FISHERS — Summer is here, which means it's garage sale season — a chance for people to make some extra money and get rid of old stuff.
However, garage sale season is also a season to keep a close eye out for strangers in your community. Rebecca from Fishers wants to remind people to keep their cash close.
It was time for Rebecca's bi-annual garage sale.
"I sold my daughter's bed so we could get her a new one, a bunch of kids stuff," Rebecca said.
A few hours into the sale, things were going well. "It was a great sunny day; we had lots of traffic and good stuff to sell," she said.
"I go to give a lady some change, and all the sudden, this purse is gone," Rebecca recalled. The purse was where she kept all of her money.
Inside was $350 and her phone. She was able to track her iPhone a few blocks away, where she found it on the ground with her empty purse.
"We were gonna use that money to buy my daughter a new bed mattress and bed set," Rebecca said.
Rebecca's community is hosting a big community garage sale all weekend, and now she has advice for her neighbors:
"Always wear your money on you; keep it in your pockets or on your person," she said. "Probably only keep a very small amount out here."
The Better Business Bureau recommends enlisting help from friends or family to keep an eye on the things you have for sale and your money and says you should never let someone inside your home and always watch out for counterfeit money.
"I still made a hundred dollars, and we've got tomorrow," Rebecca said.
Lesson learned, and she will be back at it on Saturday morning.
"Heck yeah," she said. "I'm not letting this stop me.
RTV6 reached out to Fishers Police Department to see if garage sale thefts are common. We will update this story if they respond.
