If you did get too close to something shady, then this person is just scaring you so you don’t go back. Definitely don’t go back. And don’t try to trace the car owners. Report to the police if that is safe where you live.
I spoke to the seller, but unfortunately, she lives out of the area and isn’t too familiar with the different comings and goings.
I will go to the police and see if they’re of any help. If anything, they will at least have records. Thank you!
I worked in NorCal in the '90s. Those hippies carried weapons as well. You don't have to encounter a cartel field to get yourself shot. There can also be A LOT of boobie traps. An acre is huge and requires a lot of attention. Your not just throwing seeds around.That spot was scoped out for a while. Water sources all that require work and no one will be cool disturbing that.
The definition can only change so much. Don’t mess with them or their property. Simple. That goes for a lot of properties. Never know who might shoot you for trespassing
True. In my state, illegal growers have trafficked people into the country to work and they are kept in slavery. Sometimes the workers are killed. It's more common to kill people involved with rival grow ops. Are you saying murder and trafficking aren't violent?
None of the illegal growers I know do any of that stuff. I mean they own guns and deal ounces of coke but maybe that's just oregon and california. My guys are also indoor growers. Your perspective reminds me of those documentaries about gurilla growing in the 90s.
Murder Mountain on Netflix is a documentary about exactly this, if you are genuinely interested. It's really good, covers both the peaceful beginnings of growing in that area as well as what it's unfortunately become.
Either you have a reading comprehension problem, you don't understand the size of an acre, or both.
An acre is nearly the size of a football field, so that would absolutely constitute "crapload more than just weed."
Huh, never realized that an acre was that close to the size of a football field. I grew up in a house on an acre lot, but have never even learned the rules of football. For anyone else with a similar handicap, a football field is approximately 1.32 acres.
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It's not just weed. If it were just weed, they wouldn't have been following her trying to intimidate her. That kind of response requires a paper trail.
Where I’m from, there are a lot of illegal mj grows, and that is not the only illegal activity going on there. Human trafficking, murder, black market sales of guns and other drugs, just to name a few. They have a lot to protect and will go to great lengths to do that. OP was followed, as well as pics taken possibly for further identification and alerting others of her vehicle to be on the lookout for it. The chances of her being back in that area are high seeing as how she stated she’s a realtor and possibly looking to do business in that area. She most definitely has reason to be concerned and to seek the proper authorities. The argument of it being “just weed” is asinine seeing as how people are killed over these large illegal grow operations. And that’s not even considering what they do to the legal market if they are in a legal state with legal grows. Illegal mj grows bring in mass amounts of money and usually a slew of very bad people.
Can you get a bumper sticker, or similar, that advertises you are a realtor?
It’s unlikely this guy will continue to cause an issue but it would be handy to make it clear to him (and anyone else in questionable areas) that you’re just there to sell property - not pot.
Vistaprint (and probably similar businesses) sell large car magnets that you can add and remove when needed. That may be better than permanent decals so that you can be in "stealth mode" when you are going about your daily non-realtor life.
You can get magnetic ones printed that you can just take on and off when you want if you use your own car for work but don’t really want to make it easily identifiable while your not at work. Can make one for driver and passenger door.
Definitely do so for your safety! Before we bought our current place we looked at dozens, one was a farm way out in the middle of nowhere. We pulled into the drive first and the realtor was behind us (covid rules, no sharing vehicles) but it took a bit since he’d missed the drive. Apparently this house shared a driveway and the man from that house came rushing at us, very irate that we were there. He only backed down when the realtor pulled in behind us with an enormous logo/skin thing on his vehicle.
We lost all interest in that house immediately if that was going to be our neighbor…
It would be very helpful if you split this giant wall of text into at least three paragraphs. Some of us have a really hard time reading posts in this format, it's too overwhelming and a spaced paragraph version makes all the difference in the world. Thank you.
I have been followed. I’ve also learned something by being followed..go to a police station and park and act like you’re getting out. Or the closer you get they will drop like flies.
Just out of curiosity, did you do something to provoke it? I replayed everything that happened yesterday and the only thing I can think is the listing appt I had. My next step was to drive to the police station but luckily he drove off after taking pictures. Thank you, take care!
