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Multiple thefts from cars reported in west Toledo

One west Toledo resident says her registration receipt and her insurance card were stolen, a crime that has been recently reported across the country.

TOLEDO, Ohio — If you live in west Toledo, police are reminding you to make sure your car doors are locked.

There have been reports of burglars rummaging through cars, but they seem to be looking for something specific.

Neighbors on Imperial Drive caught a man on Ring doorbell camera Sunday night, who they believe searched through their unlocked cars. 

Thirty-year-old Marisa Nagel found her vehicle in complete disarray Monday morning.

Nagel said after speaking with neighbors, she's one of four people who had their car tossed over. But what's surprising is what was stolen and what wasn't.

"I specifically noticed nothing was missing. I have a very visual memory, everything down to loose change and even the camera and the laptop," Nagel said. "Nothing went missing, except I had a specific black leather folder."

Inside the folder, which she reported stolen to TPD on Monday, was her vehicle registration and her insurance information, or so she thought.

She was able to find her registration lying on the floor of her car later that morning, but the thief got away with the registration's attached receipt and her insurance card.

"I just don't know what the motive would be behind intentionally leaving valuables and taking a folder with the information," Nagel said. "And when I had spoken to police, he said people use irrational thinking when they're stealing and he probably didn't mean to take it."

But there could be a second, more nefarious explanation.

Other news stations across the country, such as ABC6 Philadelphia, have reported multiple incidents of thieves targeting vehicle registrations.

"With your vehicle registration in hand, scammers can replicate your car's title and VIN. They can remodel a stolen car to resemble yours and proceed to sell it," the private security website identityguard.com wrote.

NPR additionally reports healthcare theft is on the rise, often accomplished with people's insurance cards.

With Nagel's information now out in the wild, she's not sure what's going to happen next.

But she said she's learned the hard way to never to leave her car unlocked.

"Don't ever hesitate to double check your vehicles at night if you feel like you left something unlocked," Nagel said.

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