Theft Of GPS Units A Growing Problem

It used to be that thieves would target your expensive stereo, your pricey sunglasses or the packages you left behind when they broke into your car. But now they have their eyes on a new prize and it’s a problem that police in many countries say is spreading – the theft of global positioning system devices.

Mini-GPS gadgets- which sit on your dashboard and tell you how to get from point A to point B – are like all electronic equipment. They used to be expensive but they’ve come way down in price. That means more people have them in their vehicles and more crooks have started taking advantage of their presence.

Cops in the U.S. claim they’ve been inundated with reports of stolen units. As many as 620 devices were taken in Maryland’s Montgomery County by August 31st of this year alone. And thefts are up in countries ranging from Australia to Britain. Canadian cars also present tempting targets for directionless desperados.

The problem, say authorities, is that the units are simply too visible and too easy to steal and many insurance policies don’t cover them. It takes only seconds to break a car window, grab the device and flee. And drivers’ attempts to deter it haven’t helped. Some have started taking their systems off the dashboard and hiding them inside. But clever crooks see the mounting unit and break in anyway, figuring they’re in there somewhere.

But even taking that base off doesn’t always work. The presence of suction cup marks on the windshield is often enough to make a determined thief break in to have a look around. Things are so bad, cops are reporting the bad guys sometimes leave other valuables behind just so they can get the device.

The systems don’t require a subscription fee and can easily be re-sold at a profit, making them the perfect filching item. And while they can guide you to places, they don’t have their own tracking devices – which like our famous weather slogan, means that if you can’t see it, you can’t track it.

What can you do? Experts suggest removing the device from your car when you go shopping or leave it parked somewhere will help deter the crooks. Take the mounting unit off if possible and erase any suction cup rings left behind.

And while it’s always a good idea to write down and etch in the serial number on the unit itself, some don’t believe it will make much difference. The companies can only track the devices if they wind up back in their hands. As Jocelyn Vigreux, the North American president of manufacturer TomTom points out, “not a lot of thieves send back the device that they’ve just stolen for repair.”

But while you may not be able to always stop the thieves, there is a way you can ruin their day. Many consumers aren’t aware that their systems can be set up to take a four digit PIN code that will prevent anyone else from using the device if it’s stolen. And even that’s not perfect – there are only 10,000 possible combinations and a determined hacker could likely find the right one in less than a day. But at least you’ll make him work at it.

Photo credit: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images