Thieves profit from floods
9/8/2005 9:06
Shanghai Daily news Police have collected a number of car
license plates that were lost during flooding from Typhoon Matsa, some of which
were seized from people trying to cash in on the plates.
While police
wouldn't provide numbers, they said that several people scooped up plates that
fell off cars during the floods and attempted to sell them back to their
owners.
The extortion scam isn't new - it started long before the typhoon
arrived in the city - police said.
Police said yesterday they arrested a man,
surnamed Zhang, last Thursday, who is suspected of extorting drivers by stealing
their car plates.
He would leave a bank account number on the cars with a
note telling drivers to deposit money into the account in order to get their
plates back, police allege.
Many drivers would rather pay to get their plates
back than go through the hassle of applying to have them replaced.
Zhang was
caught on Shuichan Road early in the morning as he was trying to steal a car
plate, police said.
They later found three stolen plates and several
extortion notes near the site where Zhang was caught and suspected he had hidden
them there.
Police said most of the victims turned out to be owners of car
plates registered outside of the city, as it is much more difficult for them to
apply for a new plate.
Police officers suggest local drivers should always
park their vehicles in legal parking lots where there are enough security
measures to avoid losses.
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