Thieves Target Keyless Remote Entry on Cars in New Burglary Trend

Last week I wrote a post about a low-tech burglar who forced entry using a screw driver.  In this news article, we find out how high-tech burglars are making waves in Nashville, Tennessee.   They've figured out how to recreate the key-less entry feature on many cars and are using that to break into cars without any visible damage. Detectives investigated the break in’s and Commander Reinbold commented:

“We usually we have more vehicles broken into via busting a window versus a vehicle being unlocked. […] When the owner would walk away thinking their vehicle was secure the suspect would come and make entry into the vehicle because it is unlocked. At times they would even secure the vehicle after they got done.”

High-Tech Theft The majority of people utilize the remote key-less entry system do not utilize the interior lock feature on their cars.  This leaves them susceptible to burglars who use radio signal jamming to unlock the doors from the outside and take whatever they can find. The problem is, police officials are unsure of how the technology is used, making it hard to prevent these burglaries. Metro police suggest drivers lock their vehicles by using the lock button on the inside of their vehicles.  If your car makes a sound when it is locked, like a honking horn or flashes its lights, make sure it does that before walking away from the vehicle. However, this isn't the first time we've seen high-tech burglaries. There have been reports of instances similar to these for the past 3 years in the USA and abroad.  Last year, more than 1,000 vehicles in London were stolen using lock jamming devices like we are seeing here. Simple Solution? A reasonable solution to these stealthy burglaries would be to remove all valuables from your car, park it in your garage, if available, and lock it from the interior of the car.  However, the increase in nice weather makes cars, even protected inside a garage, more vulnerable.   A family in Wichita, Kansas learned the hard way, “The garage door was open.  They came through that door right there,” said Combs, pointing to the door which leads from his garage to his kitchen.  It all happened while Combs and his family were asleep. “Wasn't nothing I could do,” he shrugs. This is an unfortunate situation that could have benefited from a safer solution – 100% cellular, wireless home security.  Combs would have been notified through his mobile app that his garage door senor was ajar.  In the even that he ignored this notification; he still has protected peace of mind. With a monitoring center that never takes a day off, he and his family are protected from any intrusion. A triggered sensor within his system prompts an extremely loud alarm to sound, followed closely by dispatch of law enforcement to his home.