Well i went to start the Chinook up to winterize and VAROOM. Yep, someone sawed off the cat. After reading posts about
Theft i thought , yeah but its parked outside the house! Dont know the answer, just know that its a PITA and the theives
Are fast and looking out for easy money. Im in the process of fitting a straight temporary pipe so i can move it.
Watch out
Re: Watch out
Any city that have people who need money for a bottle of vodka or weed will be affected. It is a national problem, but mostly in the cities.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Re: Watch out
I live in the suburbs of loudon County Virginia. I dont agree that these are associated with drug abuse. Within 10 minutes
Of my discovery, while i was talking with a neighbor , another neighbor walking past said that the cat had been stolen
From her Toyota Prius last month. My cat was removed surgically with some power tools. These theives remove the metals inside
And have some recycler who gives them cash. Its a business of sorts.
Of my discovery, while i was talking with a neighbor , another neighbor walking past said that the cat had been stolen
From her Toyota Prius last month. My cat was removed surgically with some power tools. These theives remove the metals inside
And have some recycler who gives them cash. Its a business of sorts.
Re: Watch out
And for people interested Loudon County is very affluent, no places are safe. I live in Richmond and store in secure spot but when I leave at house another thing to worry about.
2001 Concourse XL Lounge model, 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis.
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JabberBox
Re: Watch out
I agree, it has nothing to do with drugs even though a handful of the thiefs might be looking for drug money. The price for the various metals inside the convertors has skyrocketed beyond reason. Rhodium, is fetching about $28,000 an ounce. That dwarfs the price of even an ounce of gold. Scrappers are paying people $50 - $250 per cat depending on its size. Thats why the criminals target specific vehicles such as the prius and vehicles with larger convertors. If a criminal can steal half a dozen cats per week at $200 each, thats $1200 per week or $4800 per month tax free money. If they get caught under a car and arrested, prosecuted, it ends up being a misdemeanor charge and they walk away paying a fine and restitution.
The problem is easy to solve, the fact of the matter is.... The corporate world doesnt want the problem solved. They want whats inside those convertors and since those metals are so hard to find and mine, its more cost effective to aquire them this way. If convertor theft was an automatic felony crime with jail time, it would virtually halt over night.
Its a three tier criminal enterprise. You have the criminals who steal the convertors, you have the scrapping business who acts as the middle man, and then you have the greedy corporation who wants those precious metals. The corporations wont do business directly with the criminals because they could be charged with criminal conspiracy. That said they need a middle man or fall guy who is a legitimate business, thats where the scrapper comes in, the scrapper buys the product from the criminals taking on 100% of the risk should they be caught buying stolen property. The scrapper pays the thief peanuts for each item delivered, then turns around and sells them to the corporations for thousands of dollars. The corporations purchase the stolen items knowing full well 50% of them are stolen goods but since all of the liability rests on the scrappers the corporations will never set foot in a court room.
The problem is easy to solve, the fact of the matter is.... The corporate world doesnt want the problem solved. They want whats inside those convertors and since those metals are so hard to find and mine, its more cost effective to aquire them this way. If convertor theft was an automatic felony crime with jail time, it would virtually halt over night.
Its a three tier criminal enterprise. You have the criminals who steal the convertors, you have the scrapping business who acts as the middle man, and then you have the greedy corporation who wants those precious metals. The corporations wont do business directly with the criminals because they could be charged with criminal conspiracy. That said they need a middle man or fall guy who is a legitimate business, thats where the scrapper comes in, the scrapper buys the product from the criminals taking on 100% of the risk should they be caught buying stolen property. The scrapper pays the thief peanuts for each item delivered, then turns around and sells them to the corporations for thousands of dollars. The corporations purchase the stolen items knowing full well 50% of them are stolen goods but since all of the liability rests on the scrappers the corporations will never set foot in a court room.
Re: Watch out
So I guess they are not people looking for drug money, but up and coming recycling entrepreneurs? 
I know a few of people who do not have a very stellar background, and they usually go away from their home town to do "business." The affluent neighborhood often have a higher than usual property crime (petty thief, robbery, burglary, etc.), but lower in violent crime (rape, murder, assault, etc.). It is not surprising that Loudon County is getting hit with cat problem if they have higher than average number of targeted vehicles (large trucks, and Japanese vehicles as well as hybrids).
As mentioned by JabberBox, it can be mitigated with proper enforcement and policy, but there is little incentive for those who can do it to proceed. I guess we will have to wait until they got their cat stolen, then they may want to do something about the issue.
I put some bricks and cider blocks under the rig to make it more difficult to access, but it is a pain whenever I need to move it out to exercise the engine.
I know a few of people who do not have a very stellar background, and they usually go away from their home town to do "business." The affluent neighborhood often have a higher than usual property crime (petty thief, robbery, burglary, etc.), but lower in violent crime (rape, murder, assault, etc.). It is not surprising that Loudon County is getting hit with cat problem if they have higher than average number of targeted vehicles (large trucks, and Japanese vehicles as well as hybrids).
As mentioned by JabberBox, it can be mitigated with proper enforcement and policy, but there is little incentive for those who can do it to proceed. I guess we will have to wait until they got their cat stolen, then they may want to do something about the issue.
I put some bricks and cider blocks under the rig to make it more difficult to access, but it is a pain whenever I need to move it out to exercise the engine.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
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grantandash
- Posts: 30
- Joined: June 18th, 2020, 7:40 am
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Watch out
Just had my stolen this week! Had it parked in a quiet upper-crust neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. My mechanic said they can install a "cat cage" as a deterrent, I said go ahead you've got the green light. I know it's not going to be a fool-proof solution but I'd take anything at this point for a little piece of mind. I'll post what I end up with if anyone is interested.
What a nightmare!
What a nightmare!
2003 Concourse XL Dinette, 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10
Re: Watch out
I'm interested in seeing any 'cat cage' your guy comes up with, given the underside where the converter sits is wide open and no one in my area that I could find has been helpful with securing it. Mine was cut off and stolen 6 weeks ago, right out of the parking area for a service shop where it was being fixed, in Frederick, MD. They had night cameras but all it showed was two guys in hoodies. Maybe its time to get a guard dog, built a little dog house under the RV where he can sleep at night... wouldn't that be a surprise 
2000 Concourse, Ford Triton 6.8 V10
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JabberBox
Re: Watch out
Sad part is they would probably just poison the dog, come back 30 minutes later and steal it anyway.