Car Locking Scam

[corsic-ar07]

I received this information in an e-mail this evening and thought it would be worth posting here to pass the message on. I'm not 100% sure if this is real or not as it does sound pretty extreme, but never-the-less possible so thought I'd re-post it just incase. It explains about a scam going around involving the cloning of car key signals and therefore being able to unlock your car using a cloned key.

It certainly makes you think about what might be possible these days!

'How to Lock Your Car and Why'

"I locked my car but as I walked away I heard my car door unlock I went back and locked my car again three times. I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store. When I looked straight at them they did not unlock my car again.

While traveling, my son stopped at a roadside park. He came out to his car less than 4-5 minutes later and found someone had gotten into his car, and stolen his cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator briefcase, you name it. He called the police and since there were no signs of his car being broken into. The police told him that there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your key-chain locking device. They sit a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and have a few minutes to steal and run.

How to lock your car safely:

The police officer said to manually lock your car door by hitting the lock button inside the car, that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim it will not be you.

When you hit the lock button on your car upon exiting it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain, it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be stolen.

Something totally new to us...and real.

Be aware of this and please pass this note on. Look how many times we all lock our doors with our remote just to be sure we remembered to lock them and bingo someone has our code, and whatever was in the car can be stolen.

Please share with everyone you know."

[RCJ]

according to:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/automobiles/a/car_locks.htm

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081119200144AAvgNnS

both say its false

i can see it being possible, but smells fishy

[corsic-ar07]

according to:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/automobiles/a/car_locks.htm

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081119200144AAvgNnS

both say its false

i can see it being possible, but smells fishy

Ahhh, that confirms my suspicion then. Did think it was a bit extreme but there's that element of doubt that it might have been true. Thought I'd pass it on just incase.... must've started out as an April fool's joke one year or something! Never mind! haha

[pikestones]

you beat me to it RCJ

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/carlock.htm

similar report from 2008

Load of nonsense

Dave

[RCJ]

fair one for trying to point it out though... made me double check haha

[corsic-ar07]

Makes you wonder why people make things up like that! I usually hate chain-mail too, especially the really really rubbish ones like "something bad will happen if you do not pass this on etc etc".

[RCJ]

haha, i remember one scam that went by email... but it gave someone the idea... and they actually did it... it was something stupid like....

They put a leaflet in the middle of your windscreen (under a wiper) and the people who get in the car start the engine and then notice it, get out of the car to get the leaflet... and someone jumps in quickly and drives the car away!

That was meant to be a scam but actually happened... how strange...

[corsic-ar07]

haha, i remember one scam that went by email... but it gave someone the idea... and they actually did it... it was something stupid like....

They put a leaflet in the middle of your windscreen (under a wiper) and the people who get in the car start the engine and then notice it, get out of the car to get the leaflet... and someone jumps in quickly and drives the car away!

That was meant to be a scam but actually happened... how strange...

I remember that one too! I thought the same at the time. If nothing else it made me more cautious about leaving my car to remove anything left on the windscrean so I guess it had some benefits. Someone once stuck something on my windscreen so I made sure I removed the key before getting out to remove it!

You see them on the Real Hustle too, some of those scams are quite elaborate and make you think!

[RCJ]

it makes you laugh though, because on programs like The Real Hustle, you think "Who on earths name would fall for that" but them when you actually get scammed you think... "oh my days :("

I remember one time i went to buy a big issue, felt nice one day... so went over gave this guy a quid or so (cant remember how much), but it straight into my bag and when i got home... opened my bag to read it... it was a copy of the free metro magazine from the local train station... i was gutted....

Not the same as losing a car but still :(

[mintalkin]

this could happen in the 80s when remotes always used the same 8bit coding, but today with rolling codes i think not.

[AndrewL]

I remember that one too! I thought the same at the time. If nothing else it made me more cautious about leaving my car to remove anything left on the windscrean so I guess it had some benefits. Someone once stuck something on my windscreen so I made sure I removed the key before getting out to remove it!

You see them on the Real Hustle too, some of those scams are quite elaborate and make you think!

Yeah, to be fair that leaflet one on the windscreen is perfectly feasible. I'd bet that has happened to a fair few people. They also did similar ones, such as putting a wheely bin at the end of your driveway.

[jmurray01]

If this is real, my Fiesta doesn't have a FOB so I'm fine!

[DONFRAMAC]

this could happen in the 80s when remotes always used the same 8bit coding, but today with rolling codes i think not.

Is it not possible that more humble versions of Fords, etc., with lowish risk of theft, still don't have rolling codes?

I thought that the rolling code feature was only fitted to cars > £20,000 in retail cost.

[Magenta]

Is it not possible that more humble versions of Fords, etc., with lowish risk of theft, still don't have rolling codes?

I thought that the rolling code feature was only fitted to cars > £20,000 in retail cost.

'Rolling codes' have been used on most, even humble cars, since the late nineties/early 2000's. My '97 Rover 400 had a rolling code.

[bradley_99_uk]

just watch gone in 60 seconds they use the same thing in that car theives are always 1 step ahead best thing to do is not leave anything inside worth steeling

anyway how do rolling codes work exactly? (just courious)

[pikestones]

anyway how do rolling codes work exactly? (just courious)

Your key fob sends a 40 digit code to the car,when you press the button on the key.

If the code recieved by the car is the one it is expecting it performs the operation you have requested (eg open door,open boot).

Both the key fob and the receiver in the car use the same "random number generator"(RNG).

When a valid code is received the RNG then selects a new code,as both the key and the car have identical RNGs,both select the same number.

As such the transmitter (key) and receiver (car) are synchronized and know which number to expect next in the pre programmed sequence.

What most people dont realise is if you press the key,whilst it is your pocket,out of range of the car,the sequence moves forward one step,and thus when you come to try and open the car,the codes will not match.

To overcome this ,the receiver is programmed to accept any of the next 256 codes which are due in the sequence,and after acceptance of any of them and will the re synch back to sequence.

If you press your key fob 260 times,out of range of the car,your auto locking will cease to work and will need re programming by fords.

Hope that helps you

Dave

[reprised]

There was a BBC show on the other day which showed that theives are also using jamming devices to block the signal sent from your fob to lock your car. If you forget to check that you've locked it then they can gain access to the car (unless you have autolocking ;) ).