What Today’s Most Popular Crimes Tell Us about the Value of Precious Metals

Recycle Precious MetalsPrecious Metal Investment

May 28

Crooks aren’t nice people, they hurt people, and we don’t like to write about them. But the fact remains that if we look at crime trends around the country, they can teach us some lessons about the value of precious metals. Also, because crooks make money by selling what they have stolen, their crimes tell us there is a market for the metals they are selling.

So . . . what are thieves stealing these days, and what can we learn? Let’s take a closer look.

Catalytic Converter Thefts Tell Us that Palladium Remains Valuable

“Heads up, Prius drivers: Sacramento police say thieves want your car’s precious metals,” an article that Michael McGough wrote in the Sacramento Bee on April 26, 2019, reported that thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise in the region. He reports that the most popular vehicles being targeted are the Toyota Prius and the Honda Element.

The lesson? Even though interest has softened in recycling catalytic converters, palladium and platinum remain excellent precious metal investments.

Cellphone Thefts Point Up the Continued Demand for Gold

If you spend a little time reviewing the “police blotter” lists of crimes that are published in local newspapers, you will quickly discover that the theft of cellphones from cars is the most common form of crime that is happening today.

It is actually kind of amazing to read about, because most of the cellphone thefts are happening because people are leaving their cellphones out in plain sight in cars they have parked in public areas and in their driveways. You will also discover that in many of those thefts, vehicles were not even locked!

So . . . people leave their cellphones lying out in plain sight in unlocked cars? Right! That makes it easy for crooks to steal them. And the prevalence of this type of crime makes it obvious that the reliably high trading price of gold means that phones, and gold, are durable precious metal investments.

Chain Snatchings Are on the Rise

If you do an online search for “chain snatchings,” you will quickly find dozens of articles that report an increase in the number of chain snatchings. Chain snatching, as you know, is a deceptively injurious crime. When a thief snatches a chain from a victim’s neck, serious injury can occur. The recent increase in the frequency of this crime underscores the value of gold, and the presence of a market for gold scrap.

Thefts of Gold Ornaments from Hindu Temples

What kind of person would go into a place of worship and steal gold ornaments from statues? You can find the answer to that question in “Thieves steal $15K in gold from Hindu temple in Cumming,” an article that Shaddi Abusaid wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 19, 2019.

Abusaid reported that a group of people who were pretending to be tourists visited a temple in Cumming, GA, where they stole $15,000 worth of gold ornaments from religious statues that were on display. Fortunately, the thefts were captured by the temple’s surveillance cameras, and prosecution of the crooks should happen soon.

Collect Precious Metals Honestly, then Call Us to Learn Honest Prices for What You Have

All those crimes, and more, tell us in a backhanded way that the value of gold and other precious metals remains high.

Call us at 800-426-2344, tell us what you have. Let’s create a plan to help you profit by investing in precious metals.

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Barry Lenson

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