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Motor vehicle theft

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(Redirected from Car theft)
"Stolen car" redirects here. For other uses, see Stolen Car (disambiguation).

A car with one of its windows broken

Motor vehicle theft or car theft (also known as a grand theft auto in the United States) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle.

In 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported stolen in the United States, up from 724,872 in 2019.[1] Property losses due to motor vehicle theft in 2020 were estimated at $7.4 billion.[where?] There were 505,100 car thefts in the European Union (EU) in 2019, a 43% decrease from 2008.[2]

Methods

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Shattered car window glass where a parked car was stolen

Some methods used by criminals to steal motor vehicles:

  • Theft of an unattended vehicle without a key: the removal of a parked vehicle either by breaking and entry, followed by hotwiring or other tampering methods to start the vehicle, or else towing. In London, the police say that 50% of the annual 20,000 car thefts are now from high-tech OBD (Onboard Diagnostic Port) key-cloning kits (available online) and bypass immobilizer simulators.
  • Taking without owner's consent (TWOC): the unauthorized use of a car short of theft. This term is used in the United Kingdom, as is the derivative "twocking".
  • Opportunistic theft: either the removal of a vehicle that is unattended with the keys visible and sometimes the engine idling, or theft of a vehicle offered for sale during what the thief represents as a test drive. A "test drive" may also give a potential thief insight into where the vehicle keys are stored, so that the thief may return later to steal the vehicle.
  • Carjacking: taking a vehicle by force, or threat of force, against its owner or operator. In most places, this is the most serious form of vehicle theft, because assault also occurs and the method of taking over the vehicle is essentially a robbery, a more serious form of theft. In some carjackings, the operators and passengers are forced from the vehicle while the thief is driving it. In other incidents, the operator and/or passenger(s) are held hostage in it. In still others, which are less common, the assailant forces the lawful operator to drive in accordance with the demands of the assailant, who rides as a passenger.[3]
  • Fraudulent theft: illegal acquisition of a vehicle from a seller through fraudulent transfer of funds that the seller will ultimately not receive (such as by identity theft or counterfeiting a cashier's check), or through the use of a loan obtained under false pretenses. Many vehicles stolen via fraud are soon resold, by the thieves. Using this approach, the thief can quietly evade detection and continue stealing vehicles in different jurisdictions. Car rental companies and car dealerships are also defrauded by car thieves into renting, selling, financing, or leasing them cars with fake identification, checks, and credit cards. This is a common practice near national borders, where tracking devices are less effective because the victims may lack jurisdiction in the countries into which the vehicles quickly are removed.
  • Frosting: Occurring in winter, which involves an opportunist thief stealing a vehicle with its engine running whilst the owner de-ices it.
  • "Hanoi burglary", where a vehicle is taken during a house burglary, often done with the explicit purpose of obtaining car keys.[4] Named after the first police operation targeting the method.[4]
  • Joyriding: refers to driving or riding in a stolen vehicle, most commonly a car, with no particular goal other than the pleasure or thrill of doing so.
  • Keyless system theft: The risk of cars with keyless entry being stolen is high. These are cars where the owner does not have to even press a button to unlock as long as the key is located at a certain distance from the vehicle. In theory, the key's signal should no longer reach the car when the driver moves away, making it impossible to unlock the car. Car thieves extend the signal from the owner's key with the help of simple signal amplifiers. and then all they have to do is open the door, hit the start button and drive away unnoticed. The car's alarm system is totally blind to this.[5]

Auto-theft tools and paraphernalia

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  • A thin metal strap or rod that slips inside a door's cavity at the base of the window, to manipulate an internal locking mechanism or linkage. A famously known tool is called the "slim jim".
  • A long rod with a hooked end that slips between door and frame, or through an opened window, that can reach and manipulate the door handle or lock from inside the vehicle cab. (A primary technique used professionally.)
  • Broken pieces of ceramic, often from a spark plug insulator, used for throwing at car door windows so they shatter quietly.
  • Specially cut or filed-down car keys, numerous tryout keys, jigglers and other lock picking tools.
  • Slide hammer puller to break apart door locks, steering-wheel locks, and ignition switch locks by forced removal of the cylinder core.
  • Multimeter or electrician's test lamp to locate a power source, for disabling alarms and jump starting vehicles.
  • Spare wires and/or a screwdriver to connect a power source to the ignition and starter wires.
  • Unusual looking electronics gear that may include; laptop or tablet, radio antennas, cables, battery packs, and other modified computer components that look homemade.
  • Many keyless ignition/lock cars have weak[6][7] cryptographic protection of their unlock radio signal or are susceptible to some form of record-and-playback or range extending attack. While proof-of-concept "thefts" of top-of-the-line luxury cars have been demonstrated by academic researchers using commercially available tools, such as RFID microreaders, examples of actual car theft using these methods are not very prevalent.[8]
  • A firearm, knife or other weapon used to break a window.
  • OBD key cloning kit.

