Car thieves have reportedly attempted to access the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) database, a gold mine containing the make, model of vehicles and the addresses of their owners.
It’s a new technique criminals are using to locate cars to target, according to Peel Deputy Police Chief Nick Milinovich. “[Ces derniers] are doing everything they can to locate these vehicles. We even saw them trying to access MTO files,” he said in an interview with CTV News.
According to him, access to information is of paramount importance to these members of organized crime. He even goes so far as to say that the tactic “could include accessing checks through the Ministry of Transportation.”
Asked about this by CTV News, the MTO was unable to confirm Mr. Milinovich’s information. “Anyone accessing personal information is subject to internal controls and security checks,” said a spokesperson for the MTO, referring to government staff.
“It looks like we’re in serious trouble. I think we’ve all been warned about this over the years, that relying on the digital format for everything is going to come back to haunt us, and I think if that happens at MTO, there are many more things we need to worry about,” said Jason, who had his Land Rover stolen last week. The latter preferred to keep his last name quiet for fear of being the target of thieves again.
Note that last December, Toronto police revealed that Service Ontario employees had disclosed personal information of several Ontarians to suspects.
