A friend called our attention to something he read in the news after the recent floods. It was about police catching some wise guys towing stalled vehicles abandoned by owners during the floods. The catch is that the owners hadn’t authorized the towing. It was just a new modus operandi for vehicle theft.

With all the towing of banged up vehicles going on following the deluge, some took advantage of the situation to find another way to steal vehicles. After all, a lot of cars were abandoned by owners on streets. And who’s to question people looking like they were just towing a vehicle for a hapless vehicle owner?

Legitimate towing companies and auto clubs like the Automobile Association of the Philippines had backlogs of requests for tows weeks after the Ondoy floods.

Our friend noted it was great that police quickly wised up to the new MO but asked when they’ll catch on to what he expected to happen next. And this one is all about the owners who are wise guys themselves.

He said to expect the number of vehicles reported stolen or lost to increase.

With police themselves warning about flood-damaged vehicles getting stolen, sometimes right under the nose of owners, there would certainly be a rise in the number of stolen vehicles reported.

Still, the increase would surely raise the suspicion of police and the insurance companies, he said. Some of the wise guys among owners whose insurance policies didn’t cover so-called “acts of God” like floods and landslides would do the next best thing. And that is to report their cars were stolen or lost.

He said it’s another version of the practice of some car owners who get into minor fender-benders to intentionally bang up their cars a little bit more to get the insurance companies to do a complete makeover of the car instead of just a fender or bumper.

Sure enough, we later read news reports of police warning owners not to get rid of their cars severely damaged by the floods and then report them stolen to get full value out of their comprehensive insurance coverage.

Police warned that those caught trying to fool police and the insurance companies would be prosecuted to the max.

Perhaps police just didn’t want to get their record of bringing down the number of car thefts messed up by bogus stolen vehicle reports.

We’re guessing a number of wise guys already have put one over the police and the insurers faux vehicle theft reports.

But police should be commended for quickly getting wise to these wise guys.

Meanwhile, here’s news that should interest scale model hobbyists.

The International Plastic Modelers Society – Philippines/Bert Anido (IPMS-Philippines/Bert Anido) will be staging the 7th National Scale Modeling Competition at the Atrium of SM Megamall Building A, from Nov. 16-22.

Contestants from all over the country will, once again, go head to head in a contest of scale modeling excellence. The nation’s very best in the categories of aircraft, armor, ships, automobiles, figures, dioramas and science-fiction will be decided in this event.

The exhibit will be open to the public and is free of charge.

Those who wish to enter their work can log on to www.ipmsphilippines.com for free online registration which will begin on Nov. 1.