Keyless car theft devices selling online for £20,000, BBC finds

Gadgets used by criminals to steal keyless cars without breaking in are being sold online for more than £20,000, the BBC has found.

A new law is imminent on owning devices used in car thefts, some of which allow thieves to bounce the signal from a key inside a property to open a car. But experts say the ban is unlikely to stop gangs who are loaning them out for large sums and stealing vehicles to order.

The BBC has seen price lists and video guides for devices claiming to access cars including Lamborghinis and Maseratis, with gadgets selling for up to 25,000 euros (£22,000).

Abbie Brookes-Morris said criminals used the device to steal her keyless vehicle, a theft she calls “an invasion”.

She said the car, which she shares with her partner Tom, was stolen from outside their home in Wolverhampton while they slept.

“Although they didn’t physically come into the house, you don’t feel safe,” she said.

Her doorbell camera captured footage of a gang using a gadget outside her property.

“They’re walking back and forwards trying to find the signal. I didn’t know that thing existed, I had no idea,” she said.

“It took them two minutes in total to arrive, look at the car, get the signal and leave.”

Abbie said police later found their car abandoned some distance away, but it is now unusable and has been immobilised due to the way the theft was carried out.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on police recorded crime from the Home Office, more than 100,000 vehicles were stolen within the last 12 months.

Admiral Insurance told the BBC its figures suggest between 60% and 70% of vehicle thefts in the past year were keyless models. However, it does not have data for the number stolen using these devices.

The BBC found some gadgets are disguised as Bluetooth speakers, used to target lower value cars, while others are military grade technology which can block the signal of a car tracker so it cannot be traced once stolen.

Richard Billyeald, from Thatcham Research which works with the car industry to improve security, said: “You’re really only using these if you’re stealing cars, there’s no legitimate use in any other way at all.

“What we’ve seen is this move from the opportunistic theft of cars to organised criminal gangs stealing cars to order to really make money, and that’s why they’re investing so much money in these devices.”

The crime is difficult for police to combat because the gadgets are being passed around the country by organised crime groups, said Neil Thomas, a car tracking expert who helps retrieve stolen vehicles.

“They’ll just loan the devices out,” he said.

“Criminals are paying huge sums, but they’ll make those sums back. They’re potentially stealing 10 cars a week. This is very much organised cross-border crime.”

While keyless entry is a convenience for drivers returning to their cars with their hands full of shopping or carrying children, they become “a nightmare if your street is targeted by relay theft,” said Jack Cousens from the AA.

“The days of smash and grab are diminishing. As vehicles become more technologically advanced, would-be thieves do their best to stay ahead of the game. That’s why we’ve seen a rise in relay theft across the country,” he said.

Under new laws in the Crime and Policing Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, it will be illegal to possess or share electronic devices used to steal cars and could lead to up to five years in prison.

Previously, police could only prosecute if they proved the equipment was used to commit a specific crime.

• Keep keys in “faraday pouches”, a protective sleeve that blocks the signal a fob sends to a car
• Many cars have settings that can be changed to stop using keyless entry
• Do not take keys upstairs when you go to bed to prevent criminals confronting you in a bid to steal them