Criminals are getting sneakier with how they’re getting in and taking off with your vehicles.
Authorities are searching for a man who stole an SUV right off the lot in Union County. It's how he did it, that has everyone concerned.
Surveillance video captured the man, posing as a customer, as he strolled into All City Auto Sales.
“He was telling us how he had his family and needed a bigger vehicle for his family. And it just seemed like the normal customer that you would deal with day to day,” owner Rami Danil recalled.
The man asked the owner for a key to check out a 2009 GMC Yukon.
“He came back in, gave us the keys back to the vehicle and left,” said Danil.
An hour later he returned to the dealership and drove off with the stolen SUV. So how’d he do it?
The owner said the man stole the key to the SUV while he was checking out the vehicle. When he walked back inside, he returned the key ring with a different but similar looking key.
Dealerships are not the only ones at risk of falling victim to these crafty car thieves. North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation reported a 13% increase in 2016 from the year before with more than 15,000 vehicles stolen.
The criminal are using new tools to steal your car in 60 seconds or less. They’re called relay attack devices, and they let crooks gain entry to locked vehicles with ease by hijacking your key’s signal.
“That’s the whole thing you really wouldn’t know, and that’s what’s puzzling law enforcement,” National Insurance Crime Bureau Dennis Russo explained.
Experts said your key fob constantly emits a signal, whether it’s in your house or your pocket. Once inside, criminals can use the device to hack the internal computer system and take off with your car.
So how can you protect yourself? Automotive experts told us to use a good old-fashioned steering wheel lock.
You can find them at local hardware stores or online for anywhere between $25 and $75.