Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is cautioning drivers in the province to be wary of catalytic converter theft, as the number of reported cases increases.
Catalytic converters are the exhaust emission control devices typically located underneath the car. Usually placed as close to the engine as possible, they help convert the toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas into less-toxic pollutants.
According to the insurer, it has seen about 150 catalytic converter theft-related insurance claims reported monthly since 2021. MPI also noted that the cases peaked in April 2022, when claims related to the theft of the auto part went over 300.
To combat the theft of these parts, MPI recently launched an online education initiative, to serve as a safety resource for vehicle owners.
“We know that these critical parts of a vehicle’s emission system can be high in value when resold as they contain rare metals and are relatively easy to remove from a vehicle that isn’t parked in a secure location with correct safeguards,” said MPI president and CEO Eric Herbelin.
“With so many Manitobans impacted by this issue and many more wanting to avoid these types of thefts, our goal is to share the most common vehicles we have seen targeted and how all Manitobans can take preventative steps to increase the chances they won’t be filing a claim with MPI as result.”
The initiative includes a dedicated webpage and a social media campaign raising awareness of what a catalytic converter is, why thieves are after them, and a highlighting the vehicles most likely to be targeted by thieves.
According to MPI, the top five vehicles most targeted by catalytic converter thieves are:
Read more: MPI warns customers not to respond to suspicious text messages
Last week, MPI issued another warning to customers, urging them not to respond to text messages claiming to be from the insurer about missed payments. MPI stressed that it does not conduct business related to payments via text messages.