Vehicles most frequently stolen

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A Ford Explorer with a smashed window

The makes and models of vehicles most frequently stolen vary by several factors, including region and ease of theft. In particular, the security systems in older vehicles may not be up to the same standard as current vehicles, and thieves also have longer to learn their weaknesses.[9] Scrap metal and spare part prices may also influence thieves to prefer older vehicles.[10]

In Bangkok, Thailand, the most frequently stolen vehicles are Toyota cars, Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max pickups.[11][12]

In Malaysia, Proton models are the most frequently stolen vehicles, with the Proton Wira being the highest, followed by the Proton Waja and the Proton Perdana.[13]

In Indonesia, locally-produced MPVs such as Toyota Avanza, Daihatsu Xenia and Suzuki Ertiga are the most commonly stolen vehicles.[14]

In the United Kingdom, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the most stolen car in 2018, followed by the BMW X5. Police said the growing number of vehicles featuring keyless entry technology was a contributing factor to a rising number of stolen vehicles.

In the United States and Australia, a design flaw allowing USB cables to substitute for car keys led to sharp increases in the thefts of affected Kia and Hyundai vehicles in 2022.[15] The Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger are listed as the most stolen vehicles in the United States, especially those equipped with the Hellcat engine.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20][21]

In 2024, LAPD accounts over a %1,000 percent increase of Chevy Camaro thefts.[22][23]

Prevention

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See also: Bait car

There are various methods of prevention to reduce the likelihood of a vehicle getting stolen. These include physical barriers, which make the effort of stealing the vehicle more difficult. Some of these include:

  • Devices used to lock a part of the vehicle necessary in its operation, such as the wheel, steering wheel, or brake pedal. A commonly used device of this kind is the steering-wheel lock (also known as a crook lock or club lock).
  • Immobilisers allow the vehicle to start only if a key containing the correct chip is present in the ignition. These work by locking the steering wheel and disabling the ignition.
  • Hidden kill switches cut electric current to the ignition coil, fuel pump, or other system to frustrate or slow down a thief.
  • Deterrents tell the thief they are more likely to get caught if the vehicle is stolen. These include:
    • Car alarm systems are triggered by breaking and entry into the vehicle.
    • Microdot identification tags allow individual parts of a vehicle to be identified.
    • Signs on windows warning of other deterrents, sometimes as a bluff.
    • VIN etching may reduce the resale value of parts or increase risk of resale.

Recovery of stolen vehicles

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Abandoned vehicle left in deep snow after a joyride in Edmonton, Alberta

Recovery rates for stolen vehicles vary, depending on the effort a jurisdiction's police department puts into recovery, and devices a vehicle has installed to assist in the process.

Police departments use various methods of recovering stolen vehicles, such as random checks of vehicles that come in front of a patrol unit, checks of all vehicles parked along a street or within a parking lot using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) or keeping a watchlist of all the vehicles reported stolen by their owners. Police departments also receive tips on the location of stolen vehicles through StolenCar.com[24] or isitnicked.com[25] in the United Kingdom.

In the UK, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides vehicle registration information to certain companies for consumer protection and anti-fraud purposes. This information can be supplemented by details from the police, finance, and insurance companies. Companies that utilize this data include Carfax[26] in the US, AutoCheck,[27] CarCheck,[28] and Check Car Details[29] in the UK, Gapless[30] in Germany, and Cartell in Ireland. These companies provide online car check services for the public and motor trade, with VinCheckFree[31] offering services worldwide.

Vehicle tracking systems, such as LoJack, automatic vehicle location, or OnStar, may enable the location of the vehicle to be tracked by local law enforcement or a private company. Other security devices such as microdot identification allow individual parts of a vehicle to also be identified and potentially returned.

Motor vehicle thefts by country

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Statistics

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Criminologist Frank E. Hagan wrote that, "Probably the most important factor in the rate of motor vehicle theft is the number of motor vehicles per capita in the country."[32] Using data supplied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,[33] New Zealand had the highest auto-theft rate for any fairly large country in the world, at 954.0 per 100,000 residents in 2020. Some cities have higher rates, such as Richmond, California, which had an auto-theft rate of 1,518.3 in 2018.[34] The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime notes "that when using the figures, any cross-national comparisons should be conducted with caution because of the differences that exist between the legal definitions of offenses in countries, or the different methods of offense counting and recording". Crime rates in certain neighborhoods or areas in each country may also be higher or lower than the nationwide rate. Furthermore, because the vehicle theft rates shown in the table below are "per 100,000 population"—not per 100,000 vehicles—countries with low vehicle ownership rates will appear to have lower theft rates even if the theft rate per vehicle is relatively high.