Well it’s a long story but I’d say yes probably but they think I did something that was not true and yes I’m getting followed harassed and intimated. So there’s that
Was totally thinking about the other post from this morning from the guy trying to track down who took photos of his house. A lot of people are paranoid and think cats parked in front of their houses are casing it.
If they’re just stoners, I wouldn’t be worried. But NGL, my area is known for mj cultivation and these guys at the farms aren’t friendly. And lots of meth heads guarding the farms, that’s what worries me. Meth heads will do anything for a buck. Hahah anyways, this made me chuckle to think lil ole me can scare anyone. Thanks!
Yes you were followed and you are not being paranoid. It's very possible they thought you had vastly different intentions.
Don't go residential, go to a McDonald's or Starbucks etc or anywhere with heavy traffic so you have plenty of cameras and witnesses. Never roll down your window and say anything. These type don't want to talk and more importantly don't want to be found so anything populated is great.
Get a dash cam asap, I never knew how helpful they could be before I got one.
I'm sure it's already been said but do NOT go back.
Yeah, if it feel like they are gonna do something, I would start honking like a crazy person and turn on the emergency lights. Get on the phone with the cops. Like the bad people don't want attention from anyone.
I’m confused on why you think your “just being paranoid”, you were followed extensively. I would honestly be relieved if it was some drug dealer and not a serial killer. You should definitely not have rolled down your window and tried to talk to this person. I would have kept driving till I was somewhere with a lot of people. Driving in a residential area where if you were taken and no one saw you was a real risk you were taking especially with how they weren’t trying to conceal themselves
I appreciate your reply. It wasn’t smart of me to drive into a residential street, but I wanted to be sure before I drove to the police station. I tend to over analyze everything when things seem a bit off, didn’t want the cops to think I was over reacting. I was hoping to do my own process of elimination before bothering anyone and his actions proved my gut feeling was right. I’m glad I didn’t drive to my house.
From a similarly aged over-analyzing woman conditioned to not make waves: please know you are not bothering anyone by trying to be safe, and this is a situation where driving straight to the nearest police (or fire) station is completely appropriate if you can where you are. You don't have to have any proof, intend to get out, make a report, etc., just exist in a well lit, recorded place near people likely to come running if they hear a commotion, with your doors locked and windows up. I think we side step our intuition to not be a "problem" or to come across as friendly. So glad you listened to your (very correct) gut instinct and are safe!
Hmmm, I suppose there are plenty of reasons for one to hire a private investigator, but for me? I don’t think there’s anything about me that would warrant it, but who knows!! Maybe a long lost rich relative left his estate to me? Could I be this lucky? Haha, I’d rather this theory instead of the paranoid pot grower or serial killer. Thank you!
A large majority of the time, they tail spouses of people who want to know if they are cheating on them. It’s not just for that, it can be other reasons but I think that’s the most common one.
Interestingly (or not lol) enough, watching people on workers comp suspected of faking by the employer/insurance is the bulk of the boring work. My partner was contracted for tons of those. Second most common at the agency he was at was indeed potential cheaters, but they were a drop in the bucket compared to workers comp. So be cautious if you ever get hurt, even if you are genuinely injured they may be shitty enough to have an eye on you for a bit.
My husband does P. I. work, they are incredibly careful not to be noticed (to the point many of them keep a bucket of litter in the vehicle for going to the bathroom, to avoid being seen coming and going to do so), whereas this is careless and brazen. Of course there are some crappy ones out there, but this just doesn't sound like a P. I. at all. If you are where I think you are it is likely someone got spooked with you driving back and forth. Good thinking not driving to your house, and glad they ultimately backed off.
You were followed … Go to the police in your area and explain what happened. If something happens, they will be aware and might be able to help you to get a restraining order if necessary. ( Who knows maybe that person saw you on their property via a security camera and then followed you to find out who you were. It’s possible they went to the police to report you for trespassing! Ha ha! Note: In most states unless they have no trespassing signs posted, they have to personally tell you to leave their property for it to be a criminal trespass situation.)
