(WHTM)– It’s risky every time you park your car these days! Hyundai thefts, Kia thefts, break-ins, and never-ending catalytic converter thefts, but there may be a way to stop those.

Lisa Mcnee is now among the thousands of catalytic converter theft victims.

“The car was parked there, right in front of the house,” Mcnee said.

She provided us the doorbell cam video which shows a shadowy figure pulling up to her car at night.

“They call they say I think I need a muffler, I have a loud exhaust,” Mcnee said.

Many owners show up at this shop where shop owner Matt Overbeck says thieves can remove converters, filled with valuable rhodium and palladium, in seconds.

“Real quick cut here with a reciprocating saw,” Overbeck said.

They then sell them for big bucks.

“Some of these converters have a scrap value of a thousand dollars,” Overbeck said.

Worried about your converter being stolen? We wanted to know whether inexpensive alarms and locks might work to protect them!

“Some companies have begun to make guards, shields, to cover your catalytic converter,” Overbeck said.

Overbeck says the almost fail-proof way to stop theft is to install a metal plate that a thief can’t easily cut off.

“This is an aluminum shield, that fastened in place to prevent a thief from getting that catalytic converter,” Overbeck said.

But these cost about $200 to install. A cheaper option: amazon sells catalytic converter locking cables for around $150 or motion sensor alarms for just $30!

“It’s listed as a catalytic converter alarm.”

So we ordered an alarm and took it to Deubber’s Auto Repair, where Marc Deubber agreed to install it.

He put batteries in the alarm and remote, then put my Ford Escape up on the lift, he strapped on the alarm, then, he gave it a tap to test it out.

It worked! Though Marc wonders if it’s enough to scare away a thief.

Of course, the best thing to do is avoid on-street parking overnight and try to park in a busy well-lit place, that way you don’t waste your money.