Country Reported annual
motor vehicle thefts
per 100,000 population[33]		 Year
 Albania 4.2 2022
 Algeria 13.5 2015
 Andorra 0.0 2014
 Antigua and Barbuda 3.2 2022
 Argentina 86.0 2015
 Armenia 1.7 2018
 Australia 210.2 2022
 Austria 34.9 2022
 Azerbaijan 1.8 2020
 Bahamas 100.0 2022
 Bahrain 98.5 2008
 Bangladesh 0.7 2006
 Barbados 14.9 2022
 Belarus 5.9 2014
 Belgium 78.6 2020
 Belize 6.7 2022
 Bermuda 1220.9 2016
 Bolivia 23.1 2020
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.4 2022
 Botswana 5.1 2020
 Brazil 81.1 2020
 Brunei Darussalam 45.3 2006
 Bulgaria 22.2 2022
 Cabo Verde 14.0 2018
 Cameroon 6.9 2015
 Canada 274.8 2022
 Chile 497.8 2022
 Colombia 100.5 2022
 Costa Rica 87.2 2014
 Croatia 42.3 2022
 Cyprus 82.6 2016
 Czech Republic 33.0 2022
 Denmark 20.3 2022
 Dominica 56.4 2022
 Dominican Republic 22.9 2022
 Ecuador 80.5 2014
 Egypt 22.7 2011
 El Salvador 12.8 2022
England England and Wales Wales 189.9 2021
 Estonia 6.9 2022
 Eswatini 28.8 2004
 Finland 99.3 2022
 France 252.4 2016
 Georgia 1.1 2007
 Germany 59.0 2022
 Greece 177.1 2022
 Grenada 0.0 2022
 Guatemala 16.6 2016
 Guinea 0.5 2008
 Guinea-Bissau 0.3 2014
 Guyana 0.1 2022
 Honduras 2.9 2022
 Hong Kong 10.2 2022
 Hungary 32.3 2015
 Iceland 5.9 2022
 India 12.8 2013
 Indonesia 10.4 2018
 Iran 136.7 2004
 Ireland 81.8 2022
 Israel 382.1 2022
 Italy 213.0 2022
 Ivory Coast 7.9 2008
 Jamaica 21.6 2015
 Japan 11.0 2022
 Jordan 3.7 2022
 Kazakhstan 21.2 2015
 Kenya 0.4 2022
 Kosovo 6.9 2020
 Kuwait 1.6 2009
 Kyrgyzstan 6.5 2020
 Latvia 27.4 2022
 Lebanon 160.3 2014
 Lesotho 21.8 2009
 Liechtenstein 35.6 2022
 Lithuania 14.7 2022
 Luxembourg 370.6 2022
 Macau 8.2 2022
 Madagascar 0.1 2015
 Malaysia 310.4 2006
 Maldives 222.1 2013
 Malta 58.1 2022
 Mauritius 39.2 2011
 Mexico 71.1 2022
 Moldova 12.2 2020
 Monaco 324.9 2006
 Mongolia 7.0 2020
 Montenegro 5.3 2022
 Morocco 5.9 2022
 Myanmar 1.9 2022
 Nepal 0.1 2006
 Netherlands 152.7 2022
 New Zealand 954.0 2020
 Nicaragua 6.6 2010
 Nigeria 1.2 2013
 North Macedonia 25.7 2014
 Northern Ireland 138.0 2022
 Norway 73.9 2022
 Oman 2.5 2022
 Pakistan 45.2 2022
 Palestine 5.0 2022
 Panama 20.5 2022
 Paraguay 64.8 2015
 Peru 87.3 2022
 Philippines 4.5 2018
 Poland 22.9 2022
 Portugal 78.8 2022
 Puerto Rico 75.3 2022
 Qatar 12.9 2006
 Romania 26.6 2022
 Russia 22.0 2020
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39.9 2022
 Saint Lucia 169.6 2022
 Scotland 94.3 2022
 Senegal 0.0 2016
 Serbia 8.0 2022
 Singapore 1.7 2022
 Slovakia 13.8 2022
 Slovenia 14.2 2022
 South Korea 4.7 2022
 Spain 50.6 2022
 Sri Lanka 2.7 2018
 St. Vincent and Grenadines 17.3 2022
 Suriname 4.2 2022
 Sweden 160.9 2022
 Switzerland 216.9 2022
 Syria 2.8 2018
 São Tomé and Príncipe 0.0 2011
 Tajikistan 0.6 2011
 Tanzania 11.0 2015
 Thailand 2.0 2022
 Trinidad and Tobago 36.1 2020
 Turkey 38.7 2020
 Turkmenistan 0.0 2006
 Uganda 3.8 2016
 Ukraine 10.2 2020
 United Arab Emirates 5.3 2022
 United States of America 291.3 2022
 Uruguay 430.7 2022
 Vatican City 0.0 2022
 Yemen 4.2 2009
 Zimbabwe 3.5 2008

