Anti-Car Jacking Tips

There's been a lot of fuss about Carjacking/ Carnapping recently in Metro Manila and I've been receiving tips via e-mail. I would like to share them with you guys so everyone else can benefit from the tips to avoid experiencing the same.

Basic Carjacking Information and Tips from the National Police:

Carjacking or Carnapping is stealing a car by force has captured headlines across the country. 

Statistically your chances of being a carjacking victim are very slim, and preventive actions can reduce the risk even more.

- It's a crime of opportunity - a thief or criminal groups/syndicates searching for the most vulnerable prey.
Sometimes for criminal syndicates, it's the first step in a commission of another crime.
- For some young people, carjacking may be a rite of passage to a group, a status symbol, or just a thrill.
- Cars, especially luxury ones, provide quick cash for drug users and other criminals.
- Sophisticated alarms and improved locking devices make it harder for thieves to steal unoccupied cars.
- It's easy to buy, steal, or barter for guns in this country. A pointed gun makes a powerful threat.
- More teens and adults commit crimes of violence than ever before.
- Intense media interest may have created "copycat" carjackers.

Anywhere, Anyone
- Though carjackings can occur anytime, a sizable share appear to take place during the late night hours or early morning.
- Carjacking isn't just a problem in large cities - it happens inside villages and rural areas or far flung municipalities.
- Carjackers look for opportunity. They don't choose victims by sex, race, or age.

Golden opportunities: what do carjackers look for?

- Carjackers study their victims first and plans on how to steal their car.
- Carjackers look for look-a-like cars to steal to be able to sell them easily.
- Intersections controlled by stop lights or signs.
- Garages and parking lots for mass transit, shopping malls, and grocery stores.
- Self-serve gas stations and car washes.
- ATMs (automated teller machines).
- Residential driveways and streets as people get into and out of cars.
- Highway exit and entry ramps, or anyplace else that drivers slow down or stop.

The "Bump and Rob"
It works like this. A car, usually with a driver and at least one passenger, rear-ends or "bumps" you in traffic.
You quickly get out to check the damage and exchange information.
Either the driver or one of the passengers jumps in your car and drives off.
If you're bumped by another car, look around before you get out.
Make sure there are other cars around, check out the car that's rear-ended you and who's in it.
If the situation makes you uneasy, memorize or jot down the car's tag number and description;
signal the other car to follow you.
Drive to the nearest police station or to a busy, well-lighted area.

If you do get out of the car, take your keys (and purse or wallet if you have one) with you and stay alert.

More tips from personal experiences:
It was Black Saturday. 8pm in the evening. Shell Almanza gas station. I was coming home from playing tennis with my cousins. I filled my car with gasoline.  I stepped out of the car and paid the cashier, I used my credit card. Then while walking to my car, the thieves made a HULIDAP ploy.

I threw my car keys since I knew it was my new car they were after. They were about 3 people, burly and in their 40s, wearing jackets. All armed with pistols. They pretended as if I was a criminal that they will arrest.
The tried to handcuff me. I resisted. They used a pistol, hit my head until I was a little bit groggy for a few seconds and lost balance. They threw me inside the car, blood flowing from my head to my eyes and nose.

They were shouting all the time. They asked me to drive, I told them I cannot do it since I  don’t have the keys. I looked at the rear view mirror, one of those unforgettable thing in my life. I will never forget that scene.
It is when I made the decision that if I would die, I would rather be there in a very public place for I had a chance of still surviving and not in a deserted rice paddy , my body already decaying when found.

3 pistols were pointing at my head, the thieves shouting, I told them I could not drive because I had no keys. They tried to hand cuff me to my car’s steering wheel. I managed to get away and ran a few steps away from my car.

The 3 men just walked away, in a cool manner. They boarded a car parked near the air/water station of the Shell station  and drove off. I drove myself to the nearest hospital since my whole body was covered with blood. I thought at that time I will lose so much blood and die eventually.

Lessons from this experience according to him:

1.       A brand new easy to dispose of car, as what was mentioned below is a target. Much of us have these type of cars.

2.       Gas stations are always targets. You are not mobile and they see how many are in the vehicle with you.
Try to not leave the car, and the car locked while filling it with gas. Usually we have gas attendants naman.

3.       Security and other persons did not help me. They scampered to safety. Why would they risk their life for me? In the end, it will be you alone. It will be up to you to save yourself.

4.       I kept cool. Things were all slow motion for me. That is when I made the decision to not let them take me. I would rather die in a public place than what we saw recently, 2 burned bodies of car dealers in some place near Timbuktu. 

5.       If you will be robbed, be lucky as I was,  that the thieves are pros. They usually do not kill and are cool. 

I think most of the usual carnapped car brands currently are the following:
Honda Civic
Toyota Hi Ace
Mitsubishi Pajero (eversince)
Honda CRV
Toyota Altis

Usually SUV though. I heard this from the news the other night. I forgot the exact list. Do let me know in the comments section if you have tips or comments.Share your tips! :)



Cheftonio