Beware of GPS thieves!

Portable satellite navigation units are becoming very popular items. ("GPS" is one of the most searched for terms on the Web and on ConsumerReports.org, where you'll find our latest test and Ratings of GPS units.)

They're also hot commodities with thieves. Search the online news media with Google using "GPS" and "car break-ins" and you'll see reports from a slew of local police departments. (You can also search for similar news reports using Yahoo, if you prefer.)

Here are some pointers for keeping your GPS and other in-car valuables safe:

• Hide valuables, or better yet, take your portable electronics with you—even if you're going to be away from your car for "only a few minutes." Leaving gadgets in plain sight is risky. It takes only seconds to break a car window, and "smash-and-grab" thieves aren't fazed by blaring car alarms.


• Conceal the mounting arms and any other accessories such as car chargers, headsets, or audio leads. Wandering thieves look for these tip-offs that your car may be harboring portable, battery-operated and pricey gadgets.


• Wipe off the suction cup marks from your windows. Professional, "street-savvy" thieves know these circular marks are indicative of mounting arms and may break in to your car anyway—just in case you hid your GPS unit rather than bother to take it with you.


• Report any suspicious persons lurking near cars. Parking lot attendants, mall security, and the police need to be aware if there are potential thieves working the area.

If you have recently lost a portable GPS unit, I offer my condolences; I have friends and family members that can be counted among the victims of GPS thievery. And try to look at the bright side, if you want to make the best of a bad situation. As we've reported previously, new GPS units offer much more powerful features than older units—and often at lower prices. So if you're shopping for a "replacement" unit, chances are you'll find a good deal. Check our coverage of GPS units on ConsumerReports.org for additional help.

If you've been a victim of a car break-in, feel free to share your story and tips here. You might save others from the experience of losing their valuables.

—Paul Eng

Nov. 20, 2007 Update: A few more tips I came across that are good to keep in mind—especially as folks are beginning their holiday shopping:

• Keep a record your GPS unit's serial number and/or electronic ID along with your original sales receipt—the items you need when you send in the warranty card to the manufacturer anyway. (And you DO send in those warranty cards, right?)
  
  This might not actually prevent your unit from being stolen. But if it is, having that information will help the police in their investigation—and help you reclaim the unit if it's ever recovered.
  
  Also, you can use that information to alert the manufacturer that your unit was stolen. So if your "lost" GPS unit ever "calls home" (say, to get updates for its firmware or maps) the manufacturer might be able to track it down. Or, at the very least, deny the update to the GPS unit so it becomes less useful.

One final tip:

• If your GPS unit features a PIN code system or other electronic anti-theft system, use it. This won't prevent theft, but at least you'll have some satisfaction in knowing that who ever took it has nothing but an expensive electronic paperweight.

Thanks for all your comments. Keep them coming and have a happy—and safe!—holiday season.

—Paul Eng

Comments

[The Grump]

I just bought a top of the line Nuvi 850 for $800.00 two weeks ago, and finally got around to installing it in front of the speedometer (so it could not be seen from the front of the car).

Last monday, I left my doors unlocked (my bad) and went to bed. Next morning, 5 am, got into the car, reached for the radio "on" button, and realized there was empty space where my $200 stereo should have been. It was gone, my Nuvi 850 was gone, even my cheesy $13 alarm chock on my dash was gone. And I live in the middle of nowhere (think corn, lots of corn). I felt like a guy who got mugged in a meadow of flowers - total shock.

I did have a kind of phyrric victory - they got the Nuvi 850, but they forgot the power cord, which has a special pin connecter just for the Nuvi 850. You cannot buy these in stores. You would have to get one from Garmin directly. I doubt my thief would bother, but without it, the Nuvi 850 cannot be used. Every Nuvi 850 has a power cord, so ordering a replacement cord for this brand new GPS model would seem odd.

BTW, I learned a lesson. My car insurance will pay for a stolen GPS, if it is installed (bolted it, not portable). They paid for the stereo and the car damage, but not the GPS. Lesson learned: Use a built in unit for your car, and buy a cheap portable GPS for use in rental cars while traveling. It was an expensive lesson to learn.

[Brian D]

Just two days ago my DVD player and sub was stolen from my car at 3:45am. How do I know the exact time? I have a security camera pointed directly at the car.

A few months ago, thieves tried to steal my DVD head unit by pulling on the flip out screen until they broke it. The car was unlocked (my mistake) and the alarm was not set. Since then, I installed a 300W motion sensor light and a security camera system with a camera setup to record any motion in and around my vehicle. Fast forward 3 moths, almost to the day, and the theives strike again. This time, the camera was running, the car was locked, the alarm was set, and the cargo cover was over the subwoofer. I even have a 11"x13" sign on my front lawn stating that there is a security camera system in use, which is required by law in my city. I also had a sticker on the drivers side window stating that the car was under video suveilance.

