GARDA ALERT: HOW THIEVES ARE HACKING KEYLESS CARS
EXCLUSIVE: Surge in hi-tech robberies here as criminals lurk outside homes to access signal
A NATIONWIDE alert has been issued to warn motorists of criminals using new technology to steal keyless cars from unsuspecting motorists.
Gardaí have issued the warning following a spate of thefts and attempted robberies of keyless vehicles – and one senior source has said the force is bracing itself for a surge in the hi-tech crime.
While the thefts – which see criminals lurk outside family homes to hack into key fob signals – are commonplace in the UK and US, a number of recent incidents here have led to concern about the modern malaise for car owners.
Most recently, two Eastern European men were arrested with ‘electronic relay boxes’ – used to deactivate keyless vehicles – in a housing estate in Dún
Laoghaire. The two men, aged in their late 30s and early 40s, were seen acting suspiciously in the south Dublin suburb.
Detectives kept them under observation and then stopped and searched their Audi estate car as they exited a residential area.
Gardaí seized screwdrivers, a knife and builders’ gloves from the vehicle. Near the Audi, officers recovered the two electronic ‘relay boxes’, which detectives suspect were thrown out the car window before gardaí pulled them over.
A senior security source said: ‘There have been problems in the UK with these electronic relay boxes being used to steal cars. It has become an epidemic in the US and thieves have been using these electronic devices with more frequency in the UK.
‘But it is a new departure in Ireland. Now we are worried this technology could gain a foothold. These electronic devices can be easily bought online.’
Indeed, the gadgets are sold for under €300 on Amazon or eBay.
The senior source added that with the increase in sales of keyless cars, ‘gardaí are now on high alert and are bracing themselves’. ‘As always, we must prepare for the worst and technology is unstoppable, as we know.’
Officers believe the pair in Dún Laoghaire were driving around looking for keyless cars to steal when gardaí intercepted them.
The two men were arrested, questioned and subsequently released without charge.
A file was later sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which is considering potential charges.
The arrests in Dún Laoghaire follow a similar crime just a number of weeks beforehand in Clonee, Co. Meath, using the same technology.
In the car theft in Clonee in late November, the criminals were filmed on CCTV stealing a BMW from outside a house using one of the same relay devices.
The spate of thefts and attempted break-ins of keyless cars follows a surge in this type of hi-tech robberies in Britain by thieves using relay devices that copy the radio signals being emitted from electronic car keys.
The thieves in Co. Meath were filmed arriving at a house and using a device to pick up the signal from the car key inside the house. Having copied the signal, they were then able to break into the BMW car and drive it away.
The owners of the BMW became aware of the incident when one of their children woke them.
To protect against the crime, owners of keyless cars are being urged to store their fobs in metal boxes, as the key fobs’ signal is penetrable through brick, glass and wood – meaning thieves can access the signal and start the cars just by standing outside a person’s house with their devices.
However, security sources say in some instances the thieves will break into motorists’ homes to get closer to the car-key signal.
Many newer cars have stop-start buttons instead of a conventional ignition key. The button relies on the signal from the key to enable the engine to start but does not require the driver to insert a key into an ignition slot. The system allows keyless entry to the car.
Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda and Volkswagen, along with luxury brands such as Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar all use these key fobs.
A study by the German Automobile Club listed 19 manufacturers offering the system, which is now one of the top optional extras chosen by car buyers.
West Midlands Police in Britain previously released a video showing thieves stealing a car within seconds by using the technology.
The relay devices are now being used widely by car thieves in Europe.
Relay boxes are available to buy via Amazon and eBay for as little as £260 (€300).
Using the gadgets to hack a fob signal, the vehicle’s security system is tricked into thinking the key fob is present, allowing thieves
Devices can be bought online
Put fobs in biscuit tins, owners told
to enter cars and steal them.
Criminals are also targeting car parks in Britain with a gadget that blocks the signal when a driver tries to use a fob to lock their vehicle. This leaves the car open for thieves.
Manufacturers insist cars are more secure than ever, but police are urging drivers to buy old-fashioned steering wheel locks, and even to store fobs in biscuit tins or special cases to protect them.