Keyless Vehicle Thefts

Keyless Vehicle Thefts

Recently there has been an uplift in keyless vehicle thefts, involving KIAs mainly EV6 and NIROs.  For those of you that have or know of anyone that has one of these vehicles please pass them this information.  

The SNT are currently patrolling the ward and also looking out for these vehicles so that we can offer this crime prevention advice to them.  Below i have included some advice to follow to hopefully prevent this from occuring to anyone else, so even if you do not have one of these specific vehicles its always worth trying some of these methods.

Keep the keys safe

Vehicles today are by and large more difficult to steal than ever, unless the thief can access your key or fob to clone them. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox.

If you're selling your car and you meet up with a potential buyer, do not allow the keys out of your sight. Your keys may be cloned by thieves and used later to steal your vehicle.

Keyless entry 

Cars with keyless entry unlock automatically when the key comes within a short distance of the car. This can be from inside a pocket or bag. If you have to push a button on your car key to open your car, you don't have keyless entry.

Keyless car theft or 'relay theft' is when a device is used to fool the car into thinking the key is close by. This unlocks the car and starts the ignition.

Thieves only need to be within a few metres of your car key to capture the signal, even if it’s inside your home. This means that even if your car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal your car.

How to protect your keyless entry car

Additional physical security such as locks and immobilisers are still highly recommended.

Fit good in-car security locks

Additional physical security can help to prevent your vehicle being driven away even if a thief gains entry. There are a range of security rated products tested by Sold Secure that can help, such as steering wheel locks, pedal boxes and gear stick locks.

Some of these products, tested to Sold Secure Diamond, can even resist a small hand-held angle grinder.

It's also worth speaking to your vehicle dealership about installing an aftermarket immobiliser approved by the manufacturer.

Immobilisers prevent a vehicle from starting unless the correct fob, key or activation process is used. They can be personalised so that you're the only one who knows how to unset it via a number of dashboard controls.