Be on the lookout for remote ‘jamming’
Personally check that your doors are locked and avoid leaving valuables in your car.
MOTORISTS are urged to avoid storing valuable items, house keys and important documents in their cars as remote jamming is on an upward trend.
According to John October, spokesperson for Dial Direct Insurance, “The remote jamming scam is increasingly being used by criminals who watch their targets as they lock and leave their vehicles, and then use other remotes to interfere with the car-owners’ remote frequencies, preventing them from locking their cars.”
October notes that this puts victims in a tricky position when it comes to proving to their insurers that a theft actually took place because there are no signs of forced entry.
The only way to prevent your valuables from being stolen out of your car is to personally check that your doors are indeed locked and to avoid leaving valuables in your car.
“Of course, it isn’t always possible to avoid carrying items of value in our cars,” says October. “However, we can take care to only carry what is necessary, keeping it hidden from view, and then remembering to remove valuables when arriving at our destinations.”
He offers this advice:
- Never leave items of interest lying in full view on car seats while driving or when leaving your car parked.
- Park your car in a secure parking lot where there are lots of other vehicles and ideally, security personnel.
- Lock your car when driving and when leaving it parked. When using a remote, double check that your car has in fact been successfully locked.
- Empty your car at the end of each day to avoid it becoming cluttered with items that you don’t want stolen.
- Never leave house keys or important papers in your car.
- Don’t leave car registration papers in your car.
- Install an alarm system on your vehicle.
- Install window safety film.
- Ensure that you have adequate insurance cover on portable possessions you carry with you on a regular basis.
