Thieves made off with more than $7,000 worth of goods during a rash of break-ins and vehicle thefts on Hilton Head Island in the first two weeks of November. Although burglaries they are most common in the summer monthsThe Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office says incidents occur throughout the year and advises residents to remain vigilant.

Most of the nine thefts occurred in mid-island or north Hilton Head, and the vast majority involved unlocked vehicles. In two locations, several cars were robbed at once.

In two other cases, stolen credit cards were used to purchase Visa gift cards shortly after the break-ins. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Command Sgt. Danny Allen said thieves often use this tactic to minimize the number of charges made to stolen cards.

As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been made in connection with the thefts, Allen said.

• 11/2: A man selling mopeds in his front yard on Squire Pope Road was approached by two teenagers who asked them to take him for a test ride. They left on the $1,000 moped and never returned, he told police

• 11/4: Golf club set valued at $500 was taken from a vehicle parked at a residence in the Coligny area

• 11/5: $2,000 motorcycle trailer taken from auto shop on Spanish Wells Road

• 11/7: Purse $70 stolen from car in front of Marshland Road residence

• 11/8: Three cars broken into at Aquatera Apartments, located off Gardner Drive near Hilton Head Island Airport: wallet, credit cards stolen from SUV; $100, credit card stolen from Nissan and another burglary with no reported theft

• 11/8: Four cars broke into a Bradley Beach residence, although nothing was reported missing from the vehicles; The thieves entered the garage and took a dirt bike and an electric scooter worth a total of about $3,000. Surveillance footage showed three unidentified suspects on bicycles pulling on car doors around 4:30 that morning.

• 11/11: Purse $250, wallet $120, $130 cash taken from unlocked truck parked at Ombra Cucina Italiana restaurant while employee was working. CVS surveillance footage showed an unknown suspect using one of the stolen credit cards to purchase a $100 Visa gift card

• 11/12: Lululemon bag, wallet taken from small business owner’s Acura parked near Shelter Cove. Surveillance video from a nearby Publix showed an unidentified man using one of the stolen credit cards to purchase $1,000 in Visa gift cards

• 11/14: The driver’s side window of the Toyota “completely shattered” outside the Gum Tree Road flat; nothing stolen

How to prevent vehicle theft

Tracking or predicting this type of theft can be difficult because it is primarily a “crime of opportunity,” Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. In most cases, the perpetrators target neighborhoods and tourist areas, repeatedly pulling on car doors in search of unlocked vehicles. By the time the police respond, the thieves have usually moved to a different area.

Allen advised residents to always lock car doors and store valuables and firearms in a glove box or center console — or remove those items from the vehicle while leaving it parked for long periods of time. time. Those living in private communities should not develop a “false sense of security”, he said, as criminals can easily bypass the gates on foot. They might even live in the neighborhood themselves.

Carjackings are rarely caught on camera, added Sgt. If possible, he urged locals to buy surveillance systems for their homes, pointing at least one camera where vehicles are parked and left overnight.