Important tips to protect your vehicle from car thieves

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 26, 2019         12:24pm

(Ottawa) – From Ottawa to the GTA we continue to see thefts of high-end Lexus/Toyota vehicles, particularly larger SUVs and 4Runners. We found that an additional technique using signal amplifiers has been used in Eastern Ontario. 

We recommend you consider an additional line of defense to protect your asset: consider keeping any vehicle with a proximity key fob inside a radio frequency shield device (RSF device).  This will prevent the key fob’s signal from being amplified to the vehicle from inside the house protecting it from being driven away. 

We remind car owners of the following tips to protect their vehicle:

• Make your vehicle less vulnerable to theft by parking it in a locked garage and or blocking it in tightly with a second vehicle.
• Consider installing an after market anti-theft device.
• Be vigilant that no one has tampered with the door locks mechanisms.
• Consider installing a club.
• If you are selling your vehicle, be wary not to let anyone have access to your car keys or your vehicle out of your sight. This prevents a thief from copying your key during a “test drive” so they can return to steal it.
• The onus is on the registered owner of a vehicle to ensure that the person they let drive their vehicle has a valid driver’s license.  As such, request to see their driver’s license prior to allowing them to test drive your vehicle. This gives you an opportunity to note the person’s identity and home address. 
• Further to that, note the license plate and vehicle description of any individuals who attend your home to enquire about a car for sale.
• Finally, good old fashioned neighbourhood watch is a great deterrent.  Call 911 to report any suspicious activity; be vigilant. 

More safety tips are available online.

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