As the technology in cars improves, thieves have to adapt to be able to combat those advances. The more sophisticated the trackers and other car security devices get, the more devious those looking to steal your car need to become.
For every new feature a car tracker includes, there will be a team of nefarious types looking to exploit it. The thing is, not all the techniques thieves use are particularly hi-tech. Some of them are downright lo-fi, but just as devious.
At Infiniti Tracking, we wanted to give you all a heads-up into some of the ways thieves try and steal your car. Some are specific to particular models, but in many cases can be used on a range of vehicles.
These may not always make the news or find their way into the latest trackers, but in the spirit of fore-warned is fore-armed, here are just three to be on the lookout for.
RANGE ROVERS
Whilst this technique is being used on Range Rovers, the principle is similar enough to work on almost all cars.
With all the electronic gadgetry that goes into modern-day cars, this hack circumvents most of it.
Most of the wiring that helps power a car is often hidden away in cable trunking or behind metal panels, but that’s not always the case.
Thieves have found that, by cutting a small square hole into the plastic boot lid on Range Rovers, they can access the car’s wiring that way.
Once they have access, they can effectively hack into the Range Rover’s computer system via the now-exposed wiring. We’ve certainly seen this happen a lot on the Rover, but there’s no reason why it can’t happen on other vehicles.
You can see our range of trackers especially suited to the Range Rover by clicking here.
LEXUS
As we touched upon, this technique (or ones similar to it) isn’t necessarily exclusive to Range Rovers. If you have a Lexus, then you also need to keep your eyes peeled.
Thieves have learned that they can pull off a similar trick on a Lexus. Instead of the plastic boot lid, thieves looking to steal your Lexus can do so by accessing the wiring from behind the bumper.
Again, they can cut a small hole in the car’s bumper to gain access to the wiring harness that passes behind it. Once they can see the wires, they can hack into the car’s onboard system and they’re in.
BOTTLING IT
Not all of the nefarious ways thieves use to try and steal your car need them to have a degree in electronics or even brute force, some are very basic indeed, including this one.
This one is particularly vile as it takes place when you’re in attendance and often happens in public. That said, it’s something we can all be vigilant about.
Simply put, thieves will scout car parks (usually underground or out of the way) and once they’ve found the car they want, they’ll put an empty plastic drink bottle between the tyre and the wheel arch on the passenger side of the car.
Once it’s secured, they’ll wait until you return to the car, but remain close by. Once you set off, you’ll hear the noise as the bottle bursts, cracks and pops as the car moves. You will hear this and naturally stop the car and get out to investigate. As it’s on the opposite side of the car to you, you’ll have to exit the vehicle to see it.
Thieves are banking on the fact that you’ll get out without turning off the car and without taking the key with you. Once you’re out of the car, they’ll quickly step out of their hiding place, rush you, get in the car and drive off leaving you stranded.
The battle between car security and car thieves is one as old as time, but it’s one we can win. Whilst these methods might be pretty sneaky and downright cruel at times, having your car fitted with a tracking device can be the difference between recovering your car quickly and easily and never seeing it again.
We have a huge range of devices that can make your car, safer, more secure and more recoverable than ever before. We’d love to show how.
⚬ Don’t become a victim of car crime when you can secure your vehicle with a tracker from Infiniti.
⚬ We have trackers to suit every car, every budget and every part of the UK is covered by our installation engineers.
⚬ If you need any help, give our team a call and we can talk you through the process and get it installed wherever you are.
Our team of experts is available for you to speak to between 9 am – 6 pm, Monday to Friday, on 0330 043 3993. We are more than happy to talk you through the options you have and help you find the perfect tracker for you.
We recently started a series of blogs looking at the top ten car crime hotspots in the UK. If you missed them, you can take a look at the ones we did for Leicester and Slough. Those were based on figures released in 2021, but in the meantime, the latest statistics including those for the first half of 2022 have been released.
If you live in Leicester or Slough, there’s good news….. and bad. Leicester has dropped from #1 to #7 and Slough has disappeared from the Top 10 entirely. Sadly, these lists still exist because car crime is still virulent in the UK and for those of you living in South London, specifically Croydon, it’s time to take a serious look at your vehicle security.
In a survey released by insurance giant Direct Line using their wealth of national claim data, they have identified Croydon as the number one in UK’s car crime hotspot chart. The list doesn’t just include thefts of vehicles, but also vehicle crime as a proportion of all crime reported and vehicle crime per 1000 people to give an overall outlook of the nation as a whole.
BIG CITY. BIG PROBLEM.
