Often expensive brands of cars are stolen
So, the missing car is discovered, and the police have already arrived. What to do? First, as briefly as possible, but with clarification of all the details, we tell the policeman about what happened. It is extremely important to note:
- approximate time of theft;
- possible suspects in this case (if any);
- vehicle identification information.
Often, after such a conversation, a representative of law enforcement makes a preliminary orientation to other departments (traffic police, traffic police, etc.), which often helps to catch thieves in the hot.
However, it is important to understand that the police officer has the right not to take any action until a complaint is received from the victim. Considering this moment of the jurisprudence of the Russian Federation, after the conversation we immediately write a statement about the theft and take it to the duty unit at the place of the theft. The body of the document must include:
- all information about the car (especially according to external signs);
- personal data of the applicant (injured motorist);
- date of preparation of the document;
- the addressee of the application (the head of the department).
When you submit your application, be sure to find out exactly who will be responsible for investigating your case. This is required in order to notify the responsible officer of the "surfaced" facts.
Having carried out the actions described above, it remains only to assist the police in finding the car. Assistance is understood as providing the police with all the information that can even slightly help in solving the case.
Everything can help - from recent photos of the car to specific papers for the vehicle.
I did not argue and in the process of registration I myself found out where the car was. The signal came from the city of Rzhev, Tver region, about 210 km from the Zelenogradsky district. I again began to insist on my own, offering to write down the number of the phone-machka, to find it.
But they didn’t need it - the police just wanted to process the call to the 112 phone as soon as possible and leave faster.”
As a result, an hour passed, the motorist could not stand it, and he decided to go for his car, accompanied by a friend, a policeman, who volunteered to help him outside of office hours. “The investigator did not let me go, but she refused to go herself,” the motorist specified.
- We spent the whole day in Rzhev, trying to find a car, but the signal constantly went astray and it was not possible to determine the exact location.
First steps in case of vehicle theft
Thieves use nanotechnology to open locks
In a situation where the car was not found at the place of abandonment, it is first and foremost important to exclude a possible evacuation. It is also worth considering whether someone from your loved ones could take the car for use without warning you personally.
If these events are excluded, then you can’t hesitate for a minute - you need to make two mandatory calls:
- First call - contacting the police. It is better to call the duty unit at the place of theft. Calling the nearest branch is not difficult - just dial the number: "102" - and tell the relevant information to the operator.
- The second call is to notify the insurance company (in the presence of CASCO and similar types of insurance).
In addition, if the car was stolen while under surveillance, it is important to contact the persons guarding it and try to solve the theft together before the police arrive. For example, when a car is lost from a guarded parking lot, CCTV cameras very often help. In other cases, it will not be superfluous to find witnesses.
Having made the previously noted calls, it is also worth:
- Leave the place of theft unchanged. That is, if glass was broken or things of potential hijackers were found, it is strictly forbidden to touch anything. This is due to the fact that careless actions can personally hide evidence against criminals.
- If possible, find all available documents for the car. Here it is worth clarifying that absolutely any documents can help in finding a car - from the TCP to the service book.
- Must find passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or other document proving the identity of the owner of the stolen car. Without this paper, it will be extremely problematic to write a corresponding statement to the police exactly at the place of the theft.
- After the arrival of the police, you need to act together with representatives of law and order, as well as all persons who can help in finding a car. We will talk more about the rules for contacting the police below.
If your car disappeared from the parking lot, this could not only be due to the actions of intruders.
Therefore, after calling the police department on duty, make inquiries about impounds. If the car is actually stolen, you need to immediately begin search activities.
The investigator assigned to search for your car can handle several cases at once, so it's worth trying to find a stolen car on your own. The longer you stay idle, the less likely you are to find something missing.
Criminals often hide cars near the scene of the theft to pick up after the hype has died down. Even if your efforts lead to the desired result, you will not be able to do without the help of the police. Criminals are unlikely to want to give up their booty and may offer armed resistance.
Search for eyewitnesses
Immediately after filing a police report, begin an independent search for possible witnesses. If the car was stolen in the yard of an apartment complex, interview the residents of the houses closest to the crime scene, janitors and concierges.
