This Game Boy cracks another kind of code.
This is not the first time that has heard such a story . To steal cars from their owners’ driveways, a car theft ring used a copying device. This is usually done in less time than one minute and, often, the car lets the thief in.
Although cases like these are not new, a recent report caught our attention. It’s this time from West Yorkshire, England. It’s the same modus operandi, but the car thieves have changed the way they disguised the smart key-cloning device. It was shaped in a way that made it look innocent. It looks just like every other Game Boy over the years to the untrained eye.
It’s also wider than the average Game Boy and slimmer. It can be mistaken for another device at first glance. According to the West Yorkshire Police the key cloning device was worth 20,000 GBP. That’s approximately $ 27,226 at current exchange rate. You can still buy an entry-level Miata at that price, but you can also say that car thieves made a large return on their investment.
The West Yorkshire Police stated that the thieves took 180,000 GBP or just over $245,000 before being arrested. After another theft, the gang of three was arrested. They were linked to five other reports in the region and they were all arrested. Their car of choice was the Mitsubishi Outlander. The Mitsubishi Outlander.
The suspects have captured a Confiscated Video that shows how easily the thieves opened the car. It appears that they only had to place the device near the handle of the car and the locks would release. Even the hazard lights flash like the fob is actually in use.
By simply standing nearby your home, thieves can steal the signal from your fob and then clone it. What can you do to stop this from happening? Three options are available. First, use a Faraday bag (also known as a signal blocking pouch). This prevents thieves from cloning your fob. You can also disable the wireless signal from the fob, but this depends on your vehicle model.
There’s also the steering wheel lock. The old-fashioned approach might work to deter car thieves who are increasingly equipped with electronic gadgets.