A Montrealer is warning owners of luxury cars against thieves who now have the nerve to hack into their smart keys in broad daylight, all thanks to gadgets bought online for a pittance.
“It sure worried me when I saw the images. We’re talking about someone coming into your home, into your privacy. […] They are not shy about doing that! We can see that the guy is very relaxed on the images, too,” says Justin Addison.
This resident of the Tétreaultville neighborhood in Montreal had a surprise visit from a burglar on Tuesday morning. Videos from his apartment building captured the thief preparing to steal his Audi-branded car using a signal sensor. The sequence, broadcast on social networks, caused a lot of ink to flow.
Photo courtesy, Justin Addison
Justin Addison’s thief came to hack his key this week
In a few seconds
“At first I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Looks like he was walking around with a walkie-talkie. But people started writing to me on Facebook. That’s when I realized he wanted to clone my smart key from my car,” Addison said.
Photo courtesy, Justin Addison
Justin Addison poses here with his car’s smart key
In this sequence, which lasts barely 10 seconds, a man approaches the Montrealer’s entrance and waves a simple sensor in the air.
“He is picking up the code from the smart key that is in the house. Then they transmit the code on a blank key at their disposal. Afterwards, the thief can come back in the evening to steal the car. It’s easy and simple,” explains Freddy Marcantonio, vice-president of Tracking Tag.
Not a priority
Justin Addison says he remains on the alert waiting for the return of the thieves. “We have to change the key code at our Audi dealership, it still costs more than $100,” he sighs.
Photo courtesy, Justin Addison
In the meantime, he has filed a request with the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
“The neighborhood police told us that they had no specialists and that they could not help us. We asked for help from someone, whatever, at the SPVM. We were told that our file was not a priority”, laments Mr. Addison.
Contacted on this subject, the SPVM maintains, however, that it “takes car thefts seriously” and “that it does not comment on the investigations in progress so as not to interfere with their progress”.
Photo courtesy, Justin Addison
Barely $80
For specialist Freddy Marcantonio, the most worrying thing about this case is that the gadgets bought to steal luxury cars cost next to nothing.
“In Quebec, car thieves are pros. Gone are the days of hammer and screwdriver to steal a vehicle. […] It used to be that a sensor or amplifier to steal a smart key cost thousands of dollars. Now, it’s barely $80 on the Internet,” notes Mr. Marcantonio.
Le Journal found the signal sensor used by the thief at Justin Addison’s in Tétreaultville. The gadget was on sale over the counter for the sum of $140 on a very popular Chinese site.
How to protect your car?
- Buy a box blocking the signal emitted by the key
- Install an anti-theft bar on the steering wheel
- Equip your vehicle with an immobilizer
- Chisel the windows as well as the major parts of your vehicle.
- Install a tracking system on your car to find it in case of theft.
Source: Police Department of the City of Montreal