Keyless Car Thefts: Is your home attracting crime?
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What is the rise in keyless car thefts and why are they in the news?
The space of car theft has been hitting the headlines all summer and now car owners also have to contend with criminals using modern technology to unlock car fobs. There have been notable increases in keyless car thefts in Limerick, Clare and Wicklow in recent months. For more on how to keep yourself, your house and your car safe as the evenings draw in, I'm joined now by Mick Walsh, Crime Prevention Consultant and... by Ronan Murphy, CEO of Smart Tech. You're both very welcome. Mick, I'm going to start with you. Relay theft, what is that?
Good morning, David. I suppose relay theft is something that involves your more modern keyless entry and start system cars. It's where a perpetrator can use what's called an interceptor and take the radio frequency from the key in your house and I suppose relay it or redirect it to the car and remotely start your car, fooling the system in the car and stealing the car.
Okay. And I mean, it sounds quite sophisticated, isn't it?
I mean, look, I suppose modern technology, the way it has evolved over the years, it's quite a simple system you can purchase online, something the size of a mobile phone. And, you know, as I said, translate that information to the car.
Okay, and this can be done pretty quickly, presumably, can it? Hello, Mick.
Hello.
Sorry, David, there was just noise in the background there.
Sorry, come again? No, I was just saying this can be done pretty quickly, I presume, is it?
Yeah, it's quite a swift operation. So any modern cars that have those keyless entries are susceptible to it. Somebody comes up to the front window of your house with a small device, it looks for, as I said, the radio frequency, within a couple of seconds can be transferred to your car immediately. and start your car and drive away with it. So I suppose just for any of your listeners that have those modern types of keyless entry cars, what is recommended is a Faraday pouch. You may have heard in the media in recent months about the schools and children with mobile phones putting them into a pouch. And what it is, is just a kind of a metal type of pouch that stops the RFID being transmitted. So equally, you know, a little metal container like a biscuit tin would do the same job.
But I suppose just to remind people, they often have a spare key for a car as well.
How does relay theft work and what technology do thieves use?
So both keys should be put away.
And I
suppose not to underestimate the value of your old standard kind of steering lock or some physical
deterrent as
well.
Yeah. A Faraday pouch at the biscuit tin sounds more attractive to me. Is a Faraday pouch expensive?
They're not that expensive. You can buy them online for a couple of euros. But look, a biscuit tin is just the same job. So something like that would be fine.
Okay. Does tinfoil work? Because I have a colleague who is religiously wrapping her car keys in tinfoil every night in the hope that this will work.
Yeah, I understand that will do the same job. Absolutely. That will work too.
Okay, brilliant. Some people worry about this, Mick, because they worry about hiding their keys or keeping them uncontactable by those type of relay things in case the thief decides that they're going to break in and they don't want them coming into the bedroom looking for the keys.
Yeah, look, I often get that question asked about where's the best place to leave your keys. I would say obviously keep them away from the front door that they aren't easily accessible. That being said, you know, I wouldn't recommend bringing them to your bedroom because if a thief is, I suppose, really intent on getting your car and would commit a burglary to do so, you're better off leaving them in a living room or in a kitchen or somewhere where they can at least take the keys and go and not, I suppose, you know, go upstairs to your bedroom and things could end up being worse.
Yeah, absolutely. I mentioned the spate of thefts during the summer. Quite a lot of older Japanese imports involved in that. Why was that?
Yeah, I suppose the Japanese cars don't have immobilisers that we would traditionally have in European cars.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the rise in keyless car thefts and why are they in the news?
0:01–2:29
2
How does relay theft work and what technology do thieves use?
2:29–4:26
3
What are Faraday pouches and other cheap ways to block key signals?
4:26–6:50
4
Where is the safest place to store your car keys at home?
6:50–8:49
5
Why are older Japanese imports especially targeted by thieves?
8:49–10:09