How are our cars stolen? Methods used by car thieves. Car theft statistics

In fact, thieves who fit one or the other of these stereotypes are absolute frills. Because indeed, having only tools to force the door, locks or ignition at your disposal, you can't achieve much in a modern car. On the other hand, it is also not the case that thefts are dealt with by outstanding specialists in car electronics - high-class specialists in this field easily find honest employment for such money that it is not worth risking them.

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What happens to stolen cars?

The vast majority of stolen cars in Poland are dismantled for parts. Depending on the type of vehicle (e.g. how high the risk is that the car may be equipped with tracking systems that are difficult to detect and jam), criminals use two methods. The first is that the stolen car goes straight to the "hollow" where all valuable and easy-to-sell components are removed from it in just a few hours, and the rest of the elements go to scrap yards or are simply transported to fields or forests. In the case of more expensive cars, which may have more advanced location systems (those based, for example, on GPS trackers and GSM transmission are not a problem for criminals), the car is parked after the theft, e.g. eyes. If the police or a team from a security company who want to recover the car do not appear within several dozen hours, then only then the car goes to the "hollow". Thanks to this, the risk that, for example, a random patrol will stop the car, because the officers will still have the theft report "fresh" in their memory, is much smaller.

Stolen to "rebuild" wrecks

What happens to other stolen vehicles that are not dismantled? Some are legalized using documents from broken or burnt cars - not without reason at auctions organized by insurers, but also on Internet advertising portals, wrecks that barely resemble cars, but have "healthy papers", are registered in Poland, have clean records, enjoy a lot of interest and fetch surprisingly high prices, although no sane person even believes that they can be repaired in any way. In the face of the current prices of parts and services, it is cheaper to sleep through or even knock out a new "number field" and nameplates in a car from an "unknown source" than to save a heavily damaged car. A small part of the vehicles (freshly stolen or after the elements enabling their identification have been changed) are exported from Poland.

How does car theft happen?

"Spontaneous" thefts, i.e. situations when a thief accidentally notices a car on the street and immediately breaks into it, are an absolute margin. Criminals know exactly what models they are looking for - often the order is so precise that they are looking for a car from a specific year, in a specific color, and sometimes even with a specific equipment. The easiest place to find such a car is e.g. parking lots under shopping malls, where hundreds of cars are parked and they can be thoroughly inspected without arousing suspicion, and even try to test or disarm security.

Many drivers think that car parks under supermarkets are safe, because there are a lot of people hanging around there, there is usually security and monitoring. Practice shows that even if the surveillance recordings show criminals getting into someone else's car, it is still extremely difficult to identify them later - a baseball cap, dark glasses or, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a mask on the face that does not attract anyone's attention is enough to make the recording it was almost useless. Thieves know exactly where to leave their car so that the video from the monitoring does not show how they appeared in front of the shopping center.

If a car cannot be stolen in a simple and unobtrusive way right away, criminals track it, watch where it will be parked. If you think that the car is safe in an underground car park or even in the driveway of a house with visible surveillance cameras, you are wrong - getting to such places is easy for professionals.

How long does it take to steal a car?

It depends on the specific case - sometimes it takes exactly as long as the rightful owner's departure. Sometimes, however, thieves are so determined that if no one bothers them, and they are dealing with a "difficult case", they work on one car for several hours, often in installments.

It happens that, for example, a car is broken into first, which serves only to find out whether, for example, there is no location system installed in it or notifying the owner of the theft. If after such an attempt, for example, the intervention group of the security company does not appear on the spot, the criminals know that the car can be taken to the "hollow" without fear.

Suitcase method

This is a method of car theft, which has been gaining popularity - not only in Poland - for several years. It makes it extremely easy to steal cars equipped with keyless entry systems. How does the keyless system work? Both in the car cabin and outside (e.g. in the door handles) there are sensors that monitor the presence of the key. When the key (and with it the authorized user of the car) appears near the door, the system starts the standby mode to unlock the locks, when the key is detected in the cabin, just press the "start" button to start the engine.

