Just as cars are getting smarter, so too are criminals
While technology provides the convenience of allowing you to access your car without having to look for your keys, keyless access theft highlights how criminals were also turning technology to their advantage.
Car tracking company Tracker says car theft has increased by 7% nationally and that incidents increased to pre-Covid lockdown levels.
With the release of Tracker’s latest Vehicle Crime Index, the company highlighted that hijacking had also increased by 4%.
They attribute the increase partially to increased car usage following the return to the new normal, as well as new modus operandi on the part of criminals and crime syndicates – such as keyless access theft.
Tracker’s chief operations officer, Duma Ngcobo, said while technology provided convenience by allowing you to access your car without having to look for your keys, keyless access theft highlighted how criminals were turning technology to their advantage, making car theft easier.
But how does it work?
According to Tracker, a keyless access tactic involves a pair or team of criminals, one of whom could follow a newer model car owner as they walk away from their locked car.
With the use of a relay amplifier, a criminal can amplify the constantly transmitting signal received from the car’s key fob to a criminal counterpart’s relay transmitter.
They then gain access to the car via the transmitter and drive off.
While car theft remains concerning, there are steps you can take to avoid falling victim:
• Invest in a secure Faraday pouch to store your key fob. Faraday pouches are lined with layers of metallic material, which help block key fob signals.
• When parking your car at home near the gate, store your key fob as far away as possible from the car to minimise the risk of your key fob signal being amplified.
• If you are not able to park your car in a garage at home, try to park a car behind it which relies on a normal car key to open and move it.
• Tracker also suggests looking at deactivating the keyless entry function on your car.
• Consider a steering wheel lock. Although ‘old school’, they can be an effective visual deterrent.
Ngcobo said with the return to the new normal, the added number of cars on the road have only provided more opportunities for criminals.
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