FIRST ON 13: Car thieves targeting food delivery drivers in Albany

There’s a concerning trend with food delivery drivers being targeted by car thieves. The city of Albany is putting a warning out about this.

As more people are using food delivery services like Uber Eats and Grubhub, more of those drivers are out there, and are vulnerable to criminals looking to steal cars.

Nearly 250 cars have been stolen in the city this year, Albany Police said. That’s both delivery drivers, and regular, everyday drivers.

In those cases, it’s people parking on the street, leaving the car unlocked, leaving valuables in plain sight that may catch a criminal’s eye, and in some cases, even leaving the key in the car.

When it comes to the Uber Eats and Grubhub or DoorDash drivers, they’re being targeted while making their deliveries.

“It sounds like the delivery guys are just running out thinking it’s going to be a quick delivery and then they’re thinking that their car is going to be out there, and the car has been stolen,” Albany Police Detective Megan Craft said.

Another concern is most newer cars now have a key fob, not an actual key.

Police are finding a lot of people leave the spare in their glove compartment. Don’t do that. It is extremely easy for criminals to steal cars that way, said police, because even if you lock it, that touch sensor on many cars will unlock it if the fob is inside.