Comment on this is exactly what copper would say
anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 day agoThat’s true, but am financial crimes or organized crimes are where the smarter people are. Stealing raw materials to sell at shady recyclers is low bar moron crime.
Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 hours ago
Commodities tend to hold value pretty well, especially in poorer areas/nations, and if the operation decentralized, the risks for the organizers is near zero.
If something is able to be easily taken with a plausible disguise or with low risk (the ol’ hard hat, safety vest and clipboard “security pass”, or just an unguarded jobsite) there will be opportunists.
For someone with greater skills, that’s low hanging fruit that’s not worth the risk of getting caught on camera, but the more desperate you are, the more risk you’re willing to accept.
Of course, taking cable in the first place is a dick move and will negatively impact the local area and utilities as a whole, so it’s a slap in the face for the entire community tbh. Some people don’t care though…
anomnom@sh.itjust.works 3 hours ago
Yeah the real costs are in the price fixing and crony contracts from bribed city planners.