us

and send the owner, or hopefully the rightful owner, an e-mail telling the story.

 

 

Anyway, to make a long story short.

-

Does anybody know what I did wrong ?

And what if I cannot find the owner ?

Can I keep this tracking code for myself ?

Or can I delete it ?

 

 

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers everyone !

 

Jecepede & JB

 

PS: For a view of the trackable : http://coord.info/TB5WK9Y

Edited by jecepede
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Does anybody know what I did wrong ?

And what if I cannot find the owner ?

Can I keep this tracking code for myself ?

Or can I delete it ?

How odd! You may have to contact Groundspeak to get it sorted out: http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=request

 

If somehow the database now shows you as the owner of the stamp's tracking number, at least the person who's stamping it probably needs to know. If it is in fact the same number, you may adopt it to the cacher who has the stamp if you wish.

Edited by kunarion
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You won't find the owner, or maybe just maybe when in all coincidence the owner is active on this forum. So just keep it for yourself. But I would mentoin on the trackable page what the reason is why you have this item in your inventory. Maybe it's fun to combine the backgroud in a new original goal.

 

But still a strange story. Can you share the link to the trackable?

Edited by Roelwin
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I think I see what could have happened. You don't actually have a physical tag. This was from a visitor type stamp they left. With the tracking code showing for subsequent visitors to discover.

 

The log book photographed shows the stamp. The stamp is the travel bug logo and your fingers in the picture you supplied are presumably covering up the tracking number. The idea being that you see this in the cache log/or well known tag travel envelope (ignore that for one the sec). Anyway you now have the tracking code at your disposal.

 

Once you have that you can do the usual

 

Retrieve from cache

Receive from somewhere else

Grab

Write note

Discover

 

Are there more options if the person who activated the tag made it collectable by accident initially. I'm not sure as never done that to ours. So I can't use ours. And none of the ones we have here are (other people's. So can't check)

If they have and it's an option it may be that you have collected it by accident. I mean it's drop down menus. Easy to select the wrong one. But this is all conjecture because I don't know if you can collect it into your collection if it was made collectable when activated.

 

Either way the person who owns it is clearly the named person on that stamp. Gawd get rid of it quick. Your inbox will be heaving with discovery logs.

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I think I see what could have happened. You don't actually have a physical tag.

That's important to note. The fact that it is only a tracking number, is a clue. I'm guessing the OP typed an unactivated Tracking Number. Maybe the stamped number, maybe a similar unused number just by luck. We may never know unless the OP contacts GS, gets it straightened out, then adds more info to the thread. I can't tell without the tracking number, which should be kept secret. But I also don't see a "Herlieke" TB that could be the culprit. So it is possible the stamp's number wasn't activated til now.

 

Are there more options if the person who activated the tag made it collectable by accident initially.

No. That's probably not it. An item marked "Collectible" may be placed into a "Collection", but remains the property of the Owner. The page can't be edited by a finder. And there are a few steps to get the item into the Collection. The OP's TB has no logs (Sure, the premise is that the web site had a huge hiccup, but who knows). The OP didn't even see fit to mention the issue in the cache "Found It" log, where the confusion could have been cleared up by finders or the Cache Owner.

 

I have PM'd both the Cache Owner and the likely holder of the ink stamp. Maybe one of those people can help.

Edited by kunarion
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But I also don't see a "Herlieke" TB that could be the culprit.

 

How about TB53PN2 2nd on the list of TBs owned...

 

Anyway... how long have these things( Trackable Stamps ) been around?

 

I guess they are not any more invalid than Vehicle TB's or trackable packs, hats, dogs etc.

The problem, if any, is that that they end up in logs for anyone else to discover... not just the person who sees the stamp. Is that proper? In Europe or anywhere for that matter. I can see the ones that DON'T have the tracking code as part of the stamp in the log. You discover the physical stamp to get those ones at least, like a hat or sticker on vehicle. What happens to those in logs like this one. The OP's photo gallery has many that clearly show the trackable numbers on line.

At least in this example they are covered up by fingers/thumbs. If it were me I'd blur the gallery images or remove them, but it's already way to late anyway probably.

The logs, at least you have to see the stamping, but better not to propogate photographically.

 

As already stated, it appears to be a glitch there, best sorted out by GS. Depends on what the OP actually editted... they won't have a tag or anything, that is the mystery.

 

Doug 7rxc

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But I also don't see a "Herlieke" TB that could be the culprit.

 

How about TB53PN2 2nd on the list of TBs owned...

Possibly, except that the same tracking number can't be both "Herlieke's" TB and the OP's "stolen TB" (well, I hope it can't :yikes:). Is there something in the text about it being discovered in a cache log? I haven't translated the logs. The strange thing is, two years ago, the logs ceased. I'd expect a "Virtual TB" to have ever increasing "discoveries", but TB53PN2 has only a handful. My wild guess is, the OP mis-typed the tracking number, activating an unused one.

 

Anyway... how long have these things( Trackable Stamps ) been around?

 

I guess they are not any more invalid than Vehicle TB's or trackable packs, hats, dogs etc.

The problem, if any, is that that they end up in logs for anyone else to discover... not just the person who sees the stamp. Is that proper? In Europe or anywhere for that matter. I can see the ones that DON'T have the tracking code as part of the stamp in the log. You discover the physical stamp to get those ones at least, like a hat or sticker on vehicle. What happens to those in logs like this one. The OP's photo gallery has many that clearly show the trackable numbers on line.

At least in this example they are covered up by fingers/thumbs. If it were me I'd blur the gallery images or remove them, but it's already way to late anyway probably.

The logs, at least you have to see the stamping, but better not to propogate photographically.

Many cachers have one number that they put on many things, such as their sig item. They invite logs. As the items or the number itself gets passed around, I wonder if the logs could become a nuisance. Some things, you just learn by experience. :laughing:

 

A log name stamp TB can't be much use for "Tracking", unless the Discoverers are all diligent with descriptions of where they saw the number, and as you mention, the number stays in the cache log books. So the stamp is more of a Fun Nerdy Geocaching Thing -- "I have a Tracking Number in my cache logs". The shirts, hats, and car stickers are like that, too. My challenge with my personal Tracking Numbers, is keeping them out of pictures, so I don't wear "Trackable" shirts or hats.

 

Actually, most any TB of mine (especially at Events) has "Discover" logs like "I saw this somewhere, dunno when" :ph34r:. I don't think I've seen any "Discover" log that was memorable, on one of my TBs. Some cache logs are great. TB logs, not so much. :anicute:

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How about TB53PN2 2nd on the list of TBs owned...

Possibly, except that the same tracking number can't be both "Herlieke's" TB and the OP's "stolen TB" My wild guess is, the OP mis-typed the tracking number, activating an unused one.

 

 

Herlieke's TB is TB53PN2 and the OP mentioned TB5WK9Y as the one 'created'. That assumes that the first one is indeed the 'stamp'. Will be interesting to hear how the second one came to be. Also to see where the reference was originally... The first is seveal years old and supposedly the new one is quite recent. Don't reference numbers get created sequentially, or are they hard linked to the TB number... I don't know that

part. I thought they were generated at activation, but I'm known to be in error sometimes.

 

Doug 7rxc

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Don't reference numbers get created sequentially, or are they hard linked to the TB number... I don't know that part. I thought they were generated at activation, but I'm known to be in error sometimes.

I expect they are generated at activation, but if they were hard linked, that might help figure out what happened, since I don't have the actual tracking numbers to compare.

 

I activated a Trackable last week, and it has the reference number TB52DFW. That's maybe a lower number than the OP's and Herlieke's. Mine is a coin from 2012. So maybe the Tracking Number and the Reference Number are in fact generated at the same time. Or else I don't understand the numbering system (which is likely :anicute:).

Edited by kunarion
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Stupid question, but I'm new and just read the thread about Letterboxing and how Geocachers and Letterboxers often accidentally sabotage each other - you say it's a stamp..... Could you have in fact found a letterbox rather than a geocache and the stamp belongs to the letterboxer?

No, it is a stamp for stamping a particular Travel Bug ID#.

 

Just like a letterbox stamp, but it is for placing (stamping) the number and leaving that mark behind... for others to "Discover".

A Discovery log is a log specific to Trackables, in geocaching.

 

Truth be known, the stamp itself shouldn't have been left behind. That was probably by accident rather than intent.

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A MILLION times sorry....

 

I had not clicked on the 'Follow this topic' button so I did not see you guys reply and then I forgot about it.

 

Anyway, after more that three months trying to get in toutch with the owner (now previous owner) I had only seen one log for it.

I descided to turn it into a trackable of my liking and send it of into the merry world.

 

Now, almost a year later, I had not a single false ID. Everyone just sees and logs my lil' doggy :D

 

 

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers

 

Jecepede

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