Do not be too lazy to interview employees of auto repair shops in your city. Perhaps someone offered them to purchase parts from a car of your model. Report the results of your searches to the investigator.
At present, surveillance cameras have become widespread not only in large and small cities, but also in rural areas. Their records often help in solving crimes. Video recording devices are installed near shops, office buildings, in parking lots and in the yards of residential buildings.
You should find the owners of the cameras and ask for the recordings made on the day the car was stolen. Not everyone will agree to help, citing certain reasons. In this case, contact your investigator - his official powers allow you to seize recordings from surveillance cameras in order to conduct search activities.
Today is the most fast way dissemination of information - the Internet. They are now not used only by the lazy. In search activities, ad sites and social networks will help you.
Stealing a car for the purpose of selling or offering to buy it at half price.
At the same time, they practically do not pay attention to license plates.
Terms of conducting search activities
Active searches are conducted only for 2-3 months, and then the case is suspended, but the car is not removed from the search. For all registration actions in the traffic police, according to her data, a ban is imposed. Official term search for a stolen car is directly related to such a concept as the limitation period. In case of theft of the vehicle, this period is:
- 2 years - in the absence of other corpus delicti;
- 6 years - when other valuable property is stolen along with the car;
- 10 years - if during the commission of the crime there was violence that does not pose a danger to the life of the victim, as well as in the case of incidental theft of property on an especially large scale;
- 15 years - when the actions of intruders threatened the life of the owner of the car or other persons.
After the expiration of the limitation period, the search for the car is terminated. At this time, it can be temporarily deregistered in order not to pay transport tax and not receive penalty receipts.
What to do if a stolen car is found
taking fingerprints, examining items in the cabin, etc. How long this will last, no one can say for sure. Only after the case is brought to court will the car be returned to its rightful owner. Now he will be able to start restoring documents and registration plates.
An application for insurance compensation can be submitted only two months after the application to the police - provided that during this time the stolen car was not found.
If, after receiving the insurance indemnity, the stolen car is found and returned to the owner, the development of further events will depend on the terms of the insurance contract. Here are the possible options:
- The found vehicle will become the property of the insurance company, which will dispose of it at its discretion.
- The car will remain with the previous owner, who will have to return the entire amount received under the CASCO.
You should pay special attention to these points when applying for insurance and choose the best option for yourself.
A broken body number on a car found after theft will bring new problems to its owner. In this situation, the last word remains with the criminologists. If they establish that the found car really belongs to a specific person, the car will be registered again with the traffic police.
However, it will not be possible to sell it, since according to Order No. 605 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation of 08/07/13, registration actions with vehicles with changed identification data are not performed.
The Vin-code is applied in three places on the car body, so if the attackers killed only the main number under the hood, the owner has a chance to re-register with the traffic police. However, inspectors, wanting to be safe, may refuse to re-register the car. An official complaint to the Main Directorate of the traffic police will help them to “persuade”.
A call from unknown persons demanding a ransom for a stolen car is not ruled out. Do not rush to meet with them and even more so to transfer money. These may be scammers who want to earn extra money on your trouble. For verification, you can ask to send a photo of the car.
If the criminals insist on transferring money to them, provide the investigator with the number bank card or accounts. This can help in identifying the attacker. Also report calls to the police - they have the opportunity to determine the owner of the phone number.
A car found after theft often needs repair - replacement of broken windows, broken wires, ignition switch and other parts damaged by criminals. The cost of restoration will fall entirely on the shoulders of the rightful owner.
However, repairs can be started only after the completion of all investigative measures, forensic examinations and the transfer of the case to court. Until this moment, the car is material evidence, so it is necessary to keep it in the same condition in which it was seized from the criminals.
If the stolen car is insured with CASCO, write an appeal to the insurance company. The insurance company regulates the exact procedure - a statement to the police and instant notification of an insured event.
Be careful at the time of conclusion of the CASCO agreement. Some insurers recognize the fact of theft if the stolen car was in a guarded parking lot at the time of the theft. If its location was different, it is highly likely that the fact of theft will not be recognized as an insured event (as a rule, the requirements are only for overnight parking - it must be strictly guarded).
