sk her to look after a box for you - say it has the kids present money in or something and put a lock on it - if it has been opened when you ask for it back - you know she's stolen it. if not - you know your mistaken.

My heart goes out to you and your family because I have some idea about the burden this must be, ChillWinterheart. Print this out and read it to your sister. I have a very good, dear friend who, unfortunately, is also a kleptomaniac. He's got a heart of gold, but he's addicted to stealing, and this addiction has caused major, significant, problems in his life. By major, I don't mean that his friends don't trust him, although that's bed enough. Major means trouble with the law. Cops. Arrest. Laying out big bucks for bail and then, attorneys. Court. J-A-I-L. I know, because I bailed him out once, to the tune of several thousand dollars. And because of California's three strikes law, the next time he gets caught, he will go to prison, aka "the big house" for felony theft - even if he steals a $1 pack of gum. The thing is, and this is what you and your family must get into your sister's head - no matter how accomplished a shoplifting thief is, sooner or later, someone will see her making a five-fingered discount and that someone is going to stop her. Your sister will get caught. When that happens - and it will - she will suffer the public humiliation of seeing strangers gawk at her while store security detains her and the cops haul her off to jail. This will suck, and it will suck the big one. Your sister must understand that the adrenaline rush and high she gets from stealing will never, ever, be worth the monumental trouble it will introduce into her life. The ramifications - the ripple effects - can screw her up for years. Just ask anyone with a criminal record. Here's something else: In the future, my friend will never again get the benefit of the doubt. Who will believe a "But this time, I swear, it really was an accident?" In effect, his priors have damned him. Right or wrong - once a thief, always a thief - in people's minds, anyway. Moralizing the issue to your sister will probably have little or no effect. Maybe a little glimpse of the unpleasant consequences will work, though. Good luck.

When she is not there, write down the serial numbers of a few paper money bills, take a picture of them where you have "planted" them (make sure the picture has a date & time stamp ... or put them on top of "today's" newspaper beside a clock in the photo ... then wait for the bills to go missing ... then have everyone show all of their money and check the serial numbers ... you may also want to sprinkle a bit of dust on the floor around the bills for footprint evidence.

if you got a webcam, set it up to record on motion detect. automaticly it will add a timestamp to the file, not sure how strongly this will hold up in a court of law tho, I am trying this at the moment. If you are trying for this to hold up in court print out then sign a "code of conduct" and screw it to your door behind some perspex let them know that photographs are taken upon entry... I'm no lawyer, but it's the best I've come up with so far. if you would like to discuss this furthur please contact me at nanoymaster[at]gmail[dot]com

OK, was she diagnosed or do you just assume this? I mean, could there be other reasons (such as drugs)? Dealers will trade anything. Otherwise, consider a nanny cam. I heard they start off at like $200.00 (I only heard)... and you can put those inside of anything. OR Have you thought about going to a pawn shop for equipment such as this?

Lock up all your shit..I have two sisters who steal my close..though not diagnosed as kleptomaniacs..they might as well be.. I lock up the clothes I don't want them stealing in a suitcase of mine... hope that helps... get a safe and put your money, jewelry, and other valuables in their you don't want her taking.. ;)

I can really relate to this. And the simple answer is that YOU can't. My sister was the same way and I had to learn how to hide things very well. She's 33 today and still a klepto. She has stolen from everyone in the family and lost many friends because she can't control herself. The funny thing is that even at this point in her life, NOONE has called her out and she's never been in jail over it. I really don't understand, but all I could deal with was how it affected me back when we lived at home. I simply hid things and kept my money in the bank. I could go on for hours with stories, but the short answer is that as much as you might want to help, I don't believe that you can as a sibling. Perhaps your parents can, but if they don't see it, then it's not your responsibility. Best of luck...