They broke the driver's side window, crawled through the window opening (cutting themselves along the way), removed the DVD head unit, crawled through the seats back to the cargo area, unbolted the sub, and moved it between the seats and out the broken window. All of this was done without tripping the alarm, since no doors were opened. They even left the tools they used for the job. The motion sensor light did not turn on until they were leaving, in which case they ran like hell when it finally illuminated their activity.

This is the third break-in in 8 months. When I watched the video playback of the incident, 15 minutes prior, a police cruiser went right past my house.

What I learned from all of this is this:

Keep your car in a well lit area. Remove everything of value from the car every night before bed. Tint your windows to prevent people from seeing what's inside when they are out casing for vehicles to hit at a later date. Get an alarm that is better than the factory alarm, preferably with radar perimiter detection and a paging system to the remote, and keep the remote near where you sleep. I also learned that theives are TOO DUMB to read! They are TOO DUMB to notice a big camera pointing right at the target vehicle. They are TOO DUMB to notice warning signs posted on the property OR vehicle. They are either too dumb, or don't care. I also learned that if a thief was unsuccessful the first time, if they are not caught, they WILL come back and try again!

Either way, the video I did capture should help the police identify the culprit. That, plus the DNA evidence they left behind with the blood droplits they left on the door from the cut.

[Charlie]

My Garmin unit was stolen last Saturday and the driver side door was apparently pried open. My neighbor told me the car's alarm system did go off for about 5 minutes around 4AM in the morning (my goodness, don't the thieves have better things to do at 4 AM than prying open a car door and stealing a $200 GPS unit?) Just a couple weeks ago, my neighbor told me to take the GPS unit from the car to prevent theft. I feel like a fool not listening to the neighbor.

After reading the above posts, I think there may be a way to improve the car's alarm system: when some one tries to force into a car, it should be able to "defend" itself by for example releasing a strong electric (as used in a shock gun) which can knock out the thief for 30 minutes. That would be really cool!

[Priyanka]

I lost my newly bought GPS (Garmin Nuvi) and someone stole it. I do not have the serial number as I threw the box away.
Is there any way i can recover the number?
I bought it online.
I forgot to regester it on the gasrmin site
have registered a complaint.

Is there any way i can recover it?

[Honest&Happy]

Just needing to vent...and give a tip or two.
My gps was stolen out of my car. My car was parked in my driveway in a very quiet tucked away neighborhood. I did leave it in plane view...but you'd have to be looking to find my house. So is it some random theives wandering way off the beaten path to steal my GPS? Is it the neighborhood kids with nothing better to do? Or could it be something else?

My story: Two broken windows = $450, my GPS unit, and most expensively my time away from work to get it all repaired. The cost is irritating, the hassle is infuriating.

My tip: Never leave your GPS, or any valuble, in your car when having it serviced in any way, even a car wash. Not to call all service people crooks, but think about it...they get full access to your car and it's contents, and they get to look at your registration to see where you live. It's not too dificult to jot the info down and go on a spree.

To any GPS theives out there: Take the darn thing if that is what you can sell and helps your pathetic life...after all why should you need to go to work to get what you want/need in life like the rest of us. Just don't damage my car in the process! Oh, and one more thing...you missed the $3K in cash in the bank deposit bag sitting in the passenger seat...the one clearly labeled "BofA Deposits". I guess it's a good thing that the GPS was in plain view and that you're too stupid to focus on more than one thing at a time...which is probably why you can't hold down a good job in the first place and has led to your theivery. Enjoy breaking windows and wondering how to sell yet another stolen GPS unit, I'll be enjoying an honest life with my new and improved GPS unit.

[Sue]

I purchased a GPS from Amazon. UPS delivered an empty box, as the GPS had been stolen from it somewhere along the way. Amazon generously sent a replacement in three days. It arrived today...believe it or not, the GPS had been stolen from its box, again. This time the thief at least taped the box back shut. Have you heard of anything this crazy? I have lost two GPS units without ever putting my hands on one!

[Paul Eng]

To Walker:

Yes, GPS navigation units know where they (and their owners/users) are at any given moment and can track movement in real-time. So why can't police use that information to track lost/stolen units? Because GPS is (essentially) a "one-way" system.

