Workout warning about gym locker thefts

The dirty secret New York City sports clubs and gyms don’t like to talk about isn’t bedbugs, which have been in the headlines recently.  I’m talking about thieves who pilfer valuables out of your gym locker while you are lifting weights, doing crunches or swimming laps.  These are sophisticated thieves.  They can ‘bump’ a lock, which allows them to open your locker without looking like they are breaking in, and go through your handbag, backpack or laptop bag to remove the valuables without looking like they are stealing. The most gym locker break-ins are at gyms with multiple locations, such as New York Sports Club, Crunch, Equinox and New York Health and Racquet Club, where one paid membership gives a thief unlimited access to dozens of locker rooms.  Read the experience of a this New York Times reporter, whose clothes and valuables were stolen out of his locker while he was working out.

• Protect yourself from gym locker thefts. Make sure you have a super-secure tamper-proof lock, and avoid leaving valuables like laptops, iPads, and your wallet with your driver’s license, in your locker.  And keep your house keys with you, just in case you want to get home.