Real-Life Experience: Car Theft
Posted on | June 25, 2007 |
Last week, my boyfriend lent me his car since he was going out of town for the week. I was so excited to have a quick break from the hassle of public transportation. It was great to have a quick way to get to work, blast music through the speakers and feel the wind in my hair…until one morning when I walked out the door to find the car missing!
After a frazzled and panicked reaction, I went back home and used the mighty Internet to find the impound lot’s phone number. But…I didn’t know the license plate number of the car (very important!!!) so I did some calling around his friends and roommates to see if they knew the number (they did, thankfully!). Unfortunately, that license plate number wasn’t on record at the impound lot so I was transferred to another official in order to report a stolen car.
Here are some additional tips I learned from my experience:
Prevention Tips
- Know the license plate number of your car or the car you’re driving. WHN TIP: Program the number into your cell phone or keep it in your wallet.
- Park the car on a busy street.
- Park the car away from bushes or other areas where a thief might hide. (The car was parked next to a huge bush.)
Recovery Tips
- Check with the impound lot first to see if the car was towed not stolen. (You’ll need to provide them with the license plate number in order to find this out).
- Retrace your steps. Think of the last place you parked your car and at what time you last saw it. The police will be asking you for this information.
- Think of all the information you know about the vehicle - make, model, year.
- I also had to provide the officer with my date of birth along with the driver’s name and his date of birth.
- Be patient. The car might turn up in a few hours, days, weeks or not at all.
As of today, the car is still missing but I’m remaining hopeful. Check back and hopefully soon I’ll be writing about its return!
Want more information? Head to Be Prepared - Car Theft and Help - Car Theft.
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July 16th, 2007 @ 11:02 pm
Car thieves are in heat during warm weather
H.E.A.T. (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts) warns that warm weather in summer months can lead to carelessness among car owners. In effect, the thieves are provided with easy access to personal property and vehicles. National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month …
July 20th, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
Wow! Your story reminds me of my daughter’s car theft experience. Except she was much more frazzeled and dazed by the experience. I bet your WHN experience (being familiar with emergency situations) allowed you to cope with this event. I will certainly recommend your site to my daughter. Thanks for your help.