It’s probably no great surprise that the areas of London would feature highly in any list like this. Croydon in the south of the city, which topped the list, recorded over 6005 car crimes in one year, that’s over 16 car crimes reported every single day for a year! When you look at the big picture, even taking London as a whole, there are 113 car crimes for every 10,000 people.
Nearly 10% of all crimes recorded in the capital involved a vehicle. In other words, it recorded more than 321,000 crimes over the past three years, or 293 every single day!
CAR THIEVES BECOME MORE BRAZEN
With this explosion in car theft, you might be thinking that you only need to look at how to secure your vehicle at night, but you’d be wrong. This, and many other pieces of research, all point to the fact that thieves are becoming more brazen in their attempt to steal your vehicle.
If you analyse the data, you’d see that most vehicles are targeted whilst parked outside their owner’s home. That could be on the road outside or even on a private driveway. They accounted for 27% and 39% respectively. Back in 2009/10, car crimes committed during the day only accounted for 19% of those crimes. A decade or so later on, it’s now over 35%, but there is something you can do to fight back.
Many Police chiefs warn that thieves are exploiting keyless entry systems, especially as that technology becomes more common in our cars, bikes and motorhomes.
DON’T BECOME A VICTIM OF CAR CRIME.
For all the doom and gloom these studies might illustrate, there are things you can do to protect yourself. Some of the most effective solutions to keep your vehicle safe are things that don’t cost you anything. Keeping your vehicle secured behind a locked garage door or gate, stored / parked in a well-lit area, particularly at night, will go a long way to helping keep it safe.
In an effort to counter-act the threat from keyless entry theft there are also some simple measures you can take. Store your keys away from your front door and, if possible, keep them in a Faraday case (or bag) to prevent the signal from being duplicated when not in use.
If you’re wanting to take your levels of security to the next level, then a car tracker is exactly what you need. Here at Infiniti, we have a huge range of vehicle trackers that suit everyone, regardless of where you live, what vehicle you drive or what price point you’re looking at.
We stock a huge range of S5 and S7 trackers from all the leading manufacturers like SmarTrack, ScorpionTrack, MetaTrak and Tracker.
By buying from Infiniti Tracking you get:
⚬ An incredible system installed at your convenience, anywhere in the UK.
⚬ A dedicated team of experts to help you choose the right system for your requirements.
⚬ Peace of mind to know your pride and joy will be protected should the worst happen.
Whether you live in Croydon, Greater London or anywhere else in the UK, we have a solution that will help keep your car secure. Our huge range of car trackers has something for everyone and all are available to be installed anywhere in the UK. Just give our team a call from Monday to Friday (9am-6pm) on 0330 043 3993 and we’ll get you booked in. Don’t wait until you’re a victim of car crime before taking action!
If you’ve read one of our previous blogs discussing the Top 10 Cities for car crime, then you might have been surprised that Leicester was number one. You might conclude that you’re safe if you live in the south but sadly, you’re out of luck. Slough in Berkshire was number two on the list! If you thought living down the road from the Queen would keep your vehicle safe, think again.
Between May 2021 and April 2022, statistics from the Home Office showed that there were a massive 5138 car crimes reported across Berkshire, including the key county towns of Slough, Reading, Chalvey and Upton. Despite the advances in car security, it seems that the equipment you get as standard, even in brand new cars, isn’t enough to keep your car out of their thieving hands.
HOW THIEVES STEAL YOUR CAR
As technology within even the most modest family car gets more and more advanced, so do the techniques thieves use to whisk your pride and joy away from you. You don’t have to live in any of the Top 10 areas for car crime to become a victim of it.
Many of the basic techniques you can use to prevent yourself from being a victim of car crime are still just as relevant today as they ever were. Make sure your vehicle’s doors are securely locked and that the windows and sunroof, if you have one, are also firmly shut.
Even if they don’t steal the car itself, many crimes involve the theft of registration plates, so make sure you have tamper-resistant screws fitted. If your car has alloy wheels, ensure you also have locking wheel nuts installed.
BEWARE THE RELAY ATTACK
As we mentioned earlier, the advances in car security have also given rise to a speight of car theft that uses cutting-edge technology to get around even the most sophisticated systems. This is where things like keyless entry have become the go-to tactic for many thieves.
Keyless entry theft, sometimes referred to as a relay attack, relies on the key fobs that many modern cars utilise instead of a physical key that goes into an ignition.
