Top Things Stolen by Loved Ones

Victims of theft lose valuable items. But when that theft happens at the hands of someone they trust and love, the loss is compounded with emotional and relationship damage.

Why do some people steal from the people that love them? The answer is complicated at best. Part of the reason might be opportunity. It is never easier to steal than it is from someone who trusts you or at least is trying to trust you. The other reason is that the thief often rationalizes the theft as “borrowing” and tells themselves they intend to pay it back some day. Finally, the thief may see the victim as unimpacted by the theft. Parents who steal their children’s identity often feel this way, as if it’s their right to take the identity and that the child is not negatively impacted by their decision or the decision can be reversed before it does.

Whatever the reasons for the theft, these kinds of violations are especially painful. What are the things most often taken from people close to the thief? The most often stolen items include:

• Cash

• Rent or other joint purchase money

• Jewelry

• Clothes

• Identity

All of these items have transactional value. Cash can be used to purchase things, often drugs, alcohol, gambling, or other illicit activities. The other items can be sold for cash. Once converted to cash, the value of the stolen item often facilitates continued indulgence in illicit activities.

How can this cycle be stopped? Often theft by a loved one is difficult to prove and difficult to even spot. It’s not as if the house was ransacked and alarms tripped. In fact, often the thief will “gaslight” the victim and make the victim feel like it was their fault that the item was “lost” or “misplaced” or “never here.”

One very promising solution is to use new AI technology to get a baseline of truth. AI technology exists that can help people know whether their loved ones have taken something they shouldn’t. EyeCanKnow just released a new theft test that uses AI and ocular motor evaluation to determine truthfulness. It’s now possible to run a lie detection test on a mobile phone to learn if someone has taken something from you. You can go to www.eyecanknow.com to create and take a test.

When our loved ones engage in destructive behavior, it hurts both them and those around them. Knowing the truth is the key to fixing the problem.