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TSA agents are known for stealing valuable things from passengers' luggage, either checked in or carried on. Is there way to avoid this? If so, what is the best way?

JoErNanO
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sawa
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    Are they really known for that? – Urbana Nov 19 '15 at 06:40
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    @davidvc Sure. There are lots and lots of cases. – sawa Nov 19 '15 at 06:41
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    @davidvc, 'known for' may be a bit much but it's certainly not unheard of, see the answer to this question: http://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/36751/baggage-theft-rates/36771#36771 – SpaceDog Nov 19 '15 at 06:52
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    It is next to impossible for TSA agents to steal from carry on bags, you and others are standing right there watching them. There are plenty of other airport employees with access to your bags to worry about the few bad apples in TSA. Rule #1 - don't put anything of value in your checked bags. –  Nov 19 '15 at 11:28
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    TSA themselves have released a list of the airports with historically the most case of TSA theft: "Miami International (29 incidences), JFK (27 incidences), and LA International (24 instances) take the top three spots on the list". You could avoid those airports. Or avoid the USA entirely, then if your stuff goes missing it won't be the TSA that done it. – Spehro Pefhany Nov 19 '15 at 13:44
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    @SpehroPefhany, but what if you live in the states and must fly, that's more likely the reason why this question exists, is it not? – Cole Busby Nov 19 '15 at 14:42
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    @ColeBusby You could cross by land to Canada or Mexcio (assuming you aren't in Hawaii) and let Canadian/Mexican security have their chance instead? – CMaster Nov 19 '15 at 14:44
  • @CMaster I'll trust my local airports, or do as TSA recommends and "Mail it there" if it truly is worth it to me (insurance ensures a replacement at the very least, just remove the hard drive prior to postage). – Cole Busby Nov 19 '15 at 14:56
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    Considering the number of bags that go through those three airports, those incidence counts represent a very small percentage. – cdkMoose Nov 19 '15 at 21:22
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    @SpehroPefhany Those are three of the largest airports in the world. Each has tens of millions of passengers per year. With those numbers of incidences, even if they were every year, you'd have less than 1 in a million chance of being a victim. – reirab Nov 24 '15 at 16:21
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    Yes. They steal. I know 4 friends or family members who suffered it (two of them several times) and it finally happened to me a couple days ago. They stole my camera tripod (just a cheap one, nothing important), most likely at LAX. Yes, they do steal. Check out the internet and it's full of stories. The worst thing though: Nothing seems to happen to solve this issue. Good luck! – user59245 Mar 28 '17 at 18:36
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    Kinda have to put this in perspective. If there are 29 instances of TSA theft at Miami in a year, that means the chances of your stuff being stolen there is only just over one in a million. – DJClayworth Nov 06 '18 at 22:13
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    @DJClayworth 29 confirmed instances isn't the same thing as 29 instances. Crimes that happen during travel are particularly prone to underreporting; there are obstacles to reporting and pushing for prosecution remotely, and the nature of luggage theft means the crime would generally be unobserved. – ceejayoz Nov 07 '18 at 19:35
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    Are you using "TSA agents" and "baggage handlers" interchangeably? Because they're not the same thing at all. – Mike Harris Nov 07 '18 at 22:22
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    @DJClayworth Those are only the ones where it was big enough that somebody went to the hassle of reporting it. Most theft (such as the bag of nuts that vanished from one of our checked bags) goes unreported. – Loren Pechtel Dec 30 '18 at 22:22
  • @SpehroPefhany I realize this is not your choice of words, but for the record that should be "instances" or "incidents," not "incidences." – phoog Jul 09 '20 at 12:59
  • @phoog yes, their words (sounds like it was written by an individual who is engaged in law enforcement), but the colloquial “not the TSA that done it” is all mine. – Spehro Pefhany Jul 09 '20 at 15:17

4 Answers4

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As for protection against any kind of breach: don't be an easy target.

It is extremely unlikely for the TSA to steal your belongings. Nevertheless, it does happen and you can protect yourself against it in multiple ways.

Checked luggage

While there is nothing you can do to stop them from taking your stuff, you can make it not worthwhile. Who'd take a chance of being fired for a pair of socks or some toothpaste? Pack nothing valuable and/or easily resellable in your checked luggage.

Now, if you have to pack something valuable, put it in a way that a thief can't easily slip it in their pocket. Put it in a box or make sure it's big. Do not put it in a leather container. Leather can't be scanned through properly and can result in your luggage being checked out. In fact, it could be helpful to avoid leather in your luggage altogether. The less likely your luggage is to be noticed, the less likely it is your things get stolen.

Carried on

This luggage goes through the scanner the same time as you do, so is a little easier to keep an eye on. I would also recommend putting your valuables in here. A thief would have the opportunity to steal your belongings while you are moving through the scanner. To protect yourself from having this happen, put your belongings in a way that nothing can be slipped out in the time it takes you to move through the scanner and have the pat-down if necessary. This is not more than a minute at worst. A couple locks or zip ties should provide good enough protection. Make sure that you are able to open those when requested though!

Richard Crossley
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Belle
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    There is another way of stealing from you in case of carry on luggage. I had this happening to me, albeit 13 years ago in Delhi that we got asked to give the officers some foam balls we brought as gifts for children. They were supposedly dangerous. We allowed them, and did so ourselves to turn the balls inside out (you can with small, very soft foam balls) and squeeze them tightly, because we though they suspected us carrying drugs inside. Then we figured they wanted them for their own kids. So we threw one in a trash bin full of stale food items. They did not ask us to throw the others away. – skymningen Nov 19 '15 at 13:26
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This is a little tongue-in-cheek, but if you really have something valuable that you need to take with you pack it with a firearm. Firearms are locked with personal locks. They may ask to inspect it with you present, but then you put your own locks on it. The other advantage is when you arrive at your destination an employee will bring the gun case to you. They also check your ID to make sure you're the proper owner of the firearm.

This would work in the US, but if your traveling overseas it might not be an option.

gamma_sponge
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Run a cable through all your valuables so the thief has to take all of them as one large bulky unit. That will make it too obvious. Put self adhesive eyelets on your cell phone, laptop, camera, etc. and run a cable so they are all connected. I had TSA steal my ipod before and the other agents covered for him. No more.

Willeke
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Thomas Falater
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I posted this image before of an airport employee trying hard and failing to get into a gate checked bag:

Pelican with TamperSeal hasps

So if you use a Pelican bag (this was a Pelican 1514) with TamperSeal hasps, it's pretty much a given noone will be able to casually open the bag and casually take this or that out. Not even with a hammer and a chisel or such, as visible :D The imaginary scene where a TSA employee uses an angle grinder at the checkpoint to get inside a bag is a matter of CollegeHumor videos, not reality.

Of course this is just for carry on, if you check it in the TSA has master keys and can open it and then casually forget to lock them back which causes the hasps to get lost which happened to me -- but still this is your best bet if you need to check in something valuable.

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    Any self respecting baggage handler thief has the TSA master keys. You can buy them over the internets. – RoboKaren Mar 29 '17 at 06:06
  • I don't understand. If this was a carry-on, how did it get out of your sight for so long? – user428517 Jan 05 '18 at 00:29
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    read again: "airport employee trying hard and failing to get into a gate checked bag:" –  Jan 05 '18 at 01:26