The following documents must be submitted to the insurance company:
- application for an insured event;
- set of documents and keys.
The standard procedure for considering the possibility of paying compensation is up to 30 days. Remember, the insurer does not have the right to deduct the amount of depreciation in the appraised value. Get insurance payments– it is possible only in the amount specified in the CASCO agreement (compensation for a stolen car).
If you suddenly managed to find a stolen car - do not try to detain the hijackers on your own, who, if caught, face 5 to 7 years. Call the police - try to secretly transmit the address of the car, with a possible description of the hijackers.
If you have questions, consult a lawyer
You can ask your question in the form below, in the online consultant window at the bottom right of the screen or call the numbers (24 hours a day, seven days a week).
Insurance companies, as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, keep their own statistics regarding car thefts. Information is traced regarding which brands of cars are stolen most often, what is the frequency of thefts, and so on. Therefore, sometimes it is useful to get acquainted with such information for motorists.
Most often, foreign-made cars are stolen. Here, the top five includes such cars as Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota, Kia, Ford. The next five cars also do not include domestic cars in their list. These are cars of the following brands: Mazda, Lexus, Renault, Mitsubishi, Audi. But that doesn't mean that domestic brands cars are not stolen, if you look at the entire rating for theft, then here you can see such car brands as VAZ, UAZ and a number of very expensive cars.
Now you can look at a specific list, which includes the TOP 10 most stolen cars.
Car Owners Toyota Camry should be on the lookout. Most often, this model is of interest to hijackers. But also others Toyota modifications will not go unnoticed. Toyota Land cruiser- the model is quite expensive, which can attract scammers. But stealing this brand of car is not so easy. The hijacker must be quite experienced. Toyota RAV4 is a common and reliable car, the price tag for it is quite acceptable. Perhaps this is what attracts thieves. No matter how strange it may seem, but such a brand of car as Hilux takes the fourth place of honor in the ranking of thefts. Lexus RX and Lexus GX are those SUVs that belong to the premium class cars. In addition to premium brands, hijackable Hyundai cars. Among them, Solaris, Creta, Santa Fe are popular. Of course, the list itself is not limited to just these cars.
Independent search
Any motorist can find himself in a situation where his car is stolen. But what to do in such a case? How to behave, where to go? First, you need not to panic and think about whether the car could not have simply been evacuated. The tow truck could take away the vehicle, for example, for improper parking. If this option is excluded, then, of course, you need to contact law enforcement agencies in the first place. But this does not mean that you need to give up on your own search. Therefore, you need to know how to find a stolen car on your own.
GPS system
Usually, owners of expensive vehicles spare no expense to equip their car with a GPS navigation system. All data is transmitted to the phone using a mobile operator. You can also use a computer. As soon as it became clear that the car was stolen, you need to use the program to determine the direction of the car. There is a special program that helps to remotely track the car.
If you managed to track the car, then you need to try to catch up with it. Of course, it is best to transfer all available data (make of the car, number, color, route of movement) to the police. If less than 30 minutes have passed since the car was stolen, then it is possible to carry out an emergency interception plan.
The owner must have the documents for the vehicle and the keys with him without fail.
It will be possible to catch up with the car if you work closely with the police. In this case, the chance to return your car increases. After they managed to catch up with the car and stop, they immediately draw up a protocol.
But it often happens that the attackers simply leave the car that they tried to steal in some unsociable place. Usually this is done so that the car stops for a while and everything calms down. If the car owner approached the car first, then it is strictly forbidden to enter the car on his own. The police officers themselves will carry out the necessary measures, draw up acts. In the future, employees will give the necessary instructions on how to act as the owner of a stolen car.
Finding stolen cars this way has its advantages. Almost any car equipped with a navigation system is located, and the car is intercepted as soon as possible. But among the pluses there is one significant minus: usually hijackers use special jammers that can suppress the signal.
The era of Glonass in 2019 began to become widespread. This system has SOS buttons and special built-in beacons. It is these beacons that can show where the car is located. This system is similar to a GPS navigation system.
No GPS - what to do?
