Car jamming is a rather perturbing crime that has become increasingly common in parking lots of shopping centres and petrol stations.
Criminals use a jamming device that looks similar to a remote control and is set at the same frequency as your car remote. Upon leaving your vehicle, criminals activate their remote, consequently obstructing your remote control from locking the car. The transgressor then has access to anything valuable in your car without even looking suspicious, as they casually walk away and wait for their next victim.
Although increasingly prevalent, car jamming can be easily avoided by:
- Always being vigilant of your surroundings.
- Not posting live posts on social media that may expose your car’s location or valuables therein.
- Avoiding carrying valuables in your car and if you do, keep them out of plain sight.
- Installing a tracking system in your vehicle to improve the likelihood of recovering your vehicle and stolen valuables, and improving the probability of a successful insurance claim.
- Listening to the sound of your car locking and physically testing your car door handle to ensure it is locked before walking away.
- Using an Uber if you feel your destination may be a hotspot location for car jamming.
Insurance claims from car jamming have been on the rise, particularly when valuables have been left inside the vehicle and are visible to the human eye. Such incidents can lead to significant claims, especially when costly tech devices are involved.
Policyholders should not only take greater care when they park but be mindful of their car insurance conditions when it comes to car jamming. We urge you to rather store your belongings in the boot of your vehicle when leaving the car, as opposed to on your car seats.
It is important to note that most insurers do not cover stolen devices from a vehicle as a result of car jamming. This circumstance will still be covered by Barker Insurance, but the owner will be liable for an excess of 30% of the claim.
Taking a little longer to ensure all your valuables are kept away from prying eyes and that your vehicle is locked before rushing off is certainly well worth your while.