Car theft solved by private investigators

From time to time, a private investigator may be asked to track down a missing car. A car can be stolen from a public place, a private residence, or a rental car agency.

Types of car thefts:

In economically difficult times, because thefts increase. Some people try to steal cars from rental agencies using fake rental car IDs and then simply never return them. Some steal cars for their own use, either for regular daily use or for transporting contraband and abandoning it. Some turn stolen vehicles over to salvage yards, where the cars will be used for parts. Some just want a car to participate in a race or a pleasure trip, and will abandon the car after using it for a period of time.

Some will sell a stolen car to an unsuspecting person, who has no idea that they just bought a stolen vehicle. Sometimes the owner sold the car in good faith to a person who passed a bad check. In other cases, a couple may have turned their second car over to a leasing company to cut costs; however, the car may have been leased to a “customer” who went missing. Thefts can be for convenience: the thief may have some stolen goods to transport.

No matter what the motive for the theft is, it’s up to the private investigator to use his wits to figure out what happened and locate the car. It’s always a good idea to file a police report first, but since the police may not be able to take the time to track down your vehicle, a good private investigator can be helpful.

How we track the car:

A private investigator will use tools such as phone calls, informal conversations, and interviews. A good investigator knows how to formulate questions and statements to get the most cooperation. Most people are surprised if someone they know has stolen a vehicle and they will want to cooperate. The trick is to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and track down solid information that is admissible in a short case.

Investigators may use license plate scanners, GPS tracking that comes with certain cars, handheld devices, car-mounted cameras, or interview anyone whose job requires driving, such as delivery drivers. IP agencies in some countries may have memberships in professional organizations where the information collected from license plate scanners is stored in a database. Surveillance on public roads is generally legal and does not overstep privacy concerns. One popular technique is to keep a watch list of all vehicles reported stolen by the owners and use the scanners to detect the license plates of parked vehicles. Since thieves often change license plates, it can take time.

The human element in the form of social media and community alerts can also work wonders. Many people have helped recover their own cars by posting photos of their stolen cars on social media and asking people to share them. It’s never a good idea for a friend to confront a car thief, but it can be really helpful if they take pictures or report sightings of the stolen vehicle without the thief noticing.

Clumsy planning on the thief’s part also helps. Sometimes a thief forges a rental car ID card that he never returns, but uses a real address of someone he knows. As we interview the person whose address was used, the person might recognize the thief’s description and give us clues as to where to find him. We can then conduct surveillance and obtain videos of the perpetrator using the stolen car, which will be admissible in court. Once we have enough evidence to face the court, we can wait for the perpetrators to lie down for the night and immobilize the car with car boots before there is any attempt to make contact.

Over the years, private investigators form relationships with informants. Knowing how to befriend people who can provide information is gold. Cooperation from all sources is the most important key to solving crimes, and a good Private Detective knows how to form those relationships.

Other sources of information, though not glamorous, are salvage yards, car manufacturers, rubbish bins on public roads, and hidden cameras in public areas. We can also maintain lists of vehicles with out-of-area registration tags, verify the vehicle’s registration for those tags, and locate the vehicle’s lienholder (lender). That is public information and we can call the lender to see if the vehicle is stolen.

Another easy way to check if a car is the one you’re looking for is to check the VIN number, which is often prominently displayed on the driver’s side.

Car recovery:

Once the car is found, it can be recovered quite easily and the method will be agreed upon by the private investigator and the client in advance. Upon finding the car, it can be started or disabled before the IP does one of three things depending on what the customer wants: knock on the suspect’s door and ask for the keys, notify the police, or notify the customer. It is never a good idea for the client to contact the perpetrator, but the client could contact the police.

If the customer is a business, such as a rental car agency, the customer can instruct the private investigator to repossess the vehicle. A team of two pis will drive to the location, start the car and explain to the perpetrators who they are and why they are there. They will cite the offender for the specific vehicle codes that were violated and jail time or fines associated with such offenses. They will be firm but also very professional. Most perpetrators will hand over the keys without too much fuss once confronted. Otherwise, a tow truck can be called to remove the vehicle. This should not be done without hard evidence and knowledge of the laws in your area.

How to prevent theft:

Most vehicles sold today have key codes or tracking systems like LoJack or Onstar. Some have microdots that label individual parts of the car, so they can be identified if the car goes to a salvage yard. However, professional thieves can bypass even the most sophisticated systems.

The best car theft prevention devices, such as ignition locks and pedal locks, disable the vehicle so that it cannot be moved without the correct key. If your car does not come with these devices, you can purchase a self-adjusting immobilizer. Always lock your vehicle and park it in the safest places you can.

Unfortunately, because thefts are very common. Taking reasonable security precautions and keeping a photograph and copies of vehicle registration information can help you in the event of a theft. A good Private Detective will work in his best interest in repossessing the car.

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