Hot wheels

Could gas prices be driving up fraudulent car theft claims?

Researchers at the National Insurance Crime Bureau think so. When the price of gas began soaring, the bureau began seeing an increase in the number of suspicious claims for stolen cars. Their theory is that more vehicle owners are dumping their gas-guzzlers, then reporting them stolen.

The Bradenton Herald in Florida reports reports that while the researchers didn’t have concrete proof for their theory, they noticed that six of the top 10 most stolen vehicles are large trucks and SUVs.