Chop shop

In motor vehicle theft, a chop shop is a location or business which disassembles stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts. The term originated in the practice of building a car from two halves, welded together.

Stolen cars are sold in foreign countries for several reasons. In underdeveloped countries, there are often fewer rules and less enforcement of laws pertaining to plates and title paperwork, so the car is less likely to be noticed. Criminals are also hopeful that there is little incentive on the part of the victim to search in other countries, as even if the car is found, recovery may cost more (in detective, legal, and transportation fees) than the car is actually worth. This is especially true if the stolen car is of low value.

Difficulties stealing certain cars

The latest models of cars often have sophisticated anti-theft devices, requiring sophisticated measures to defeat them. For the car thief, the difficulty in bypassing these security features may be nearly impossible or too time consuming. Most cars equipped with these systems are either stolen while the keys are still in the ignition – mostly from owner negligence at a gas station – or towed away by "sneaker" tow trucks. Advanced car theft "rings" have the knowledge and equipment needed to bypass this security. For instance, on cars equipped with RF transmitters inside of the key, the RF transmitter ID must match the security module and the engine computer. So, not only does the physical key cut have to match, the RF transmitter has to match as well. To get around this, some "rings" establish relationships with car dealers and get car keys cut by VIN directly from the dealer themselves. Other methods are to try multiple pre-cut keys, and to use code scanners for RF based systems. There may be many hidden places on the car where the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is stamped. The chop shop will likely be more familiar with these devices.

Chop shop (disambiguation)

Chop shop is a slang phrase with various uses including an illegal location or business which disassembles stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts.

Chop shop may also refer to:

Chop Shop (musician)

Chop Shop a.k.a. Scott Konzelmann, is a noise musician who has released recordings on Pure, RRRecords, Banned Production, V2_Archief and Generator Sound Art.

Chop Shop creates sound using salvaged materials and speakers to create drones and other sounds specific to the speaker created. Often the speaker features prominently in the packaging as a photo or daguerreotype. Chop Shop is known also for innovative packaging using leather, tar paper, steel plates, etc.

Konzelmann is also part of Generator Sound Art, Inc. in New York City. In 2005 Chop Shop was part of the Activating the Medium Festival.

Discography (selection)