Thieves in Albany Lurking- They Want the ‘Precious Metal’ Off Your Car

It's a terrible feeling if you've ever had your car broken into, and even if you're diligent about keeping it locked, bad things happen to good people.

Incidents like this can be common in Albany, Schenectady, Troy, or Saratoga Springs where cars are left alone in dimly lit parking areas, but these thieves are taking it next level.  They're going after much more precious metals found inside the valuable catalytic converter and taking them right off people's cars.

A comment appeared recently on Albany Reddit about someone in the area who had the catalytic converter stolen off their car,  and others around the Albany area say that they too have something similar happen to them.

One Albany Reddit user who goes by the name of u/GodDuckman, wrote, "Had my catalytic converter stolen from my car near Empire State Plaza. Keep an eye out. Be safe."

A series of comments followed, including some by Albany residents who could relate.

One Reddit user, commented, "One was stolen out of a truck a few weeks ago parked overnight near Broadway and Wilson St."

Another user said this, "My Job had one stolen from our truck while it was parked near Huck Finn's. It's getting more common, unfortunately."

Another even explained how these thieves work adding that they, "come in groups of 2. Bring a car jack, impact gun, and SawZaw. They jack up the car, cut one end of the (converter) off and unbolt the other end from the engine. This can be done in under a min."

Why are people stealing Catalytic Converters?

The catalytic converter is the part of your vehicle used to reduce the pollutants and toxic gas your car produces. Precious metals like platinum, rhodium, and palladium can be found inside the catalytic converters and thieves are selling these parts.

Lock up your valuables, make sure your porch/home cameras are turned on, and watch out for any suspicious-looking people wandering through neighborhoods. Thieves in the Capital Region are looking for a quick easy strike and will snag anything of value if it's out in plain sight.

Here's how you can protect yourself against Cat Converter thieves: