CA - Auto theft on the rise in Toronto area, and a security expert thinks he knows why...
According to Markham automotive security specialist Jeff Bates, owner of Lockdown Security, wireless key fobs have a role to play in many recent car thefts, with thieves intercepting and rerouting their signals — even from inside homes — to open and steal cars.
...many of these thieves are using a method called "relay theft."Key fobs are constantly broadcasting a signal that communicates with a specific vehicle, he said, and when it comes into a close enough range, the vehicle will open and start.
"The way that the thieves are getting around this is they're essentially amplifying that low power signal coming off of the push start fob," he said.
"They will prey upon the general consensus that most people are leaving their key fobs close to the front door of their home and the vehicle will be in the driveway."
The thief will bring a device close to the home's door, close to where most keys are sitting, to boost the fob's signal.
They leave another device near the vehicle, which receives the signal and opens the car.
Many people don't realize it, Bates said, but the thieves don't need the fob in the car to drive it away. more
Many thanks to our Canadian Blue Blaze Irregular (WM) for this latest alert!
