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Beebo Aburish, who has 22 years of towing experience, noticed the same parts were being stolen off cars he was towing in the DC/Metro area.
Thieves were taking anything from wheels and rims to airbags and doors. So, Aburish decided to use TikTok to educate people on these thefts and help them avoid becoming future victims.
“I started posting it to try to get people's attention,” Aburish said. “Like, you need to be on notice of what's going on. So, I was just trying to push this stuff out.”
It's not just DC/Metro area where these thieves strike. Aburish has gone all the way from Hagerstown, Maryland to Woodbridge, Virginia. He says the main catalyst behind the thefts is the pandemic putting the brakes on automotive production.
“They weren't producing any cars. They weren't producing any car parts,” he said. “So, if you're waiting, you're not going to wait a year to get the parts, especially if you can go to somebody else's car and just take theirs.”
People can steal parts in a matter of seconds – something that happened to one unfortunate driver of a Honda Fit not too long ago. On top of this thieves are then selling the parts online, which presents a whole other challenge.
“There are no VIN numbers. There's no etches. There are no numbers to identify your rim from somebody else's,” Aburish said. “So, unless they start sketching some type of serial numbers in each of these rims, it's going to be really hard to prove what somebody took.”
While there is no definitive way to stop people from stealing car parts, Aburish hopes his informational videos will remind people to stay vigilant.
“I always tell people my information is just to try to help deter people,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I was here for the community. That was my main goal so it’s the only reason I'm here.”
So far Aburish's TikTok community has grown to a population of 30,000. People can get in the know by following him here.
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