Car theft is flying high, it has become the reason for widespread worry in recent times. According to the statistics, the rise was dramatically significant in 2020. As David Glawe, president of the NICB says the rise is tightly related to the first year of the global pandemic, an economical crisis, but mostly with the owner’s smugness. Needless to say, automobiles are one of the precious properties and therefore vulnerable to theft. You may fail to stop wrongdoers all over the world, but at least you can protect your property. Taking additional security measures is an ultimate necessity when it comes to guaranteed safety. But first, you may be interested in what to expect from offenders and then decide what measures you can take for avoiding such wrongful things to happen.
Let’s get started and discuss auto theft, what are the most popular methods criminals address and of course learn the smartest methods to protect yourself from it. keep on reading not only to get all the necessary information but also to learn more about the piece of technology that makes your car less vulnerable to theft.
What is car theft?
It is a crime when an individual or group of people steal or attempt to snatch a motor vehicle. Stolen vehicles can be cars, trucks and motorcycles. The laws and offenses regarding this criminal act vary from state to state. According to The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2019 Uniform Crime Report, Americans lost over $6 billion each year because of the high theft rate. Offenders do this in numerous ways. It can be breaking into the automobile, hot-wiring, stealing the key, carjacking or another method which I will discuss in detail in the following paragraphs.
What are the types of vehicle theft?
As I mentioned above, there are some variations of it. Hence, legal charges vary according to them. Methods differ, some of them stay the same, some of them don’t work against advanced security systems and some of them are invented specially for modern automobiles. Let’s review and estimate their effectiveness in certain cases.
“Hot wiring”- We are all familiar with movie scenes where Automobile theft happens, an offender breaks into an automobile and starts it easily by pulling out the ignition wires. However, it worked only for older automobiles. Is it possible for modern automobiles? Let me state clearly that if you have an automobile with push-button ignition and you need a key fob to start it, this method doesn’t work.
Carjacking – Different from other types of theft, carjacking happens in the presence of victims, so it usually involves violence toward owners. Police offer certain recommendations to follow to avoid it, such as keeping a close eye on your surroundings, predicting forthcoming danger and alerting them as soon as possible.
Relay attack – This is the latest trend in car theft, that allows wrongdoers to snatch even the modern automobiles which have a keyless-go technology. This is an advanced system of the latest models that allows various features without the physical key. For example, turning the ignition on, unlocking the doors of the automobile when you are nearby, etc. So, the convenience and comfort of using this technology sounds good, but it can easily make you a victim of the attack. How? With the help of a hacking technique, when two thieves work together. They use a special amplifier, called a signal extender which allows them to extend signals from the owner’s key and make the automobile think that the key fob is nearby. They push the start button and drive away in two minutes.
Most frequently stolen automobiles
According to the top-rated insurance comparison marketplace on the internet Insurify, the ranking of 7 most stolen automobiles in the United States is as follows:
- Ford Pickup(full size)
- Chevrolet Pickup(full size)
- Honda Civic
- Honda Accord
- Toyota Camry.
- Nissan Altima
- GMC Pickup (full size)
- Toyota Corolla
- Honda CR-V
- Dodge Pickup (full size)
So, the diversity of the list suggests that it is always hard to predict who becomes the target of auto theft. If you didn’t find your automobile on the list, do not loosen up. Thieves may not snatch your automobile, but they can take parts of it or other valuable items you keep in it. For example, they can take transmissions, airbags, radios, GPS units, phones, iPads, laptops, and purses. According to popular belief, thieves are interested only in luxury and high-performance models. But do not lie to yourself, they take chances as soon as they get it.
What makes vehicle theft easier for criminals?
The short answer is – your carelessness. Believe it or not but most cases happen because of inattentive owners, who make it easier for criminals to access their property. They don’t take into consideration elementary safety measures. The most common way to leave the automobile vulnerable is by leaving the key inside it. Some owners do not forget the key but leave the automobile open, so anyone easily robs it. Sometimes they leave valuable items on the display, which is a good motivation for criminals. Considering where you park your automobile is a good idea. Parking in the garage is safe, but if you prefer driveaways, choose the well-lit and populated place.
All the above-mentioned suggest that the big part depends on you, if you do not use your common sense, criminals don’t struggle to access your property. If you are a very cautious person and always keep a close eye on your property, you may hesitate to invest in anti-theft tools and take additional measures to insure yourself. So, I know that you’ve heard the advice a million times but I can suggest you create physical barriers like mechanisms that lock the steering wheel or ignition cut-off systems, passive alarms that activate automatically or try more advanced alternatives which I am going to talk about later.
Be careful with your key fob
Technology that was once created for decreasing automobile theft works against owners today. How did it happen? At the beginning of adopting this technology, it worked so well that theft dropped more than 50 percent, according to the FBI. It has changed after people started forgetting to keep the key fob properly. Hackers use devices that trick your automobile and fob that are close to each other, so they use this technology to their advantage. So, you should be careful when you are in the mall, restaurant or at home. You may ask, how can I manage to be alert all the time? Will it be better if I quit modern automobiles? – Of course not. You will be less worried if you choose the right product which will be the best deterrent to offence.
The best instrument for the car theft protection
The market offers you various tools for protecting your automobile. However it’s hard to find the one among them which ensures guaranteed safety. Some of them are traditional alternatives and some of them imply using special boxes or wallets for the key fob. They block the signal and make it impossible for hackers to use signal boosters. However, nothing can be as effective as an innovative compact chip –called a Secure FOB. It is specially designed to work against signal boosters and make it impossible for crooks to hack your auto. When it is motionless it effectively deactivates the key fob. So you can be sure that when you are at home, resting your property is defended. All you need to do is to purchase this compact chip and install it yourself in your key fob. It covers the battery from both sides and with a motion sensor detects the motion to turn the key fob on/off. It consists of a 3D motion sensor, LED indicator, microprocessor, and flexible base.
What’s more important is that it is beneficial in terms of battery usage. Many owners report the poor battery lifespan of their fob. This chip can increase the lifespan of your batteries.
Furthermore, you can be sure about the compatibility, the chip is tested and it is compatible with most models, so you won’t encounter any inconvenience. We guarantee that it will work without interference.
Takeaway
So, you get information about car theft, you already know how it happens and what can you do for prevention. It seems that the most effective strategy to fight against criminals is to be alert. However, thanks to modern technology you can make everything simple. Using an innovative chip that blocks unethical devices used for attacking your automobile will benefit you at any rate. So, what are you waiting for?