Police have warned drivers about criminals targeting one type of car on driveways.
Five catalytic converters have been stolen from vehicles left in driveways during last month.
The majority of cars targeted were Honda Jazz vehicles although hybrid cars in general could be affected.
The thefts in the Liverpool area all happened in private driveways and often in broad daylight.
The Liverpool Echo reports Merseyside Police say thieves look like they are doing repair work on a car or wear high visibility jackets to "hide in plain sight"
The following steps may reduce the risk to your vehicle:
'Cat locks' can be purchased to secure the catalytic converter on your vehicle.
This is especially recommended to vehicle owners who have had their catalytic converters stolen previously, to reduce the risk of becoming a repeat victim of this type of crime.
If you have CCTV or a door bell camera, consider reversing your car onto your driveway, so that the back of your car is covered by the CCTV/camera.
If you have gates, consider locking them with a sturdy chain to make life more difficult for thieves.
If you see people acting suspiciously around vehicles at any time you can report them on 101 or 999.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "If you see anyone acting in this manner under cars in car parks, CCTV, photographs, video or dashcam footage of the people involved and details of the vehicles they have used will be vital in helping us to arrest offenders.
"Call us on 999 if you believe you are witnessing a crime in process, or 101 if you have information or footage of an incident at a later date.
"These thieves are brazen and often carry out their crimes in busy areas on the basis that no one will report what they are seeing.
"Please help us to catch these offenders by reporting people acting suspiciously under cars in car parks."
In April The Mirror reported a terrifying moment in the same city when a woman was shoved to the ground and mowed down by a thief making off with her own car.
A shocking CCTV clip shared on social media shows how the unknown lady parked up by a post box to and stepped out to post a letter.
But within a matter of seconds, a lurking thug dressed in black ran towards the blue Hyundai car and climbed in the driver's side while her back was turned.
The woman, who was wearing a coat and purple dress, then ran back to her vehicle and bravely tried to pull the carjacker out of the vehicle.
But in a furious attempt to get away, the thug reversed the car with the door still open, dragging her along the ground and crashing into another vehicle.
The horrifying scenes were caught on CCTV outside the Post Office on Holmfield Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, at around 10.05am on April 11.
Cops searched the area but were not able to find the stolen car.
