Dude, Where's My Tom Tom?

The Tom Tom navigation system has become something of a household name with many of us owning one. As a result of this, thefts of the unit have soared and thieves will specifically target vehicles they know to contain one.

How, you ask, do they know you have a Tom Tom? Well in some cases this can be fairly obvious due to the cradle being left in the windscreen. Of course this is not something the majority of us would do but you may still be unwittingly leaving signs to be seen by all.

The most obvious thing and a fact many of us overlook is the suction cup marks left behind when the cradle is removed. I must admit to falling foul of this particular one myself. Youd think that it would end there but it doesnt. Many versions of the Tom Tom now have Bluetooth to allow communication with a mobile phone. If you leave your Tom Tom switched on with the Bluetooth activated your device can be scanned for by a thief using a mobile phone. Regardless of whether you have hidden it in the glove box or under your seat it will still be found. I must add this also applies to certain laptops as the wireless Bluetooth technology is set as default to wake the laptop up when it receives a Bluetooth signal. This can be disabled if you know where to look within windows.

The latest scheme the thieves have come up with, if perhaps a fairly obvious one, is to follow a car home if they see it has a sat nav device and then steal the unit later in the evening. This is apparently becoming fairly common practice. Then of course there are those that simply chance their luck and break into several cars in one night in the hope the owner will have left the unit in the car. Also following in the same vein, do not enter you address as a take me home feature. If your Tom Tom is stolen the thief simply has to press take me home to be delivered to your door.

If you search for theft statistics youll find that in London alone 13,000 sat nav units were stolen last year resulting in many claims to motor insurance companies.

I would advise you check with your car insurance provider as you may only have theft coverage up to a certain level and this may not be enough to replace your device should it be stolen. You may be required to purchase a bolt on to your policy if you do not have enough coverage.

Things you can do; if your device is stolen you can register the serial number with the Tom Tom website, this may help track the unit down if updated or the traffic feature used. You can now also buy a strongbox which is simply a large metal lockable box which can be locked into your car to prevent theft of your device and any other valuables.

You can also help to crack down on the rapidly expanding market for stolen Tom Tom units by refusing to buy a unit without a box and instructions as this will have most probably been stolen.

13,000 sat nav units were stolen in the capital city last year alone according to data released by motor insurance companies.

Always ensure your car insurance provider offers you a high enough level of cover to replace your possessions should they be stolen.

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