SPPD: Vehicle registration, insurance cards targeted by thieves
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Police Department
Published: April 30, 2008
It’s something that most people wouldn’t notice was missing until they needed it, a sad situation for those whose vehicles have been targeted by burglars that steal the registration or insurance cards, or even both.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
It’s something that most people wouldn’t notice was missing until they needed it, a sad situation for those whose vehicles have been targeted by burglars that steal the registration or insurance cards, or even both. Santa Paula Police Lieutenant Carlos Juarez said that although registrations and insurance cards must be shown to a peace officer upon request, “that does not mean they have to be immediately accessible to thieves.”
More and more reports are coming into law enforcement agencies that a vehicle registration and/or insurance card is missing, a situation not often immediately realized. “That’s what we’ve been experiencing,” said Juarez. “People are suddenly realizing their documents are gone,” and that’s bad news for the vehicle owner but good news for the thief.
Residents have reported that their unlocked vehicles had been ransacked but nothing of value taken, because at the time they were unaware that documents were missing. Others, realizing their vehicles have been ransacked but believing nothing had been taken, hadn’t bothered to file a police report.
“In those circumstances, victims did not realize until much later that thieves had taken documents such as the insurance card or vehicle registration,” the latter which provides just enough information to enable the thief, “with a few more details,” to establish credit or rob someone of their identity for their own purposes. “People that don’t have vehicle insurance can scan a stolen insurance card and put their name and vehicle number on it... or not. Very few officers have time” to run vehicle numbers after routine stops.
Another popular target of thieves is an ATM or debit card. “Some retailers just ask for a ZIP Code” and don’t require a Personal Identification Number, Juarez noted. ATM and debit cards should never be left in the vehicle, and Juarez recommended that vehicle owners lock registration and insurance cards in the glove box or put them in the owner’s manual and then lock them away “out of immediate access.”
And, he added, “If someone suspects they have had their vehicle ransacked, confirm with family members if anything of value was left in the vehicle. If a registration card or insurance card is missing, a police report or at least a police ‘log entry’ should be documented in case the documents end up being used in an identity theft.”
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