If the car does not have a GPS system, then what to do in this case? What search options can be used? After all, not every motorist wants to spend money on installing such a system. As already mentioned, often cars are allowed to settle somewhere in quiet places or sleeping areas. Therefore, there is a chance to find a car on your own. But if you apply several search options, then you can find a car in a short time.
If the car was in a crowded place, then it is worth looking for witnesses. Surely someone could see suspicious people. Perhaps these people looked at several cars, and then chose one and tried to get into it. At best, an outsider will immediately report suspicious individuals to the police, but not everyone will pay attention at all and sound the alarm.
If in the end there were eyewitnesses, then you need to talk to them and take phone numbers for communication. The testimony of such witnesses is very valuable.
When the investigation of car theft drags on, then the chances of finding a car fall. After all, all the collected evidence and evidence eventually lose their relevance. Starting the search for witnesses on your own, you can try to interview more people. It can be not just passers-by, but also employees of various public services, neighbors.
The internet can also be helpful. You can place ads online looking for witnesses to help gather evidence. But you should not deviate from the traditional method - posting ads. Often this method helps to find valuable witnesses.
Now almost every building, including houses, has video cameras. In sleeping areas, on noisy streets, roads - you can see cameras everywhere, in our age everything is quite well guarded. The retention period for camera recordings varies. But if you start the investigation right away, you can find the necessary information. By viewing the recordings from nearby cameras, you can see in which direction the car was moving. If the car was stolen from the parking lot, then the guards should have records. When stealing from the parking lot of the store, there is a high probability of seeing the car in the recording from the cameras.
As for the cameras that are on the buildings, it's understandable. But there is also a variant of cameras, or rather registrars, in other machines. If it was noticed that there is a camera in a neighboring car, then you can try to find the owner of this car and ask him to watch the recording. Few refuse such requests. But if the refusal is received, then a reward can be offered. From the recording, you can learn a lot of interesting things, up to the fact that you can see the face of the suspect.
Search ads
How to find a stolen car using ads? Firstly, you can submit ads yourself in order to find at least some clue. Secondly, you can search for ads for sale yourself. A common reason why thieves steal a car is to sell the car or sell it for parts. On various sites on the Internet, in newspapers you can find advertisements for the sale. Moreover, you need to engage in viewing constantly, because every day ads are updated.
Of course, it is extremely difficult to recognize a car by spare parts, but if a car is sold completely, then you should pay attention to cars with a similar configuration. If you managed to find an ad that supposedly says about your car, then you should not immediately try to prove that it is your property. By calling the ad, you need to calmly ask about the car (or spare parts).
Having learned all the necessary data (about the car, about the seller) and writing them down, the information must be transferred to the police. It is not worth doing further research on your own.
Appeal to government agencies
Calling the police station is also one of the first steps to take. It is best to do this immediately so that the authorities are able to start searching as soon as possible. When giving all information over the phone, you need to give only reliable data.
After that, you need to visit the branch in person. The application must be written according to the form provided. Having accepted the application, the authorities will immediately begin the search. But before going to the department, you need to constantly remind by phone about the theft, so that the process is by no means delayed. Having learned information about who will be engaged in the search, you can be interested in how the case is progressing.
Detective Services
Trusting the first agency can lead to the fact that you remain deceived. There are various schemes according to which the detective can cooperate with scammers. Also, unscrupulous detectives can say that the case is moving, but in fact, just lie.
But still, in this segment there are conscientious workers who can find a car in a short time. Of course, they also need at least some data, and the more of them, the better. Good agencies will not charge big money for their services. They may ask for a small deposit. Sometimes detectives work without prepayment, but here everything is individual.
All detectives work exclusively within the law. Even if you managed to find a clue in the search vehicle, the detective can report this to the investigator.
If the car is insured against theft
When a car is insured, many people think that compensation can be obtained quickly. But it's not. What you need to know about it:
- Approximately within a month it will be necessary to wait for confirmation. Employees of the insurance company will, together with special services, carry out work and talk with the victim.
- It will not be possible to receive an amount equal to the cost of the entire machine. Usually 80 - 90% of the cost is returned. It should also be borne in mind that agents take money for their work.
