The National Equipment Register, as it does every Thanksgiving,warned that the holiday was a good time for construction equipmentowners to be on the alert for theft attempts, which have been onthe rise.

It said that Monday in Miami, the 30th incident of a backhoetheft in southern Florida was reported this year.

NER said heavy equipment theft is becoming more organized, morefocused, and more prolific.

It urged officers, investigators and equipment industryprofessionals to take steps now to have an impact on reversing thetrends.

The major trends, NER spotlighted:

o Conversion Thefts- reports of thefts by fraud against largeand small rental companies are on the rise across the country.Other than the increase in this type of theft, NER said there is nopattern to how it is committed. Some perpetrators use falseidentification and sophisticated fake credit documents while otherssimply rent equipment and disappear.

Rental companies were warned to check individuals with no priorrental history or local business ties and be alert for thewell-worn scam of individuals pretending to work for a largecompany.

Firms were advised to take extra steps to verify identity, andcommunicate with large companies about their rental authorizationpolicies. When machines are rented, they were counseled to takeaction that will help retrieve the machine or locate the customershould the rental go bad.

Law enforcement was encouraged to verify the status of anyrented machine with National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and therenting company. NER said its database can be accessed through NICB24 hours a day, and all member rental companies list emergencyafter hours' contacts who can verify a machines status.

o A growing trend in Georgia, said NER, is the theft of TrackedSkid Steers or Compact Tracked Loaders, particularly Takeuchimachines.

o Utility Carts/Vehicles–more John Deere Gators, Bobcat Toolcatsand Kubota RTV-900's were stolen than tractors or backhoes thismonth. The popularity of these machines in the market is mirroredby their appeal to thieves, NER reported.

Owners and rental companies, NER said, should implement physicalsecurity measures to prevent the unauthorized use of machines, asoften the theft is opportunistic. Dealers were advised to takeproactive measures to protect machines on display and in storage byimmobilizing them, blocking them with larger machines, or betteryet, storing them inside at night.

Law Enforcement members who encounter machines should verifytheir status with an owner if NCIC returns no hit for theft. NERsaid it has encountered many thefts recorded as simple burglarieswith no machine PIN/Serials Numbers entered on NCIC.

o Older Machines–Western States, NER said, are reporting a risein older machine thefts. It's possible, that these may includeinsurance scams but also may point to a criminal element burned inthe past by newer machines equipped with satellite tracking devicesand targeting perfectly good older machines, said NER, which willless likely be GPS enabled.

Older machine owners in the 4 Corners States and Nevada shouldnot assume their equipment is less vulnerable due to its age, NERwarned.

o Top Four States–Georgia and Texas tied for most thefts,followed by California and Florida.

More detail about how to stop theft is online athttp://www.stopequipmenttheft.com/NER_Thanksgiving_Advisory_and_Hotlist.pdf