Hi.
Just came across an alarming news on the internet.Please read through the following article to gain an insight into hitech gadgets being used by car thieves to clone the FOB wire less key systems.
Code Grabbers and Remote Keyless Entry : snopes.com
I bumped into an incident today and have reason to believe that these gadgets and their users are operating in major cities.
There are some safety precautions you can take to reduce the risk.
1.Never use lock and unlock command from your remote in public places.instead use the lock/unlock button built in the car when you approach or leave it in the parking.
2.Keep your FOB in a fridge or a freezer when the car is parked at home overnight.This may sound hilarious but the fridge or freezer acts as a Faraday's cage not allowing any radio signal to emit from the FOB.There are cheap signal amplifiers which the thieves use to extend the range of your FOB and gain access to the vehicle.
3.Keep an eye on people parking too close to your vehicle or hogging your way momentarily especially when you are using the FOB to lock or unlock your car.They might be trying to eaves drop on your FOB signal and get a part of the code which is essential to later create a clone command to open your vehicle.
4.always use your mechanical key to lock/ unlock/start the car in public places if possible as it reduces the risk of your FOB being cloned.
5.It is common knowledge that FOB key keeps on changing access codes each time.But remember the thieves are well aware of the systems weaknesses and they just need to get into and start your vehicle just ONCE.
6.Install an additional yet simple but robust vehicle anti theft system...e.g the locks of mechanical kind.or an electronic one ....even a hidden "CHOR SWITCH"might work as it might create delay and frustration for the crooks.
7.Off the shelf car security systems are of no use...do not waste your money/time with them as they are child's play for the crooks.instead use/find technology which may be either based on proximity locking /unlocking,smart card or biometrics.IT takes less than a minute for the crooks to open the hood and reset the main fuse which is usually used in off the shelf car security engine shut off commands.
May Allah Save us from these crooks out to ROB us from our hard earned assets! Ameen