UK Relay Theft Epidemic

31/05/2018
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You might think that a shiny new luxury car, costing tens of thousands of pounds, would have the latest vehicle security measures built in to protect it from criminals. You’d be wrong.

According to research by TRACKER, 96% of car owners are susceptible to the latest method employed by criminals to steal cars – the relay attack. The method uses high-tech electronic signal relaying equipment to ‘hack’ new cars and trick them into thinking the keys are present.

TRACKER found that 25% of people surveyed said they leave their keys somewhere in the hallway overnight – this is the most common room in the house for thieves to target when attempting to intercept an electronic key’s signal. CCTV obtained by West Midlands Police shows just how quickly the criminals can gain access to your vehicle – in this case, just 40 seconds. Most drivers aren’t even aware this is a problem, but for many, it’s almost like leaving the keys in the ignition with the car door open.

Lee Fletcher, director of Vehicle Accessories Ltd, commented “The number of keyless thefts around the country is very worrying, and it is a trend which is only increasing. With manufacturers doing little to prevent the attacks, it’s the consumers who have to take matters into their own hands and make sure their vehicles are protected.”

Lee suggests fitting a GPS/VHF tracker to your vehicle, and with so many different products on the market, it’s important to know what’s what. Many vehicle tracking devices available are Thatcham accredited; meaning that fitting one to your vehicle can reduce your insurance premium. To add to this, some insurers will require a tracker to be fitted before they will insure a vehicle. A few select manufacturers, such as TRACKER and Scorpion, are also Police approved and work closely with Police forces up and down the country to retrieve stolen vehicles.

The Scorpion CAT5 Tracker is approved by Secured by Design, the official UK Police initiative recognising companies and products which have been stringently tested and proven to reach high levels of security standards. This product has also attained Thatcham Category 5 classification, the highest level category given to vehicle trackers. The Scorpion CAT5 Tracker system is monitored 24/7/365 to ensure that no matter when the criminals strike, you are alerted almost immediately. Scorpion’s Secure Operating Centre will then work with the police to recover the vehicle. The Scorpion system even has the power to remotely disable the vehicle at any time – a powerful ‘sting’ in the product’s tail.

TRACKER’s system is also endorsed by the Police with all of the UK’s 52 forces fitting detection devices to their patrol cars, allowing them to track stolen vehicles directly and not needing to have location information relayed to them from a control room. With recovery times of sometimes under one hour and a total value of vehicles recovered standing at an impressive £527million, this is a system to be reckoned with. There are a number of different levels of protection, and different products available for different types of vehicle.

For more information about vehicle tracking, head to our Tracking page, email sales@vehicle-accessories.net or call 0333 200 7244.