PIERCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) – Breaking into and stealing cars has almost become a game for many thieves, and they aren’t shy about showing how they do it.
Many times, it’s done without a key or breaking a window.
One group of criminals is now promoting the device they use to steal cars without having to break a window or jimmy a lock. If you have a key fob, you know how nice it is to be able to open your vehicle with the push of a button. If you have a push-button start, you don’t even need to get out your fob. The vehicle makes sure it’s close by, and then you can start your car or truck.
But this convenience comes with a cost. Unfortunately, more and more criminals are learning just how easy it is to hack these devices.
Local 12 brought you the story of Tracy Arvin just one month ago. He was one of more than 20 people in Pierce Township who had their vehicles broken into.
“[They] took a gun, a large sum of cash, rummaged through the vehicle, and then went on down the street to plunder other people’s cars,” Arvin said.
He said he never leaves his firearm in his vehicle. He meant to go back and get it after bringing in other items from the store, but forgot. Arvin couldn’t believe it when he woke up the next morning. He woke up to find that his car had been rifled through. He watched the surveillance video of it happening.
“You could see [the thieves] standing by the car, and all of a sudden the lights came on and they opened the car up,” Arvin said.
Arvin didn’t know how they did it. After all, his key fob was inside and far enough away that the vehicle didn’t detect it. Then he learned about the high-tech devices thieves are using.
Cybersecurity expert Paul Sems said that there are devices that will relay the signal from your key fob or even copy it to make your car think you want to go for a ride.
“It’s literally a FM radio signal or an AM radio signal. It’s just at a specific frequency,” Sems said.
The scary thing is, if you know where to look, you or a criminal can easily buy one.
“It’s the same thing with like a lockpicking kit. If you’re a locksmith, you’re allowed to buy locksmithing tools; if you’re a private citizen, you’re allowed to buy locksmithing tools. But as soon as you use that device in the execution of a crime, it now becomes a criminal tool,” Sems said.
There is good news, though. There are protective cases, known as faraday bags or cages, that you can purchase to prevent your key fob signal from being copied.
Even better, you may already have protection in your home. Any metal box or even a coffee can will work to prevent the fob signal from being stolen. While it’s too late for Arvin to prevent his items from being stolen, he said he was going to look at getting something to prevent anything like this from happening in the future.
And as we continue to see cars broken into across the Tri-State, police can’t arrest their way out of the problem. It comes down to all of us to keep anything of value out of our vehicles and do whatever we can to make it harder for thieves.
