How To Prevent Tampering Of GPS Tracking Devices

In the recent past, several car dealerships have noticed tampering in the GPS tracking devices in the vehicles sold under the BHPH financing option. Buy Here Pay Here, popularly known as BHPH is an interesting offering provided by several car dealerships. Under this option, buyers can take the car with a small down payment, and then pay the rest to the dealership on installment. The car they buy is held as collateral against such financing.

Moreover, even when the vehicle is sold, it still is an asset for the dealership. And to secure this asset, several dealerships opt to have a GPS tracking device installed in it. For a buy-here-pay-here dealer, vehicle tracking removes the risk of doing business. Despite the fact that dealerships never reveal customer information, and collect location data only to ensure the security of their asset, GPS tracking devices are tampered with to avoid the same.

In this article, we will discuss the dangers of tampering with GPS devices, how to identify them and what should dealerships do to prevent them.

Kinds of GPS tracking devices for dealerships:

Dealerships only need to know the location information, and in cases create Geofences to ensure that their asset is within safe geographical limits. For these purposes, there are two kinds of GPS tracking devices available on the market for dealerships:

• Plug-N-Play: Plug-n-play or wireless devices are quite popular for the asset as well as personal tracking. Wireless devices connect directly to a vehicle’s OBD-II port. These devices are compact, have their own power source, and can be concealed easily in the vehicle. They come ready out-of-the-box and are fairly easy to install. One of the benefits of these devices is that they are portable and can be transferred from one vehicle to another.
• Hardwired devices: These devices run on the vehicle’s power supply and require a three-wire connection to the vehicle – power, ignition, and ground wiring. They are usually placed under the hood/dash of the vehicle, well out of everyone’s sight. They can be self-installed, however, it is best to let experts handle it. Hardwired devices are also small in size making them easier to conceal.

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How GPS tracking devices are tampered with?

The most common way to tamper with a GPS tracking device is to either physically remove it or to cut off its power supply. Wireless devices can be disabled by plugging them out of the OBD II port, while wired devices can be deactivated by cutting the wire to power. This disrupts the signal and the device can no longer connect and transmit the location data of the vehicle. Another more creative and expensive way is to either use a jammer or a strong magnet to disrupt the GPS signal.

Dangers of a tampered GPS tracking device:

A tampered, deactivated, or disabled GPS tracking device in any of the vehicles held as collateral by a dealership has dire implications on its business. Not only the dealership loses its asset, but it also has to bear the financial loss. Moreover, if the vehicle is taken beyond the safe limits of a city or state, the chances to recover it are bleak.

What can dealerships do?

Although it seems that disabling a GPS tracker is quite easy, dealerships can be proactive and prevent this from happening. All you need to do is get Matrack’s kill switch tamper-resistant MA BHPH wired tracker. Impeccably designed, the MA BHPH wired GPS tracking device comes with a built-in tamper detect sensor. The sensor regularly checks for a live connection between the device and engine.

With this feature, if anyone tries to disable the tracker either by cutting the kill switch or unplugging the device from its power source, an automatically generated alert is sent to you via messaging or email. This helps you in taking quick action and minimize your losses.

Features of MA BHPH:

Matrack’s MA BHPH wired GPS tracker comes with all the features of a regular device and some sleek add-on features to avoid tampering. Apart from being tamper-resistant, MA BHPH is also waterproof and weatherproof and can withstand rough terrain and harsh conditions.

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• Tamper-alert: MA BHPH is equipped with a powerful sensor that keeps a check on the connection between the GPS tracking device and kills switch wire. As soon as this connection is interrupted, you will receive an alert within seconds.
• Power-failure alert: If for any reason the power source to the device is disabled or the connection between the device and power is broken, an alert is sent to you via SMS, email, or any other preferred way.
• Back-up battery: MA BHPH comes with a backup power source for the device – an in-built battery. This enables the device to function even if there is a power failure.
• Geofence: Geofencing allows you to create virtual geographical boundaries as small as your store and as big as your city. A notification is sent to you as soon as the tracking device enters or exits these boundaries.
• Aggressive Tracking mode: In case you are notified of a tampered GPS device or an asset crossing pre-set Geofences or power failure alert, you can avail of this feature to find your asset faster and secure it.
• Size and Installation: MA BHPH is a compact device with 2.75in X 1.97 X 1.05in dimensions, making it concealable without anyone noticing. What you can’t see, you can’t tamper with. It’s a wired device installed in the OBD II port of the vehicle, generally situated under the hood. The installation is easy and does not require expertise. Once installed and paired with its companion app, the device is ready to go!
• Coverage: MA BHPH is compatible with 4g/LTE connectivity ensuring constant collection and transmission of location data.
• Impound, and Tow Alerts: MA BHPH tracking device system scans and creates virtual GeoFences around impound lots nationwide. If a vehicle is impounded, you will be notified and the vehicle will be listed automatically on your dashboard.

Conclusion:

A tampered GPS tracking device in anyone the vehicles held as collateral is a huge business loss for a dealership. And the only way you can prevent it is by proactively seeking tamper-resistant devices. Matrack is a leader in GPS tracking devices and services and offers a dedicated and customized solution based on your business needs. Our MA BHPH bundles tamper-prevention with regular tracking needs like real-time location, Geofencing, and more.

We also offer 24/7 customer support. If you have any questions related to MA BHPH or any of our other devices, contact us!