Carvana Car Vending Machine Targeted by High Tech Thieves
Theft has plagued the coin-operated machine market for decades and does not appear to be slowing down any soon. Since the first vending machines of the late 1800s, syndicates of high school students and bar patrons have been ripping them off.
Even as high school kids ourselves we had a variety of tricks including the Tilt Wobble, Shake n’ Jam, and the Short Circuit. However, the most widely practiced move for vending machine hijinx was the Sneaky Hand, a classic maneuver where you reach your arm back up to the vending machine through the slot where the goods are deposited.
Now almost 140 years later, Carvana has the highest tech vending machine available depositing full-size automobiles to customers. Unfortunately for Carvana, those same tricks from the 1800s still work rather effectively.
Several organized retail crime syndicates have begun to employ the Sneaky Hand tactic on Carvana by building giant mechanical hands, which they use to reach back into the slot and grab the car of their choosing. It seems comical, but we assure you this is no laughing matter as thieves have taken over $750,000 in automobiles this year.
Phoenix police were able to catch one potential suspect, but he is currently denying any involvement in the Carvana theft ring. When questioned about his enormous hands, the suspect claimed he was part of an oversized novelty extremities club where people create anything from big heads to big hands and the corresponding accessories.
