Go ‘old school’ to protect your car

PETALING JAYA: Car thieves used to pick locks to steal cars. Not anymore.

They have gone high-tech, hijacking keyless cars remotely.

And the best form of security now, even for the most modern car, could very well be the old-fashioned steering, gear, or pedal lock.

Car thieves now use devices that can hack into the vehicle’s system and steal any keyless car in just minutes, says the Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (VTREC).

Checks by The Star found that the device is easy as it is cheap, easy to use, and available online or at electronics stores.

“Criminals use the device to steal cars within few minutes and they don’t need to display aggression or come into physical contact with the owner.

“It makes car theft so easy,” said VTREC coordinator Mas Tina Abdul Hamid.

There are two types of devices: the first one is a simple frequency monitoring software, while the second is a jammer.

“The first one reads the transmission (frequency) between a remote key and a vehicle. The device can steal the (transmission) programme, thus allowing it to unlock the door,” she said.

The second method is pretty much the same, but it uses a hacking device that mimics the remote key and decrypts the code to unlock a particular vehicle.

Mas Tina said most drivers lose their cars in areas that are secluded, poorly-lit with low traffic, and roadsides.

These areas are chosen because there will be fewer or no eyewitnesses, while the darkness also helps the thieves pull off their heist unnoticed.

“We are now educating people to at least install a steering lock, gear lock, or any sort of old-school mechanical lock, including manual and pedal locks.

“It is better if you are able to put multiple locks. Some thieves don’t have the expertise for all kinds of locks, so if they manage to open one lock, there will be others.

“Normally they don’t want to spend too much time on any particular car, so they will go for other cars instead,” she said.