As vehicle technology has developed, so has the car crime that targets your precious wheels! We’ve taken a look at the most common, current offences, from full vehicle theft through to fake accidents and car cloning, as well as the best ways to avoid to these costly car crimes…
Vehicle thefts jumped to a ten year high in 2024 across Ireland with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) confirming that over 8,000 vehicle were stolen. While you may imagine luxury vehicles at the top of the bill, the humble Ford Fiesta actually takes the top spot in the most stolen cars, with the VW Golf and the Ford Focus also being popular to steal. So, you shouldn’t consider any model, however ‘average’, safe from car thieves!
The likelihood of your car being stolen also seems to change depending on where your car is in the country…
As you’d expect from any capital city, Dublin recorded the worst figures for car theft, with 4,305 vehicles stolen over twelve months. Other car theft hotspots across the country included Cork, reporting 851 vehicle thefts, and Limerick, reporting 502 vehicles stolen.
What’s changed about car theft over the years, is the method in which thieves gain access to your car. Long gone are the days where a crow bar and brute force were the tools of choice, now a car thief can gain access to your vehicle without even touching it.
While there isn’t specific data on keyless car theft in Ireland, authorities and the media have indicated that a significant number of vehicles stolen in 2024 were due to keyless systems being exploited.
Criminals are using various forms of key jacking…
Relay theft involves targetting cars parked near to the owner’s home. Two devices – a relay transmitter and an amplifier are used in tandem to trick the car into thinking the key is closer than it is, which means the car can be unlocked, started and driven away. This criminal equipment can be purchased for as little as €100 and has naturally become a growing problem for those tackling car theft.
Car key code grabbing is exactly as it sounds. Criminals wait for an opportunity, usually in public parking areas, to capture a key code using an electronic tool as the owner locks their vehicle. The code is then downloaded onto a blank key and used to steal the car.
On-board diagnostics system compromise uses a device that vehicle technicians would legitimately use to check the health of the car. But of course, this technology can be exploited by criminals to gain information on the car including the key’s unique code, which can then be used to create a duplicate key.
Transponder key cloning relies on criminals gaining original keys through businesses that may be entrusted with them for short periods of time such as garages or car washes. A device is used to copy the code from the original key onto a blank key, which is then used to steal the car at a later date.
Electronic control unit replacement means hacking or replacing what is essentially the computer controlling a vehicle’s electrical systems. By controlling this, thieves can start and drive a car away, but it’s not an easy or quick method of car theft so more likely to be used on vehicles parked overnight.
Believe it or not, the old fashioned steering wheel lock is one of the best way to deter car thieves. While it’s not impossible to remove a wheel lock, it’s a hassle, and far more time consuming than most thieves will be bothered with. Even if they’ve gone to great lengths to open and start your car, that’s useless without being able to steer!
Gardaí have warned car owners that the influx of imported vehicles from outside the EU mean there are far more models on the market that are vulnerable to car theft. These second-hand car imports don’t necessarily feature basic security features such as alarms or immobilisers.
Whether it’s an imported second-hand car, a basic model or even a vintage motor, an alarm is always a good security measure and definitely something you should consider getting fitted.
Immobilisers are also a useful security device. All cars manufactured since October 1998 have an immobiliser fitted as standard, but you can purchase additional third-party systems that will offer increased security and protection against car theft.
Blocking the signal from your car key (and spare keys!) is also a really simple but effective tool against some of the car theft methods we’ve described. Using a good quality, purpose made, ‘Faraday pouch’ will offer the best protection, but there are DIY methods that will block or at least inhibit those signals, if done correctly. Use aluminium foil or copper mesh to line a tin made from conductive metal and ensure it will close tightly for the best results.
It’s less common, but frighteningly still a reality, that criminals may break into your house specifically to target car keys. Protecting your car against this kind of theft is, of course, to actually secure your home. Ensure any entry to your house is properly locked and secured, use your house alarm, don’t leave valuables in view of windows, including your car keys, which should be in a secure place.
Another general, worthwhile security measure, but one that also specifically protects from transponder key cloning, is checking that the garage, valeting or car washing service you’ve chosen to use is trustworthy, before handing over your keys.
Theft from vehicles is hardly a modern crime, but it’s still rife across the country. The CSO reported there were 7,796 thefts from vehicles over 2024.
The majority of thieves wouldn’t go to the effort of using the sophisticated technology methods we’ve described, only to snaffle some loose change or a shopping bag in view. There isn’t official data on the methods of entry for vehicle break-ins, but other countries have recorded an alarming number of thefts from vehicles being down to car doors simply being left unlocked!
The items most likely to be stolen from vehicles hasn’t changed significantly over the years… Common stolen items include mobile phones, handbags, jewellery, wallets/purses, clothing and even documents, which worryingly could lead to identity theft. But it’s not just high-value items that thieves are willing to break into a car for, the cost of living crisis means food shopping, toiletries and cigarettes are more appealing to opportunist car break-ins.
Although usually from vans, tools are also highly vulnerable to in-vehicle theft. One of Ireland’s largest builders’ merchants surveyed 375 tradespeople and found that 71% of them have had their tools stolen, with over a third estimating the value of those tools was in excess of €3,000. Two thirds of tradespeople said tools were stolen from their van or car.
There also seems to have been an increase in the demand for car parts themselves, with thefts of catalytic converters (stolen for the precious metals they contain), wheels, batteries, tailgates, car emblems and even wing mirrors being parts reported as stolen.
