Gone in 40 seconds

Merc vanishes as thieves use new hi-tech way to beat security fobs

IT TOOK two thieves just 40 seconds to break into a Mercedes and steal it.

Nothing was broken, no force was used and the car was driven away just as if its owner was behind the wheel.

The slick theft was just the latest in a wave of hi-tech raids that dupe a car’s security system into thinking its electronic key is present. This allows the car to be unlocked and started.

It is feared thousands of prestige models such as BMWs, Audis and Mercedes are being stolen in this way. In many vehicles traditional keys have been replaced by a plastic fob which contains a computer chip and security code.

In the latest incident at Marston Green, West Midlands, the two thieves used a hi-tech relay device which looks like a TV set-top box. Such devices acquire the signal from the car’s key fob – which is probably hanging up inside the car owner’s home. This is then bounced to the car – enabling thieves to open the doors.

Signals can travel through buildings, so the thieves don’t need to break into homes to steal keys.

In the Marston Green case, one of the thieves stood beside the vehicle with a signal box while his accomplice waved a relay box in front of the property. The box received a signal from the key inside and relayed it to the second receiver being held next to the car.

The car’s systems were then tricked into thinking the key was present and it unlocked. The crook was then able to simply press the starter button on the dash board which worked, again because the car’s security system believed the key fob was nearby.

Physical security measures in cars have greatly improved since the peak era for thefts and breakins in the early 1990s. However, the growing use by manufacturers of electronic key fobs has been followed by a rise in so-called keyless car theft. Luxury marques are often stolen to order, sealed inside containers and shipped abroad.

Mark Silvester, of the West Midlands Police crime reduction team, said: ‘To protect against this type of theft, owners can use a steering lock to cover the entire steering wheel. We also recommend tracking [devices] fitted to the vehicle.

‘It is always worth speaking to your main dealer, to ensure that your car has had all the latest software updates and talk through security concerns with them.’

Some key fobs can be turned off, which security experts recommend doing at night. Other advice includes storing keys away from household entry points and considering using a signal-blocking Faraday pouch to put keys in. Experts at vehicle tracking and security manufacturer Tracker estimate 66 per cent of stolen cars are taken after being ‘electronically compromised’.

A total of 65,783 vehicles were reported stolen to 40 police forces in England and Wales in 2013, but by 2016 the figure was 85,688.

The model of the Mercedes stolen at around 5.30am on February 21 was not revealed.