Thieves turn technology upside down: they steal the eBike, sell it, and use its locator to steal it again

Theft of electric bicycles is starting to become a problem. Thieves have discovered that these are very valuable machines and in addition, they have now found out how to use the technology incorporated in many of these bikes to facilitate theft.

Imagination when it comes to stealing electric bikes has no limits

Having your bike stolen is always a concern for cyclists, but even more so for those who own an ebike since they tend to be more expensive than conventional bikes, especially in urban cycling where you have no choice but to leave the bike parked on the street when running errands.

To deter theft of these ebikes or to locate them if they are stolen, many bikes are starting to incorporate GPS tracking systems that allow you to know their whereabouts. A technology that thieves of this type of bike are also starting to take advantage of, as has been reported to be happening in London.

To facilitate their thefts, after stealing an ebike, the thieves themselves place a GPS tracker on the bikes so that, once sold to a new cyclist, they can steal it again days or weeks later.

This puts second-hand ebikes under suspicion, as these gangs even falsify purchase invoices so that the buyer is convinced that they are acquiring a bike completely legally from its original owner. A problem even more serious than the use of trackers as it seriously damages trust in stores that suffer from the falsification of invoices in their name.

The only possible recommendation to avoid risk in these transactions is to avoid buying a second-hand ebike from an individual, unless it is someone you trust, and instead opt directly for stores that sell second-hand products.