Parking in a well-lit and busy location will always help protect your vehicle, it’s old advice, but it’s effective and is still included in the latest official guidelines from the Gardaí for car crime prevention.
We mentioned car alarms in vehicle theft and they are even more effective for vehicle break-ins, as the criminals in these instances are less likely to have a method of disabling them.
Don’t leave valuables in your car! Or, if you don’t have a choice, at least ensure they are out of view and ideally, secured. Remember that even a small bag of food shopping could be considered worth breaking into your car for, so having any item on view puts temptation in a thieves way. Drivers are also advised not to ‘hide’ items once you are parked as you may well be seen by thieves.
Tool theft is obviously a harder ‘contents’ theft to manage, as you are likely to need access to your tools within your vehicle throughout the day. For tools that do have to stay in your vehicle, they should be kept out of sight and secured. Always remove them at the end of the day and use signage to explain no tools are stored in your vehicle overnight. It’s also highly effective to mark your tools – it makes them harder to sell, easier to track and return, and helps convict any criminals caught with them.
When it comes to protecting car parts from criminals it can be tricky! There are a few physical things you can do though – folding in your wing mirrors and locking them in place makes a thief’s job harder, as does leaving your wheels at a 45 degree angle, close to the curb. A car alarm should help deter a criminal trying to access your battery, you can also purchase battery locks and/or an additional bonnet lock. By etching your VIN number on your catalytic converter it will be worth less to the thief and may even make its way back to you if it’s recovered. There’s very little you can do to avoid your car emblem being stolen, but all the security methods mentioned here will help protect your vehicle in general.
After all this advice to protect your car from break-ins, remember that a lot of cars are accessed via an unlocked door! So, while all these precautions are sensible and worthwhile, the most important preventative method is also the most simple – never leave your car running, even for a moment, and always check you’ve locked it!
‘Crash for Cash’ is the modern motor crime causing the insurance industry a major headache. While many people are now savvy to this serious fraud, if you are targeted, it’s actually very hard to prove your innocence.
If you are not aware of the term ‘crash for cash’ we’re sure you haven’t struggled to figure it out – accidents are staged, usually with innocent road users involved, to gain profit from fraudulent insurance claims. Usually these scams are based on exaggerated injuries or damage.
Insurance Ireland says that insurance fraud costs approximately €200 million annually. While that figure includes all types of insurance, vehicle-related insurance fraud is thought to add approximately €50 to every motor insurance policy, which is a huge cost to law-abiding car owners.
The reason these scams have been successful, is that the processes and laws dealing with them have been designed to protect the innocent, which these criminals are setting themselves up to be.
The government’s Department of Finance stated that An Garda Síochána, Insurance Ireland and the Alliance for Insurance Reform are working together to help stamp out the harmful effects of insurance fraud. Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “People should not have to absorb insurance fraud costs into their motor, home or business premiums. We are determined to change the culture and practice of insurance fraud in Ireland.”
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland also has a ‘fighting fraud’ strategy and says they’ve now saved over €14 million by tackling suspicious claims, with over 350 claims discontinued, withdrawn or dismissed.
There’s not a lot you can do to avoid this awful crime, but many organisations recommend dash cams, which may put off the scammers, or will at least provide your perspective of the incident as proof of an unnecessary or dangerous maneuver.
While there is little you can do to avoid the crime, what should you do if you think you’ve been targeted?
Authorities and the insurance industry are very much aware of this scam, so you will have common sense on your side, but if you are involved in what you believe to be a staged car incident, official advice is not to challenge anyone at the scene of the incident. Try to deal with it as you would a genuine claim.
Don’t admit any liability, don’t hand over any cash, and get as much information and evidence (photos, witnesses etc) as you can. Contact Gardaí at the scene and of course, notify your own insurer. The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), also known as the Fraud Squad, does not deal directly with individual ‘crash for cash’ incidents but specifically recommends you contact your local Garda station.
Car cloning isn’t new, but it’s a growing car crime that isn’t as technical and futuristic as it sounds! It’s simply reproducing your registration plate and putting it onto another vehicle, leaving you liable for all of its illegal activities. Innocent car owners are left receiving speeding tickets, parking fines, bus lane fines and other driving related penalties. Cloned cars are even used in larger scale crime such as burglary.
What can you do? Frustratingly, again, there isn’t a lot you can do to avoid this modern car crime – it’s sadly just unlucky if you are targeted. However, it can help if your car has distinguishing or unique identifying features such as vinyl stickers / badges etc.
If you find yourself victim to this crime through a penalty notice, official advice is to contact the issuing authority of the penalty, whether that is the Gardaí, a private parking company or local authority, and produce any evidence you may have to show it wasn’t your car in that location. If it’s an ongoing problem, you are advised to purchase a private number plate and update the National Driver and Licensing Service (NDLS) – this way you can no longer be liable for penalties linked to the original registration.
To report any suspected car cloning in Ireland, contact the Gardaí and the NDLS. You can also report the issue to the Road Safety Authority. If the Gardaí finds through investigation that a car registration number has been cloned, they will add a marker to the registration number on the national database so the vehicle can be stopped anywhere for checks – leading to charges for fraud.
We hope our information on current car crimes and what you can do to protect yourself and your car has been helpful.
If your car has been damaged through crime and will cost more to fix than it’s worth we can still offer you a competitive price for it. You can get an instant quote online or if you’d rather talk through the condition of your car, do get in touch directly with our lovely customer services team who will be happy to help you.
Stay safe.
