A Scary Thing

[wchettel]

Some time in the early morning hours of April 4, my R-Spec was one of 19 cars in our small neighborhood that were broken into by thieves. I live in a small community of townhouses and we do not have garages. There was no damage to my R-Spec and they emptied my center console storage and glove-box but nothing was taken (I don't keep anything of value in the car).

I've talked to several neighbors that were hit by these thieves and several had only cash stolen except for one idiot who kept his wallet with ID, credit cards and cash in his car. There were some iPads and notebook PCs taken, but several had GPS devices that were not taken. It seems as if the thieves were looking mostly for cash and credit cards.

There was NO damage done to any of the 19 cars that were broken into. The police dusted for fingerprints on the cars that had items stolen but nothing was found. I was told by the policewoman that wrote up the report on my car that she was positive that the thieves wore gloves to avoid the prints.

Most of the 19 cars that were broken into had key-less entry systems similar to my R-Spec. There were NO auto alarms that went off that morning. How in the hell did they get into all these cars? This is the thing that scares me. Do they have some sort of electronic gizmo that enables them to open cars at will like that? Could they have started my R-Spec and just drove it away?

Up until this break in I've always felt that my car was 'secure' with it's keyless entry and start system plus the Blue Link Tracking features -- NOT ANY MORE!

Are there actually elctronic devices that will open our car doors like this?

 

[AgentSmith007]

Sounds similar to this

http://www.infowars.com/thieves-are-using-mystery-gadgets-to-electronically-unlock-cars-and-steal-what-is-inside/

 

[Billfz1]

We have had another thread about the newest "black box" cars being hacked. It seems like this has happened. The fob sends out radio signals. in the past criminal hackers leaarned how to make transmitters to open every garage door on a block so they could steal the stuff inside. That was a crude code. Computers cracked that easily. Modern cars are just more complicated. If onstar or bluelink can open your doors for you someone can make something to sweep the frequencys and open your car. This is an oversimplification, but none the less true. I figured it would happen sooner or later. Hard to beat an old fashioned key! Of course there are only so many keys too...
Bill

 

[Alwaysforward]

WOW... That's is scary...

 

[waveman]

Sounds similar to this

http://www.infowars.com/thieves-are-using-mystery-gadgets-to-electronically-unlock-cars-and-steal-what-is-inside/

I'm sure you're right.

I've never understood why people leave valuables in their car in plain sight. I've heard of cars with purses being left unlocked in my neighborhood. Personally, I like to leave bunched up dirty Kleenex tissues on the front seat as a deterrent.

Seriously, car manufacturers are going to have to respond by adding features to their alarm systems, maybe something like rolling codes used in garage door openers.

 

[EXBMWGUY]

Biometric fingerprint scanner may be a solution, but it's far from a perfect one.

 

[PMCErnie]

It's surprising how many folks leave their cars unlocked outside, not to mention those who leave their cars running while they pop into a 7/11, or Tim Norton 's.

 

[showbo]

It's surprising how many folks leave their cars unlocked outside, not to mention those who leave their cars running while they pop into a 7/11, or Tim Norton 's.

Yeah, those are the type of people that get mad at you for stopping at a redlight when they are behind you.

This is troubling man. They are able to unlock car doors, with no trace besides your things missing. Insane.

 

[katman0]

If there is no damage, the insurance company would not accept any claim for stolen contents.

 

[Jimmmmbo!]

What's worse about this are states that require you to have the car's registration available if you are stopped by a police officer. If you're not the primary owner, you're not going to have that in your hip-pocket. I don't know how many states these days require it, but CA did when I lived there 15 years ago.

If you have a Lux-vehicle, and they get your name and address from the registration stowed away in your glove compartment or driver visor, just think about those consequences ...

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[AgentSmith007]

We have two cars in the family, both registered on my name. I get two copies of registration from secretary of state for each of my cars, and I get two copies of insurance card for each car. I have registration and insurance cards for each car in my wallet, and my wife has the same in her purse. So, we don't have this issue when we swap cars.

 

[Billfz1]

If there is no damage, the insurance company would not accept any claim for stolen contents.

The thing to note is this is not a single brand problem. Many car makers buy their technology from one company. They then integrate the system into their doors. The solution of carrying a copy of your proof of insurance is a good idea. Those of us using smart phones can pull up a facsimile on your phone. Most officers will accept a phone fax.
Bill

 

[thompithak3182]

i think dealerships have that type of tech... if you lose a key i think they can make a new fob that will work with your transmission. i think the signal is different for every car and is associated by the vin number.

 

[marinakorp]

We have two cars in the family, both registered on my name. I get two copies of registration from secretary of state for each of my cars, and I get two copies of insurance card for each car. I have registration and insurance cards for each car in my wallet, and my wife has the same in her purse. So, we don't have this issue when we swap cars.

I take a picture on my phone. Only need "PROOF" of insurance.

The very few times I have been stopped...this has worked for me. Using the same argument about breaking in to car and knowing where I live etc. they would need to hack my phone to get the information.
They are very understanding with that reason.

 

[PMCErnie]

Lots of interesting thoughts here, but the majority of vehicle thefts still occurr in unlocked vehicles. There is a lot of stupidity going around.

 

[wchettel]

Lots of interesting thoughts here, but the majority of vehicle thefts still occurr in unlocked vehicles. There is a lot of stupidity going around.

My R-Spec was just 1 of the 19 cars that were broken into on the same night. My car was locked - I am not stupid! There may have been a few of those 19 that were unlocked, but the neighbors that I talked to also claim their car was locked.

 

[PMCErnie]

My R-Spec was just 1 of the 19 cars that were broken into on the same night. My car was locked - I am not stupid! There may have been a few of those 19 that were unlocked, but the neighbors that I talked to also claim their car was locked.

Nobody called you stupid. The fact remains that unlocked vehicles are the primary vehicle break-in target.

 

[Richard Ft. Lauderdale]

This seems to be a south Florida thing. Several unlocked cars were entered in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. The Broward county Sheriff had a helicopter up and dog out and they caught the bastards. I saw on the news they caught someone else in the last couple of weeks also.

 

[wchettel]

This seems to be a south Florida thing. Several unlocked cars were entered in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. The Broward county Sheriff had a helicopter up and dog out and they caught the bastards. I saw on the news they caught someone else in the last couple of weeks also.

No way! It had to have been a lot more than entering an unlocked car for the BCS to put a copter up for search.

 

[Richard Ft. Lauderdale]

No way! It had to have been a lot more than entering an unlocked car for the BCS to put a copter up for search.

Perhaps the copter was already nearby. Several of the neighbors saw it in progress.