Vehicle thefts in Huntington Beach are on the rise, and thieves are targeting luxury cars with key-fob technology. Huntington Beach police are reporting an uptick in high-end vehicle thefts where criminals gain entry, hack into car computers, and essentially reprogram the vehicles to start at their whim, according to a press release published on December 18th by the Huntington Beach Police Department. These sophisticated thefts involve crooks using antennas as repeaters to snatch the signal from key fobs, making it possible to start and steal cars without physically breaking into them initially.
The police department is spearheading initiatives to halt this troubling trend. “Criminals are forcing entry into the interior of the car and plugging into the onboard computer to reprogram and start the vehicle,” the department’s press release notes. Thieves are also employing a signal interception technique, using technology to essentially fool vehicles into thinking the key fob is nearby. Driving away with the cars without a broken window or alarming sound, they leave victims unaware until it’s too late.
Huntington Beach Police are also offering advice to car owners on how to safeguard their vehicles. Among the tips provided, owners are urged to disable remote access features and to store key fobs away from the front of their homes. Furthermore, they recommend keeping key fobs in a Faraday bag or box to prevent the signal from being captured by these high-tech thieves. These measures can help disconnect the invisible tether between the key fob and the vehicle that criminals are now exploiting…