The 3 Types Of Common Car Theft In Malaysia And How To Prevent Them

We spent most of our savings to buy the car of our dreams. On top of that, we are paying for servicing, repairs, and insurance to keep it running. The last thing we want is knowing our dream car has been stolen. However, Malaysia is one of the countries that are known for having one of the World’s highest taxes on cars and its fair share of car theft is worrying. There is even a statistic ranking the top 10 most stolen cars.  

Now the question is, should we reconsider our future car purchase and choose to use public transport? Or should we utilise technology and prevent car theft from happening. For those who currently own a car, let’s identify what are the 3 types of car theft and find out ways to prevent our car from being stolen by thieves.

The ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ 

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Just when you thought having a vehicle alarm system in place could prevent car theft, well think again. Some thieves will go to the extent to scout and ambush you at the area where your car is parked. Once they have familiarised themselves with your schedule, knowing when you will leave your car unattended, they will enter your house with the intention to steal your car keys. The thieves will never give up on their plan until they succeed. 

In order to prevent this, make sure you always lock your doors and secure your porch door with a padlock. If you are going to outstation and will leave your car parked unattended, inform your neighbours about your plan and ask them for a favor to keep an eye out for your car. Change your parking spot once in a while if you are parking your car at a free floating parking lot. This could save you the risk from being targeted by car thieves.

 The Relay Hijackers

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With great power comes with great responsibility. The advancement of technology has brought many advantages to car thieves to steal a car easily. 

A relay attack usually involves two people working together. One stands by the targeted vehicle, while the other stands near the house with a device that can pick up a signal from the car remote. The relay transmitter will trick the car into thinking the key is closer than it is, the car thief will then unlock the car, get it started and drive away.

Unfortunately, there are no ways to stop this from happening as car makers are still finding ways to tighten their security. In addition, there are no regulations in place to catalyse this action. The responsibility to keep the car safe falls back into your hands. 

Aftermarket solutions vary from a faraday case for your car key as it will block out any electronic signals, the good old steering lock to a GPS tracker. A tracking device will not stop your car from being stolen, but it will increase the chances of recovering it.

The ‘Spare Parts’ Theft

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You might think that your 20 years old car is worth nothing but in the used car market, your car is a hidden treasure for the ‘Spare Parts’ thieves. Even though the car is destroyed, the rest of the machinery on it may still be in perfect condition. They will find ways to disassemble your car and dig out the car battery, alternator, radio system, airbags, catalytic converters and doors. Even if they might not work, they can still make a fortune out of selling them at the junkyard. To prevent this, make sure you always park at a safe and well-lit area. For those who are staying at a terrace house, consider installing a CCTV to monitor your car. 

To put things into perspective, it is inevitable to avoid car theft completely, but you can do your best to mitigate this tragedy from happening. It is important to create awareness among the car owners on the risks involved and work together with authorities to identify theft patterns.