Using their own pieces of technology, thieves will position themselves between your key and car, usually by standing just outside your front door, and hijack the legitimate signal emitted from your fob, relaying the signal to your car, so it opens up and even allows itself to be started. Once that’s done, they simply drive away without you even noticing, until it’s too late of course.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Keyless entry thefts blur the lines between high-tech and low-tech. The equipment used is advanced, but the method isn’t. Thankfully you can easily protect yourself against it by keeping your car keys away from the front door to stop them from stealing the signal or, better still, keep them in a Faraday box which keeps the signal contained.
Should the worst happen and your car is stolen, whether it’s an all-time classic car or a cutting-edge luxury motor, you’re going to need something to help recover the vehicle quickly and safely. Car trackers are the way to go.
Having a device covertly installed on your car means that there will be no hiding place for them. We have a range of devices to suit every vehicle, from cars, motorbikes, vans and motorhomes and to fit every budget.
Whilst many share the same fantastic features like 24/7 control centre availability and dedicated apps with real-time alerts and notifications, some also come with the latest vehicle protections including Remote Immobilisation, ‘No-Tag-No-Start’ technology and multi-frequency tracking to make sure you always, ALWAYS know where your vehicle is.
With Infiniti Tracking in your corner you will:
⚬ Benefit from UK-wide fitting by our fully trained professional installation engineers.
⚬ A huge range of Thatcham and insurance-approved trackers for all cars, motorbikes, motorhomes and vans.
⚬ Find a tracker that suits your circumstances, vehicle and budget.
Whether you live in Slough, or anywhere else in the UK, we have a car tracker within our range of products for you. Our team are available from 9 am – 6 pm, Monday to Friday on 0330 043 3993 to help you choose and to arrange installation. We look forward to helping you on your journey from Berkshire to car security heaven!
Car theft has been a blight on the UK for decades, but according to a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA in Swansea, the LE2 postcode in Leicester had the highest number of car thefts in the UK in 2021. In that one postcode alone, the Police recording 342 thefts of vehicles, almost one per day over the course of a year.
If you live in or around Leicester, or elsewhere in the UK, then there’s never been a better time to protect your vehicle with a car tracker from the team here at Infiniti. Whether you’ve got a top-of-range luxury car or a family car you all rely on, car security has become not only a necessity but something you can get regardless of your budget.
HOW ARE VEHICLES TARGETED?
The type of cars stolen aren’t just the higher-end models you would normally associate with car theft. The models taken by thieves are spread throughout the vehicular spectrum, but it’s interesting to note that the vehicles in the target differ.
Luxury cars like BMW, Range Rover, Jaguar and Porsche attract thieves who steal to order. This means that gangs specifically target certain types of cars that have been ordered by their customers, often with the car thieves travelling from one area to the next to accomplish their shopping list. Sometimes these lists can get very specific, often looking at limited edition models, design, colour or even specifications. Luxury cars aren’t the only temptations.
Many of the cars stolen come from some of the most popular manufacturers like Ford, VW and Vauxhall. These warriors of the road cars are often at the heart of family life and play a key part in getting the kids to school, the work commute and general day-to-day activities. These make up the majority of the vehicles stolen, with the Ford Fiesta, VW Golf and the Corsa from Vauxhall taking up the top three slots on Leicester’s most-stolen cars, so how do you protect yourself?
HOW TO PREVENT YOUR CAR FROM BEING STOLEN
One of the most effective and increasingly-common ways to avoid your car being stolen is with a vehicle tracking system. These amazing systems not only act as a deterrent to thieves, but they also massively increase the chance of recovering your vehicle quickly and safely should the worst happen.
We have a fantastic range of both S5 and S7 trackers to suit any car and any budget, no matter where you live. All of them offer a wealth of features and most come with a free smartphone app that puts the power of the system right in the palm of your hand. These systems are also backed up by a 24/7 control centre offering you complete peace of mind to know your vehicle is secured at home, at the office or even in LE2!
THE BIGGEST NAMES IN CAR SECURITY
Here at Infiniti, we pride ourselves on providing the highest level of customer service and can come to you anywhere in the UK at a time that’s convenient to you. We sell trackers from all the best car security manufacturers including Tracker, TrackStar, MetaTrak and Vodafone Automotive. Whether you want an S7 or the higher specification of the S5, you’re sure to find one that suits you and your circumstance.
⚬ UK-wide fitting by qualified, professional installers.
⚬ A range of trackers to suit any car, budget or location.
⚬ Easily transfer your tracker from one car to another.
To find out more about any of the products in our range, please give our team a call on 0330 043 3993 any time between 9 am and 6 pm, Monday to Friday, and we’ll help you find the best tracker for you and arrange the best time to come and install your new tracking, whether at home or work; whatever’s the most convenient to you. You don’t have to live in Leicester to be a victim of car crime!
