The days of hotwiring cars are long gone. Today’s thieves use a variety of sophisticated techniques to gain access to cars and start the engine. The police, car makers and the insurance industry are playing catch-up as keyless car theft techniques evolve and adapt quickly to modern cars.

What is keyless car theft?

A “keyless car” does not have a traditional metal key to open the doors (at least, not as the primary way to gain entry) or start the motor — instead, a digital fob, card or smartphone app is used to gain entry, and as long as the digital key is detected inside the car, a push button on the inside allows the car to be powered up.

Keyless car theft is when a thief accesses and steals your vehicle without the possessing the original fob or card. This is by tricking the car into believing the digital key is being used.

Six types of keyless car theft

1. Signal relaying
2. Signal jamming
3. Key programming
4. Close range testing
5. Code grabbing
6. App hacking

How to prevent keyless car theft

1. Look for the flash
2. Blocking car key signals
3. Fit old-fashioned locks
4. Fit a tracker
5. Switch off the fob at night, or insist on a motion sensor fob
6. Consider CCTV or a smart doorbell
7. Software updates
8. Neighborhood watch
9. Out of sight, out of thieves’ minds

Read much more about each of the highlighted items & more in the article here.