- You should not count on the fact that the money will come quickly, you will have to wait at least three months until the payment is made. If the cost of the car is more than 1 million rubles, then the payment period will be delayed even more.
- When applying again to the insurance company, the client may receive a refusal.
But that doesn't mean you have to stop acting. On the contrary, you need to do everything to get your compensation. What to do, what are the actions?
- A complaint is filed with the police. Document the theft together with the insurer.
- The control card must be taken.
- You need to get a certificate stating that the car owner is applying specifically in connection with the theft of the car.
- You need information about when the criminal case was initiated, you need to make a copy and take it with you.
- You need to submit documents to the insurance company: a policy, documents for a car and an application.
Not every Insurance Company happy to pay compensation. You may have to spend a little nerve to prove your case.
The car was found: what to do?
The department where the theft was filed must be reported if the car was found. But do not get into the car yourself. Employees after the call go to the place immediately. You have to wait for their arrival. All documents that are available for the car, plus the acts that were drawn up, must be collected and carried with you.
After you are faced with what is your motor vehicle was stolen, there is only one question - what to do? There is no need to panic, because this will lead to the loss of precious time. If you are faced with a similar situation, immediately contact the detective agency "Version". Experts help quickly and hot on the trail to find a stolen car. With timely treatment, we often manage to find a car in a day. An individual approach, a complete analysis of the current situation, helps to achieve such a result. We manage to achieve a quick and positive result thanks to a non-standard approach and creative thinking of our employees. Before starting to search for a car, a detailed plan is developed and we act according to the instructions. We are confident that the methods used really work, as evidenced by the feedback from grateful clients and a high percentage of successfully solved cases.
Benefits of applying for a car search in our agency
If your car is stolen, do not panic, it will not lead to anything good. Immediately contact our detective agency, where professionals work in their field. By contacting us, in addition to a positive result, you get the following benefits:
- individual approach. We will analyze your case in detail and, depending on the situation, we will select the most effective ways to search for a stolen car;
- good result. You can always count on it, because we work only using proven methods;
- safety of information. All information that is provided to our detectives remains completely safe and is not transferred to third parties.
All measures are carried out promptly, because this is what helps us achieve a positive result.
Methodology
Initially, specialists study the situation, listen and record the client’s indicators so as not to miss a single detail. After we develop a plan and clearly follow it. We have at our disposal not only a team of qualified detectives with extensive experience, but also modern equipment, technologies that allow us to break into databases, and we always use the help of law enforcement agencies.
In the current economic situation in the country, car theft has become commonplace not only in metropolitan areas (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Perm, Novosibirsk), but also in small towns. In practice, the best-selling car brands in a particular region are mainly subjected to theft, as they are more in demand and in the future, they can be quickly and easily sold.
Topped the list of stolen cars in 2016 domestic cars LADA brands, the remaining places in the top five were taken by budget cars from Korea and Japan: TOYOTA, HYUNDAI, KIA and NISSAN.
On average, it takes a specialist thief a few minutes to steal these cars, since their regular alarms are easily hacked, and optional equipment has a low degree of protection.
The top 5 stolen premium cars are as follows: LAND ROVER DISCOVERY, BMW X5, LEXUS LX, BMW SERIES 5, MERSEDES E-CLASS. The budget list was headed by the Koreans HYUNDAI SOLARIS and KIA RIO.
Car theft is an extremely unpleasant situation for its owner. Unfortunately, most of the stolen cars are not returned to the owner. According to the statistics of the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, only 2-3% of stolen cars are returned to the owner as a result of verification actions. However, if your car is stolen, it is not a hopeless situation.
Some of the victims in search of help resort to the use of "word of mouth" (posting information about the theft in in social networks etc.), someone turns to acquaintances in the criminal sphere, and someone resorts to the services of detective agencies or just private detectives. As a rule, private detectives are former government employees with a large number of acquaintances ("connections") in law enforcement. When contacting such detectives, the result will be no more than from police officers, and this will most likely be money thrown to the wind.
