DAYTON — A Dayton-area state lawmaker wants to mess up car thieves’ business.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, the new plan focuses on going after the tools thieves are using to copy key fobs and drive off with stolen cars.
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Surveillance video shared by our CBS affiliate in Chicago shows masked thieves going onto people’s porches, holding a wire.
They launch a so-called relay attack that steals vehicle key fob information.
Seconds later, the video shows the car starting and the masked thieves leaving.
The information obtained by the thieves allows them to start a car or gives them the details to reprogram the keyless start system.
Thieves also rely on tablets to hack into a vehicle’s onboard diagnostic system.
This sophisticated technology is forcing a change in the law.
State Representative Andrea White (OH-36) is sponsoring a bill that classifies possessing or using these devices as a criminal tool.
It can help strengthen cases against accused car thieves.
“These are tools that locksmiths and mechanics use legitimately. But they’re also being co-opted by individuals and theft rings to steal cars and their contents at an increasingly alarming rate,” White said.
Dayton police recently testified in support of the change at the State House.
“A programmer that was recovered from one of these groups, it was used to steal 76 cars, just one of these devices,” Dayton Police Lieutenant Randy Beane said.
Beane told lawmakers that tablets can reprogram a car’s ignition system in a minute or less.
It also leaves the original owner’s key fob useless if they manage to get the car back.
“Every 37 seconds in America, a car is stolen, that’s about 850,000 cars a year, and that’s not even counting all the cars that are broken into,” White said.
Dayton police seized a couple of the reprogramming devices in a car reported stolen last week.
There are a few things people can do to protect their cars, like placing a club on the steering wheel or tire.
Car owners can also wrap their key fobs in a Faraday bag or tinfoil to block the signal.
Now, the plan needs Senate approval.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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