The internet is littered with niche sites catering for the most minority interests including shoplifting.
An extraordinary forum has been designed to bring thieves together in an online community where they can discuss their conquests.
Hosted on social media site Reddit, the subreddit r/Shoplifting sees light fingered members, of which there are 36,000, boast about latest ‘hauls’ and even sharing photos of the goods they’ve stolen.
Subreddit r/Shoplifting is a forum dedicated to shoplifters where thieves gather to boast about their conquests and share pictures of their ‘hauls’, such as the one above
The forum has over 36,000 members who give each other advice and tips on stealing
Many of the posts on the forum see pilfering on a minor scale with shoplifters bringing home packs of Pokemon cards and stationary.
However, others operate on a far larger scale sharing photos of thousands of pounds worth of designer goods and electrical equipment – all of which they claim to have stolen.
Some users list the reasons behind each particular haul whether it’s treats for a Friday night, much needed bathroom supplies or, in one case, a birthday gift.
In this post the criminal admitted to running out of bathroom ‘essentials’ and rather than pay for them got a five finger discount
One user got away with taking hundreds of pounds worth of Victoria’s Secret goods over the space of two days
His sister is bound to be thrilled with her gift, little does she know it was not honestly obtained
Others admit to committing the offense in order to make a profit with one Redditor shoplyft3rShoplifter posting: ‘In the last 30 days I’ve sold over $2,500 of merchandise on eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook (fake account). And people still ask why we shoplift… that’s why I lift.’
The site is also littered with threads from first time ‘lifters’ asking for help and advice from more seasoned thieves.
Members can be seen swapping tips on tactics for stealing including the ‘walkout method’ as well as giving advice on what will set off a security alarm.
Many users who are new to ‘lifting’ take to the site to ask more seasoned thieves for advice
While many of the ‘hauls’ consist of inexpensive goods others see shoplifters get away with taking hundreds of pounds worth of designer goods
Operating under usernames members remain completely anonymous, however, many choose to post under ‘throwaway’ accounts, deleting their accounts once they have posted.
While the forum is welcome to all the site’s organisers are keen to iterate that any judgement is not tolerated.
The description of the forum reads: ‘Welcome to Shoplifting! If you’re here to preach morals, enjoy your very brief stay.
In a more humble ‘haul’ this first time thief made off with stationary items and Pokemon cards
This thief stocked up on snacks in anticipation of their night in watching a movie
‘If you’re here to learn and share, please help contribute to our wonderful community of allegedly corrupt and soulless individuals.’
The forum’s leaders also attempt to explain the psychology behind the criminal behaviour.
Under ‘what motivates shoplifters?’ they say: ‘For the affluent, it can be kleptomania or thrill-seeking. For the poor, a means of feeding a family or addiction, or simply boredom.’
MailOnline has contacted Reddit for a comment