CLEVELAND — Malcom Tolliver has a car rental business that's like Airbnb, but for vehicles. Unfortunately, a car from his business of four years was recently stolen from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
"I had a car ... rented out on an app called Turo," Tolliver told 3News. "The guest who had the car dropped it back off off at the airport. I came to pick it up, and the car was not there."
While Hopkins does not have a major problem with cars disappearing from its big parking lots, across the country, major airports like Atlanta and Dallas have seen a spike in stolen vehicles. According to authorities, a car theft ring with international ties has stolen nearly $5 million worth of vehicles, and experts say this is an unfortunate trend.
"They're doing it for the increasingly high resale value on these vehicles, and the fact that they can get them out of the country and sell them overseas," said Greg Ehrie, chief security officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Cleveland police tell us there are extra patrols at the garage and parking lots. Surveillance cameras are everywhere too, and law enforcement officials warn drivers to remember the concept of "out of sight, out of mind."
Some helpful tips:
- Keep all valuables and items in the trunk, or remove them before you leave home.
- Park in a well-lit area and make sure you lock your car.
- Add a tracking device to your car.
The latter is something Tolliver had done, and he was able to get his car back. He continues to park at the airport
"I see they have stepped up security a little bit, so we have a lot more visible people here that are going around just to make sure everything's OK."