Car Theft from Boot

jockettuk

just a thought but wouldnt the local nick be able to help you with this.. just send a letter saying what you have heard and that as you have travel with electronic goods is there any truth in this and if so what can you do to deter them

scheming_gypsy

Shawz wrote:

Fair point SG but my mate didn't have anywhere more secure to store it. I've always thought that if things were stored in the boot out of site they would be fine. How wrong I was.
SG where did you hear about it? I've done a search on the web for any info but can't find anything. I even tried Ebay but no luck.
If these thing do exist, there must be some way of blocking the signal.

think it was the police when he reported it.

VH

I've worked in I.T. for the last 8 years and I've never heard of this story until now. I use a laptop myself, as do most of my colleagues - I'm sure we would have heard this if it were true.

I know of no way to detect electronic devices, certainly laptops, in someone's boot. If this were possible then surely these hi tech thieves would also be able to detect the same equipment in your home and rob this as well.

A more likely explanation is that the thieves are either opportunists, or in the case of the Travel Lodge story, probably professionals watching the car park to see who's putting what in the boot. A lot of the cars parked overnight at hotels are quite likely to be company cars - given the value of a laptop they make easy pickings for professional thieves.

Altarf

VH wrote:

in the case of the Travel Lodge story, probably professionals watching the car park to see who's putting what in the boot.

Article in the local paper a while back about the police wanting the Little Chef and Travelodge to display signs warning customers that there had been a lot of thefts from the car park. The thieves had just been waiting in the car park until they spotted someone putting a laptop in the boot, broke in, stole the laptop then drove off.

Little Chef and Travelodge refused as they claimed it might harm business.

rocking_horse

If you have a hatchback and dont leave anything in the boot take the parcel shelf out so that a thief leaves your car alone. Also if you are putting valuables in the boot stop a few miles up the road and do it so that if anyone is watching the little chef etc car park they dont clock you.

Spendless

Am I missing something here?

Why not take your lap-top into your hotel room overnight with you?

Then people taking a chance on whether you've got something in the boot, watching you from the car-park or using held hand scanners (which i also think is an urban myth)wouldn't be able to nick your stuff.

VH

Spendless wrote:

Why not take your lap-top into your hotel room overnight with you?

Exactly.....

andy88_2

Shawz wrote:

If these thing do exist, there must be some way of blocking the signal.

Most cars are made of metal and will even withstand being struck by lightning.

I don't believe it.

MikeM

All PCs and many electronic 'gadgets' such as PDAs have 'real time' clocks in them that obviously run all the time even when the main device is 'switched off' - they have to in order to keep accurate time ! The activity of these 'clocks' would be detectable by a very sensitive receiver tuned to the correct frequency. The signals would be at a very low level and would be further attenuated by the screening effect of the metal car boot.

As an electronic engineer I think that this COULD work !

If anyone is interested I could build a 'jammer' to defeat such a system but easy thing is not to leave your laptop in your car ?

P.S This 'wireless' technique is used to calibrate electronic wrist watches !!

hollie.weimeraner

I work in a crime recording unit and have never heard of this. Opportunist thieves will break into vehicles on the off chance that there MAY be something in the boot, glovebox or even ashtray (loads of people use these as change storers). I had my estate car broken into last year - nothing in the rear luggage area and no parcel shelf, but the scumbag smashed a window just to open the glove box and ashtray (which there was nothing in anyway). Glovebox and ashtray are now opened as a matter of course when car is left unattended.:mad:


As stated above it is generally professionals that stay in hotels overnight and these thieves do watch what is going on as people park up. This is more likely the reason secured boots are forced.