40 Ex Car Thieves Spill Their Tricks to Help Avoid People’s Cars Getting Stolen and It’s Eye-Opening

Who said those baby monitors are only for babies? It seems like you can use them to prevent car thefts as well. This makes perfect sense. Any good baby monitor gives you the option to see and hear your baby while you are away.

So, why not just put one in your car? Chances are that if it gets stolen you’d know who did it and where it is. This would make life a lot easier for the police.

Not all car stealing is done when the owner is away or after dark. Some daring car theft moves actually happen when you are in the car. Though, this seems more like car hijacking than stealing.

Think of it as a scene from GTA. Someone puts a bottle between the fender and the wheel, so it would make a frighting sound when you start driving and then snatches the car when you stop to inspect it.

No car can run without gas (unless it’s electric). So, what’s a better way of preventing it from getting stolen if not by disabling the fuel pump every time you leave it? While this solution requires some technical know-how, we find it quite useful and ingenious.

The best thing to do is just to take your car to a garage and ask your mechanic to do it. It’s sure better than taking the risk.

Using a special bar to lock your steering wheeling isn’t a new invention. It’s been with us at least since the ‘90s, and possibly even sooner. We are not sure how effective it is, since a skilled thief would probably find a workaround.

However, the point is not to delay them but to just make sure they understand that this car is not worth the hassle. Hopefully, they would just give up and move to the next car in line.

We obviously didn’t mean it literally, because you can still imagine that there is a car parked beneath the cover. However, stealing a car is all about the time it takes to do it.

Stealing a car usually takes under one minute. Any longer than that, and chances are that they would simply give up on the idea of doing that. So, why not delay them by putting a cover? It takes a while to remove it.

This is probably the best device you could hope for when trying to prevent your car from getting stolen. This little thing prevents your car’s engine from starting unless you disable it. Usually, you’ll need to put in a password to disable it.

We bet car thieves wouldn’t waste time trying to figure out how to unlock it. However, they are quite right about installing it. It does require some technical knowledge, so it’s best to ask your mechanic.

Sometimes people don’t intend to steal. However, all it takes is something to trigger them. This could be a coat, a wallet, or even a phone lying innocently on the front seat of the car.

While most people would tell you that they never leave their valuables in their car, mistakes happen. So, do yourselves a favor and put them away in the trunk — better yet, avoid keeping any sort of valuable item in your car.

This is really obvious, at least to us. Parking your car at some dark spot is a bad idea. In fact, spending time in an unlit or poorly-lit place is a bad idea in general.

A lot of bad things can happen when you are making your way to the car or getting out of it when it’s dark. So, obviously, thieves would go for these cars. We recommend that you park your car in a well-lit place.

Having a cool stereo system in your car sounds like a 2000s throwback. However, for those of you who still use them and have them installed in your car, we recommend your pay attention to what we are about to share.

Just remove the outer cover of your fancy stereo system. No thief would waste time figuring out what’s wrong with it. Also, they are probably not going to waste time searching your car around for it.

We mentioned putting your valuable things in the trunk, so they won’t attract attention. But, what if your trunk is full because you just went to do grocery shopping and you have a small car?

In this case, we recommend you put all your valuable things under your seat. You know what they say, “out of sight, out of mind.” In other words, if they can’t see them, they probably won’t bother with your car.

This may sound a little odd to those who are not well versed in a vehicle’s mechanical aspects, but apparently, this is possible. You can have a removable wheel installed in your car instead of the regular wheel that comes with your car.

You can’t steal a car if you don’t have a way to steer it. They have a point there, however, about coming to a meeting or a date with a steering wheel in your hand.

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While it may be tempting to keep a pair of spare keys in your glove compartment, center console, door, or in the change tray, this is a bad idea. This is basically inviting a thief to steal your car.

Under no circumstances should you leave your spare car keys in the car itself. In fact, we recommend that you keep them at home or at your office. Otherwise, you risk a lot here.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words “motion sensor”? We think of a bank-grade security system — Fort Knox style. You may not know this, but a simple motion sensor with light is quite easy to purchase.

This means that whenever someone is lurking around your car, the light will turn on. That should be enough to stave off potential car thieves, don’t you think?

Breaking into a car, unlike stealing it, usually happens because someone saw an opportunity and decided to exploit it. This means that you shouldn’t leave anything in the open. Yes, this includes your small change too.

