How your key fob could help a thief steal your car

Thieves are using the signals from a common device – your key fob – to steal cars, police in Orange County and elsewhere warn.

“These criminals have upped their game,” Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter said. “As cars and security have upgraded, they’ve had to evolve too.”

In some cases, thieves use electronic equipment to intercept or amplify a key fob’s signal from a short distance away, allowing them to unlock a vehicle while the driver heads to a building, police said. It’s often done near a home, because many people keep their key fobs close to doors, windows or garages, creating an easy pathway for the signals.

Another method involves entering a vehicle by breaking a window, then accessing onboard systems once inside, according to Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla.

“They’re still smashing a window,” Cuchilla said. “Once inside, they get into the computer, program it and take off with the vehicle.”

Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 17, six vehicles were stolen in Huntington Beach using a mix of those methods, and two were later recovered, Cuchilla said. In those cases, many of the vehicles targeted were Infiniti G37s, she said, though police warn that a wide range of makes and models can be vulnerable.

Police recommend parking inside garages when possible, and keeping key fobs well inside a building instead of near entry points.

Additional deterrents include steering wheel locks, professionally installed kill switches that prevent a vehicle from operating unless manually enabled, and storing key fobs in signal-blocking pouches called Faraday bags that prevent wireless signals from being transmitted.

Two vehicles were reported stolen in Anaheim Hills recently, but it’s not clear what methods were used, Sutter said.

Cuchilla said Huntington Beach police have increased patrols and are working to deter the thefts.

“We want the public to know we’re doing everything we can to prevent this,” she said. “We have patrol officers specifically looking for this kind of crime.”