So today during my random walkings throughout the world of Skyrim i get attacked by some random thugs.... no big deal i think as i am playing a theif/assassin. i quickly dispatch the thugs and out of curiosity i look at he contract i looted from their corpses.
Ahlam, wife of Nazeem, was neatly signed at the bottom of the note calling me a gosh darn thief that needs a lesson learned! I have never once stolen a thing from whiterun except from the Alchemy shop, which no one witnessed because i killed the owner. confused?

I took a book from the old alchemist woman outside Riverwood. She put I contract on my life. I went back and punished her.

I once got thugs sent after me for accidentally stealing a septim from the Riverwood Trader after I had just returned the golden claw....

I've seen threads where people have posted about dead people putting out bounties on the player, but not one where the wrong person does it. I have had thugs sent after me for stealing things. The contract signed "Solitude Guard" made me laugh. Not only that he called himself that, but that somebody charged with upholding the law would resort to mercenaries to kill me for stealing from him.

I created an account just so I could reply to this. I started a new game after a bit of a break and upon traveling into Riverwood Fandael (the elf archer) that has an issue with Sven was just laying their dead. I had no idea why I just assumed something buggy happened. After I got to Iverstead their was a hired thug that attempted to kill me. After taking him down with little to no issues I checked the contract letter and it was from Fandael (spelling). I was rather surprised and puzzled at the same time lol.

Apparently you can get contracts placed on you based merely on suspicion, no stealing by you is necessary, any NPC thief can do the job and you can be blamed.

Things like this are the reason I still go to these forums.

Hahahahahaha, daaaaaamn thats cold.

keep 'em coming, I'm always on the mood for a good fight!

A few days ago I killed Ma'zaka, the Khajiit who works in the Solitude lighthouse. After he was dead, I took some money from the chest in the sleeping quarters and an Orcish sword off of the table near the door. Shortly after, I was attacked by a group of bandits who, a note would reveal, were sent by Ma'zaka.
I really don't know how he pulled that off.

Quick question. Does the person you steal from have to see you actually steal something to place a bounty on you?

Logically of course they'd have to know you stole something to place a bounty on you, but is that the case here?

The Solitude Guard I stole from was asleep. I have no idea how he could know it was me. Its not like I walked up to him on patrol and took his things, and he later notices they were gone.

There was a long lasting soul trap placed on him by a demora, and after escaping the realm he brought to, he found himself in the sphere of sithis. In exchange for the heart of the dremora who captured his soul, sithis agreed to send assasins in your direction

or

You thought you killed him but really he was slowly bleeding out. With his dying efforts, he managed to sign off a contract which he left with his grossly mutated sibling who hid under the floor. Upon hearing that the contract was not honored beyond death, he vowed to end your life, and the life of all assassins associated with the crew they hired. Beware of the one with gnarled teeth....?

Sorry. For some reason I am avoiding sleep.