The equipment for stealing a car using the "suitcase" method consists of two parts and is something like a "signal extender". From the factory, the systems are configured so that the car can communicate with the key from a distance of several dozen centimeters, sometimes several meters. Equipped with effective antennas and powerful transmitters, the modules allow you to extend this range up to several hundred meters!

Such a "suitcase" (although it can also be a backpack or a device that looks like a tablet) must be located near the active key - no more than a few meters away. It is not difficult, it is enough for one of the criminals to follow the driver for a while, who has the key in his pocket, or to approach the house where the car is parked in front of it - people usually leave the keys at the front door or near the windows of the house, which makes theft it becomes a formality.

The second thief then stands by the car, opens it, starts it and drives away. Each keyless access system in the car is configured in such a way that once the car is started, the key is no longer necessary to drive. Although the car signals that the key is not detected, the engine is not turned off in case the key stops sending a signal while driving, which could result in an accident. Therefore, once the car is started, you can go wherever you want.

Equipment of this type was developed many years ago at the request of special services (e.g. to place wiretaps in cars), but for years it has been in the offer of companies supplying anyone who is ready to pay for it. A few years ago, a set cost the equivalent of a mid-range car - now you can buy it much cheaper, so the thief's investment is quickly returned.

Car manufacturers have been aware of the vulnerability for years, but are reluctant to fix it. There are several solutions - it is enough to use a special system in the key that "puts the key to sleep" or precisely monitors the time of signal transmission - the use of "suitcases" measurably extends this time.

Users of cars with the KeylessGo system can, of course, usually give up the convenience and turn off the system - but this is a poor solution. Dealers selling cars that are particularly vulnerable to theft offer the installation of additional security measures, independent of the factory immobilizer, which significantly hinders the work of criminals, but also costs a lot and creates an additional risk of failure. Non-factory security very often also protects cars from legitimate users.

There are also simpler, less risky and very effective methods of securing keys - apart from hiding them in metal boxes, pots or in the freezer. These include, for example, Keyless Protector - a miniature gadget that allows you to protect the keys to most modern cars without losing comfort. It is a cover for the battery powering the key, equipped with clever electronics that cuts off the power to the transmitter in situations where an unauthorized person could "extend the signal".

A thief cannot scan a de-powered remote. The protection is activated automatically after about 20-25 steps. If we leave the key stationary (e.g. on a cupboard, hook), the device will also turn off the power after a while. A secured remote control will not receive or send a signal to open the car and start the engine. To activate the key, approach the car and tap the key in your pocket twice.

The "Game Boy" method

The so-called Game Boy is an increasingly popular "toy" among European car thieves. This is a product of a Bulgarian company that officially offers tools for locksmith and locksmith services, which is also willingly purchased by services that sometimes have an interest in discreetly searching the car or ... throwing something into it. The name is due to the fact that the device is mounted in a housing that is deceptively reminiscent of one of the models of the cult electronic game. In contrast to the "suitcase", the Bulgarian "Game Boy" does not have to make contact with the original car keys - it is enough to approach the chosen vehicle with it and wait a moment for the device to generate the codes needed to open the car and disable the security. However, the equipment is not as universal as the "suitcase" theft kit - it copes with cars of selected Japanese and Korean brands. If you see someone in the parking lot (usually with a hoodie or baseball cap) pulled over their eyes "playing a game" - then you may actually be witnessing a theft!

The "magic box" method

Of course, not only cars with keyless systems are at risk of theft - for most modern cars it is possible to disable anti-theft protection by connecting the appropriate equipment to the on-board diagnostics socket or to the appropriate places in the bus transmitting data in the car. Some thieves use original diagnostic computers stolen from ASO for this purpose, others buy from specialized suppliers, e.g. on keyprogtools.com or in other stores, "magic boxes" - inconspicuous-looking modules with simple instructions "connect here and here, press the red button, start the car", the electronics contained in the module should do the rest.

Officially, these are modules, e.g. for emergency starting of cars, intended for the castle emergency services or services, unofficially ... everyone knows what they can be useful for. However, using such a module is more difficult than the "suitcase" method - in some cars you have to force the lock (for this you can also buy ready-made, specialized, more or less subtle tools), crawl under the car or remove the wheel arch to get to to a specific installation point. This type of equipment is also not universal - it usually works only with a specific version of the driver. If the car has additional security features or, for example, is of a different year than the thieves assumed, the "box" bought for big money may not work or, for example, it turns out that where the thief intended to connect it, there is no necessary cable or plug.