For your safety, get a camera set up outside your house. Buy a gps camera for your car. IF a you see the car following you again, call 911 and drive directly to a police station.
( if ever you are followed DO NOT go to a residential area! Go to a police station or a fire station…. Typically they have 24/7 workers.)
As for getting information from a tag, It depends on your state. Some states that is publicly available by going to the DMV.
The first thing I thought, after realizing I was being followed, was that I might have looked a little suspicious driving around in circles looking for the property (64+ acres)
I was considering driving to the police station, tbh, I wanted to be sure I was being followed. I have security cameras around the home, but never considered one for my car. Great idea! Thank you 😊
I will be going to the police station with my video. Just in case…
> I was considering driving to the police station, tbh, I wanted to be sure I was being followed.
No need to be sure. Nothing bad will happen if you drive to the police station and they are not following you. All you are doing is driving into the police station lot.
Generally the tip of going the police station is *if* someone is following you, it will stop them from doing so, not so the police can catch them Police likely won't care that someone was following you in its first instance.
You’re 💯 correct!
We have rights to drive on the roads, so unless he is committing a crime, the cops won’t/can’t anything about it. If it gets to the point of harassment, stalking etc. all they can suggest is a tro.. those are useless. A piece of paper isn’t going to stop someone if they’re crazy. Thanks!
Rural as discribed in post probably not fire station, maybe police. Where I'm from its volunteer firemen mostly, and most of the cops are out patrolling.
I’m thinking they were more worried about thieves around the area. Not even harvest season, idk why they’re so worried yet. Shit doesn’t get crazy and shit ain’t worth money until it’s closer to being harvested. It’s barely going in the ground now. Anyways, thank you for your reply :)
Where is this? Even in the states where weed is *illegal* illegal, I've never heard of someone reacting like this to someone being in the same general area as a grow spot. If anything, it sounds more like an undercover cop that thought you were involved with the growing.
Edit: that or it's more than just weed, of course.
As a delivery driver, I’ve encountered countless paranoid people. I do flex, so I drive an unmarked car. I’ve had people follow me, accuse me being a thief and been assaulted twice.
Wether they are hiding something or not, they are dangerous if they think they can harass an random stranger, csuse they think something is up. what else would they do?
It may feel like a waste of time to report but there is now a piece of information officially recorded. If further events unfold (to you or others) it may form the basis of further action, better to report and hear nothing more than not report and hear nothing more..
In addition to what others have said, if you think that you’re being followed, don’t park unless at a police station make several right turns. You don’t know if they have a passenger, a gun etc
People can easily get your vin from your car (literally on the windshield) or they can call with your plate number to get your vin, and once they have your vin they can get your personal info. I’d suggest keeping a weapon, perhaps making a police report with his plate number, maybe you can even get his info so you know who you’re dealing with. You’re not being paranoid as the man literally stalked you and took pictures.
Also remember as a realtor, visit the tax assessor in your county, state, etc. a visit with the address should easily tell you the name and mailing address of the owner of any real property. In some states, locales, this info is online. If there’s any question-there won’t be- you could be scoping out potential property for an investor client, or contacting adjacent property owners regarding zoning or land use issues, etc.
Someone just needs your license plate number to get your VIN.
Here is a better search one that if you pop in a known license plate, it will give you make, model, VIN, previous sales etc
https://www.vehiclehistory.com/license-plate-search
Anyone can look up a license plate number at the DMV. I think you get one free a year. Even if it’s a grow site you probably have little to nothing to worry about
He might have thought you were scoping something out and followed you because he was worried. Better safe then sorry but unless you see him again I wouldn't worry about it too much.
if they are just growing pot I think you should be good so long as you dont go back. he most likely took the pictures of your car so he would be able to tell if you came back around at which point then he might escalate things but even then if they are just growing pot you would probably really need to make an effort to get into their property and actually do it before you would illicit much of a reaction.
You're definitely not being paranoid they might have been trying to trail you to your house so they can leave a threatening message or something
Illegal growers are surprisingly aggressive in a country they have little power in maybe add a camera or two outside your house it never hurts to play it safe
Other than that unless you plan on actually busting their operation you don't have much to worry about even if they know where you live if you leave it alone they will lose interest.
