Crooks targeted catalytic converters over the Christmas Weekend in Crossville. Police were called to Sweeney Drive on Monday to a report that the catalytic converter had been cut off the Hilltopper’s Handicap van. A block away at the Outlet Mall, thieves stole the catalytic converter from the Second Chance Thrift Store work truck.

So why would anyone want to crawl under a car and take off the catalytic converter?  Money.  And in some cases, lots of it. Turns out, the catalytic converter contains some trace rare metals…high dollar metals.  Not gold, but close to it.

The price of gold has been floating around the $1,000 per-oz mark. Less well publicized has been the fate of the even-more-rarefied metals platinum ($860.00 per-oz) palladium ($560.00 per-oz)  and rhodium ($660 per-oz).

The catalytic converter is made with trace amounts of platinum, palladium and rhodium, which speed chemical reactions and help clean emissions at very high temperatures. Selling stolen converters to scrap yards or recyclers, a thief can net anywhere from $200.00 to $500.00

Exactly how much depends on the size of the car and its converter.

There are certain steps you can take to help deter the theft of a catalytic converter:

To combat catalytic converter thefts, a number of states have passed laws tightening the restrictions on metal scrap dealers. In many cases, dealers are required to verify the seller’s identity with a photo ID and maintain complete records of sellers for 5 years.

To prevent catalytic converter theft, use common sense and follow these tips:

• Always park in well-lighted areas
• At shopping centers and other similar parking lots, park close to the entrance of the building or near the access road where there’s a lot of traffic
• If you own or work at a business or factory, park within a fenced area that’s busy during the day and secured at night
• Engrave your license plate number on the converter to make it traceable
• Purchase a vehicle security system and make sure it’s set to trigger with just the slightest motion
• Visit a local muffler shop and have the converter secured to the vehicle’s frame with a couple of pieces of hardened steel welded to the frame
• Check out the different types of catalytic converter theft deterrent systems at your local auto parts store or online