Posted on 10/23/2019 3:01:25 AM PDT by sodpoodle
I locked my car. As I walked away I heard my car door unlock. I went back and locked my car again three times. Each time, as soon as I started to walk away, I would hear it unlock again!! Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store. They were obviously watching me intently, and there was no doubt they were somehow involved in this very weird situation . I quickly chucked the errand I was on, jumped in my car and sped away. I went straight to the police station, told them what had happened, and found out I was part of a new, and very successful, scheme being used to gain entry into cars. Two weeks later, my friend's son had a similar happening.... While traveling, my friend's son stopped at a roadside rest to use the bathroom. When he came out to his car less than 4-5 minutes later, someone had gotten into his car and stolen his cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator, briefcase.....you name it. He called the police and since there were no signs of his car being broken into, the police told him he had been a victim of the latest robbery tactic -- there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your key-chain locking device..
They sit a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and that they now have a few minutes to steal and run. The police officer said to manually lock your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the car -- that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim, it will not be you.
When you hit the lock button on your car upon exiting, it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain, it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be instantly stolen
Be wisely aware of what you just read and please pass this note on. Look how many times we all lock our doors with our remote just to be sure we remembered to lock them -- and bingo, someone has our code...and whatever was in our car.
Snopes Approved --Please share with everyone you know
I have heard that some RFID fobs can be read and mimicked even if you do not operate them. The thieves query the fobs when you enter a store or restaurant, and they or a confederate can then operate your car with the clone. I believe that metal lined containers can counter this scheme. If you are lucky enough to have an RFID key fob you probably already know this.
But if you manually lock it, the alarm doesn’t activate. At least that’s how my Viper system works.
The real problem is the code is being sent unencrypted because the smart designers obviously didn’t forsee this problem.
Nothing really new. This problem has been going on in Germany for several years. There’s been episodes where guys staked out houses with the expensive cars, and cloned the signal....to steal the car at 1 AM.
I hate to suggest it, but I think within five years...new cars will have to go require a revolving pin number to open the door.
This guy should have taken a picture of these guys, and taken their license plate number. I really can’t stand people stealing from others instead of doing something honest for a living.
That said, how in the world could this problem not been anticipated by the engineers?
They used to shoot horse thieves.
So tell me the advantage of “wi-fi type keys as opposed to a MANUAL lock system and simple kill switch? The novelty of all the new gizmos and gadgets wears away quickly when you see it is more of a detriment than advance . But people are stupid and more than likely feel all warm and fuzzy when their motorized horse chirps and flashes lights when they push a button transmitting their code ......
******new cars will have to require a revolving pin number to open the door*****
Or just use old fashioned ‘keys’!!!!! Like the ones attached to the fobs - to start the engine;) My old Jeep key does both = opens doors and starts the motor!
Yep. Now we have dog thieves, identity thieves, credit card hacking thieves, house title thieves, data hacking thieves, insider trading thieves, thieves who rob people when they’re at a funeral for a loved one, etc. etc. Thieves are really diversifying.
Really? Snopes approved? Let's find out: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/code-grabbers-remote-keyless-entry/
From the above Snopes article:
However, times change and technology advances. In response to the fixed code security weakness, automakers shifted from RKEs with fixed codes to systems employing rolling random codes. These codes change every time a given RKE system is used to lock or unlock car doors and thus rendered the earlier ‘code grabbers’ ineffective. That form of more robust code system became the industry standard for remote keyless entry systems in the mid-1990s, so automobiles newer than that are not vulnerable to being quickly and easily opened by criminals armed with the first generation of code grabbers.
So relax, nobody is going to steal your code if you use your remote to lock your car.
I use my key to lock/unlock; I carry the fob in my pocket in case I happen to lock the key inside.
Re-read that description. It only says that “first generation” code grabbers are ineffective. If you think there aren’t newer versions of that technology that can handle the code roll, you’re dangerously naive (and so are the Snopes losers).
This nonsense is entirely driven by insurance companies that kick back money to the auto makers to impose stupid security measures to reduce insurance company losses.
They brought us GM’s famous “Pass Lock” system that stranded motorists for years before it was discontinued. Now we get a $300 key fob that costs $3000 to fix if you lose the last one they provide.
Great.
If you have a credit card with a chip thieves can use a similar technique to read your credit card info when you walk by. Use tinfoil around your credit cards or RFID blocking wallet and credit card sleeves. Someone charged $90 for breakfast in Wisconsin and bought something in California at the same time on my card.
Agreed. I didn't buy the 'email' at all. Why would the thieves continue to unlock the door with the owner so close that he could hear the click? After the first time, they obviously would wait until he was far enough away that he couldn't hear it.
One of our kids apartments just had keyless locks installed on the front door. How vulnerable are they, or do these kinds of locks use a different encryption technology?
“Snopes approved”. Now I don’t know what to believe.
Yeah, snopes means nothing to me
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