Aus caravan homeowners warned of horror trend
Luke Weber, owner of Affordable Caravans Service & Repairs which sells and repairs vans, told Yahoo News that the tactic is used to lock travellers inside their caravans.
Mr Weber explained to the outlet a 'crazy story' of a customer who revealed they had their camping gear stolen in front of them by the cunning act.
The thieves used a piece of paper to disable the latch lock on their caravan door.
Trapped inside, the travellers apparently couldn't do anything but watch as their belongings were taken away from them.
According to Yahoo, a majority of caravan doors manufactured from 2000 onwards have a lock mechanism involving a latch. The latch needed to jut outwards in order to open the door.
However, a metal ring also found on the door handle — which is used to hook the door open when required — can be used to prevent the door from opening.
In a recent video, Mr Weber demonstrated the trick with a piece of paper that can be used to block the space where the latch juts out, preventing the system from unlocking.
'It's very, very simple and it'll lock people in,' Mr Weber explained to Yahoo News.
'I've been fixing caravans for a long time, and it has been well known for a long time that a thief can just use a sheet of paper, or even sticky tape, to stop those doors from opening.
'It's such a common problem, people get their gear stolen in the middle of the night.
'People even get their barbecues taken and their fridges taken …
'They just have to sit in the caravan until it's over, then climb out a window or something.'
Mr Weber explained there is an 'easy fix' to avoid being locked inside a caravan
'It's an easy fix, you just take the little metal ring off where people put the paper,' he said.
'It just clicks right off, and you can put it inside your caravan, and the problem is solved.'
Removing the metal ring, which serves as a functional hook to keep the door open, does not affect the door's locking mechanism. Therefore, caravanners can still securely lock themselves inside overnight.
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