A new dad has lost thousands of dollars after falling victim to a vicious scam targeting tradespeople across Australia, which has also “severely restricted” Chris Wall’s ability to work and provide for his family.
Last Wednesday, $14,000 worth of tools were stolen from a carpenter’s car parked outside his Melbourne home, with security camera footage apparently capturing the thief in action. It’s a problem that costs Victorian tradespeople $20 million a year, according to the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), but is on the rise in states and territories across the country.
Brazen theft outside a merchant’s house
Mr Wall, who recently welcomed his first child with his partner Jamie, said the brazen act took place in the early hours of the morning. He was sitting on his sofa at the time and had no idea his Isuzu D-Max ute was being attacked, he told Yahoo News Australia.
“They basically pulled up next to my car (which was parked on the street) for six or seven minutes, rummaged through every storage bin in the back and then threw it all in the back of their lorry and drove off,” he said, describing the scene seen on a neighbour’s security camera.
“They took everything, my batteries, all my cordless tools, my bag of hand tools, and a lot of other things,” he explained, estimating the total cost to be between $12,000 and $14,000. Ta.
“At the moment I’m still an apprentice so obviously I’m not earning as much as those who are more qualified,” the father-of-one continued, admitting it will likely take some time for him to make up for what he’s lost.
Wall said he first noticed it when he stepped outside to leave for work around 7 a.m. and saw that the door to a toolbox in the back of his car was open, even though it had been locked. He quickly realized “everything was probably gone.” “And it was,” Wall said. “Like 90 percent of my stuff was gone.”
The father, who lives in Balwyn, Victoria, immediately called police and asked a neighbour to check security camera footage from the scene. Victoria Police confirmed to Yahoo that an investigation is ongoing.
The timing couldn’t be worse, as the couple had recently welcomed a baby. “We had a little bit of savings, but not a lot, so we spent a lot of money on the baby,” Wall explained. In addition to having to replace the tools he uses every day at work, the grieving father admitted there are now “some jobs I can’t do.”
“As a carpenter, I use all my tools every day, so I borrow a few tools here and there from people at work while I save up money (to buy more),” he says. “But it also means you can’t take on certain jobs, because in many places you have to have a little more autonomy and have all your own tools.”
He has been left with no option but to borrow money from family and friends of friends through a GoFundMe page that was set up to help the family.
“It’s happening all over the place.”
Theft of trade tools has been on the rise and has become a troubling problem in recent years. RACV says they are a prime target because of their “high value and ease of transport.” It takes years to build a collection, but all too often it can be lost in an instant.
“When I talk to the people I work with, it seems like everyone I talk to knows someone who’s been killed,” Wall said. His former boss “took everything stolen from the van,” he said.
“It’s happening everywhere,” he said.
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