One car is stolen every nineteen to twenty-one seconds in the United States. That's less time than it takes most people to unlock their car, put on their seat belt and start the engine. Unfortunately, if your car isn't found within one week, the chances of recovering it intact is almost nil. Car thieves no longer tend to be young joyriders. Increasingly, they are involved in professional rings operating parts-stripping and reselling scams, usually global in scope.
Chop shops can strip a stolen car in less than thirty minutes.
The parts are then sold to repair and body shops, netting the thieves two to four times the price of the whole car. Air bags are latest hot item for car thieves. Ultimately, this scam causes higher auto insurance premium rates. A vehicle is stolen, stripped for parts, and the frame is abandoned. When it is eventually recovered by the police, the case is cleared, and the frame sold at an insurance or police auction.