Catalytic Converter Stolen in So Cal then...

Sounds like you're on to something big here, and you should report this to the local "Cat Sheriffs". Doubtful if they'll do anything, but there could be some up and coming rookie who has a perchant for catching conspiring cat thieves - unlike the quick to donut soon to be retirees.

 

We used to live near you (91701) and moved only after my wife fully retired as an LA sheriff's deputy in 2019. She suggests you report it to both the Upland PD and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. They may already have an investigation started. Odds are extremely high the thieves are targeting other car owners in the same manner.

 

^ Good Advice!
In fact, it's your duty as a citizen to at least do the paperwork.

If this were a 30-minute crime show then they'd lift prints from the card, do some stake-outs, and catch the mutts in the act, have a fast-n-Furious 12 inspired chase scene followed by a shoot-out that would trigger bouts of PTSD in vets.......but this is real life.
It's a <$1,000 property crime.
The LEOs will do their job, and the most stupid, brazen, or unlucky of criminals will get caught and subjected to whatever judicial norms they have in your zip code, which is a 'you-guys' thing.
Not judging.
We actually NEED more high quality used cars here instead of the tired iron that gets imported because cars fail smog tests for REAL mechanical issues.

I'd be tempted to take a road trip and replace the OEM cat with a non-oem unit - but that's ME.

Good Luck!

 

We had one of those cards a week ago on the wife's 1998 Accord (in Arcadia). My Prius had its cat stolen a while ago, but the cards did not seem to be targeted by that event, as they were on some of the neighbor's cars too, up and down the whole street.

My guess is that those cards are distributed like most other such documents. The sender contracts with a distribution company which in turn pays a pittance to some poor schmuck who walks all over the neighborhoods tucking them under windshield wipers or jamming them in next to a front window.

 

That could definitely be it but it's still worth letting law enforcement know about it. If it's a legitimate coincidence they will be able to verify it easily, making sure the proper business permits are in order allowing them to distribute the cards. In many cities they not only require a business license but each individual walking the streets for them is required to provide their ID to city hall so the police know who's out there. In Rancho Cucamonga they put that requirement in place because too many people were masquerading as door-to-door company reps, finding the vacant houses and then going back to strip them of plumbing fixtures and whatever else they could get.