Google Helps Robbers Nab $12,000

Many people have turned to Google to answer various questions, like how to loop a necktie or how to change a tire. As it turns out, the helpfulness of Google is not limited to law abiding citizens; two robbers in Colorado used Google to help them crack a safe and take off with $12,000.

Here's how the heist goes: The burglars had broken into an indoor amusement center known as Bigg City. Although the robbers knew the codes for the safes, they were unable to get them open after several tries. To solve their problem the bandits consulted a computer in the next room and searched "how to crack a safe" on Google. (Source: arstechnica.com)

The search was successful for the robbers, who took off with an impressive $12,000 cash as well as a Sony PlayStation and a laptop. So far no one has been arrested for the robbery.

When discussing the profile of the culprits, Colorado Springs Police Detective Chuck Ackerman assures that "they're not professional safe people." (Source: gazette.com)

How does he know this? Well, other than the Google search, Ackerman points to numerous errors made by the bandits. For example, instead of layering the cameras with spray paint, they used WD-40. The lubricant dripped off in seconds and, get this, actually cleaned the cameras in the process. The burglars also sprayed a fire alarm thinking that it was a camera.

Despite the fact that the culprits remain at large, employees and managers at Bigg City are trying to keep smiling, including Bigg City's Chief Operating Officer Matt Van Auken. "The two most important questions when you get robbed are, 'Did anybody get hurt and did anybody get hurt,'" said Van Auken. "If the answer is 'no,' you tend to quickly find humor in whatever you can." (Source: gazette.com)