--- description: Rookie mistake title: Thief Arrested Because He Forgot to Log Off Facebook After Burglarizing a Home image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc063e6ad125a0944/6986964bcd68482794095130/170441597.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Thief Arrested Because He Forgot to Log Off Facebook After Burglarizing a Home by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 24, 2014 4:03 PM CUT  A Facebook Inc. "Like" logo sits on display at the company's new data storage center near the Arctic Circle in Lulea, Sweden, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013\. The data center is Facebook's first outside the U.S., poised to handle all data processing from Europe, Middle East and Africa and the server hub is largest of its kind in Europe, and most northerly of its magnitude anywhere on earth. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images A Facebook Inc. "Like" logo sits on display at the company's new data storage center near the Arctic Circle in Lulea, Sweden, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013\. The data center is Facebook's first outside the U.S., poised to handle all data processing from Europe, Middle East and Africa and the server hub is largest of its kind in Europe, and most northerly of its magnitude anywhere on earth. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesGetty Images by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 24, 2014 4:03 PM CUT Look, we’re no experts here, but if you’re breaking into somebody’s home, we suggest getting in and out as quickly as possible. This means you probably shouldn’t take a break to check your Facebook. Apparently, though, that’s what 26-year-old Nicholas Wig did after breaking into a house in St. Paul. He used the target’s computer to check his profile — and then he forgot to log out, CBS Minnesota [reports](http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/06/23/thief-forgets-to-log-out-of-facebook-after-burglarizing-home/ "undefined"). “World’s dumbest criminal,” said the very astute homeowner, James Wood. “I don’t know.” The thief made off with Wood’s credit cards, cash and watch, but left behind his own Nike tennis shoes, jeans and a belt. They were wet because it had been raining, so we can only assume at this point that Wig disrobed and then logged onto Facebook to play Farmville or something. (Does Farmville still exist?) When Wood realized that Wig had left his Facebook profile open, things got interesting. Wood posted a status update saying that Wig had burgalized his home and shared his phone number seeking further information. Then Wig himself texted him (!) and the two agreed to meet. Wood said Wig seemed to think if he returned the cell phone he’d stolen in exchange for the clothes he’d left behind, everything would be fine. But everything was not fine. When Wood spotted Wig walking toward his home later, he called the police, because obviously. Police arrested him at the scene, and if convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2917569/thief-arrested-because-he-forgot-to-log-off-facebook-after-burglarizing-a-home/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2917569/thief-arrested-because-he-forgot-to-log-off-facebook-after-burglarizing-a-home/"},"headline":"Thief Arrested Because He Forgot to Log Off Facebook After Burglarizing a Home","datePublished":"2014-06-24T16:03:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:11:06.584Z","description":"Rookie mistake","url":"https://time.com/2917569/thief-arrested-because-he-forgot-to-log-off-facebook-after-burglarizing-a-home/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Social Media","Crime","facebook","Tech"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc063e6ad125a0944/6986964bcd68482794095130/170441597.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc063e6ad125a0944/6986964bcd68482794095130/170441597.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Facebook Inc. 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