Older Ford F-350 pickup trucks top list of most stolen vehicles in Alberta last year

Pickup trucks made up nine of the top 10 most stolen vehicles in Alberta for 2021, according to data released Monday by Équité Association, a not-for-profit national organization that investigates and analyzes insurance fraud and crime.

Ford F-350 series trucks made between 1997 and 2007 topped the list.

Sid Kingma, director of the agency's investigative services division for Western Canada, says pickup trucks are a popular vehicle across the province, but there's another reason why they may top the list.

"In 2007, Transport Canada made some amendments where car manufacturers or vehicle manufacturers had to put in an immobilizer … to prevent theft," he said.

"So prior to 2007, that didn't exist. So the vehicles are a little bit easier to steal."

The annual list is meant to help consumers identify whether their vehicle might be more at-risk of being stolen. Kingma says it may also sway some consumers from purchasing a vehicle known to be a target for theft.

"There's certainly a very large cost," he said. "It costs us all on our insurance premiums, and … when someone's vehicle gets stolen, you have that deductible."

Vehicle thefts dipped in the province during the height of the pandemic, Kingma says, but they're trending upward again.

Nationally, the Honda CR-V made between 2016 and 2021 was the most stolen vehicle in Canada last year, but Lexus RX SUVs made in the same time period had a higher theft percentage.

That means there were fewer of them on the road, but they had a greater likelihood of being stolen.

Bryan Gast, vice-president of investigative services with Équité Association, says they're seeing a general shift toward high-end vehicles becoming the top targets for thieves. 

Some criminals will remove the public vehicle identification number (VIN) so they can add a new one and put the stolen vehicle back on the market.

Others are part of sophisticated crime networks that will send the vehicles overseas for profit, he says.

"I'd say that Canada has become a source country. Other countries are targeting our vehicles for theft and export," Gast said in an interview on the Calgary Eyeopener.

"There's a demand for it … especially with the supply-chain issues that we're seeing globally."

Passenger vehicles, SUVs top list in Calgary

Data from the Calgary Police Service shows that of the 4,982 vehicles stolen in the city last year, 52 per cent were passenger vehicles, including SUVs, with pickup trucks and vans making up about 32 per cent.

Those statistics have remained relatively consistent in the past, along with an emphasis on pre-2008 models.

Fortunately, CPS data shows the majority of vehicles stolen in Calgary are being recovered. Over the past five years, about 95 per cent of stolen vehicles have been found.

That's because, typically, vehicles stolen in Alberta are used as a "crime platform," according to the Équité Association. In other words, they're stolen to commit another crime. 

"They get used for whatever the criminal intention is and then they're discarded and then eventually recovered," Kingma said.

But in the last two years, CPS data shows there's been a shift in focus to newer, post-2008 vehicles, making up 51 per cent of those cars stolen in 2020 and 2021.

It's part of the overall trend nationally toward more high-end vehicle thefts, Gast says, rather than just in hot spots like Ontario and Quebec.

"Now we're starting to see some of the newer vehicles that are being stolen by organized crime groups outside of Alberta … for the purpose of being exported," he said. 

"They're being taken to various ports in the country to be shipped out."

Types of theft and how to avoid them

Gast says thieves are also becoming increasingly sophisticated and adapting to newer vehicle technology, so vehicle owners need to be vigilant.

As the wintry weather continues, one common target is vehicles warming up in the driveway, he says.

Other methods are more technologically savvy, including breaking into your vehicle to access the onboard diagnostic port. 

"They plug into that port and they're able to reprogram a key fob for that vehicle," he said. "It can be as quick as … 30 seconds, or depending on their technology, two or three minutes."

Some thieves are able to conduct something called a relay attack. They'll use technology designed to boost the signal coming from a key fob — typically placed near the front door of a home — allowing them to reprogram another key for the car. 

And once the car is on, it will continue to drive until it's shut off. It won't stop once it's a certain distance from the key fob, Kingma says.

To add extra protection to your vehicle, especially those found on the top 10, the organization recommends layering on more security.

Simple things like ensuring you're parked in a well lit area, or in a garage if you're able, can help, Kingma says. Steering wheel clubs, port locks or after-market GPS tracking systems can also be useful.

To protect key fobs, either turn them off if the option is available or place them further away from your door. You can also put them in a faraday box or pouch — which blocks the signal — or even a steel box.

"It just provides an element of prevention or just one more layer of protection that, you know, the thieves would have to break through," Kingma said.