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50 WAYS TO PREVENT CAR THEFT
- Take Your Keys
- Lock Your Car
- Never Hide a Second Set of Keys in Your Car
- Park in Well-lighted Areas
- Park in Attended Lots
- If You Park in an Attended Lot, Leave Only the Ignition/Door
Key
- Never Leave Your Car Running, Even if You’ll Only Be Gone for
a Minute
- Completely Close Car Windows When Parking
- Don’t Leave Valuables in
Plain View
- Park With Your Wheels Turned Towards the Curb
- If Your Vehicle is Rear-Wheel
Drive, Back Into Your Driveway
- Always Use Your Emergency Brake When Parking
- If You Have a Garage, Use It
- When Parking in a Garage, Lock the Garage Door
and Your Vehicle
- Don’t Leave the Registration or Title in Your Car
- Disable Your Vehicle
When Leaving it Unattended for an Extended Period
- Replace “T”-shaped
Door Locks With Straight Locks
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stolen
cars/parts are more easily traced when
vehicle VIN numbers
have been etched
on
car windows and
major parts.
- Engrave Expensive Accessories
- Drop Business Cards, Address Labels,
or Other I.D. Inside Vehicle Doors
- Ignition
Kill Switch, splice an inexpensive toggle switch into your ignition wire
or to your starter.
Hide the
switch well.
- Fuel Kill Switch
- Visible Steering Wheel Lock
- Floorboard Locks
- Gearshift Lock
- Tire/Wheel Locks
- Hood Locks
- Armored Collar Around the Steering
Column
- Alarms
- Vehicle Tracking
- Be Suspicious of any
deal that seems “too
good to be true.”
- When
buying from a private
individual,
make sure
the title and registration
match the
name and
address of
the person
selling the car.
- Be
cautious of seller with no fixed address,
place
of employment
or
phone number.
- Ask
the seller for references about
past financing
and insurance on
the vehicle.
Verify the information
with
the bank, finance
company, or agent.
- Ensure
the vehicle identification
number (VIN)
plate on
the automobile’s
dash is present,
secure, and has
no loose rivets.
- Check
to ensure the
VIN plate
has not
been repainted
and
the numbers
stamped
in the
plate appear
to be original
factory
numbers.
- Ensure
the VIN plate rivets
are original.
All 1970
and newer
autos produced
in North America
have
stainless steel “rosette” rivets
with six petals
and a hole
in the middle.
They are difficult
to scratch
with
a knife.
- Thieves
may remove
the
VIN plate
and replace
it with
one from
a similar wrecked
vehicle. If
in doubt about
plate
authenticity,
check with
a new car dealer
who handles
the
same model,
or contact
a law enforcement
agency.
- The
VIN on the dash must
match
the VIN
on the
registration,
title and
federal safety
inspection
sticker on
the driver’s
door.
- If the
VIN plate
is
scratched,
bent or
missing rivets,
tampering
may have
occurred.
- Make
sure the federal
safety
inspection
sticker,
located
on the driver’s
door or
doorjamb, is securely
in place
and none
of the
numbers appear to
be tampered
with.
- Beware
of a loose
dashboard.
- An
excessively loose ignition
switch
may indicate
tampering.
Check
the switch
for
chisel
or pull
marks.
- Be
wary of a
fresh
paint
job
on
a newer
vehicle.
This
may
indicate an attempt
to
change the car’s
identity.
- Check
the
inspection
and
license
plate
stickers
to
be
sure
they
are
current
and
issued
by
the
same
state.
- If
the
seller
provides
you
with
only
re-made
keys,
not
original
manufacturer’s
keys,
for
a newer
model
car,
be
suspicious.
- Titles
and
registrations
are
frequently
counterfeited.
Therefore,
demand
the
title
before
paying,
and
make
sure
it
matches
the
registration.
By
completing
all
paperwork
at
the
time
of
sale,
you
avoid
giving
the
thief
extra
time
to
obtain
fraudulent
documents.
- Question
the seller
if the
registration was
recently issued
on an
older vehicle.
- Compare
the engine
identification numbers
with all
other numbers
to ensure
a match.
- Be
cautious of
new license
plates on
an old
car, or
new plate
bolts on
an older
plate.
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