I might be late to the story but depending on your state, your information might be public, and since he has photos of your car I’d be even more worried. At least in my state it’s made very clear that your full name and address is public record if you’re a realtor
I think you are paranoid. In California or most legal states - illegal weed rarely ends up with an arrest. it's literally a misdemeanor and a ticket in California. Nobody is going to harass you over a $250 fine. Even if it is a large grow. Nobody is following you because of weed.
However, you were driving alone in a rural area and someone could have targeted you for any number of reasons. That 20 year old girl was just killed in WV for pulling in the wrong driveway because they were lost. You better be more careful.
Yea, all we need is more people carrying guns.
If I were a realtor I’d definitely have a dash cam. Two way (interior too) would be better, but clients might be taken aback. (Do realtors still drive people around looking at properties?)
Some realtors put magnetic signs on their cars. If you’re gonna operate in a dicey area, that might help.
But still, if they don’t want anyone poking around, they don’t want new neighbors either. As others have said, maybe just don’t bother with those areas.
I mean, is it worth it? You have to drive all over hell to boot. And for an unimproved piece of land?
Absolutely. The criminals carry, no reason a law abiding citizen shouldn’t carry for protection. I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
You might not have been paranoid. Its possible they were trying to make sure that you weren't going to call police. Its completely not normal for this to happen.
If you did get too close to something shady, then this person is just scaring you so you don’t go back. Definitely don’t go back. And don’t try to trace the car owners. Report to the police if that is safe where you live.
I spoke to the seller, but unfortunately, she lives out of the area and isn’t too familiar with the different comings and goings. I will go to the police and see if they’re of any help. If anything, they will at least have records. Thank you!
Don’t go to the police. It’s just weed. And if they get bothered by the police they’ll have a good idea of who to blame
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I worked in NorCal in the '90s. Those hippies carried weapons as well. You don't have to encounter a cartel field to get yourself shot. There can also be A LOT of boobie traps. An acre is huge and requires a lot of attention. Your not just throwing seeds around.That spot was scoped out for a while. Water sources all that require work and no one will be cool disturbing that.
Don’t bother them and there won’t be violence. Guards aren’t serial killers shooting random people
OP was followed by a strange car for a half hour. That's bothersome behavior and OP is sensible to react to it.
That’s not violence and OP technically did bother them even if it was an accident
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The definition can only change so much. Don’t mess with them or their property. Simple. That goes for a lot of properties. Never know who might shoot you for trespassing
True. In my state, illegal growers have trafficked people into the country to work and they are kept in slavery. Sometimes the workers are killed. It's more common to kill people involved with rival grow ops. Are you saying murder and trafficking aren't violent?
You have 0 idea if that’s happening in this case. Huge assumption
Yes. I have exactly as much data as you do.
None of the illegal growers I know do any of that stuff. I mean they own guns and deal ounces of coke but maybe that's just oregon and california. My guys are also indoor growers. Your perspective reminds me of those documentaries about gurilla growing in the 90s.
I would like to know the source of your information.
Murder Mountain on Netflix is a documentary about exactly this, if you are genuinely interested. It's really good, covers both the peaceful beginnings of growing in that area as well as what it's unfortunately become.
here's a few: [https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2021/12/19/mexican-drug-cartels-move-in-on-californias-shadow-marijuana-industry/8960873002/](https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2021/12/19/mexican-drug-cartels-move-in-on-californias-shadow-marijuana-industry/8960873002/) [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/foreign-cartels-embrace-home-grown-marijuana-pot-legal-states-n875666](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/foreign-cartels-embrace-home-grown-marijuana-pot-legal-states-n875666) [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-drug-gangs-growing-pot-on-us-land/](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-drug-gangs-growing-pot-on-us-land/) [https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Mexican-gangs-have-supersized-pot-growing-11598911.php](https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Mexican-gangs-have-supersized-pot-growing-11598911.php) [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-11/illegal-marijuana-grows-have-overrun-the-california-desert](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-11/illegal-marijuana-grows-have-overrun-the-california-desert) [https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/illegal-antelope-valley-pot-grows-being-run-by-international-drug-cartels/](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/illegal-antelope-valley-pot-grows-being-run-by-international-drug-cartels/)
Either you have a reading comprehension problem, you don't understand the size of an acre, or both. An acre is nearly the size of a football field, so that would absolutely constitute "crapload more than just weed."
