POLOKWANE – There have been numerous reports in the city of criminals jamming the car remote to gain access to your car once its locked.

But have you ever wondered how they did it?

The technique is simple. Criminals use electronic gate remote controls to interfere with cars’ remote locking systems, jamming the signal that the cars’ remote controls send to the locking systems.

The cars stay unlocked while the motorists think their cars are safely locked, making it easy for criminals to open the doors.

John Peterson, an employee at a local access control supplier, said the remote controls used to jam the cars’ remote locking systems could be bought for less than R200 and were simple to programme for use.

“Programming the new remote control is done by pressing and holding down the button while an existing remote control’s button is pressed and held down. The new remote control picks up the signal of the existing remote control and stores it on the chip. Each remote control can be programmed and reprogrammed numerous times for various access systems. This means that the remote control can be programmed to work on gates in different areas, as well as vehicles,” Peterson explained.

Polokwane police spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala said the remote control jamming modus operandi was first reported in 2009, and since then, the crime had evolved many times for various scenarios.

He said in most cases, the criminals followed their victims to establish a routine and ensure they had enough time to get away after the theft.

Phala urged motorists to always manually check that their vehicles were locked after using a remote system.

He said motorists should avoid parking in remote or dark areas as much as possible.

“Be aware of your surroundings and make sure you are not followed or watched when you exit your car,” he warned.

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