What to Know About Car Thieves

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Sometimes we get way too comfortable and forget to remove anything that is visible in our cars. Doing so could lead to car theft. This is a most unfortunate situation for anyone. However, we receive calls from people in both high crime areas and low crime areas. This is because there are different types of car thieves. Making yourself familiar with them will help you see the importance of protecting your car no matter where you are.

Identifying Car Thieves

There are 3 major types of people who may try to steal your car or the things in your car, a carjacker, professional thief and a joy rider. Here is a list of the most commonly used methods of breaking into cars.

Carjacker

One way they will gain access to your car is of course by force, however, a less aggressive way to steal your car is for them to bump you in the rear. Once you jump out, someone will jump into the drivers seat and take off with your vehicle. This is undoubtedly a very smart way for someone to steal your car. You can be prepared by being aware of the methods a carjacker will use to get you out of your car so that they can take it from you.

Professional thief

This person is on the hunt for its victims. You can become an easy target if you leave items in your car visible to people passing by. This type of thief is generally interested in your car parts so that they can turn around and sell them to ‘chop shops’. They may even have a contact in another country that is requesting a specific type of high-performance vehicle. In this case, the price is much higher and thus thieves will target these types of cars.

Joy rider

These are usually young people trying to show off. They are not fearful and thus are more likely willing to take the chance of getting caught. They are skilled at starting your car without a key. While your car may be recovered, there is often some damage to it.

Keeping Your Car Safe

There are some general rules to abide by in order to avoid a car theft. One of the most obvious but often overlooked is to make sure every door of your vehicle is locked. If you are busy, you can get a key that is programmed to automatically lock your doors after a certain period of time. Also, avoid leaving things in your car regardless of whether or not it is of value or not - the thief doesn’t know this. Use caution also when parking your car. Make sure it is parked in a secure area where a car thief is less likely to target your car.