Car break-in – clear message

The run up to Christmas is a gift for profiteering criminals, insurer If believes.

The number of car thefts in Norway has decreased in recent years, mainly due to new technology that makes selling cars more difficult. from Cars are a completely different story.

The number of car theft incidents has risen by more than 33 percent in the past three years, according to figures from industry organization Finans Norge. Expensive items in their original boxes are very attractive to thieves who use back seats and trunks of cars.

Stolen from cars

In the first three months of this year, 4,464 cases of car theft were reported to Norwegian insurance companies. Valuables were stolen and damage worth over NOK 88 million was caused in these car break-ins.

-You can see broken windows after car break-ins all year round. But the thing about the time before Christmas is that thieves often find consumer electronics such as tablets, computers and heart rate monitors in their original packaging.

– Packaging makes it much easier to sell stolen goods and turn the theft into pure cash, says If communications director Sigmund Clements.

He stresses that car break-ins can happen almost anywhere.

Bring your valuables inside

– Burglars are often quite impulsive, and do not rely on an empty alley with no light to be able to commit robberies. We receive thefts from cars parked in shopping mall parking lots, in the owner’s driveway and from well-lit streets. The secret to avoiding car break-ins, Clementz says, is as simple as not keeping valuables in the car.

It is believed that Christmas gifts wrapped in wrapping paper resemble surprise bags for criminals.

Uses a hoodie

Thieves are also not shy about monitoring parking lots and parking lots with cameras.

A sun hat or hoodie is usually all that is needed to conceal a person’s identity.

– If you are stopping at a café, take your shopping bags with you and take good care of them. If you’re on a gift drive for family and friends before Christmas, don’t leave the car with gifts for the people you visit next. Always bring everything, says If’s communications director.

He warns: – Norwegians are lazy and do not understand the danger

Tesla function

Are you among thousands of Tesla owners in Norway? In this case, it might be a good idea to activate the camera function called Sentry Mode in these hectic Christmas times.

Sentry mode monitors the car’s surroundings when there is a person near the car and the car is locked. Using cameras, Sentry Mode captures what’s happening and saves it on film.

Check out this popular Tesla feature

Previously, Sentry Mode was highlighted as a feature that protects against vandalism and theft. Tesla has turned off such ads for reasons of privacy and surveillance legislation, but the same functionality works as before.

note! Sentry Mode requires power from the battery and can use plus or minus 10 percent per day when turned on.