The cheating diesels that Volkswagen has bought back as part of its settlement with purchasers are sitting in vehicular purgatories across the country, waiting to be repaired so they can go to new homes. Only some of them were sprung early: 69 “Dieselgate” vehicles were stolen only to turn up with fake Michigan titles at an auto auction in Kentucky. [More]
car theft
Police: Florida Man Interprets “Test Drive” As “Free $150K Maserati”
By 2.24.17
If you sell cars, you’ve probably had your share of jokes from “hilarious” customers who crack wise about making off with the car they are test-driving, but most car-shoppers are indeed only joking about committing grand theft auto. Then there’s the Florida man accused of using a test drive to help himself to a $150,000 Maserati. [More]
Reminder: 1 in 8 Stolen Cars Is Unlocked With Keys Or Fob Inside
By 11.1.16
Attention, car owners: you really need to stop leaving your cars unlocked with the key or electronic fob inside. That common-sense warning comes from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a not-for-profit organization funded by insurance companies to find ways to track and prevent insurance fraud and auto theft. At least one in eight vehicle thefts happen when someone takes advantage of keys left in a car, the group notes. Stop leaving your keys in unlocked cars. [More]
Laptop-Using Car Theft Ring Busted In Houston
By 8.5.16
Hey, remember those car thefts in Houston where the suspect was caught on security cameras fiddling with a laptop computer before driving off with the vehicles? The cops say that they’ve found the culprits, who allegedly were able to drive off with the vehicles by programming blank key fobs with codes that they obtained through illicit access to the Fiat Chrysler database. [More]
Man Puts Up Stolen Lexus As Collateral, Steals Mercedes On Test Drive
By 3.29.16
It probably wasn’t the first time that one man in Pennsylvania has been accused of stealing a car. We’re guessing. That’s because when he took a Mercedes on a test drive at a dealership near Pittsburgh, the Lexus that he left behind the keys to was, um, also reported stolen. From another dealership. [More]
Police Make Arrest After Hearse With A Body Inside Is Stolen From Atlanta Hospital
By 6.29.15
Because there are apparently no limits on what people are willing to steal, police in Atlanta say they’ve made an arrest after someone stole a hearse from a local hospital — with a body inside — yesterday morning. It’s unclear whether the suspect checked the hearse before boosting it, or just figured any vehicle would do… occupied or not. [More]
Car Owner Reunited With Her “First Love” 43 Years After Corvette Stingray Was Stolen
By 6.8.15
In a rare, heartwarming tale of the return of a valued possession once thought to be lost forever, the owner of a 1972 Corvette Stingray that was stolen 43 years ago was finally reunited with her “first love.” And she is not going to let it out of her sight ever again. [More]
Got A Ford F-250 In Your Driveway? Check Again, Because Thieves Love Stealing Them
By 7.9.13
In the movies, car thieves go for exotic sports cars with 6-figure price tags. In the real world, people who boost automobiles are more practical, as pickup trucks account for five of the ten vehicles with the highest rate of theft claims in the U.S. [More]
McDonald’s Drive-Thru Worker Spots Own Stolen Car Pulling Up To Window
By 5.16.13
A McDonald’s employee may have left her car unlocked outside of her apartment complex overnight–she doesn’t remember. That didn’t mean that she deserved to have it stolen, though. She woke up to discover that her car was missing, then spotted the culprit…in the drive-thru lane at her workplace. [More]
Guy Figures If He Boots His Own Car, Thieves Won’t Be So Tempted To Steal It
By 1.25.13
We’ve heard of people who boot cars to trick cops into thinking that they’re already in trouble so there’s no need to ticket them (which doesn’t always fool police and we don’t recommend doing so) but at least one guy is taking the “boot yourself” method to combat another annoyance — car theft. [More]
Cops Leave Warnings On Unlocked Cars
By 10.12.11
Residents of Beverly, MA, who leave their car doors unlocked have been coming back to their parked vehicles to find a written scolding from local authorities attempting to cut down on crime. [More]
Car Thieves Still Love Jacking Escalades & Full-Sized Pickups
By 8.25.11
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (AKA the people who have all the fun smashing cars into walls without getting ticketed) has released its annual report on which vehicles are the most- and least-frequently boosted by car thieves. And once again the top 10 list is dominated by big pickups and that rolling cliche of new money, the Cadillac Escalade. [More]
Car Theft Dips To Lowest Level In More Than 40 Years
By 6.23.11
As a line of criminal work, car thievery isn’t what it used to be. Thanks to added security measures, including technological advances in vehicle security systems and more effective law enforcement, the U.S. car theft rate has braked to its lowest rate since 1967. [More]
