New type of crime, "sliders"

biko

I was chatting to a fella in the weekend and he told me he had his phone nicked from his car when at a petrol station.

Apparently when he went inside to pay he left his car unlocked with the phone on the seat.
He could see the car from the till and didn't notice anything unusual, lots of cars moving about and people filling up etc but nothing untoward.
When he got out and went to leave the phone was gone.

That reminded me of this clip and an article I found from UK, I sure hope these types of crimes hasn't hit irish shores now.

TLDR - lock your car, even if you're only leaving it a minute or two to pay for petrol.
Or bring your handbag out with you so it's not just sitting there while you're filling up.

ThisRegard

Why would you leave your car unlocked when you go into a petrol station ? And I wouldn't say it's a new type of crime, just opportunism theft, has been going on for decades.

AugustusMinimus

ThisRegard wrote: »

Why would you leave your car unlocked when you go into a petrol station ? And I wouldn't say it's a new type of crime, just opportunism theft, has been going on for decades.

To open a lot of filler caps, you must press in on them when the car is open and they'll pop out. Hence, the car will be open when you're filling it. At this stage, you'd lock the door and pay.

But how about this scenario as kinda shown in that video.

1. Person gets out of car to fill up.
2. Another car pulls up beside the car to steal out of car 1.
3. Person opens the fuel filler cap and proceeds to fill up
4. Criminal opens the passenger door and leaves it ajar
5. Person finishes up, locks car via key fob and goes to pay
6. Criminal knows that the passenger door is still ajar and steal what they want.

Obviously, this is more likely to happen where the driver has a van or an SUV.

The Real B-man

Common Sense i suppose but my Car has to be unlocked to Operate the Filler cap i can see how this could happen, i do lock it when going to Pay.

fletch

ThisRegard wrote: »

Why would you leave your car unlocked when you go into a petrol station ? And I wouldn't say it's a new type of crime, just opportunism theft, has been going on for decades.

+1 I always locked my car as soon as I get out of the car to fill it up

ThisRegard

Every car I've owned had also needed to be unlocked to open the cap, if any door is ajar the doors just wouldn't lock afterwards.

AugustusMinimus

ThisRegard wrote: »

Every car I've owned had also needed to be unlocked to open the cap, if any door is ajar the doors just wouldn't lock afterwards.

Some cars do, some cars wouldn't. Either way, if the motorists doesn't notice, the criminal will gain access to the car when the motorist has gone to pay.

Stheno

Mine won't unlock the filler cap if it is switched on, thankfully I can lock the car before I fill it up

Valetta

Not really got much sympathy for anyone who leaves something valuable on view in a car, whether it is locked or not.

Ardent

The crazy part from that video is where they steal your belongings *AS* you're filling your car with petrol!

Kenny Logins

New?

MadsL

biko wrote: »

http://youtu.be/jT6iVwaKLDw

Fixed.


You're welcome.

dgt

I normally fill up at a fuel depot rather than a forecourt, I think I'll keep filling up there more often

Usually when we fill up the petrol cars there's 2 of us so the chance of anything happening is lessened

Stallingrad

Can't see the big deal, I get robbed every time I fill up the tank anyway.

seamus

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

4. Criminal opens the passenger door and leaves it ajar
5. Person finishes up, locks car via key fob and goes to pay
6. Criminal knows that the passenger door is still ajar and steal what they want.

No car with central locking will allow the car to lock when a door is open.

That's not to say that someone won't just press the button and walk away, but I'd always know straight away by the sound whether the car had locked properly.

In the video it seems more specifically to be thieves taking advantage of the fact that stations are usually really noisy and people so focussed on the guage that they won't notice their car door being opened and closed. Since you can't open the filler cap without having the central locking open on so many cars, they know the vehicle is probably open.

Easy solution here is to not leave your handbag sitting on the seat beside you or in the passenger footwell. Having tinted windows probably makes you an easy target too.

What really irks me most about this is that by publicising it, every little gouger is going to think this is a great idea and give it a go the next time they're getting petrol.

biko

seamus wrote: »

What really irks me most about this is that by publicising it, every little gouger is going to think this is a great idea and give it a go the next time they're getting petrol.

Indeed, by letting people know this is happening and describing how it's done you're also instructing shady people how to do it.

