Ontario’s car theft crisis: The keys are in your hand to protect your vehicle

With a car being stolen every five minutes in Canada, car theft is no longer a random, rare crime but rather something that affects everyone from car owners and police to insurers and auto manufacturers. 

A multi-billion dollar industry

Car theft is not a “dark laneway, middle-of-the-night” crime anymore. It is viewed as being a low-risk, high-reward crime and according to Équité Association, it increased in Ontario by 48.2% in 2023. Feeding an expanding market around the world, some provinces like Ontario and Quebec have been identified as a prime source of vehicles by organized crime networks who have become more and more emboldened to target vehicles even in broad daylight.

Leveraging technology and streamlined processes, crime groups can quickly move stolen vehicles to a port city and ship them by sea container to Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South or Central America. Others are sold within Canada after having their unique VINs faked.

Technology is part of the problem – and part of the solution

As consumers rely more and more on convenience technology like proximity fobs and keyless entry, car thieves are also using tech’s vulnerabilities. For example, they can use a signal blocker to interrupt a fob’s signal to lock your car. Then, once the driver has walked away, they can reprogram the key and drive away in mere minutes.

But technology can also be used by vehicle owners to protect their property and proactively make their vehicles less attractive and harder to steal. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a common process that consumers experience daily when logging on to various digital platforms, and is now an option to add security against vehicle theft.

Recommended protections

• CAA Insurance reports that only 34% of Canadians with garages use them for their cars. It may not be easy to find another place to store seasonal equipment and sporting equipment, but a basement or shed could be a solution.
• Motion-detectors on outdoor lights and a video camera directed into the driveway and yard could be all it takes to make a home an undesirable target. Your video footage can also aid police in finding the culprits. Video footage can also aid police in finding the culprits.
• Store the fob in an RFID pouch or box, so it’s protected from blocking or scanning.
• Never leave valuables in the vehicle – store them out of sight in the cargo area.

Prevention techniques

As police, port authorities, governments and vehicle manufacturers work in partnership to develop strategies, they also depend on consumers for help in bringing down these alarming statistics.

Increasingly, consumers are using GPS tracking devices to aid in recovering their vehicles. To be even more proactive, consider having an after-market immobilizer installed to establish an unlocking process like a pattern of pushing steering wheel buttons and dashboard switches that must occur in the correct order before the car can start.

A professionally installed port lock just under the left side of the steering wheel can also be a strong deterrent. It requires brute force to move, often damaging the inner tines, preventing their relay technology from connecting to the vehicle’s computer system.

For further information, visit CAANEO.ca/car-theft.

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