In 2016, the detective agency "Operative - Detective Bureau" found 84.7% of stolen cars of customers. “Searching for a car” is an ordinary task for us. If necessary, detective agency employees will promptly arrive at the scene and analyze the situation, take data from street cameras, raise sources in various fields, and agency detectives use methods that have been ignored by law enforcement officers. If you have become a victim of thieves and your car has been stolen, we will use all the necessary forces, knowledge and special equipment to return your pet.
The detectives of the Operational Detective Bureau, working in the direction of "return of stolen cars" have over 20 years of experience behind them.
Due to the high efficiency of the "operational - detective bureau", our clients are a number of the largest insurance companies in Russia.
During the period of activity of the detective agency "Operatively - detective bureau", we found cars stolen back in the distant 2000s, so do not lose hope of finding your car even when a lot of time has passed and the search for law enforcement agencies has not been successful.
How do we find such old cars? Easily!
"Search for a car" is one of the priorities of the detective agency, and as mentioned earlier, we use methods that have gone unnoticed by law enforcement officers. If the car after theft changed VIN numbers and engine, and it's still in use - we'll find it. Our detectives, when searching for a car, are one of the few who use the “3 bases conflict” method.
Only cars that have been stolen for parts will not be returned
We will find your car quickly and legally!
07.07.17 90 095 10
Which is not insured and not equipped with satellite signaling
I heard about car theft many times, but I never thought that I would be the victim.
We will figure out how car owners should act in order to return the car after theft.
Andrey Burtsev
became a victim of theft and figured out how to act
Everything in the family
First, make sure that the car is not in the possession of a spouse or other close person who has access to the car. You will be surprised how often a car is reported stolen when the wife went shopping in it.
Check out the evacuation
The car could be towed due to improper parking. Call the emergency number 112 to find out if your car has been towed. If there is no information about the evacuation, contact the police.
Contact the police
If there is no information about the evacuation of your car anywhere, call the police. Within an hour, a district police officer should arrive who will take testimony and take you to the station to fill out an application: he will either write it himself or ask you to write according to the model. You will need a passport and a vehicle registration certificate.
After you submit your application, you will be given a ticket. Save it - it will prove your innocence if the hijackers get into an accident.
It is also useful to immediately obtain three more documents from the police:
- a decision to initiate a criminal case and a certificate of the fact of theft - will be needed for the tax in order to suspend the accrual of transport tax;
- an act of acceptance of documents and keys - is needed for the insurance company to apply for a refund of money for hull insurance.
You can get these documents later when you deal with taxes and insurance, but in order not to go twice, issue them right away.
Recordings from surveillance cameras
The fact that cameras were filming the car at the time of the theft means little. The police immediately told me that the cameras would not help. But that's no reason to do nothing.
I spent three days getting a record from the management company. In the process, it turned out that one camera generally hangs for beauty and does not work.
But now I know that putting the car at night under the camera is not a panacea.
Draw attention
Most likely, 2-3 weeks after the theft, your car will be in the sump. A sump is a place where thieves take a car before selling it.
“Usually, after theft, the car does not go further than 3-5 km. This is due to the fact that hijackers assume the worst-case scenario: they will report the hijacking immediately. There are 3 minutes to drive the car until the information reaches the mobile police crews. During this time, you need to drive the car to the sump without attracting attention, ”says Maria Ermilova, an investigator on duty at the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Primorsky District of St. Petersburg.
Therefore, it is important to inform the concerned residents of the city as soon as possible. To do this, there are special groups in social networks to search for stolen cars. People looking for their cars often stumble upon the stolen cars of other victims. There are enthusiasts who join the search for a fee. Look for similar groups in your city.
Alena Bogdanovich from St. Petersburg found her car in a similar way. The thieves hid her car in a garage co-op. We found the car thanks to the vigilance of the locals in Vkontakte. The hijackers managed to change the numbers and reflash the alarm, but in the end the police sorted it out and the car was returned. It took a month to find and return the car.
Moscow group in "Vkontakte" 
Petersburg group in "Vkontakte" 
Announce your reward
Police officers are not interested in searching: their task is to solve a criminal case and catch criminals. If the car is found, but there are no robbers, the case will not be closed, and the crime detection statistics will worsen.