Basically, all GPS units pinpoint your location on earth by pulling signals from a constellation of 27 space-based satellites (and in some cases, signals from earth-based stations). By using signals from at least four satellites and/or earth stations, a GPS unit (handheld or one permanently mounted in a vehicle) can triangulate your position on the globe. As you move, the GPS unit is constantly receiving signals and computing your location.

But that's all the units are doing: RECEIVING signals and doing the math (triangulation) to determine position. In order for a GPS unit to tell others (aside from their immediate owners/users--the police, your spouse, your parents, the rental car agency, "Big Brother," etc.) about its location, it would need a TRANSMITTER. (And that "someone else" would need to know how to tune in to that exact GPS unit's signal--on a GLOBAL scale, since a GPS unit could be anywhere in the world!)

In fact, that's why GPS navigation units are technically called "GPS receivers" since all they do is RECEIVE GPS signals.

Setups such as OnStar or other "tracking systems" (think military, cargo containers, trans-continental shipping, etc.) use GPS receivers to calculate position and then transmit that info using a separate wireless network--cell phones, satellite communications, dedicated radio network, etc.

For more information on the U.S.-developed GPS system, check out the official GPS Web site:

http://www.gps.gov/

Hope that helps.

--Paul Eng, Web Senior Editor

[walker]

if the gps works by the satellite tracking to tell you where you are and directs you to your destination, why can't the police access this information to find where your stolen GPS is?

[bubba dubba]

GPS devices, cell phones, PDAs and other gizmos are all receivers--perhaps what is really needed is a built-in method for permanently disabling them from a remote location. The victim would notify the vendor or perhaps a third-party service, who could disable the device completely.

That might remove some of the incentive for theft, and also protect a victim from the use of any personal information stored in a stolen device.

[Stargazur]

I recently had my Garmin Nuvi stolen (like so many others). The thieves smashed the passenger side window and took the Nuvi, the mount, and of course the charger. My car was parked in my own drive way off the street where it was difficult to see the mounted unit. These guys were really looking. The local County police seem somewhat indifferent to the situation. I got a case number and that was it for them. They didn't even want to come out to my house. They would have preferred to make the report over the phone. I was quite upset because I tempted fate and now I had to get my window fixed and buy a new GPS. My auto insurance covered all but $100 of the window repair, but the Nuvi was not covered (covered under home owners policy with $500 deductible - ugh!). Just when things were looking gloomy, I get a phone call from a police officer from a couple of counties over from mine. He had caught some thieves, recovered a bunch of GPS units, and had been able to trace mine back to me based on the fact I had placed my "home" as a location in the Nuvi. Things were looking up until he told me that he'd have to keep it for a while as evidence. Can a guy catch a break here please. Well yes... I got another call saying I could pick it up. Yea!!!! I did and now I have my Nuvi back. Here's the real kicker. I always used the security code on my Nuvi. Well, I lent the Nuvi to a friend traveling to the UK. I had been there a few times and had purchased the maps (SD Card). So, the security code was turned off so he could use it. When my friend returned from his trip, I failed to turn on the security code, so when the unit was stolen, I was kicking myself. Now had I turned on the security code, the police officer would not have been able to get passed the security code and track me down. I would not have my Nuvi and it would be sitting in a police evidence locker with a bunch of other GPS units (paper weights). Hmmm.... Security codes, "to use or not to use." A major paradigm shift in the making. Wow! My story gets even better. I barely have my Nuvi back in my hands when the Subpoenas arrive in the mail. I, Me, the VICTIM, have been ordered to appear in court (or face contempt charges). You just have to love this story. The court date is a couple of weeks from now. I called the District Attorney handling the case. She says that she'll offer these guys (thieves) a plea bargain, but if they don't take it, there will be a trial and I must be there to tell the court that I didn't give these guys permission to take my Nuvi. I tell you, this is killing me. For what reason would I ever tell someone that it was Ok to smash the window on my car and take my GPS? Can you imagine? "Hey Joe! You can go ahead and take my Nuvi. It's in my car and oh yeah, if the car is locked, don't sweat it. Just break the window and take it. It's no big deal, I can always get it fixed." Has the world turned upside down? So now I get to go face these guys and say, "Yo, it's me. You know, the guy you stole a Nuvi from. If you ever need me, here I am and this is what I look like." I wonder how many lessons are here in this experience? Far be it for me to count them. I'm just glad that it's now 2008, a new year, no one got hurt, my car is repaired (no major damage), and I have my Nuvi back. Life goes on. I wonder what this year has in store? Happy New Year to all of you. Maybe I'll see you around the forum. Later all, Stargazur (only the name has been changed to protect the innocent :)

[Fernando Capellan]

I recently bought a garmin nuvi gps, and i used to leave the mounting arm on the winshield but not the gps. about a week ago came out of my house in new york and one of my windows was broken, they search the whole car looking for the gps, i had a lot of expensive power tools non of this were taken, lucky me i never leave gps or ipod in my car, but i end up with a broken window,
i learned my lesson, now i display a sign saying no gps or ipod left in this car..

