Electric bike: this is how thieves sell stolen bikes on Facebook

Like bargain on Facebook: this is how thieves sell stolen electric bikes

The electric bike boom also calls thieves to the scene. Last year almost 40 percent more electric bicycles were stolen. Hot items are often offered for sale on social media or end up abroad.

Kari Kälin / ch media

999 francs for a new electric mountain bike from Santa Cruz, featured on a Facebook group for cyclists: Andrea M. (name changed) wanted to secure the deal. The supplier sent photos and a purchase receipt via WhatsApp from a sports store with the alleged original price of 4999 francs.

Then the man suddenly pressed for an immediate money transfer. This increased the distrust of the potential customer. Can it really be that someone sells such a good vehicle for a cash price? And why this rush?

Andrea M. found out with little investigation: the purchase receipt was forged and the electric mountain bike costs more than 8,000 francs at the store. Bottom line: it’s quite possible that someone was promoting a stolen electric bike here.

Such offers are not surprising. Because electric bike thieves are on the rise. According to recently released crime statistics, 6,082 electric bicycles were stolen in Switzerland last year, 38 percent more than the previous year. Compared to 2016, more than four times more electric bicycles were stolen in 2020. Part of that has to do with the boom; In 2020, 171 132 electric bikes were sold, more than ever. The number of robberies grew proportionally more.

Because: Electric bikes are attractive stolen items. The average price of a vehicle that can travel up to 25 km / h is 3700 francs. For the fastest models (up to 45 km / h) it is 5200 francs. Expensive copies, such as electric racing bikes, can cost up to 15,000 francs. Insurance companies have also noticed that the most valuable bikes tend to get stolen. For example, Helvetia paid 1,326 francs for each bicycle stolen last year, almost 340 francs more than in 2010. This correlates with the rise of electric bicycles, says a spokesperson.

Few perpetrators are caught

The perpetrators have little to fear. It only clears every 20 robberies. Reports such as that of the St. Gallen canton police, which arrested a Spaniard and his German accomplices last May, are rare. The thieves had put an electric bicycle in the trunk of an underground car park. An attentive citizen became suspicious and alerted the police.

But through what channels do thieves sell hot products? A survey of various police forces shows the following patterns: Some of them are sold on social networks such as Facebook and other Internet platforms. However, electric bikes often end up abroad. “To our current knowledge, a large proportion of these bikes are heading to the Balkans (Serbia, Albania, Romania),” says Christian Bertschi, Lucerne police spokesman. Most robberies are well prepared, removal alone requires organization.

Both lone perpetrators and gangs are at work, often criminal tourists. Electric bikes are stolen from underground garages, basements, and bike rooms in residential areas, but also on the street. Comparatively, thieves rarely enter bike shops.

Lock bicycles in your own cellar

Bicycle theft remains a constant nuisance. “The bicycle industry is doing a lot to strengthen protection against theft,” says Martin Platter, Managing Director of Velosuisse. The Helvetia insurance company also says that more and more security mechanisms, such as monitoring or alarm systems, are being integrated into electric bicycles that are “live”.

Meanwhile, the police advise, among other things, to park bicycles in a locked or guarded room whenever possible, and lock them in their own basement. If possible, you should chain the bikes to a bar so that they cannot be easily carried.