No broken windows: How thieves are using key fobs to steal cars
WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Car thieves are getting more advanced -- no broken windows, no hotwiring. Police say criminals are now hacking key fobs to steal cars in minutes.
Steve Traub had just gone out of town for a trip but left his key fob inside his house. When he came back home to Wauwatosa, he noticed something missing from his driveway.
“It was one of those things, did I leave my car at the airport? Or did I get picked up somewhere? After 30 seconds I was like no it was definitely here in the driveway,” Traub said.
His Lexus that he had recently bought was gone.
“The initial thought was like well great, that’s frustrating. I owned that car for 105 days,” he said.
And he wasn’t alone.
“They stole seven cars in our neighborhood in a matter of a few hours,” Traub said.
Instead of breaking windows, thieves are using devices that can copy or reprogram a key fob’s signal -- unlocking vehicles in minutes.
“The car was totaled. It looks like they hit something. You can see from the photos the front left end they bent the frame,” he said.
Now, police are urging people to protect their key fobs using Faraday pouches.
“Just a Faraday pouch. You take your key, slide it inside the pouch and close it. If you were to have your key in this pouch and you walk out to your car immediately right now, your car will not unlock,” Traub said.
Without that protection, your car is more vulnerable to being stolen.
“If someone was trying to open it, an alarm should go off but when they trick your car it’s essentially you opening your own car without your knowledge,” he said.
Traub says the Faraday pouch could have saved him more than $10,000.
Now, with a new car in his driveway, he hopes others learn from what happened to him.
“Whoever it was that stole the vehicle, just do better and be better. Hopefully you learn something from this and hopefully people can move on with their lives,” he said.