The public movement of motorists MDA "Avtobrat" acts as a guarantor that guarantees the payment of remuneration to third parties if they find a stolen car. This is a commercial organization that makes money from it.
The guarantor sends information about the award to the DMIA - the initiator of the search - and informs about the stolen car and the amount of the reward on his website. Anyone who knows about the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle will receive the announced reward for reliable information.
The commission for services is paid in full immediately after the conclusion of the contract. They promise to return the money if the car is not found: this is written in the contract as a payment of material assistance. But there is a limitation: in order to receive the full amount of the commission, you need to insure hull insurance for any vehicle worth more than 60,000 euros. If the insurance amount is less than 25,000 euros, then the payment will be 20% of the commission.
16 500 R
surety commission
The guarantee scheme is similar to a deception in order to profit from the victims. After all, they are ready to use any chance to return the car. The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirms that the MDA "Avtobrat" really transmits information about the reward, but they do not know how many people this has helped.
Post ads in groups
The stolen car search community posts ads for free. The victim publishes information about the theft on the site, which is visible to all visitors. Concerned eyewitnesses report information about similar or suspicious cars to the operator or add it to the appropriate section on the site.
For an additional fee, you can highlight an ad or send an SMS to community members.
Alena Shushkevich's car was stolen 5 days after mine. Two weeks later, the car was found by a community member in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. The car was with Belarusian numbers and a new body number. Looks like she was getting ready to go.
The person who sent the photo of the stolen car said he saw my car in the same area three days ago. He remembered the custom-made interior, which was burgundy-brown - this is not provided in the trim levels from the manufacturer. The eyewitness did not know that this car was wanted and reported only after my appeal, but the car had already been overtaken.
Avoid scammers
As soon as you report theft on the Internet, scammers will be interested in you. They will offer to reveal the location of the stolen car for money.
And issue ultimatums:
Signs of a scammer:
- Cannot name the vehicle.
- Calling from another region.
- Asks to disconnect or change the sim card.
- He promises to show the car first, and when you arrive, he asks you to transfer money through the terminal. Justified by the fact that he is afraid and needs to make sure.
If they sent you photos of your car, ask them to take new pictures in a certain way - for example, with a screwdriver and a phone in the driver's seat, in front of today's newspaper, separately scratches and dents. Sometimes criminals send photos to closed groups on social networks for extortionists to use.
Search yourself
If the car was stolen less than a week ago, there is a chance to find it on your own. Sometimes owners find cars in cesspools, which are located in one or two areas from the place of theft.
Just walking around the neighboring areas is ineffective: because of the unknown and the scale, faith is quickly lost and a feeling of hopelessness appears. It is better to organize your search. Call friends for help or turn to volunteers to split into groups and search faster.
Make route maps of places where stolen cars are most often found. Such information can be obtained in communities with announcements of thefts or from an investigator who owns statistics. As you move along the search route, mark on the maps the territories that you managed to pass. So you will not get confused where you have already been and where you have not.
It is better to go around the yards on bicycles. Unlike a car, it’s easy to turn around on them and drive inside closed yards.
In one of these yards, Garik from Moscow found his Honda, methodically driving around the area of the theft.
My car was not found
Two months later, my car was still not found, although I was one step away from returning it. The first two weeks after the hijacking, I was at a loss, did not know how to act and what to do. This took away the time during which it was possible to find a car in hot pursuit.
The main conclusion that I made: we must not waste time and immediately search. While I was looking for my car with volunteers, several stolen cars were found.
I hope that my experience will be useful and save the budget of many victims.
And my car is still wanted, and I do not rule out that I can find it. Write to the editor if you know anything about the location of a car with similar signs.
If your car has been stolen
- Check by phone if the car has been evacuated.
- Take the certificate of theft and the decision to open a criminal case when you report it to the police.
- The more people who know about the theft, the faster they can help you. Add ads in social media groups and search sites.
- If you are offered to sell information about the location of the car, most likely they are scammers. Ask for photos and other evidence.
- Organize search parties to check the surrounding areas and lit cesspools.