What’s easier than stealing an entire, hulking mass of metal, plastic and upholstery? Just stealing the third row of seats in an SUV, instead of the whole thing, it seems. Third row seats are the new hot item on the black market, snagging up to $1,000 for thieves in profit. This wave of “third seat theft” as the cops call it is particularly prevalent in Texas and California.

ABC News highlights the story of one exceptionally unlucky SUV owner, who’s had his third seats pilfered twice. Ugh.

This kind of theft is on an uptick as vehicle owners look for options to replace their damaged or simply old seats. And when there’s a demand, there’s bound to be someone to provide supply, legal or not. As such, cops are urging SUV owners to engrave their vehicle identification numbers on the bottom of seats, because otherwise it’s pretty tough to return them to their right

“It’s something that’s very simple. With a little bit of time and effort people can protect themselves,” a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Another option that is deceptively simple but could go a long way toward keeping your property where it should be, according to law enforcement officials — locking your seats with a bike lock. We’d have to take a look at that kind of operation to figure out exactly how it would work. If it saves you $4,000, why not give it a go?

Thieves Across Country Stealing SUV Seats [ABC  News]

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