Abbie Brookes-Morris She is another victim of a very upsetting incident when her quickly snatched keyless car from outside of her Wolverhampton home. She called the break-in “an invasion.” It occurred in only two minutes with she and her husband, Tom, slumbering just steps away. With the rise of organized crime groups employing advanced electronic devices, car owners are becoming increasingly vulnerable to such crimes.
Thieves pulled up to the couple’s home and immediately snatched an electronic relay device. They quickly hacked the vehicle’s signal and drove off with the car within a matter of seconds. Brookes-Morris eventually found her missing vehicle abandoned on the outskirts of the city. These thieves had shut it down in a way that prevented anyone from simply driving away without some skills and reprogramming.
Read about how the shocking rise of these predatory keyless car thefts forced substantial new bills through state legislatures. The Labour Crime and Policing Bill also bans the manufacture, importing into and sharing in sale of electronics geared towards stealing. Offenders can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison. Even with these attempts at prevention, criminals are still able to work with little fear of being caught. According to reports, tools for hijacking keyless cars have become so lucrative that they can be purchased online for upwards of £20,000. That’s because this illustrates a huge consumer market for these illegal tools.
Criminals have repurposed these devices to stop tracing efforts on stolen cars, adding another layer of difficulty onto law enforcement’s work to keep our roads safe. Jack Cousens from the AA highlighted the challenges posed by this organized cross-border crime, stating, “Criminals are paying huge sums, but they’ll make those sums back. They’re potentially stealing 10 cars a week.”
Brookes-Morris is far from the only woman with safety concerns after the theft. She expressed her unease after the incident, stating, “Although they didn’t physically come into the house, you don’t feel safe.” The incident caught on the doorbell camera, which recorded the gang using some kind of electronic device. This surveillance very much explains how brazen these criminals are.
Based on the expert advice, here’s how car owners can protect themselves from relay theft. Many new vehicles now come with configurable features to turn off keyless entry settings. Keeping keys in “faraday pouches” can effectively block the signal a fob sends to a car, thus reducing the risk of theft.
Richard Billyeald from Thatcham Research stated unequivocally, “You’re really only using these if you’re stealing cars; there’s no legitimate use in any other way at all.” This unfortunate sentiment illustrates the continued lack of public education about the dangers of keyless entry systems.
6) Convenience Cousens put particular emphasis on the point of keyless entry convenience. He cautioned that it gets particularly susceptible when an entire block is chosen for relay theft. He noted, “The days of smash and grab are diminishing. As vehicles become more technologically advanced, would-be thieves do their best to stay ahead of the game. That’s why we’ve seen a rise in relay theft across the country.”
Neil Thomas, a car tracking expert, added that organized crime groups often “loan the devices out,” complicating efforts by authorities to combat these thefts. With criminals ever evolving their practices, it is still important for vehicle owners to educate themselves and be proactive.