Did you know with a meagre investment of $75 in buying recommended tools, you could protect your high-end luxury cars worth thousands of dollars? On the other hand, however frustrating it may sound, criminals without any technical know-how need just a smartphone and a high-tech gadget readily available online for about $150 to steal a luxury car within minutes. Also, black, white and grey Lexus RX350s, manufactured between 2018-2021, are the most stolen model in the province.
Detective Omar Nadim of Halton Regional Police Service, who is in charge of auto thefts, shared more intriguing facts about the inner working of auto theft criminals when contacted by Oakville News.
Luxury car thefts on the rise since the beginning of summer have sent residents into a state of panic. Most of these thefts were committed using relay or reprogramming technology. Relay is a technology that thieves use to find a key fob signal inside a house. With the relay technology, the thieves do not break in into the residence to find the signal. Once detected, the signal is amplified and relayed so that the thieves can unlock, start and steal the vehicle. With reprogramming technology, the thieves must enter the car mechanically and then override the vehicle's onboard diagnostic system and reprogram a blank key fob to start and steal the vehicle.
Detective Nadim, an officer of 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau, emphasized that though electronic thefts are easy to commit, adopting simpler, full-proof and inexpensive ways can deter the thieves. Buying a steering wheel lock and an onboard diagnostic system blocker can prevent thieves from stealing the cars.
Detective Nadim also shared how the criminals target specific models like Lexus RX350 and GX460, Toyota models and Land Rover Range Rover and ship them in containers from the port of Montreal to lucrative markets in Central Africa, Middle East and China. He also mentioned that these organized criminals operate from local cells across different parts of GTA. Based on the number of miscreants arrested, charged and prosecuted this year, these criminals are residents of Quebec.
Halton Police regularly coordinates and shares information with Ontario Provincial Police and their partners in Quebec despite their limited resources. The police also advise:
- Install aftermarket GPS tracking device
- Place vehicle key fob inside a radio frequency shielding bag when not in use
- Lock your vehicle at all times
- Equip your vehicle with an alarm
- Install home security cameras that capture the exterior of your residence, including the driveway