A Canadian insurance company is asking scrap yards and metal recycling companies to keep an eye out for suspected stolen converters.

Thieves are beginning to target converters in order to sell on the pgms inside them. High demand for the metals has pushed up their reselling price.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) has urged yards and recycling firms to contact police when they see converters that they suspect have been stolen.

Several cases have already been reported across the border in the USA this year, but some cases are now beginning to appear in Canada as well.

US police said criminals tend to target specific types of vehicles that are high off the ground, making it easier to access its converter, located in the exhaust system.

Canadian regional newspaper the Chilliwack Progress said that metal theft incidents appeared to be on the rise in the British Columbia area, apparently driven by an increase in world scrap metal prices.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd