Europe and the UK

News items from Europe and the UK

Carfax: Catalytic Converter Theft: Which Vehicles Are Targeted Most Often

Thieves are removing catalytic converters from vehicles large and small, often cutting them away from directly beneath the vehicle. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks crimes reported to insurance companies, the number of reported catalytic converter thefts increased from roughly 1,300 in 2018 to more than 14,000 in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available. According to the National Insurance Crime…

Fraud exposure in auto lending exceeds $7.7B in 2021

The pandemic “laid the groundwork” for rising fraud risk in 2021 as fraudsters learned to use falsified information and identities to benefit from unemployment and paycheck protection programs, Point PredictiveChief Fraud Strategist Frank McKenna told Auto Finance News. “Not a day goes by that you don’t read of somebody that has taken advantage of [government] programs with fraud,” he said. Point…

Apple AirTags being used by car thieves: What you need to know to protect yourself

What are the thieves doing? According to police in the York Region, which is located in the Ontario Province, they have identified a new method that is being used by thieves to track and steal high-end vehicles. "Since September 2021, officers have investigated five incidents where suspects have placed small tracking devices on high-end vehicles, so they can later locate and steal them," read a portion of the statement. "Brand name…

Buyers Turn a Blind Eye to Stolen Catalytic Converters

The fix to the truck was covered by comprehensive insurance, but the nonprofit had to pay a deductible of $500. Loskot noted the organization, which primarily donates meals to orphanages in Haiti, could have provided 2,500 meals for that same amount.   Since the start of the pandemic, law enforcement agencies all over the world, have reported an uptick in catalytic converter thefts. The converter is…

Cayon 3

IAATI LatAm Branch - Fallecimiento del Sr. José Luis Cayon Crosswell

Siempre dije que hay Amigos del corazón y de la vida, los dos tienen su importancia. En este caso la vida me dio la oportunidad de conocer a una Gran persona, humilde, desinteresada, de corazón abierto… Ese fue Jose Luis… no bien nos conoció en el 2013, en Kansas… cuando solo éramos una quimera dentro del sueño de IAATI , se puso a disposición de un grupo que NO HABLABA INGLES, pero…

Three in Ten of All Car Theft Claims Are Catalytic Converters

Criminals have been targeting cars parked during lockdown to fuel the illegal trade of precious metals, according to the RAC and Ageas, one of the UK’s biggest car insurers. Ageas Insurance says it has seen a marked rise in theft of catalytic converters since the start of the first lockdown just over a year ago, with this type of crime now accounting for three-in-10 of all theft claims reported. Before the lockdown catalytic…

4 Ways Your Car Can Be Hacked and How to Prevent It

Cybercriminals are finding ways to bypass your automotive security defenses and hack into your vehicles. It doesn't come as a surprise though, because modern cars are essentially computers on wheels. They are loaded with embedded electronic control units (ECUs) that monitor and control core vehicle functions, including the navigation, steering, brakes, entertainment, and the engine itself. Here are some of the ways cybercriminals can access…

Thefts of Catalytic Converters Sweden

To add on the issue with thefts of all these Catalytic Converters. Before 2020 thefts of Catalytic Converters in Sweden were more or less unknown. However, from the beginning of 2020 we started to see an increase and it has continued. Sweden is a small country in the northern part of Europe but suffer a lot from vehicle related thefts, like luxury cars, heavy machinery, also boats, outboard engines etc. mostly operated by International…