Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - Key fob theft is becoming the latest way thieves are getting into vehicles and stealing them. However, common sense is one way residents can avoid becoming a victim, says one local police chief.
Orchard Police Chief Patrick Fitzgerald says he has yet to experience a case of car fob theft in his town.
"If someone gets their hands on a key fob, that's the rudimentary side of it, as far as their ability to not only unlock the vehicle, but then use that to start the vehicle and drive away," said Fitzgerald in an interview with WBEN. "People leaving their key fobs in their vehicles, especially if that vehicle is unlocked, is a simple way for a car thief to steal a car, and we're seeing that occurring, But the key fobs being cloned is, by far, the more advanced form of car theft that's going on."
Fitzgerald says the newer the vehicle, the better chance the key fob transmits constantly.
"A key fob when it's in your pocket, when you get close to your vehicle, it allows you to unlock the doors by just opening the door handle or allowing you to open the rear hatch on an SUV. Possibly, those key fobs are constantly communicating and transmitting information, and those key fobs are the ones that are easier to clone," he said. "And once cloned, it allows a car thief to be able to have a duplicate device that they could use to not only unlock the vehicle to gain access to what's inside, but also potentially drive that vehicle away."
The easiest way to protect against that, if you have a key fob that is constantly transmitting to that vehicle, would be to put that key fob in, what's referred to as, a Faraday box or a Faraday bag.
"If you've ever had one of the E-Z Passes from New York, you know they come with that cellophane bag that allows you to put it in there so that it can't be read," Fitzgerald explained.
He adds the bag protects the key fob that's constantly emitting information and constantly communicating with the vehicle from being able to send out those signals that could then be intercepted and used to clone that device.
Fitzgerald says the basics can still keep you from being a theft victim.
"We're seeing people continue to leave their key fobs in their vehicles with the vehicles unlocked," he said. "A lot of vehicles can detect whether the key fob is in the car, and if it's in the car, it makes it difficult to lock the doors, keeps you from being locked out of your car if you left your key fob in there. But a lot of the vehicles that we're seeing stolen are being stolen because the vehicle is unlocked, the key fob is inside, and someone is able to walk up, open the vehicle, get in, press the button to start the car and, lo and behold, if it's somewhere in the vehicle that that car is going to start, that vehicle can be driven away."
Fitzgerald estimates 99% of the vehicles that are stolen in his jurisdiction are stolen with the vehicle's keys.
"The key fob is included in that, which allows that thief to be able to drive that car away," Fitzgerald said. "So take your keys inside, lock your doors. We highly recommend having lights on the outside of your house at nighttime, park in a well-lit area if you don't have a driveway to keep someone from being able to easily select your car. Look inside it, maybe see what's inside. Certainly keep valuables out of the car during the overnight hours."