While this may seem insignificant to you, a few coins can be a lot to someone who has nothing to eat and therefore won’t hesitate to smash your car window to get them. Just put them away. Preferably, somewhere no one can spot them.

We know what you are thinking: having tinted windows would actually attract car thieves since they would think that this is some expensive car. But, we just wish to remind you that car thieves don’t just steal random cars.

They typically go for certain models that are worth more on the market. So, do yourselves a favor. If you really want to keep things in your car, just tint your windows so no one would be able to look inside.

This may seem like something from a movie, but it actually happens from time to time. Some thieves may place a GPS tracker on your vehicle. This is probably done with more expensive vehicles.

The reason is for them to be able to learn your itinerary. They would identify the best time to steal your car and strike when you are running an errand or at some business meeting. Check under your car from time to time to see if there’s anything that should be there.

This should be obvious, but, in case it isn’t, we just want to let you know that you should never keep personal documents in your car. We mean anything that might reveal where you live.

Sometimes, stealing your car isn’t enough, and a car thief might also turn out to be a home burglar — you know, as a side business. So, be careful as to where you leave those sensitive documents.

Every modern car comes with an alarm, unless there is something wrong with it or if you’ve specifically ordered a car without one. Regardless, you should just put a sticker to make sure everyone knows that your car has an alarm system — even if it’s not the case.

This is just another way to repel thieves. There is a chance of course that they would choose to ignore it and take the risk, but it’s worth having it anyway.

While this isn’t much of a tip, since it’s really a matter of choice, we still felt like you should know this. According to statistics, some car brands get stolen a lot more often than others.

There isn’t a particular reason behind it. It’s like favoring one brand of cereal over the other. Cars get stolen so they can be later sold. It’s no wonder thieves would want to go for the most popular car models.

Car alarms tend to be cranky. Everything seems to trigger them. At some point, people just get annoyed and disable them. This obviously a bad idea, since this is a major line of defense in the war against car thieves.

But, in case you did decide to disable them because your neighbor threatens to call the cops the next time he hears it blaring, just use an alarm system that pages you (or sends you a text message) every time it’s activated.

This is an old trick used by parking enforcement agents to ensure that you pay your parking ticket. But, who said that you can’t use it to actually protect your car from thefts? The whole point of this device is to make sure you wouldn’t be able to move your car.

Now, this is exactly what a car thief would want to do with your car. So, why not make it harder or virtually impossible for them to do it?

In an expert’s hands, even the simplest car alarm system can turn into an effective car thief repellent. It all depends, of course, on who is doing the installation. Usually, the people in the retail chain store are not trained to do it in expert ways.

They would probably follow some standard procedure just to get you off their backs. If you go to someone who actually knows what they are doing, you would make it a lot harder for car thieves to get to it.

This next tip probably applies more to older car models that feature door lock knobs or pins (like in the photo). Apparently, there is a way to open the door by using a string to lift the knob or pin. Truth is, there isn’t much to do about it.

While you can always make sure your windows are closed, that would only buy you a few extra seconds before they may decide to break the window. It’s best to get a newer car model in this case.

Just like you should never leave your car in a dark parking spot, you should also strive to leave it in a busy area. If possible, leave it in a parking lot that has attendants or surveillance cameras.

Thieves would usually avoid guarded parking spots. The more foot traffic the better. This means that cars get a lot of attention but in a good way. People coming and going means less chance of experiencing car theft.

This is something that probably many of us do, without even noticing. Leaving the keys in the ignition while running an errand. This may not even sound like a problem, but then again, car theft is an opportunity crime.

Why just invite trouble? No errand is worth the risk. We recommend that you just park your car, turn off the engine and take the keys with you. Better safe than sorry, right?

This is quite clever. Inserting a coin in the driver’s door handle to prevent it from locking is something really inventive. However, since we side with the victims, we have to warn you about this method.

This is why you should check that everything is in order after you have locked the car. We recommend just trying the door handle. If it opens after you have locked the car, you know there is a problem.

This is more relevant to pickup truck owners or similar work vehicles. Keeping toolboxes or just work tools at the back of the truck is a bad idea. While car thieves may not want your old shabby truck, they would be happy to borrow (indefinitely) some of the tools you keep at the back.

