Make sure you hear the beep of your alarm system and the audible sound of the locking mechanism when you lock your car.
Vehicle jamming is increasing and several cases have been reported at Witbank Police Station the last week where vehicle jamming devices were used to block the successful locking of cars.
“Your only real defence against falling victim to jamming is to mitigate your risk by being aware of the practice and personally checking that your doors are locked. Physically check your doors and boot. It goes without saying that your valuables should be kept in your boot and out of sight,” said Capt Eddie Hall, police spokesperson.
“Always park in a safe area, preferably with plenty of people about, where security guards are in place and the area is well lit,” Capt Hall said.
Most remote controls, including those for motor vehicles, gate, and garage automation operate on a frequency of 433MHz. When a remote control button is pressed, it sends a message on the allocated frequency to a receiver in the vehicle to perform an action, be it to lock or unlock the vehicle.
At the other end, the receiver is ‘listening’ for a specific message that it can interpret to perform a required action.
When a button of another remote is pressed in close proximity, the receiver receives two messages simultaneously.
The two messages are consequently scrambled, the receiver cannot interpret the message, and no action is initiated which means the vehicle’s doors are not locked.
It should be noted that these remote control and jamming devices cannot unlock your vehicle. They can only stop your remote control from working properly.
