I received this the other day as a statement stuffer from my home alarm service alerting me to a potential auto theft vulnerability:
What will car thieves think of next?
Seems they’ve found yet another way to steal your car or truck with little or no effort. They simply peer through the windshield, write down the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN!
The dealer’s parts department cuts the key on the spot (or orders one in some cases) and can even order a keyless devise if desired. The dealer collects payment from the thief who returns to your car and, without doing any damage or drawing attention to himself, inserts the key and drives off to the nearest chop shop in your vehicle. Don’t believe it? It’s really that simple!
To avoid this happening to you, put some tape (electrical, duct or painter’s tape) over the dashboard VIN plate. A 3x5 index card works, too. By law, you can’t remove the VIN plate, but you can cover it so it can’t be viewed through the windshield by a car thief.
Pretty alarming, yes? So I checked it out in all the usual places. What I learned put me a little more at ease. According to an article on snopes, car thieves have and still can steal cars this way but it’s less common than the above article might lead you to believe. Still, a little 3X5 card over your windshield VIN plate can’t hurt, especially if you’re driving a fancy luxury car that might attract car thieves.
Personally, I’m a believer in LoJack. These days, you can’t be too careful.