Almost everywhere, car thefts by amplifying the signal from contactless keys are increasing, so much so that the police are starting to inform citizens of the need to equip themselves with Faraday pockets.
This is an increasingly common theft technique and calls for caution. In the United States, local police stations are increasing the alerts about the upsurge in car thefts by amplifying the signal of the locking systems and ignition of the engine by contactless key.
We are seeing an increase in relay thefts where thieves boost the signal from an ignition key inside your house to steal the car parked nearby. If you have a keyless entry vehicle please consider extra security such as faraday bags for the keys (BOTH SETS) & steering locks etc. pic.twitter.com/ETMN8ffyrq
—WMP Traffic (@Trafficwmp) January 15, 2022
The concept is scary. Imagine that every evening, you left the “contactless” key to your car in a storage compartment at the entrance to your home, and that your vehicle was parked ten meters away. Normally, no risk. Except that car thieves have developed a technique to very strongly amplify the contact signal emitted by this type of key. Result, by positioning a device the size of a laptop bag near the front door, they manage to open and start a car parked nearby.
A Faraday satchel as protection
“If you have a vehicle with a contactless key, you are invited to consider implementing new security measures, such as the use of a ‘Faraday’ bag to store your keys”, says West Midlands Police on its social media. And the United States are not the only ones concerned, since this type of theft is also emerging on European territory, such as in Merseyside in England where the police have also noted a sharp increase in car thefts without break-ins with this type of security system. signal amplification. In the UK, Ford models would be particularly targeted.
Another stolen vehicle recovered. This time from the Leasowe area of Wirral. There is an upward trend of keyless thefts – in particular Fords. If you have a keyless car, put your fob in a faraday pouch to prevent signal manipulation #MRPU#SYN1pic.twitter.com/z2Ss3SYNOB
— Roads Policing Unit (@MerPolTraffic) December 28, 2021
On Amazon (among others), bags, key rings or storage boxes acting as a Faraday cage and blocking the wireless signals of the keys are sold from around ten euros.