Dealers in the Southeast have been victimized by thieves. The thieves, posing initially as consumers, return to a dealership overnight to steal high-end toy haulers.
Great American RV SuperStores, with 10 locations in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, is among the targeted dealerships.
Great American Vice President Steve Deffenbaugh said, “At first, we thought it was isolated to us, but we have heard a lot of dealers in our region have also been hit.”
The thieves were reported of pre-planning as they were “sophisticated in knowing what type of RV they are looking for,” Deffenbaugh said. “They may be posing as customers—online and/or in person. I would suggest dealers monitor their CRM and customers’ IP addresses.”
RVDA said dealers should closely monitor security gates at night, and check whether any vehicles are parked out of its security camera’s range.
Great American locations are equipped with security fencing and cameras. Great American reported the thieves using a late-model pickup capable of hauling a large fifth wheel.
The dealer said one pickup was silver and one was white, but the security cameras did not see the pickup’s license plate.
Great American Chief Legal Officer Russ Rudolph said, “They must have a universal key or a power source to bring the slide-outs in.”
Because the stolen RVs cannot be titled, Deffenbaugh said they might be sold to someone “living off the grid.” One stolen RV was found “in the middle of nowhere” in central Alabama.
RVDA offered to help dealers victimized by theft. To report a stolen vehicle to RVDA, email info@rvda.org and provide its make, model, VIN and any relevant details.
