Memorial Day Heavy Equipment Theft Trends INFOGRAPHIC AND SECURITY TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES 2022
NER wishes all our clients and Law Enforcement partners a happy and safe Memorial Day. We also encourage everyone to take steps to make it a crime-free holiday.
Equipment theft rates generally mirror the overall economy, and the increase in COVID vaccination and eased restrictions may make the Memorial Day holiday very busy for home improvement and DIY businesses. Equipment crime undoubtedly will follow the same pattern. All areas should consider equipment theft to be a threat before and over the holiday.
The infographic shows that job site and dealer yard burglaries over the holiday are always an issue. 2020 and 2021 also saw an increase of machine thefts from storage locations including contractor’s shop yards and agricultural outbuildings.
Equipment rental fraud and conversion thefts plagued the industry since a surge in 2018. Thus far in 2022, reports to NER indicate this trend is not stopping, and outright thefts from rental business yards add another dimension to the problem. NER anticipates that fraudsters and “smash and grab” thieves will be active throughout the spring, and particularly leading into and over the holiday weekend.
Try to do something proactive to prevent equipment crimes. Small steps and minor attention to details may be all it takes to deter an opportunistic thief. Below are a few fundamentals for both law enforcement and equipment owners.
Please report any theft or fraud to NER online, or email NER at info@ner.net with as little as the machine make, model and serial number and the date and location of theft, and we’ll enter it for you. Want an NER alert on the theft? Let us know when we follow up.