"Opportunity makes the thief" it's said but not everyone will act on an opportunity, or transport themselves to where there is an opportunity, thankfully.

ironclaw

Maybe I'm missing something here but my sequence is:

1) Arrive and stop. Open filler
2) Exit car
3) Lock car
4) Fill car

Do people not do that? Do people not lock their car full stop? :eek: I've never met a car that would not lock with the fuel filler open.

dgt

ironclaw wrote: »

Maybe I'm missing something here but my sequence is:

1) Arrive and stop. Open filler
2) Exit car
3) Lock car
4) Fill car

Do people not do that? Do people not lock their car full stop? :eek: I've never met a car that would not lock with the fuel filler open.

My E34 won't open the flap without the car being open, solenoid opens and locks it in accordance with the key



So one such example where the car does have to be open to fill

ofcork

With my avensis i arrive stop open filler cap from drivers door,but only the drivers door will be open when i get out so i close that while i fill then lock the car with the fob while im paying.I would assume most cars have the button on the drivers door to open the other doors whereas if only the driver gets out the other doors are still locked.

ironclaw

dgt wrote: »

My E34 won't open the flap without the car being open, solenoid opens and locks it in accordance with the key

So one such example where the car does have to be open to fill

No, I'm talking about an entirely different sequence.

Arrive at station, Stop, Open Filler, Exit Car, Lock Car, Fill.

So the car is now locked with the filler open. So is there a car that won't lock if the filler is open?

ie: Arrive at station, Stop, Open Filler, Exit Car, Fill, Lock Car

ThisRegard

If you lock the car with the cap open, you often can't then close it without first unlocking the car again.

djimi

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

To open a lot of filler caps, you must press in on them when the car is open and they'll pop out. Hence, the car will be open when you're filling it. At this stage, you'd lock the door and pay.

But how about this scenario as kinda shown in that video.

1. Person gets out of car to fill up.
2. Another car pulls up beside the car to steal out of car 1.
3. Person opens the fuel filler cap and proceeds to fill up
4. Criminal opens the passenger door and leaves it ajar
5. Person finishes up, locks car via key fob and goes to pay
6. Criminal knows that the passenger door is still ajar and steal what they want.

Obviously, this is more likely to happen where the driver has a van or an SUV.

Any half decent alarm would prevent this from happenning. Mine beeps something like five times when I try to arm it when a door is open. Even if it didnt, it would still start screaching blue murder the second the door was opened.

Anyone who doesnt lock their car when they walk away from it is simply asking for trouble.

coolisin

My car and my old work van were the same, you need to have the doors unlocked to open fuel cap.
But usually once I had the fuel cap open I'd lock the doors.
Work van purely as I may have being carrying expensive equipment. But car I just always have done it.
Then rather then unlocking the car Id close over the fuel cap, it closes once the car is unlocked anyway. So not a problem.

d31b0y

I always lock my car door. I sometimes lock my car door when my missus is still in it.

Always puts a smile on my face when I come out of the petrol station with my car alarm going off and her grumpy head looking out at me :pac:

Hannibal Smith

ironclaw wrote: »

Maybe I'm missing something here but my sequence is:

1) Arrive and stop. Open filler
2) Exit car
3) Lock card
4) Fill car

Do people not do that? Do people not lock their car full stop? :eek: I've never met a car that would not lock with the fuel filler open.

My fuel flap won't open if the car is locked, so I cant lock the car when I exit it. I have to fill it and then lock it. 90% of the time I lock it when going to pay, but there are the times I forget. My car doesn't make any sort of a noise if it locks or not, I think the hazards might flash 3 times if its locked and once if its not or something like that. But overlooking the locking is easily done.

slimjimmc

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

My fuel flap won't open if the car is locked, so I cant lock the car when I exit it. I have to fill it and then lock it. 90% of the time I lock it when going to pay, but there are the times I forget. My car doesn't make any sort of a noise if it locks or not, I think the hazards might flash 3 times if its locked and once if its not or something like that. But overlooking the locking is easily done.

As ironclaw mentioned, can you not lock the car after you open the flap, then fill with all doors locked? Then, when finished filling, unlock the doors, close the flap, re-lock and head off to the till.
With remote control that would take only a couple of seconds and by doing so you minimise your potential exposure to this type of thievery.