There are currently warnings about a trick that car thieves can use to gain quick access to the car: a plastic bottle stuck to the car tire. But this is more alarmism than a real trick.
This is how the magazine “ Chip ”, which is usually known more for technology news, reports:

How is that scam supposed to work?
Thieves allegedly put a plastic bottle between the wheel arch and the front wheel. Then they wait for the driver to get into the car, drive off and stop because of the noise from the crushed bottle and get out of the car to see what has crunched. So the driver gets out and looks what happened, thieves get into the car and drive off.
Alarmism
Alarmism is a form of clickbait, but it goes beyond that. Alarmism can be recognized by the drastic exaggeration of ordinary things. Here in the article it is shown in the story: You get into the car, drive off and the car is stolen because of a plastic bottle. Another element of alarmism comes into play here, namely the build-up of the general state of concern.
The argument “everyone has a car, so everyone is affected by it, so everyone has to warn” is behind this whole story. It's not that this trick doesn't work (there are certainly a lot of tricks for stealing a car), but it's a long shot to make this bottle trick an ever-dangerous method of thieving.
By the way, the argument of the article is based on a video that was published in June 2017 and comes from Mexico. This video has already been seen 6 million times. Just between us: Just because a video is viewed frequently on YouTube does not mean that the content will arrive the next day.
Still an important message
In the end, things should be a little forgiving here, because essentially this video, as well as Chip's article, conveys an important message: When you leave the car, you take the key with you! Whether paying at the gas station or just looking at something in the car: the key and car are not left alone.
Likewise, and this is worth remembering, you should also take a few seconds to do a walk-through before you start your journey. You take a quick look at the tires (cuts, cracks or dents, if you take a little more time you can also check the tread depth), you look at the lights and windshield wipers to make sure everything is clean and intact (please take one now and then). Do a function check), and ultimately you also look at the windows and mirrors to see whether everything is still intact and clean. That's really just a few seconds in which it's not just about theft, but also about road safety.
Ergo...
Nobody wants to deny that this trick worked somewhere at some point. However, to scare and warn is rather excessive.
Don't be afraid of plastic bottles. No panicked sharing of web articles that only add to the anxiety. There is also no reason to flee or call the police if you see a plastic bottle on the car. Remove, dispose of, drive away.
It's better to behave sensibly before setting off, then you don't have to worry about any alleged thieves' tricks.
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Notes:
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