Asheville... Watch Your Vehicles

From the Asheville Citizen Times: ASHEVILLE – Two men were arrested Sunday on charges of obtaining property under false pretense due to illegally towing vehicles.

The Asheville Police Department set up decoy vehicles that were legally parked, according to police warrants, and they were towed, “claiming the vehicle had not paid, when it fact it had.”
Both men are employed by All Safe Towing, the warrants said. Trevor Kyle Ballinger, 25, of Nebraska Avenue, and Leonard Tobias Best, 32, of Buffalo Street, were both charged and held on bonds of $500 each. ***End of ACT Story***

I wrote a blog a few weeks ago how some tow truck drivers in big cities (and many other places) are being used for car thefts, if there is no other way to get the car. These Asheville guys may have just been illegally accruing charges, and not actually stealing the vehicles. Let's look at some of your security options for a vehicle:

1. The Club - It came out and everyone loved it, until thieves simply started taking a hacksaw, sawing the steering wheel, and removing the club in 30 seconds.

2. The Column Lock - The column lock is great unless the thief has bolt cutters or any type of cordless drill with some type of metal cutting attachment. In that case, the lock is cut and the car is gone.

3. The Alarm System - The old "alarm system" is probably the most popular but there are many ways to disarm. For one, thieves know they could go under your car, reach up and disconnect your siren wire. Then when your doors are open, just the lights start blinking, they pop your hood, disconnect the full alarm system, steal the car, and have a nice security system to sell for a bonus.

Out of everything, the two main ways to steal a vehicle is by towing it or by having the keys. Watch those tow trucks and watch where you leave your keys, and never leave your house keys on the ring with them. (Even at dealerships!). It only takes a few seconds to make a copy of any key and then simply match it with your home address on your "work order". Be careful! If you have been burglarized and there was not any forced entry (and you actually lock your doors), please think of where was the last few places you had left your full set of keys. The culprit should not be too far from there. Don't get all paranoid. Just keep your eyes open a pay attention a little more.

Edmunds also has a list of the "Top 10 Ways to Steal a Car, and How to Prevent it". You can read more on this by clicking HERE.