I’ve heard it called “fingerblight”. Thorny plants are somewhat resistant, but nothing is completely immune. On another forum I used to belong to, someone had a yard full of rhubarb cleared out overnight!
I have several pepper plants ‘strategically’ positioned...Bhut Jolokia, Bhut Jolokia Peach, Trinidad Scorpion Moruga, and so forth. It will be easy to track potential thieves by the sounds of their screaming...