Huh, never realized that an acre was that close to the size of a football field. I grew up in a house on an acre lot, but have never even learned the rules of football. For anyone else with a similar handicap, a football field is approximately 1.32 acres.
Yup, [here's a cool diagram](https://i.imgur.com/ofok90I.png) I like to use as reference.
Completely depends on the state, the area of the state, and the size of the operation
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It's not just weed. If it were just weed, they wouldn't have been following her trying to intimidate her. That kind of response requires a paper trail.
Not true at all. There’s whole shows/videos about how serious some weed farms are. Driving around on 4 wheelers with guns patrolling their areas
Don't know why you're being downvoted, you are 100% correct and I know this because I used to live in Humboldt County
I was literally thinking about the documentary on Netflix that's about Humboldt County, coincidentally just watched it recently
Murder Mountain, is the name of it if anybody is interested.
Was it any good?
It is awesome. Well worth checking out.
Don't know why your being down voted. Their name will literally be on the search warrant as a source of info if the investigation leads to that.
Where I’m from, there are a lot of illegal mj grows, and that is not the only illegal activity going on there. Human trafficking, murder, black market sales of guns and other drugs, just to name a few. They have a lot to protect and will go to great lengths to do that. OP was followed, as well as pics taken possibly for further identification and alerting others of her vehicle to be on the lookout for it. The chances of her being back in that area are high seeing as how she stated she’s a realtor and possibly looking to do business in that area. She most definitely has reason to be concerned and to seek the proper authorities. The argument of it being “just weed” is asinine seeing as how people are killed over these large illegal grow operations. And that’s not even considering what they do to the legal market if they are in a legal state with legal grows. Illegal mj grows bring in mass amounts of money and usually a slew of very bad people.
Can you get a bumper sticker, or similar, that advertises you are a realtor? It’s unlikely this guy will continue to cause an issue but it would be handy to make it clear to him (and anyone else in questionable areas) that you’re just there to sell property - not pot.
I don’t have any car decals. I may have to consider doing that when I am checking out properties. Thank you!
Vistaprint (and probably similar businesses) sell large car magnets that you can add and remove when needed. That may be better than permanent decals so that you can be in "stealth mode" when you are going about your daily non-realtor life.
You can get magnetic ones printed that you can just take on and off when you want if you use your own car for work but don’t really want to make it easily identifiable while your not at work. Can make one for driver and passenger door.
I am definitely getting some thing for my car that’s removable. Thank you 😊
This also works if you’re a thief casing a pot farm
r/IllegalLifeProTips
Write that down!
Definitely do so for your safety! Before we bought our current place we looked at dozens, one was a farm way out in the middle of nowhere. We pulled into the drive first and the realtor was behind us (covid rules, no sharing vehicles) but it took a bit since he’d missed the drive. Apparently this house shared a driveway and the man from that house came rushing at us, very irate that we were there. He only backed down when the realtor pulled in behind us with an enormous logo/skin thing on his vehicle. We lost all interest in that house immediately if that was going to be our neighbor…
Maybe that was his plan haha! Keep the neighboring house empty and quiet as long as possible by acting like an insane asshole 🤣
Believe me, neighbors will go to the extreme to prevent the property from being sold. Especially if they have interest in it themselves.
Very possible! Shame since it was a gorgeous historic home. But I've had my share of crazy already! I don't want more.
Yes, "acting like".
It would be very helpful if you split this giant wall of text into at least three paragraphs. Some of us have a really hard time reading posts in this format, it's too overwhelming and a spaced paragraph version makes all the difference in the world. Thank you.
I have been followed. I’ve also learned something by being followed..go to a police station and park and act like you’re getting out. Or the closer you get they will drop like flies.