Europe

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According to Europol, in 2023, motor vehicle crime networks were the most active in Germany, Poland, Portugal and Serbia, with Serbia being the country where most stolen vehicles are stored and cloned before being shipped and sold.[35]

United States

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The FBI reported that the cities where most motor vehicles thefts took place in 2019 were Los Angeles, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Detroit.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Facts + Statistics: Auto theft". Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Crime statistics". Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  3. ^ "FindLaw for Legal Professionals - Case Law, Federal and State Resources, Forms, and Code". Caselaw.lp.findlaw.com. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Hanoi-style car theft gang jailed". BBC. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Car theft is a growing problem. Learn how to protect yourself". 4 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Biham, Eli; Dunkelman, Orr; Indesteege, Sebastiaan; Keller, Nathan; Preneel, Bart (2008), How To Steal Cars – A Practical Attack on KeeLoq, Eurocrypt 2008
  7. ^ Bono, Stephen C.; Green, Matthew; Stubblefield, Adam; Juels, Ari; Rubin, Aviel D.; Szydlo, Michael (2005), Security Analysis of a Cryptographically-Enabled RFID Device, 14th USENIX Security Symposium
  8. ^ Lambert, Fred (10 August 2018). "Stolen Tesla vehicles in the US have almost all been recovered: 112 out of 115". Electrek.
  9. ^ "Car Theft Stats" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Thefts of older cars driven by rise in scrap metal price". Fairfax Media. 25 March 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  11. ^ รู้ยัง? ...5 อันดับรถยนต์ และ 10 สถานที่ ที่ถูกขโมยมากที่สุดในกรุงเทพฯ และโอกาสได้คืน !! (in Thai). Matichon Online. 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  12. ^ 5 อันดับ รถยนต์ที่ถูกขโมยมากที่สุดในกรุงเทพฯ (in Thai). Thai Rath Online. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Proton Hot with Thieves". Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ "Peringkat Teratas: LMPV dalam daftar mobil paling dicuri di Indonesia (in Indonesian)". 30 October 2020.
  15. ^ DiLella, Chris; Day, Andrea (8 September 2022). "TikTok challenge spurs rise in thefts of Kia, Hyundai cars". CNBC. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Most-frequently stolen vehicles study finds crooks like muscle cars ... A lot". Fox News. 9 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Dodge Charger, Challenger Top Latest Stolen Vehicle List". 5 August 2019.
  18. ^ "The most stolen cars in America have one thing in common — big engines".
  19. ^ "Dodge Charger, Challenger Hellcat Lead Americas Most Stolen Vehicles". 2 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is the Most Stolen New Car, Hyundai and Kia Lead the Used Cars". 26 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Car Thieves Love Hellcats, Hyundais, Kias - and Ignore Teslas". 23 September 2022.
  22. ^ "LAPD warns Camaro owners with thefts up more than 1,000%". 28 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Tech-savvy teens behind 1000% surge in Camaro thefts, LAPD finds". 5 March 2024.
  24. ^ "stolencar.com". stolencar.com. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  25. ^ "isitnicked.com". isitnicked.com. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  26. ^ "carfax.com". carfax.com. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  27. ^ "autocheck.com". autocheck.com. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  28. ^ "car-check.co.uk". car-check.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Car Check". checkcardetails.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  30. ^ "gapless.app". Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  31. ^ "vincheckfree.net". vincheckfree.net. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  32. ^ Hagan, Frank E. (2010), Crime Types and Criminals, SAGE Publications, p. 157, ISBN 978-1412964791
  33. ^ a b "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Corruption & Economic Crime, Category "Theft: of a motorized vehicle"". Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  34. ^ "FBI Crime 2018". UCR.FBI.gov. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  35. ^ Europol (5 April 2024). Decoding the EU's most threatening criminal networks (PDF) (Report). Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Crime in the United States by Metropolitan Statistical Area, 2019". 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
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