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Cars being broken into.....
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gbrownings


Posts: 96
Joined: Aug 2012
Post: #1
10-02-2014 04:21 PM

A word of warning - twice in the last few weeks thieves have somehow managed to get into our cars despite them being locked and alarmed and parked off-street on our driveway.

Fortunately not a lot taken on either occasion as we don't tend to leave anything of value in the car and I guess it is good there was no break-in damage.

It is worrying however that these people seem able so easily to get into cars (reasonably modern ones) without setting off alarms etc.

Anyway, be careful not to leave anything in your vehicle - even if it is locked, immobilised and alarmed........

Local police informed. CCTV next.....

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Erekose


Posts: 557
Joined: May 2010
Post: #2
10-02-2014 07:54 PM

Which area? Makes me wonder about my stolen Sat nav back in October when I was convinced I must have left the car unlocked. This was also on a drive....

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gbrownings


Posts: 96
Joined: Aug 2012
Post: #3
10-02-2014 09:14 PM

we are near the Sainsbury's (on London Road)

This post was last modified: 10-02-2014 09:15 PM by gbrownings.

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FFS


Posts: 23
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #4
10-02-2014 09:36 PM

Our car was also broken into, no damage but husband pretty paranoid about locking it and double checking..so if he did leave it unlocked it would be very out of character.
Not much taken, some coins and first aid kit...
We are in Trilby Rd. This happened about ten days ago.

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ummango


Posts: 11
Joined: Nov 2011
Post: #5
10-02-2014 09:39 PM

Also a victim sometime overnight, last night. Very little taken, just some small change and a cheap briefcase with little in it. Late model vehicle with alarm and immobiliser. It is very unlikely that I left the car unlocked. The bootlid and door were carefully closed to make it look as if the car had not been touched. It was parked on a driveway in the Westwood Park area. I have no idea how they do it. next time they will only get the carpets! Toerags...

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gbrownings


Posts: 96
Joined: Aug 2012
Post: #6
10-02-2014 09:47 PM

Westwood Park pretty close to us. I hope these incidents were all reported to the police? They attended my place pretty promptly after it was reported this morning.

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Erekose


Posts: 557
Joined: May 2010
Post: #7
10-02-2014 09:56 PM

This is very interesting. The boot and the door were closed but not latched. We are in Kemble.

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Erekose


Posts: 557
Joined: May 2010
Post: #8
10-02-2014 10:00 PM

If the SNT see this perhaps these events can be looked at together. I reported that I must have left the car unlocked and put it down to one of those things but now am not so sure as I am usually very careful.

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ummango


Posts: 11
Joined: Nov 2011
Post: #9
10-02-2014 10:03 PM

Police were informed, although they did not attend. They were concerned and helpful. They did say that it is unusual for incidents to be isolated and that there were likely to have been other vehicles targeted in the general area on the same night.

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Perryman


Posts: 820
Joined: Dec 2006
Post: #10
11-02-2014 09:27 AM

I guess they'll score an iphone/camera/laptop every now and then,
but going by this thread, there does not seem to be a very high return in this activity.

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FFS


Posts: 23
Joined: Nov 2013
Post: #11
11-02-2014 09:33 PM

Yup, the door was carefully closed to appear to be still locked, we told the police, they said they would have taken prints but my husband had picked up the carefully placed contents of the glove box ( is it still called that?) and to see what was missing.

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BT


Posts: 163
Joined: Jul 2003
Post: #12
12-02-2014 08:18 AM

Seems to me that there may be someone cloning the car key signals.

http://www.oregonherald.com/bnews/story.htm?id=353

Its an American report but almost certainly goes on here too.

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Jane_D


Posts: 189
Joined: Jan 2010
Post: #13
12-02-2014 09:02 AM

Interesting idea that thieves could imitate the car unlocking signal, and it would certainly account for cars being broken into with nothing of value to steal, ie just for tun. I heard of a parrot that could imitate the TV channel changing signal, and had a lot of fun doing it.

But is this article not saying in the last para that 'cloning' signals can't be done, and that the suggestion that it can be done comes from hoax emails?

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lacb


Posts: 627
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #14
12-02-2014 10:49 AM

The AA gives a good low-down on car locks here:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/security/keys.html

Intriguingly, there is another possibility. Given that interference can occur with other radio signals, the lock signal could be jammed. So, if you have a remote locking device, check that the car responds by flashing its lights - if it doesn't use the key manually.

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IWereAbsolutelyFuming


Posts: 531
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #15
12-02-2014 11:41 AM

We have a keycard for our car and have found that parking under power lines has stopped the signal from getting between key and car meaning your car either wont lock or unlock (...without using the manual key inside the car).

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ummango


Posts: 11
Joined: Nov 2011
Post: #16
12-02-2014 01:44 PM

There is an interesting discussion here on the VW/Audi forum which highlights the problem concerning the use of sophisticated scanning equipment which can read your key from within your home. This is being used by thieves to open cars usually parked in driveways. There were reports of this happening to BMW owners on the ED Forum not long ago. Unsurprisingly my car now has nothing inside except the manual!

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/archi...34448.html

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lacb


Posts: 627
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #17
12-02-2014 03:08 PM

Indeed it is interesting ummango. Confirms the signal blocking theory, which seems most likely to me.

The technique of predicting the rolling code is really quiet sophisticated and am surprised that is even possible actually (design flaw if so). If they can, and are prepared to put that effort in, I would expect the whole car to go missing!

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ummango


Posts: 11
Joined: Nov 2011
Post: #18
12-02-2014 03:37 PM

The ability to over-ride the rolling code defence is indeed frightening and might account for the attacks on cars immediately adjacent to the owners house or parked on a driveway. I think had they been able to take the car they would have done so at the time. I hope I am not going to have to rely on the tracker in the next few days.

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mcbain23


Posts: 32
Joined: May 2013
Post: #19
12-02-2014 05:01 PM

Well there you go, if it was just this Sunday past that the missus and I wondered how our two spare change receptacles in the car had ended up completely empty.

I figured one or both of us had forgotten that we'd used them up and not replenished - maybe it was this dastardly lot!

Low returns yes but near untraceable, and if they sweep whole streets at a time..

EDIT: my colleague says these devices are readily available on eBay, time to clear the car of anything vaguely valuable..

This post was last modified: 12-02-2014 05:04 PM by mcbain23.

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ummango


Posts: 11
Joined: Nov 2011
Post: #20
12-02-2014 05:16 PM

Well, that's now at least three vehicles on Sunday night in the area.

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