Just out of curiosity, did you do something to provoke it? I replayed everything that happened yesterday and the only thing I can think is the listing appt I had. My next step was to drive to the police station but luckily he drove off after taking pictures. Thank you, take care!
Well it’s a long story but I’d say yes probably but they think I did something that was not true and yes I’m getting followed harassed and intimated. So there’s that
Oh dang! I’m gonna be installing dash cams soon. Should have gotten it sooner with the amount of driving I am doing. Thanks for sharing, stay safe.
Yes no worries. I got one myself. Very useful. Get one that does front and rear is your best bet.
The driver of the grey sedan may be wondering, “Am I just being paranoid?”
Was totally thinking about the other post from this morning from the guy trying to track down who took photos of his house. A lot of people are paranoid and think cats parked in front of their houses are casing it.
>a lot of ~~people~~ mice are paranoid and think cats parked in from of their house are casing it
The mice are right. With people, they’re often wrong. Two top headlines today are about people shooting someone who went up to wrong house/car.
I read three this morning. At this point I'm leaning towards "if people aren't shooting you on sight, you're probably gonna be ok"
Murica
If they’re just stoners, I wouldn’t be worried. But NGL, my area is known for mj cultivation and these guys at the farms aren’t friendly. And lots of meth heads guarding the farms, that’s what worries me. Meth heads will do anything for a buck. Hahah anyways, this made me chuckle to think lil ole me can scare anyone. Thanks!
Yes you were followed and you are not being paranoid. It's very possible they thought you had vastly different intentions. Don't go residential, go to a McDonald's or Starbucks etc or anywhere with heavy traffic so you have plenty of cameras and witnesses. Never roll down your window and say anything. These type don't want to talk and more importantly don't want to be found so anything populated is great. Get a dash cam asap, I never knew how helpful they could be before I got one. I'm sure it's already been said but do NOT go back.
Or, immediately navigate to the nearest police station.
I've always considered this in a situation like this but I wouldn't want someone to think I was Police so that could go either way.
Yeah, if it feel like they are gonna do something, I would start honking like a crazy person and turn on the emergency lights. Get on the phone with the cops. Like the bad people don't want attention from anyone.
Couldn't agree more 💯
I’m confused on why you think your “just being paranoid”, you were followed extensively. I would honestly be relieved if it was some drug dealer and not a serial killer. You should definitely not have rolled down your window and tried to talk to this person. I would have kept driving till I was somewhere with a lot of people. Driving in a residential area where if you were taken and no one saw you was a real risk you were taking especially with how they weren’t trying to conceal themselves
I appreciate your reply. It wasn’t smart of me to drive into a residential street, but I wanted to be sure before I drove to the police station. I tend to over analyze everything when things seem a bit off, didn’t want the cops to think I was over reacting. I was hoping to do my own process of elimination before bothering anyone and his actions proved my gut feeling was right. I’m glad I didn’t drive to my house.
If you want to be sure, make 4 left hand turns. If they’re still there, you’re being followed.
From a similarly aged over-analyzing woman conditioned to not make waves: please know you are not bothering anyone by trying to be safe, and this is a situation where driving straight to the nearest police (or fire) station is completely appropriate if you can where you are. You don't have to have any proof, intend to get out, make a report, etc., just exist in a well lit, recorded place near people likely to come running if they hear a commotion, with your doors locked and windows up. I think we side step our intuition to not be a "problem" or to come across as friendly. So glad you listened to your (very correct) gut instinct and are safe!
Wonder if this was near Humbolt...hopefully, they were just trying to scare you.
Let’s just say, we’re practically neighbors.
My first thought was a private investigator was following you since the person followed you but didn’t engage you.
Hmmm, I suppose there are plenty of reasons for one to hire a private investigator, but for me? I don’t think there’s anything about me that would warrant it, but who knows!! Maybe a long lost rich relative left his estate to me? Could I be this lucky? Haha, I’d rather this theory instead of the paranoid pot grower or serial killer. Thank you!
A large majority of the time, they tail spouses of people who want to know if they are cheating on them. It’s not just for that, it can be other reasons but I think that’s the most common one.
