6 Lexus SUVs stolen in Edmonton between Tuesday and Wednesday: EPS

A stock image of a 2020 Lexus RX350.

Police issued a warning to Lexus owners on Wednesday after six RX350 SUVs were stolen in Edmonton in a 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday.

According to the Edmonton Police Service, nearly 50 Lexus RX350s have been stolen in Alberta in 2023, with 19 of them being in Edmonton.

Most of the SUVs are 2019 to 2022 models, but a few 2016 and 2017 models have also been targeted.

"We want to make owners of these vehicles aware of these thefts, so that they can protect themselves from becoming victims," Acting Sgt. Don Lawrence of the Targeted Response to Auto-theft Prevention team said in a news release.

Owners are encouraged to park their vehicles in well-lit or secure parking spaces, to remove all valuables from vehicles, and to use a steering wheel lock of aftermarket GPS if possible.

The thieves are disabling the factory-installed GPS tracking systems, police say.

The president of a third-party GPS company says there are a lot of benefits to using an aftermarket product.

"The problem with that is since those things are installed in the vehicle from the factory, there's a wiring schematic that's available on that vehicle. There’s information about where it’s installed and how to disable it," said Conrad Galambos of Trackem and Wheresafe GPS. "So if I have bad intentions and want to be a thief, I can go and find the information about how to disarm that technology."

Galambos says you may also get credit from your insurance company for using a third-party device.

"Many insurance companies are now starting to offer discounts or incentives for installing a third-party GPS tracker."

"Now if the vehicle does get stolen there’s a much higher chance that it’s going to be recovered and therefore not costing them as much money."

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti