Protect catalytic converters from theft

Most of us consider car ownership a necessity of life. In Ohio alone, nearly 40 million cars are registered to owners who depend on their vehicles to get to work, go shopping, get to the doctor and a thousand other tasks.

In the United States, more than 282 million motor vehicles are registered and in operation.

For vehicles made since 1975, they all share at least one common feature -- a catalytic converter. These things look like a metallic hot water bottle nestled under your car between the engine and muffler. The purpose? To convert your car's toxic exhaust gases to less harmful compounds.

Thieves LOVE to steal and resell catalytic converters. Spotting your car from the street, a small team of crooks armed with hand tools can chop out your catalytic converter in a minute, leaving you with a vehicle that seems fine, until you start it. The gentle purr of what used to be a happy engine now sounds like a Sherman tank, because your exhaust system is hanging in pieces.

Catalytic converters contain small amounts of three precious metals -- platinum, palladium and rhodium. The amount of metal in the converter differs from one car model to the other, due to engine design. For this reason, criminals target hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius, because their converters contain more precious metals.

The street value of a catalytic converter stolen from a Prius can be more than $1,000. Quick money for a minute's work in your driveway or a parking lot.

Stolen converters have grown into a huge shady business for organized crime. Small-time crooks sell stolen converters to larger criminal rings with illicit factories that extract the valuable metals. The metals are then sold on the precious metal market for a profit.

Platinum sells for nearly $1,000 per ounce; palladium around $1,400 an ounce. Rhodium, the rarest of the three, fetches around $10,000 per ounce. The dollars add up quickly in this kind of crime.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department convicted a ring of New Jersey crooks who earned $545 million by selling the metals harvested from catalytic converters across America.

There are things you can do to protect your vehicle and its converter:

l Park your vehicle in your garage when it's not in use;

l If you have to leave your vehicle outside, park in a well-lit space, and close to any nearby security camera;

l Purchase an anti-theft system designed to protect your catalytic converter;

l The next time your vehicle is in for service, ask the shop to etch your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the converter's surface. It might not prevent a theft, but it will make it harder to sell your converter up the criminal food chain.

If your converter is stolen, report the theft to law enforcement and your insurance company. Make sure you get your converter replaced as soon as possible. Your car is designed to operate with a catalytic converter -- getting along without one will prove nearly impossible.

Keep your vehicle in a safe place, and get ready for warm weather. Get out and enjoy the buds and blossoms as we move into warmer weather. There is no nicer place than our beautiful Mahoning Valley in the spring.

If you have a question on a theft or any possible scam, talk to a family member or call your local police department. Seniors also can call their county Senior Services Unit for more information about scams. In Mahoning County, call Bob Schaeffer at 330-480-5078. In Trumbull County, call Don Hyde at 330-675-7096.

Dave Long of Poland, a Youngstown State University graduate, is a retired public affairs officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection who later worked as an Elder Scam Prevention Outreach specialist in Rochester, N.Y., before moving back to the Mahoning Valley.