Beware Of Bump And Rob

Ever heard of Bump and Rob? They aren’t those two guys hanging out at the end of the bar at your local watering hole, like Cliff and Norm. From the City of Boulder, Colorado, website:

Bump and Rob

Beware of the “bump and rob.” It works like this. A car, usually with a driver and at least one passenger, rear-ends your vehicle, or “bumps” you in traffic. When you get out to check the damage, the driver or one of the passengers in the other vehicle jumps in your car and drives off.

Or robs you and your passengers before driving off with your vehicle- or just robs you- it should be added.

Last night I was watching the latest installment of the MidwayUSA show The Best Defense on the Outdoor Channel, which focused on this type of criminal activity. Hosts Michael Janich and Mike Seeklander demonstrated how to effectively deal with a “bump and rob” situation.

A well-publicized “bump and rob” event just took place north of Chicago a few weeks ago. Lee Filas reported on the Daily Herald website on January 6:

A motorist was robbed at gunpoint in what Gurnee Police say was a bump-and-rob scam.

Police said a victim in a Honda minivan was heading west on Grand Avenue in Gurnee about 2 p.m. Wednesday when the vehicle was bumped from behind by a newer-model Ford Mustang near Waveland Avenue, east of Route 41.

When the victim and two offenders exited their vehicles to check on the damage, authorities said, one of the offenders displayed a handgun and demanded cash from the driver of the minivan.

After the victim turned over an unknown amount of cash, police said, the two offenders hopped back in the Mustang and fled east toward Route 41.

Would you know what to do if faced with a similar scenario? The City of Boulder’s website suggested:

If you are bumped by another car, look around you before you get out. Make sure there are other cars around you, check out the car that has rear-ended you and see who is in it. If the situation makes you uneasy, stay in the car, or insist on moving it to a busy, well-lighted area to exchange information. If you have a cellular phone, call the police from inside your car. If you get out of your vehicle, remove your keys from the ignition and take them with you.

Good advice. Anyone else care to add anything?

Source:

Filas, Lee. “Gurnee police officials looking for armed robbers.” DailyHerald.com. 6 Jan. 2012. (http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120106/news/701069886/). 2 Feb. 2012.