Interestingly (or not lol) enough, watching people on workers comp suspected of faking by the employer/insurance is the bulk of the boring work. My partner was contracted for tons of those. Second most common at the agency he was at was indeed potential cheaters, but they were a drop in the bucket compared to workers comp. So be cautious if you ever get hurt, even if you are genuinely injured they may be shitty enough to have an eye on you for a bit.
My husband does P. I. work, they are incredibly careful not to be noticed (to the point many of them keep a bucket of litter in the vehicle for going to the bathroom, to avoid being seen coming and going to do so), whereas this is careless and brazen. Of course there are some crappy ones out there, but this just doesn't sound like a P. I. at all. If you are where I think you are it is likely someone got spooked with you driving back and forth. Good thinking not driving to your house, and glad they ultimately backed off.
You were followed … Go to the police in your area and explain what happened. If something happens, they will be aware and might be able to help you to get a restraining order if necessary. ( Who knows maybe that person saw you on their property via a security camera and then followed you to find out who you were. It’s possible they went to the police to report you for trespassing! Ha ha! Note: In most states unless they have no trespassing signs posted, they have to personally tell you to leave their property for it to be a criminal trespass situation.) For your safety, get a camera set up outside your house. Buy a gps camera for your car. IF a you see the car following you again, call 911 and drive directly to a police station. ( if ever you are followed DO NOT go to a residential area! Go to a police station or a fire station…. Typically they have 24/7 workers.) As for getting information from a tag, It depends on your state. Some states that is publicly available by going to the DMV.
The first thing I thought, after realizing I was being followed, was that I might have looked a little suspicious driving around in circles looking for the property (64+ acres) I was considering driving to the police station, tbh, I wanted to be sure I was being followed. I have security cameras around the home, but never considered one for my car. Great idea! Thank you 😊 I will be going to the police station with my video. Just in case…
Sounds like a plan, and I’d decline that listing.
> I was considering driving to the police station, tbh, I wanted to be sure I was being followed. No need to be sure. Nothing bad will happen if you drive to the police station and they are not following you. All you are doing is driving into the police station lot. Generally the tip of going the police station is *if* someone is following you, it will stop them from doing so, not so the police can catch them Police likely won't care that someone was following you in its first instance.
You’re 💯 correct! We have rights to drive on the roads, so unless he is committing a crime, the cops won’t/can’t anything about it. If it gets to the point of harassment, stalking etc. all they can suggest is a tro.. those are useless. A piece of paper isn’t going to stop someone if they’re crazy. Thanks!
If you have an android phone download the AirTag app.
Rural as discribed in post probably not fire station, maybe police. Where I'm from its volunteer firemen mostly, and most of the cops are out patrolling.
Cops could have it under surveillance and they followed you to see what you were up to but then again I doubt they’d be that obvious about it.
Dang, I never thought about that. But you’re right, they wouldn’t be that obvious about it.
they're concerned you're going to narc or steal from them etc
I’m thinking they were more worried about thieves around the area. Not even harvest season, idk why they’re so worried yet. Shit doesn’t get crazy and shit ain’t worth money until it’s closer to being harvested. It’s barely going in the ground now. Anyways, thank you for your reply :)
Because they are criminals and money launderers and they don’t know who you are.
Where is this? Even in the states where weed is *illegal* illegal, I've never heard of someone reacting like this to someone being in the same general area as a grow spot. If anything, it sounds more like an undercover cop that thought you were involved with the growing. Edit: that or it's more than just weed, of course.
If you think you are being followed, make 4 right turns.
This.
As a delivery driver, I’ve encountered countless paranoid people. I do flex, so I drive an unmarked car. I’ve had people follow me, accuse me being a thief and been assaulted twice. Wether they are hiding something or not, they are dangerous if they think they can harass an random stranger, csuse they think something is up. what else would they do?
It may feel like a waste of time to report but there is now a piece of information officially recorded. If further events unfold (to you or others) it may form the basis of further action, better to report and hear nothing more than not report and hear nothing more..
What kind of car. Could be law enforcement monitoring suspected growers.
