We are consistently inundated with stories of car thefts. By now, we’re all too aware of how costly vehicle thefts are to Canadians. As if it isn’t bad enough to have your vehicle stolen from right outside your home, your home itself could now be targeted.
Recently, we have learned of incidents where car thieves have broken into homes to steal vehicle keys. This new, alarming trend appears to target higher-end or luxury vehicles.
While unlocked homes have always been targeted by thieves, today’s criminals are much more brazen. There have been scenarios where individuals have broken windows and forced open locked doors to obtain keys, which are often within proximity of the front door.
Here are some tips on how you can protect yourself, your home, and vehicle from theft:
- Make sure all home doors and windows are locked.
- While parking a vehicle in a locked garage is always the best option, if that isn’t possible, try parking a less targeted vehicles directly behind a more targeted one to block it in the driveway. See the top 10 vehicles stolen in 2022!
- Store keys away from doors and windows and make sure they are not visible to those outside. Keeping keys in an aluminum or metal box is also a good idea!
- Ensure the outside of your home is well-lit and install surveillance cameras.
- Install a data port lock in your vehicle. Data port locks prevent thieves from reprogramming your vehicle and increase your car security. The bonus of a data port lock is once you install it, you can forget about it!
- Install a vehicle anti-theft recovery system like Tag! Tag uses secure, anti-jamming technology that can’t be easily intercepted by thieves.
Most importantly – be safe. Never approach a thief breaking into your home or vehicle – instead, call 911 immediately!
Carjackings are also an alarming trend on the rise. Learn more on how you can protect yourself from a carjacking!