Fact: a vehicle is stolen every 25 seconds in the U.S. New vehicles are not the only targets, but older vehicles are actually a fan favorite because most of them are easy to steal, and its parts are in high demand. A vehicle that is stripped and its parts sold are actually worth 2 to 3 times the value of the car intact. No vehicle or anti-theft device is 100 of all vehicles stolen had the keys in them.
Lock up your car. Approximately 50% of all vehicles stolen were left unlocked.
Never hide a spare key in your car. Extra keys can easily be found if a thief takes time to look.
Park in well lit areas. Over half of all vehicle thefts happen at night.
Park in supervised lots. Car thieves do not like witnesses and prefer unattended parking lots.
If you park in an supervised lot, leave only the door/ignition key. If your trunk and glove compartment use the same key as the door, have one of them changed. Do not give the attendant easy access to your glove compartment and trunk. Upon returning, check the tires, spare tire and battery to ensure they are the same as those you had when you parked.
Never leave your car running even for a minute. Vehicles are commonly stolen at gas stations, convenience stores, ATM's, etc. Many vehicles are also stolen on cold weather mornings when the owner leaves the vehicle running to warm up. In some states, leaving your key in an unattended motor vehicle is a crime.
When parking close your car windows all the way. Do not make it any easier for the thief to enter your vehicle.
Never leave valuables in plain sight. Do not make your car a more favorable target that attracts thieves by leaving valuables in plain sight.
Park with your wheels turned towards the curb. This makes it tough for your car to be towed away. Turn your wheels to the side when parking in the driveways and parking lots.
If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, back into your driveway. If it is front-wheel drive, park front end first. For four-wheel drive vehicles the rear wheels sometimes lock, making them difficult to tow.
Always use your parking brake when parking. Not only does this prevent the car from moving during PARK, but it also makes it tougher for thieves to tow.
If you have a garage, park your vehicle inside. It is safer for your car to be parked in a garage than having it sit out on the street.
When parking in a garage, lock the car and the garage door. By doing so, car theft prevention greatly increases.
Do not leave the registration or title in your car. A car thief will use these to sell your stolen car. Keep the title at your home or office, and carry registration in your purse or wallet.
Disable your car when leaving it unattended for long periods of time. Remove the electronic ignition fuse, coil wire, or otherwise disable your vehicle anytime thieves may have extended access to it.
Use straight locks instead of "T" shaped lock asssemblies. Some vehicle doors have lock assemblies at window level that flare out in a knob or "T" shape. A thief can use various tools to gain access inside the vehicle, grab and pull the lock. Straight locks prevent this.
Etch the vehicle identification number (VIN) on several major car parts. Stolen cars/parts are more easily traced when vehicle VIN numbers have been etched on car windows and major parts.
Engrave identifying numbers on expensive accessories. Engrave personal I.D. numbers such as driver license numbers or the last four digits of your social security number on car stereos, CD players, cell phones, etc., so the thief will have difficulty disposing of them.
Put business cards, address labels, or other identifying information inside vehicle doors. Car thieves usually change vehicle identification numbers. By marking your vehicle as much as possible, you help police in identifying your car.
Install an ignition kill switch. Splice an inexpensive toggle switch into your ignition wire or starter. The trick is hiding the switch well.
Install a fuel kill switch. The valve that enables the flow of fuel is closed when the switch is off.
Use a visible steering wheel lock such as "THE CLUB." This prevents the steering wheel from being turned properly.
Use floorboard locks to disable the gas or brake pedal.
Use gearshift locks. This disables shifting of the transmission by locking it in place.
Use tire/wheel boot locks; i.e. a Rhino. Wrap it around the wheel to prevent the vehicle from moving. This is the same tool that municipal parking enforcement and universities use to enforce parking violations.
Use hood locks. This prevents the thief from gaining access to your security system and battery to disable your alarm.
Use an armored collar around the steering column. This protects the column and ignition.
Use an alarm. Loud warnings should sound when doors/hood/trunk are opened.
Use a GPS in your vehicle. This is a silent transmitter hidden in car. This enables police to track the car. Example: LoJack.
Credit cards are protected by Federal law so are a much better choice to take with you, as you are generally covered for any fraudulent charges incurred. In addition, if you are over-charged or find an error on any of your credit card transactions when traveling, it's easier to get the charges corrected or reversed from the card companies.
You probably should take two credit cards in case one is lost or compromised. You can obtain smaller, limited amount prepaid cash cards from Visa, MasterCard, and American Express that are perfect for daily use. You can get these cash cards in any denomination. It is probably best to get a couple of cards with low limits of five hundred dollars or less each. If they are lost or stolen, the credit card companies will replace any pilfered funds.
Leave your major cards and passport in your hotel room safe or the hotel's safe along with any other personal information that you do not need from day to day.
Before you travel, be sure to check that your credit cards do not expire while you are on vacation, and be sure to call your credit card issuers and let them know when and where you plan to holiday so they don't cancel your card when they see a credit charge appearing from someplace like Timbuktu. Make a note of these phone numbers and take them with you on vacation.
Another major source of identity theft starts with a stolen laptop. Over six hundred thousand laptops are pilfered in the U.S. alone, frequently from inattentive travelers in airports, restaurants, and hotel lobbies.
Before you travel, backup your laptop and put the backup disc in a safe place at home or in a safety deposit box at your bank just in case your laptop is lost or stolen. Put a small strip of colored tape on the top and bottom of your laptop and laptop case, as most laptops and their cases look similar in appearance.
Write your name, destination address, and contact information at your destination on a piece of paper and tape it to your laptop just in case it's lost at the airport. You shouldn't use your home address on this piece of paper. It's better to use your work or business address and phone number. There are so many laptops left behind unintentionally. The lost and found office at airports do not have time to try to gain access to all the laptops, which are more than likely password-protected anyway.
The third major source of identity theft can happen at any public computer or Internet cafe. Your personal information could be at risk even if you are just accessing or sending e-mails. A keystroke logger could be installed that secretly keeps a record of all user names, passwords and personal information entered on the computer.
Even if public computers are not compromised, they still store the information you input in the temporary Internet files and history. Never access any bank or credit card account, or pay bills from these computers. In general, computers located in the business centers of hotels and on cruise ships are safer to use than other public computers.
Both Fabiola Castillo & Laney.bobby are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Fabiola Castillo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Trucks, Vitamin and Mineral Supplement and Trucks. Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in selling , kubatons,. Fabiola Castillo's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
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