Our compadre Gary at The Garage Blog was chatting up a friend who specializes in vehicle theft security. One of the things this friend does is helps dealerships guard against thieves. Due to the nature of his job, the fellow hears all about the latest goings-on, and he informed Gary that local Toronto-area residents have increasingly been finding cars missing from their driveways. Not just older rides, mind you -- newer stuff equipped with the latest whiz-bang factory-installed immobilizer systems have also been part of the vanishing act.

The criminal element is nothing if not creative, and what they've been doing is casing people's homes to see if the occupants do what so many people do: keep their keys on a plainly visible, easily accessible rack in the kitchen. A peek through the back door is all it takes, and a quick B&E lets the thief snatch the car keys and drive away calmly and quietly -- immobilizer be damned. If you don't have a garage in which to store your car, you might want to make a point of keeping the keys tucked well out of sight. Sure, it may be common sense, but we all let our guard down at home. What's easy for you is, unfortunately, also easy for some dirtbag with eyes for your machine. No sense making his or her life any easier.

[Source: The Garage Blog]