[allen branner]

Someone threw a hammer through the driver side windshield of my car and only stole the GPS, leaving behind an active cell phone and the hammer. I had the police report faxed to the GPS vendor and, as a result, the vendor is able to track anyone attempting to update their GPS maps to the serial number of the stolen unit. The vendor stated that the attempted updates occur more often than most would expect and the local police would be notified with any information gained. It will be a pain to key in the security code before using my replacement unit, but well worth knowing that anyone who tries to steal it will be out of luck. Hopefully, a method of tracking or disabling the device will be created in the near future. Maybe even more convenient security measures such as fingerprint recognition or voice activated security codes will be created. In the meantime, I will be sure to hide the device and activate the security code.

[RixRox]

c580 is a very good unit. Just make sure the MSN Traffic provides service for your home area.

[Ann]

A few weeks back my MIO 310x GPS was stolen from my car which I park right outside our townhouse. As stated in some of the comments, the car door was opened without smashing the window. It seemed like they had a key to my car which is frightening. All the contents in my glove compartment was on the passenger seat and only the GPS was stolen. The only clue on my car that I had a GPS was the mark of the suction mount on my windshield...I hadn't cleaned it on that day. So don't let down your guard at any time. I didn't report the theft to the police because people told me that there is a very slim chance if any of getting my GPS back. Now I am thinking of buying a new one. I am leaning on the Garmin Streetpilot c580. Any advices:)

[SLO]

The same can be said about iPods. I had a 40GB iPod stolen in Newark just across the street from where I was working outdoors. It was locked in the glove box. The window was smashed and my in-dash CD player was stolen also. So taking your GPS or iPod with you is a good idea. I did eventually upgrade to a 80GB iPod which cost me the same as the 40GB.

[Nigam]

Is it a good idea to fit an alarm system, leaving my car door unlocked and showing a GPS system? I would like to fish for thieves...and see them behind the bars.

[Clive Woodrow]

Went to Dallas on a business trip, before going to the client’s office we stop at Mc Donald's for lunch. Our rental car was parked facing a 4 lane street in the McDonalds parking lot at lunch time. 12 minutes later we went back to the car, glass everywhere, GPS gone.
Funny enough (well not really) our laptops bags were in the back seat in plain view – safe and sound.
Visa covered the damage to the car, but the Rental company charged me the fee for the GPS unit.
If you get CDW insurance at the time of the rental, you would not have to pay for the GPS unit if it was stolen.
Long day, but it could have been worse.
Lessons for me:
1) Pay for the extra coverage.
2) Hide the GPS unit when you leave the car.
3) Portable units don't have to be mounted to work, so people watching you won't see the big suction cup on the window.
4) Don’t be such a guy and buy a map ;)

[Shawn Grill]

I mount my portable GPS in one of my cup holders. It keeps it out of sight and off the windshield.

[AnwarJaffery]

just last week here in Martinez,Ca.(A relatively nice and quiet neighbourhood) My neighbor had to go through the same agony... As she used to leave her portable GPS mounted on the windsheild in her car porch outside an apartment complex, when finally it did make Mr.passer by tempted to it and brake her Honda civic passenger-side window in the middle of the night and got away with a $300 unit. In the morning when she got the surprise of glass pieces scattered all over the floor and eventually reallized that what caused it, police was called and the advise from the officer was that never leave your gadgets mounted or atleast visible from out side of the veihicle.
So please learn from these victims bad experiences and use your head.

[dpadhye]

Thanks for yoru condolences, Paul!
Although it's true that one would get better GPS for less than the one stolen, this doesn't help the fact that typically the victim loses more than GPS.
I recently lost not only my top-of-the-line Garmin GPS on a business trip while parked in a office parking lot in suburban DC but also had to deal with broken glass shards all over my car, a 250-mile drive back home on I-95 with passenger-side window open and another $250 to replace that window glass since my car insuarance deductible is more than that.
Surprisingly, I last week got a call from a detective from the VA police department where I lodged the complaint telling me that they hasd nabbed a ring of GPS thieves. Unfortunately, my GPS unit was not recovered. He promised to search my GPS serial number in his pawn shop database, but haven't heard from him since then. So I've given up hoped of getting it back and have bought a much cheaper refurbished TomTom GPS instead, so it won't hurt as bad it it were to be stolen again :-(