The latest trend in auto thefts is the quick smash and grabs of Infiniti vehicles. Many times, the criminals break through the roof of the Infini and get away with the car in under 3 minutes. It’s a nationwide problem that police and dealerships need to know about and go on a high alert.
In Baltimore, a WBAL-TV 11 news story quotes a Baltimore County police report that there has been a more than 350% increase in Infiniti car thefts. In another story, police tell Ohio’s 19 News that intruders stole three Infiniti vehicles from a car dealership.
New Orleans 4WWL reports that more than 100 Infiniti cars have been swiped this year. It looks like the thieves broke the windows to steal the vehicles. It surprised the owner of an Infiniti because she thought Kias and Hyundais were the hot cars for thefts.
A mechanic told the news reporter that it only takes a few minutes to steal an Infiniti. Thieves break in through the sunroof. Then, they use a blank key fob along with a programmed tablet to start the car and drive off. An Infiniti spokesperson admits that the increase in auto thefts is affecting many communities.
In St. Louis, the owner of an Infiniti tells KSDK news his car was gone in 60 seconds. St. Louis experienced a 200% increase in stolen Infiniti vehicles between 2022 and 2023. As the aforementioned news stories reveal, offenders are stealing these vehicles without key fobs.
The devices that help crooks pilfer Infiniti cars are not cheap. They cost at least $10,000, but that’s not much when they’re taking cars worth $80,000. These are high-level criminals. They’re scratching off the Vehicle Identification Number and reselling them without the vehicle history report.
Infiniti cars are a target because of their valuable parts. An owner told CBS News that their car’s exhaust system was $1,500. Titanium exhausts are worth $2,000 to $3,000. A Reddit post talks about the methods crooks apply to steal an Infiniti. They’re using a key fob signal relay attack or clone key fobs. Part of the problem is the bootlegged devices that allow someone to program a blank key fob.
Dealerships across North America need to get ahead of the luxury vehicle theft trend to help protect their new and used inventories.
Recommendations Prevent Auto Theft for Dealership Clients
To help owners protect their vehicles, Baltimore County police provided these tips. Dealerships can strengthen their relationship with their customers by sharing these recommendations.
The most obvious is to lock the vehicle and keep the windows closed. This includes those parked in front of the home. Then, use a steering wheel lock, alarm system, or other anti-theft devices. If using the club, ensure the yellow part appears in full view to anyone looking in the window. Vehicles with clubs can take longer to steal but they can still be broken into. Therefore, pair it with a brake pedal lock.
Park in well-lit areas while avoiding isolated parking areas. Some people like to park far from the entrance to get exercise. This is one time that it’s not a good idea. Vehicles need to be parked with the crowd and as close to the entrance. This increases the chances that there are people around and close enough to observe suspicious behavior around vehicles.
Whenever possible, park the Infiniti in a garage or parking structure. Do not store anything of value in the vehicle. Keep key fobs in the middle of the home. (Even if the car is parked in a garage, do not leave the key fob in the car.) Also, put a camera near the vehicle.
More importantly, anytime something appears suspicious, contact the police. Do not approach the suspects. Some are dangerous as one thief shot at a customer per the KSDK news story.
It’s worth investing a few hundred dollars in a security system. This is a small amount to avoid paying thousands of dollars for a new vehicle. The owner of an Infiniti who posted on Reddit advises putting multiple trackers in the car. They also recommend having a trusted mechanic install a kill switch. Their Infiniti was taken, but they got it back within 12 hours because of the trackers.
How Dealerships Can Deter Infiniti and Luxury Auto Thefts
The first thing dealerships should do is notify their customers, warn them about vehicle thefts, and share the advice from the previous section. Infiniti auto thefts happen fast. Put up as many barriers as possible to deter thieves. One option is to add concrete barriers around the dealership as these blockers will delay any potential theft.
When possible, store Infiniti vehicles inside for the night or use boots. Another option is to disable a fuel pump or starter fuses. The more layers the dealerships add to their security, the less likely the crooks will want to attempt to swipe an Infiniti or other luxury or high-performance vehicle.
This is why dealerships work with companies like ECAM to install commercial-grade security technologies like video surveillance with remote monitoring services. The process consists of the security professional doing an evaluation of the dealership. This helps them determine where to post the high-definition security cameras. They can help make sure there are no unmonitored areas.
ECAM’s video cameras come equipped with advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and include monitoring services done by trained human monitoring operators. The combination of artificial and human intelligence helps close many of the gaps when both aren’t used as part of the monitoring process. It turns video surveillance and remote monitoring services into a dynamic and scalable solution. It can scale up or down with the dealership.
The strength of artificial intelligence lies in being able to watch many video monitors simultaneously. It looks for patterns and anomalies that it has been programmed to find. This helps speed proactive response to threats and automates the tedious monitoring process.
As soon as something suspicious occurs, artificial intelligence can alert a trained monitoring operator who can assess the situation and respond as needed for the situation.
If it’s a safety issue or something not related to a crime, ECAM can contact the dealership to provide a report. But if there are shady people at the dealership, then the monitoring operator could issue a verbal warning over a speaker. The operator is in a safe place away from the dealership watching over the entire lot.
In some cases, the audible warning is enough to scare away the suspects. But unfortunately, brazen thieves may not be scared off easily. In this case, the monitoring operator can call the police while following the intruders on the cameras.
The monitoring operator can provide the police with real-time information about the location, suspects, and activities. Responding officers often arrive at the dealership before the intruders get away. However, if they escape, the monitoring operator and video recordings can help speed up the search for the suspects and arrest.
Video surveillance and remote monitoring can do more than deter crime. It can help find opportunities to improve productivity and operational efficiencies. Some customers try to commit fraud by claiming the dealership’s service lane damaged their vehicle. Security cameras help dealerships win liability claims like that because everything is saved as recordings.
ECAM’s dealership clients have used these recordings in training, solving crimes, and providing better customer service.
Check out these videos to learn how video surveillance protects dealerships:
- Texas Dealership Catches Auto Burglar in the Act with Remote Surveillance
- Intruder Spotted on Surveillance in Dealership Inventory Vehicle
- Nighttime Trespasser Seen on Surveillance at Georgia Dealership
In partnering with a company like ECAM, you’ll be working with a company that has experience in securing auto dealerships. Many of ECAM’s clients see a return on their investment within months.
Benefits of Video Surveillance and Remote Monitoring for Dealerships
Here are some of the benefits of remote video monitoring for automotive dealerships:
- Get proactive security: Remote video monitoring lets dealerships catch and respond to threats in real time before any damage occurs.
- Lower crime rates: Studies show that video monitoring can reduce crime rates by up to 50%.
- Get faster police response: ECAM has partnerships with police departments across North Americas. This means the police tend to respond faster when they get a call from ECAM knowing they have video verification that a crime is in progress.
- Cut security costs: Video surveillance and remote monitoring is a cost-effective alternative to traditional security measures. It’s like having a full-time security employee without the cost of one.
- Gain peace of mind: Knowing that your dealership is being monitored by a team of highly trained monitoring operators allows you to rest easy knowing that the dealership, inventory, and other assets are safe.
To learn more about dealership security that helps protect Infiniti cars, Hyundais, Kias, and other luxury or high-performance vehicles, contact us with your questions.
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