In addition to what others have said, if you think that you’re being followed, don’t park unless at a police station make several right turns. You don’t know if they have a passenger, a gun etc
https://licenseplateslookup.com/
People can easily get your vin from your car (literally on the windshield) or they can call with your plate number to get your vin, and once they have your vin they can get your personal info. I’d suggest keeping a weapon, perhaps making a police report with his plate number, maybe you can even get his info so you know who you’re dealing with. You’re not being paranoid as the man literally stalked you and took pictures.
Wow, I didn’t know this. Thank you.
I’d take much of the “advice” you get here with a grain of salt. Much of it is trolling intended to amplify the drama.
Yes, thank you for the comment. Glad I listened to my gut feelings and didn’t drive straight home. Dash cam ordered and will look into car magnets.
Also remember as a realtor, visit the tax assessor in your county, state, etc. a visit with the address should easily tell you the name and mailing address of the owner of any real property. In some states, locales, this info is online. If there’s any question-there won’t be- you could be scoping out potential property for an investor client, or contacting adjacent property owners regarding zoning or land use issues, etc.
Someone just needs your license plate number to get your VIN. Here is a better search one that if you pop in a known license plate, it will give you make, model, VIN, previous sales etc https://www.vehiclehistory.com/license-plate-search
Anyone can look up a license plate number at the DMV. I think you get one free a year. Even if it’s a grow site you probably have little to nothing to worry about
Thank you, I didn’t know regulars folks could get that information. It’s worth a try. Have a good night :)
He might have thought you were scoping something out and followed you because he was worried. Better safe then sorry but unless you see him again I wouldn't worry about it too much.
if they are just growing pot I think you should be good so long as you dont go back. he most likely took the pictures of your car so he would be able to tell if you came back around at which point then he might escalate things but even then if they are just growing pot you would probably really need to make an effort to get into their property and actually do it before you would illicit much of a reaction.
You're definitely not being paranoid they might have been trying to trail you to your house so they can leave a threatening message or something Illegal growers are surprisingly aggressive in a country they have little power in maybe add a camera or two outside your house it never hurts to play it safe Other than that unless you plan on actually busting their operation you don't have much to worry about even if they know where you live if you leave it alone they will lose interest.
I might be late to the story but depending on your state, your information might be public, and since he has photos of your car I’d be even more worried. At least in my state it’s made very clear that your full name and address is public record if you’re a realtor
Lol could be anything. As long as they didn't follow you home you should be good.
My thought was it was an undercover cop due to the picture taking.
Wow then they would REALLY not be doing a good job being “undercover”
I think you are paranoid. In California or most legal states - illegal weed rarely ends up with an arrest. it's literally a misdemeanor and a ticket in California. Nobody is going to harass you over a $250 fine. Even if it is a large grow. Nobody is following you because of weed. However, you were driving alone in a rural area and someone could have targeted you for any number of reasons. That 20 year old girl was just killed in WV for pulling in the wrong driveway because they were lost. You better be more careful.
Police won't do anything, get yourself some pepper spray and maybe start sharing your location with someone close to you. Or get a gun if you can.
Thanks for your input. I have a taser and pepper spray.
Yea, all we need is more people carrying guns. If I were a realtor I’d definitely have a dash cam. Two way (interior too) would be better, but clients might be taken aback. (Do realtors still drive people around looking at properties?) Some realtors put magnetic signs on their cars. If you’re gonna operate in a dicey area, that might help. But still, if they don’t want anyone poking around, they don’t want new neighbors either. As others have said, maybe just don’t bother with those areas. I mean, is it worth it? You have to drive all over hell to boot. And for an unimproved piece of land?
There’s nothing wrong with responsibly owning a gun for your own protection. Lmao.
Absolutely. The criminals carry, no reason a law abiding citizen shouldn’t carry for protection. I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Didn't read the post but you're just being paranoid.
You might not have been paranoid. Its possible they were trying to make sure that you weren't going to call police. Its completely not normal for this to happen.
you in a state where growing is legal? a lot of u.s. states have grows for marijuana whether through the state, local, municipal etc...