Greg discusses advanced car theft trends — and how to protect against them — in this episode of Ask The Expert. 800 CHAB radio presents Ask the Expert with Greg Marcyniuk of Heritage Insurance located in Moose Jaw.
Here's a full transcript of the episode.
Rob Carnie: 800 CHAB's Ask The Expert on the air today with Greg Marcyniuk from Heritage Insurance, and today, Greg, we're again, talking about theft and thieves.
They're at it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and finding new ways to rip us off. And there's a couple that have been in the news here lately that you want to talk about.
Greg Marcyniuk: That's correct Rob, and with technology comes new risks and people getting hacked, and this one is quite interesting. Say, for example, you go off and you picked up a few groceries, and you're coming home, "Oh, I forgot to get some stuff at Canadian Tire."
You've got your vehicle full of stuff, you run in, lock your vehicle as you're running in, you come back to the vehicle, and there it is. Everything is gone. Well, what happened is that when you are leaving your car and when you're locking it with the key fob on your key chains, thieves sitting in the parking lot can now actually copy that. So they clone your vehicle security.
And then, what they do is after they see you go in, they just use their device, get in, clean out your car, and away they go.
Rob: They can literally steal your code through the airwaves.
Greg: That's correct. And there's been a few situations like that in Saskatchewan here. So we have to be very aware. Now, what can we do to actually combat against this is that you should always lock your car from the inside with the lock on the car door. When you're pushing the lock button on your door, you're not admitting your vehicle security code.
And in addition to be, you know, to be fully aware of your surroundings when you do that — as opposed to just running in. So, safety is a great precaution. That is one of the auto insights that we have today.
Second auto insight is, it's a combination for thieves. And that's when you're going to fill up your vehicle at the gas pump. And first and foremost, we're seeing more and more people, they'll just go on the other side. So, make sure you lock your vehicle.
And it's a good idea so that when you are, you turn off your vehicle, lock your vehicle inside, close the door, start filling it up, because if you do that, number one, you don't have to worry about if you touch the vehicle and go, there's any static electricity. You should always stand outside when you're filling your vehicle. And secondly, you should never use your cellphone or any other electronic device while you're filling up your tank.
Secondly, when you're there, you should dispense gasoline into a container only that's approved, and also place it on the ground. And you should always place it on the ground, so that's grounded again, so there is no static electricity. And never, ever put the container in the back of your trunk and fill it up, or in the back of the vehicle. Take it out, set it on the ground so it will actually ground it.
So these are just a few safety tips on auto. And keep aware of the situation so that everybody remains safe — and also, you don't get ripped off.
Rob: Yeah, and I've seen security footage on social media of this happening. You go to fill up your car, and you step out of your vehicle. You're just standing there filling it up with gas. In the meantime, on the other side of the car, a thief is opening up the passenger door and taking your purse or your wallet, right?
Greg: Well, that's correct. And it's even been done where there's gas attendants there. Thieves — very smart, very cunning. They look at an opportunity, they take advantage of it. So we just have to be aware of our surroundings and take the extra time to push the button on the lock, and we should be good.
Rob: Guard yourself against these types of thefts and discuss them with your family. We can get these insights online.
Greg: That's correct at nohassleinsurance.ca. Or come on down to the corner of Fairford and 1st West, and we'd be more than happy to share this information with you.
Rob: Greg Marcyniuk at Heritage Insurance in Downtown Moose Jaw.
(Video transcription by Speechpad)