A computer chip on a rainy day keeps the thieves away.

Japan has a relatively low crime rate, but it’s a different story when it comes to umbrella theft, and nothing’s more frustrating than having one stolen after leaving it outside a convenience store or a sushi joint.

Victims of such malicious acts are often annoyed to the point where they come up with interesting ways to deter would-be brolly thieves, and though they work to some extent, the Japanese Internet is on a neverending quest to discover more effective theft prevention methods.

Japanese Twitter user @Zama_Hideo thought he might just have the solution, recently proposing an idea that had people nodding their heads in appreciation.

▼ Take this umbrella at your own risk (translation below).

“I heard that tape labels are useful in preventing umbrella theft, so I printed out one with the words ‘Location tracker test terminal’. I’ve also taped a mysterious chip onto the handle. I don’t know how effective it is, but I wouldn’t want to steal such a nasty umbrella.”

Since stealing the brolly could mean getting tracked via GPS by the owner or worse, the police, thieves would certainly think twice before reaching for it. Japanese netizens applauded his brilliant concept, but not everyone was convinced:

“What kind of idiot would steal something like that?”
“If it was me, I would tear off the chip and use it.”
“This is a nice idea.”
“What a genius.”
“That’s great! But it’ll be so embarrassing if it still gets stolen.”

While it’s certainly plausible the crook could remove the suspicious chip after some fumbling, one could argue that the entire setup had already achieved its purpose of making the umbrella look to be more trouble than it’s worth. And if your brolly looks less appealing than all the others, that’s half the battle won.

Or you could simply tell thieves not to take property that’s not theirs. That always works.

Source: Twitter/Zama_Hideo via IT Media
Featured image: Twitter/Zama_Hideo