Late last night, my car was broken into.
That wording may make it sound like more than it was. The thieves didn’t break anything getting into the car; the door had inadvertently been left unlocked. In fact, the only way I knew that thieves had been through the car was the fact that my glove compartment was hanging open.
My glove compartment has a bum lock on it. You open it, and it falls to the floor, leaving the door gaping open. It’s quite a trick getting the lock back into place in such a way that it will lock. The thieves, clearly not exactly a patient sort, left it gaping. I saw that, and I looked around and saw other things were missing too.
This is the second time this has happened. The first time, a few months ago, the thieves got away with a Tim Horton’s card and a toonie that I’d left in the cupholder. I was able to log into the Tim Horton’s website and delete the card, transferring its balance to a new card in my pocket.
Before you ask, I do try to lock my car doors, especially since the first incident. Unfortunately, the remote locking is finicky, and sometimes not all the doors lock. However, I didn’t make too much about the first time because the entire take was so piddling that I just had to laugh.
I’m not laughing now. To have this happen once is one thing; a chance encounter that allowed a crime of opportunity to take place. The fates sometimes work like that. To have this happen twice means there are people out there doing this regularly. I do not like the idea that they’re scouting my neighbourhood at night.
More than that, this time they took my vehicle registration document, which is apparently a thing car thieves can use to try and sneak stolen cars across the border. I now have to contact the Ministry of Transportation and get a replacement, wasting an afternoon of my time when I had other plans. And I also have to worry about identity theft. That just sucks.
To add insult to injury, the thieves were able to make a purchase on my Tim Horton’s card before I was able to switch the balance over. Six dollars worth of donuts and coffee. The location they did this at is just down the street.
It could have been worse, but it is still a pain. There’s not much else I can do but make extra sure my car doors are locked, and warn people that this is a thing, now. Make sure your car doors are locked, and watch what you keep inside.