Half of owners of cars with keyless tech are NOT using devices or home appliances to protect them from thieves despite recent surge in crime
- Home Office data says over 100k vehicles were stolen last year - many of them as a result of 'relay' thefts targeting cars with keyless technology
- Despite a rise in motor crime, half of drivers don't take measures to protect keys
- A poll of 4k keyless car owners found 51% are vulnerable to thieves
- We've listed the 10 most-stolen cars in Britain in 2021 according to DVLA figures
The keyless crime wave has hit British motorists hard in recent years.
There were 101,198 vehicles stolen in England and Wales alone last year, recent Home Office data shows - and many of these are thefts of cars with keyless technology using 'relay' tactics.
Edmund King, President at the AA and a prominent commentator on all things motoring, has even fallen foul of the crime with thieves stealing his wife Deidre's £55,000 Lexus back in May while the keys were inside their family home.
Despite sky-high levels of car crime and a constant news stream of CCTV footage showing motors being pinched from owners' driveways in the dead of night, only half of drivers with cars featuring the tech use specialist devices and household items to block this type of theft, according to a new report.
A survey of more than 4,000 UK drivers found that half are not taking any measures to secure they keyless cars from criminals who are using relay tactics to target them
While around half a million cars were being stolen annually at the height of the crime in the 90s, the volume of thefts have been increasing significantly in recent years.
Experts believe this is due to the higher cost of used cars and a lack of available parts, which has made stealing in-demand motors very lucrative for criminals.
Claims specialist, Claims Management & Adjusting, recently issued a freedom of information requests to the Home Office and was told that 72 per cent of stolen vehicles are never recovered, which is costing the insurance industry an estimated £1.5billion a year.
Direct Line believes the total number of vehicles stolen last year is closer to 112,000 with a combined value of £260million.
Yet half of owners of cars with keyless technology admit they are not taking any preventative measures to protect their vehicles.
Motorists can buy specialist Faraday pouches for their key fobs, which are cheap protective sleeves that block the signal the key generates and therefore protects their car from criminal.
Drivers have also been told that putting their keys inside household appliances, including freezers and microwaves, can also stop criminals infiltrating the signal.
Mr King, who had a luxury Lexus taken from his driveway three months ago, says he now keeps his car fobs securely in Faraday pouches that he locks inside a red metal box, and then places the box in a microwave at the very back of his house - and is encouraging others to do the same.
However, 51 per cent of motorists who own models with keyless technology told the AA they do not use any of these items.
The poll of 4,079 drivers with keyless cars found that just a fifth have Faraday pouches.
Another 9 per cent said they store their keys in a metal box to block the signal, while 7 per cent use a dedicated safe box.
One per cent said they wrap their keys in foil for safe keeping, while a similarly small percentage admitted they store their keys in a microwave or oven overnight.
The remaining 13 per cent say they use other security measures to protect their keys from criminals.
Tracker, a leading provider of vehicle tracking systems, said that it has seen an increase in the number of vehicles stolen without the thief having possession of the keys in the first six months in 2022.
Based on its records a staggering 94 per cent of stolen cars with Tracker devices fitted in 2022 so far are models with keyless technology.
In the first six months of 2021, that figure was 92 per cent.
Range Rovers and Land Rovers are the models most commonly targeted, it said.
Gus Park, managing director of AA Insurance Services, said: 'The key has always been the most vulnerable part of the car when it comes to security, but many are unaware how important it is to protect it.
'Car thieves have gone high-tech and relay theft has been on the rise for some time, yet drivers are still unaware of the risks surrounding keyless entry cars. Keyless entry is becoming more common too with more manufacturers offering the tech on lower specification cars.
'Drivers should do all they can to protect their keys.
'While a minority store their keys in the microwave it is not recommended and there are simpler ways of safeguarding your vehicle.
'For as little as a tenner, people can reduce the risk of theft by keeping their keys in a faraday pouch.
'Depending on the spare key, drivers may need two as this may also be a keyless entry key.
'They should also be stored well away from the front door and kept out of sight.'
Criminals usually go in pairs to steal keyless cars. One holds a transmitter and stands next to the vehicle while the other stands close to the house holding an amplifier
To target the latest - and usually high-end - motors, thieves are arming themselves with cheap technology that allows them to take cars without having to step foot into someone's property to take the keys.
Keyless entry and keyless ignition means a driver only needs to have the car's key on their body - in their pocket for instance - not only to unlock the doors but to start the engine.
While this is a convenience feature, it is also one that leaves owners susceptible to car crime.
Usually two thieves will work together when planning to pinch a car with keyless tech. One holds a transmitter and stands next to the car while the other stands close to the house holding an amplifier.
The amplifier can boost the signal from the key inside the property and send it to the transmitter.
The transmitter essentially becomes a ghost key and tricks the car into thinking the real key is nearby. This then opens the car and allows it to be driven away without causing any damage.
Insurers have estimated that around half of all car thefts are currently conducted in this way because criminals can do it quickly and in near silence, with gangs usually targeting vehicles in the middle of the night without raising suspicion.
ALL CREDIT TO ROB HULL FOR THISISMONEY.CO.UK - SEE ORIGINAL POST HERE:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-11080881/Half-owners-keyless-cars-NOT-taking-measures-secure-them.html
KEEPING YOUR KEYS INSIDE A FARADAY BOX OR POUCH WILL PREVENT KEY CLONING.