Calgarians face escalating catalytic converter thefts

Catalytic converters appear to be a hot commodity for thieves, with being stolen and more Calgarians falling victim to the pricey crime.

One woman told us the catalytic converter was stolen from a rental truck she was using for a move. Now she and her husband are stuck with the $4,000 bill.

Kent Nicholson, who works for a land surveying company, says the converters have been stolen at least three to four times. The thieves made out with thousands of dollars worth of equipment. His company heavily relies on their trucks and he says it’s frustrating if this continues to happen, especially since the thieves only need minutes.

“Basically you see them and [they] go underneath the truck. One was really quick – they were done in four to five minutes. And they were out of there and they knew what they were doing. And in a couple of instances we see them over the course of 20 minutes trying to do it,” said Nicholson.

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Those who fall prey to this petty theft could be stuck with a bill between $300 and $1,500. due to the precious metals, like platinum, they’re made out of.

Nicholson says you’ll be able to tell if your vehicle’s converter has been stolen.

“As soon as you start the truck, you know it’s really loud and basically cuts through a lot of stuff. And it’s around $1,200 to $1,500 dollars and the bigger the truck the more money it costs in certain places,” Nicholson said.

in a recent statement, Calgary police say reports of the thefts were up 400 per cent from 2019 to 2021.

“Police told us they’d catch people who are doing it, they’d put them in a prison for a little bit,” Nicholson said. “And when they get out, it just continues again. So they have a cast of normal people that usually do this so it’s just a cycle [and] we probably have to crack down on people who are buying it.”