We'd never understand why people feel the need to steal things from tourist attractions, especially from historic places where the people have faced horrific things but there you have it.

Seems like plenty of people do it but unfortunately for some, it doesn't always end well.

No, we're not talking about getting caught but something that's possibly much worse, like a curse.

Mailed the stolen goods back

A Canadian woman made headlines recently when the story of her returning artefacts she stole from Pompeii while she was on a holiday there claiming that they were cursed became viral.

According to The Guardian, the woman, known only as Nicole, mailed wo mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a piece of ceramics to a travel agent in Pompeii, Italy.

She also wrote a confession letter detailing the crime she committed about 15 years ago when she visited the site.

15 years of living with Pompeii curse

Nicole alleged that she's had a series of bad luck since she returned home from her travels.

We'd like to pooh-pooh her claims of curses but getting breast cancer twice and facing financial woes does sound pretty damning.

"Please, take them back, they bring bad luck.

“I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice,” she said. “The last time ending in a double mastectomy. My family and I also had financial problems. We’re good people and I don’t want to pass this curse on to my family or children," she reportedly wrote.

Of course, it could just be a coincidence, but if she believes it, who are we to deny anything?

Not the only person to return stolen artefact

Turns out, it's not all that rare for people to steal things from historical sites. Nicole's letter came with another one from a couple who stole some stones from the site and decided to repent as well.

"We took them without thinking of the pain and suffering these poor souls experienced during the eruption of Vesuvius and their terrible death.

“We are sorry, please forgive us for making this terrible choice. May their souls rest in peace,” the letter reportedly said.

Thefts are so common in Pompeii that the people who run the place opened a museum just to display all the things people have stolen and returned over the years.

If there are so many people returning stolen stuff from Pompeii that it could fill a museum (even if a tiny one), perhaps the curses are real after all!