Security specialists sometimes also move the OBD on-board diagnostics socket, leaving only a dummy in the factory place, without a connection to the computer. Another way of stealing: the thief comes with his own engine control unit, from which the protections have been removed, and installs it in place of the original one - then a screwdriver stuck in the ignition may be enough to start the car.

Theft of keys and robberies

Of course, a car can also be stolen without specialized equipment or knowledge - e.g. assaulting the owner, luring him out of the car, or simply stealing his keys, e.g. from a gym locker or from a jacket hanging on a hanger in a restaurant. While the theft of the key in the event of a "kick-in" does not change the thief's procedural situation, the robbery and taking the car by force means more serious charges and greater determination of the police to stop the perpetrator, so there are fewer and fewer such cases.

Smock theft

Representatives of insurance companies and leasing companies unofficially say that the COVID-19 pandemic has also intensified the practice of simulated theft, in which the owner either disposes of the car himself or makes it available to thieves to obtain compensation or free himself from having to pay installments that he could no longer afford. It is worth remembering, however, that new cars are constantly spying on their owners - car "perfect crimes" are becoming increasingly difficult.

Theft of catalysts

Over the last two years - not only in Poland - the number of thefts of catalysts has been growing exponentially. This is the effect of a rapid, gigantic increase in the prices of precious metals contained in them. A catalyst from a large car, especially if it is a hybrid, can be worth even several thousand zlotys. And that means that a thief acting alone on catalytic converter theft can earn more than his "dollar" would be if he handed over a complete, stolen car to a fencer. The theft of a catalyst often takes only a few seconds (if the criminal does not have to worry about noise), or a few minutes at most if it takes place in a frequented place. Thieves are so brazen that they steal from catalytic converters even cars parked in closed, underground car parks under blocks or office buildings.

How many cars are missing from Polish streets?

According to the information obtained from the Police Headquarters, in 2020, 8,823 proceedings were initiated for theft of cars. In 2019, there were 8,672 proceedings, which means another, this time a slight increase. A much larger increase, over 12%, occurred between 2018 and 2019. Once again, most vehicle thefts were committed in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. Very often in the media a lower number of thefts is given - CEPIK and statistics of cars deregistered due to theft are given as the source. Where does this difference from the data from KGP come from? There may be many reasons for this, but partly it is probably due to the fact that not all stolen cars are immediately deregistered - these statistics also do not include cars recovered before they are removed from the register.

They steal the most in Mazowsze

Cars are most often stolen in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, where in 2020, 2699 cars were stolen (according to CEPIK). The largest number of thefts was recorded in Warsaw alone - 1,801 cars, which is over 1/4 of all cars stolen in Poland. The following in terms of the number of car thefts are the Wielkopolskie and Dolnośląskie voivodships - 756 and 689 cars, respectively. The fewest cars were stolen in Opolskie (55), Podlaskie (64) and Świętokrzyskie (67). Among cars up to 3.5 tons, Toyota cars are most often deregistered due to theft, but the stolen model is the Audi A4.

Apart from the fact that Mazovian thieves are extremely active, they also have slightly different preferences than "colleagues" from other provinces. While in most regions of Poland, criminals are most likely to target German cars, in Mazowsze, Podlasie and the Lubelskie Voivodship, thieves specialize in Japanese cars.

In Warsaw, "Japanese" are stolen

You can find out that this is the case when you walk through the forests surrounding the towns around Warsaw. Since a significant proportion of stolen cars are disassembled, components for which there is no market or which could be too easily associated with a specific car are often thrown away by criminals in the forests. You can find out what the thieving business is like and what specialization local criminal groups have by watching piles of abandoned parts appearing on the roadside - for example, in the vicinity of Wołomin, Radzymin or Zalew Zegrzyński, forests are strewn with the remains of Mazdas. It is easier to find the remains of Toyota near Pruszków.

Do you drive a "saleable" car? This is how you can protect yourself from theft