This horror story courtesy of eTurbo News:
- With fear factor being cranked to its highest level hoping to deter criminals from committing illegal activities, some remain unfazed. The airline warning couldn’t have been any clearer: You are being watched from the moment you deplane. While this seems to work with law-abiding citizens, the same cannot be claimed about criminals. Based on a recent experience at the Washington Dulles International Airport, criminals go on their illegal means right under the Transportation Security Administration’s watch.
After clearing Customs on a recent flight from London, I made my way through the transit security checkpoint. Mindful that the line was getting longer, I decided to try get through as fast as I possibly could. With my laptop in one tray, backpack in another, souvenir bag in another, shoes and jacket along with my passport and boarding pass in another; I knew I had to be quick. Never mind putting my passport in my pocket, it will be safe in the tray. I was sadly mistaken.
After passing through the metal detector, I quickly put everything back in place. Then I realized my passport and my boarding pass were missing. My first instinct told me it must be in my bag, it wasn’t. In my jacket, wasn’t there either. My passport was gone in a blink.
Now comes the really scary part, where the writer attempts to wriggle through red tape to get someone--anyone--to help him recover his stolen passport.
Lessons I learned from this story: Keep your passport safely on your bod throughout the security process, don't ever let your guard down, and don't depend on TSA or anyone else to keep you and your belongings safe. Oh yeah, and write to your representatives about your feelings on the job TSA is doing to keep our airports safe.
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