Mum tells how 'creepy' thief struck in warning over keyless cars

28 May 2023 , 10:03

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Sarah Baxter was feeding her baby in the early hours when her Mercedes was stolen earlier this month (Image: BBC)

A woman has warned owners of keyless cars after a sneak thief made off with hers in the dead of night while she was feeding her new baby.

Sarah Baxter describes how she was left feeling creeped-out after discovering that the thief had been busy stealing her Mercedes while she was awake with her child just feet away.

Keyless cars work by detecting the presence of a special fob near to the door instead of needing a traditional key. But cunning thieves have found a way to trick car doors into opening using what’s called a relay attack.

The scam works using a wire hoop to amplify the signal from the key fob, tricking the car into thinking it is near the door, unlocking and starting the engine, while in fact the fob is still inside the owner’s house.

The new technique is a car thief’s dream as no breaking or entering is required and it means car thefts are now “in danger of getting out of control” according to the AA.

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Footage from the doorbell CCTV camera which shows a shadowy figure holding up a wire loop (Sarah Baxter)

Home Office figures revealed 130,389 cars were reported stolen in 2022 - an increase of 26% compared to the 104,435 reported in 2021.

Sarah found out what had happened after she reviewed the footage from her doorbell CCTV camera which shows a shadowy figure holding up a wire loop.

"I was up and down every few hours, as you are with a two-week-old, and I was actually awake when the car was taken,” she told the BBC.

"It just feels a bit creepy because the window was open and he was right below doing that - it just feels more intrusive."

Police have stepped up patrols in the Henley area after nine cars were stolen at the start of May (Sarah Baxter)

Eight other vehicles were stolen from Henley, Sarah’s area, at the start of May. Thames Valley Police said it was investigating and had stepped up patrols.

Car theft gangs are increasingly using this hack to steal top-end sports cars, the AA have said, warning that: "It only takes two thieves and a bit of tech to fool your car into thinking you're still standing next to it with the key in your pocket.

"One, close to the car, captures the low-power signal from your car and relays it to a device carried by another, close to you. The signal from the key to unlock the car and start the engine is relayed back."

Car manufacturers are not in an arms race with crooks, who keep developing ways to beat the latest security measures.

The AA has published a list of suggestions to improve car security on its website.

Joe Smith