From air hammers to drill heads, anything goes. Considering the fact that these tools are often worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars, keep them somewhere safe.

Technological devices often come with a whole bunch of identifying markers. This means that if you want to keep them in your car, you should do everything you can to hide those cables. Otherwise, someone might break your car window just to get to them.

Tinted windows, or hiding the cables underneath your seat are just two ways you can do it. In general, it’s best to avoid keeping technological devices in your car.

Some safety measures would only help you after the fact. If you keep expensive tools in your truck or car, you better make sure you write your name and phone number with a permeant marker or nonremovable paint.

This would obviously make them less desirable for stealing, since what’s the point of trying to sell a tool that clearly belongs to someone and be easily identified. There is also the option of just locking your tools in steel cabinets.

Keeping registration and insurance information in the vehicle is a bad idea. While it may seem logical since these are the kind of documents that you would need in the event of a car accident, imagine what would happen if your car gets stolen along with these.

Someone can just pretend that they owe your car and sell it — just like that. So, we recommend that you just keep a digital copy of those documents on your smartphone.

Newer car models have this unique feature that closes the car windows after you lock your car, even if you forgot to do it yourself. However, we would recommend that you check that all windows have been closed before walking away from it.

You know, just to be on the safe side. A skilled car thief will exploit every opportunity, including a half-open window, to get into your car.

Though this sounds like some advanced alien technology from the latest sci-fi movie, it’s not. Apparently, signals can be “hijacked” from a distance. While this requires some extra thinking on behalf of the thief, it’s still fairly easy to accomplish.

To avoid getting your car keys signal hijacked, just use a faraday pouch. This is a special pouch that is layered with strips of metal that block signals. Remember to put your car keys in one after you’ve locked your car.

Closing your sunroof won’t only prevent water damage to your car’s interior space, but it will also prevent it from being stolen. While this may sound obvious to most of you, you’d be surprised to learn how many people actually forget to do this one little thing before they lock their car and walk away from it.

A semi-open sunroof is an open-ended invitation to a thief to steal your car. Enjoy the fresh air but also make sure to close it before you exit the vehicle.

Sometimes car theft isn’t about the car itself, but about its parts. In this case, license plates can be a valuable commodity. A stolen license plate can be fitted on another car that is used to commit a crime.

Our advice is to use security screws to make sure that your license plates remain firm in their place. You can also use powerful epoxy glue. Just do what you have to make sure no one can detach your license plate.

Stealing car parts is a common thing. Yes, even wheels get stolen from parked cars. Just imagine finishing a meeting and finding out that your car has been stripped of its wheels.

While we think that this is something that would probably happen at night, who knows really? Car thieves are audacious these days. We recommend that you use wheel nuts to secure your wheels. You can just park very close to the curb, that would make it harder for a thief to access the wheel in the first place.

Sometimes, the best way to avoid a vehicle from being stolen (apart from taking all the reasonable precautions) is to park it in such a way that would it make harder for a thief to escape.

Car theft is all about speed. While car thieves would go for a that is easy to break into, they would also assess how much it takes for them to make the actual escape with it.

If you have ever parked military vehicles, you know that they should always be parked with their front facing the road. This is to ensure an easy rollout in case you are called in to respond.

If you do the same with your civilian vehicle, you’d make life a lot easier for car thieves. So, another way to make their lives harder is to park in reverse. They wouldn’t waste time on a car that is parked like that.

Leaving suction cup marks on your windshield is a bad idea. This signals to a potential thief that you have some precious pieces of technology in your car, like a satellite navigation system or road cameras.

Other than removing those items after you’ve parked your car, you should also clear the windshield. Make sure you remove those suction cup marks from your windshield too. Don’t give them any reason to break into your car.

Don’t park in the same spot twice. While this tip may sound like something straight out of a spy movie, it actually makes a lot of sense. If you are driving an expensive car, chances are that you will be under surveillance for a couple of days before they would make a move.

In that case, constantly changing your routine would make you unpredictable. This would make it much harder for them to steal your car.

This is just a general tip, or more like a summary of all the tips we have provided you with on this list. Keeping your car safe from theft is not about picking one tip and following it.

You should strive to apply as many of them as you possibly can. The more precautions you take, the higher the chances are that you will be able to safeguard your car from theft.