2 months ago
2
A Minneapolis man says thieves "borrowed" his car from his apartment's garage even though he had the key, pointing to a trend of keyless vehicle thefts."I've heard of the Hyundais, the Kia, that sort of thing happening that's a known issue this something I never expected," Andy, whose car was stolen, said.Andy left his Volkswagen Taos inside his apartment garage Saturday night before going out to dinner.The following morning, he noticed his garage door opener was missing."My seat belt was buckled even though there was nobody in it on the driver's side and I saw that my middle console had been rifled through," Andy said.Andy checked his VW car app, which showed his car had been driven 63 miles between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m."2:21 a.m. is when they returned it," Andy said. "My doors were locked, I didn't know how they could get through."While police are still investigating, Andy turned to social media for answers."People told me it had been happening to them or they'd heard of that happening," Andy said.Andy believes the incident is part of a growing trend of keyless vehicle thefts.What Andy believes happened is that thieves capture radio signals from key fobs using a device that grabs the signal, which can then be stored and reused.Experts suggest a few ways to protect vehicles from such thefts.They recommend storing key fobs away from glass doors and windows and using a radio frequency-blocking box or pouch.Andy bought a pouch on Amazon and plans to get the frequency of his key changed at a VW dealership."You're the first person I've talked to who's responded to anything that I've done," Andy said.Adding to his frustrations, Andy says he's getting the runaround from authorities. "Minneapolis police they don't even know if they're going to investigate it at all because of manpower, that's frustrating to me. I want this to never happen again," Andy said.Andy is now keeping his car in another location because the thieves have his garage opener.He is also waiting to see the surveillance footage from his apartment, hoping it shows the theft.
MINNEAPOLIS —
A Minneapolis man says thieves "borrowed" his car from his apartment's garage even though he had the key, pointing to a trend of keyless vehicle thefts.
"I've heard of the Hyundais, the Kia, that sort of thing happening that's a known issue this something I never expected," Andy, whose car was stolen, said.
Andy left his Volkswagen Taos inside his apartment garage Saturday night before going out to dinner.
The following morning, he noticed his garage door opener was missing.
"My seat belt was buckled even though there was nobody in it on the driver's side and I saw that my middle console had been rifled through," Andy said.
Andy checked his VW car app, which showed his car had been driven 63 miles between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m.
"2:21 a.m. is when they returned it," Andy said. "My doors were locked, I didn't know how they could get through."
While police are still investigating, Andy turned to social media for answers.
"People told me it had been happening to them or they'd heard of that happening," Andy said.
Andy believes the incident is part of a growing trend of keyless vehicle thefts.
What Andy believes happened is that thieves capture radio signals from key fobs using a device that grabs the signal, which can then be stored and reused.
Experts suggest a few ways to protect vehicles from such thefts.
They recommend storing key fobs away from glass doors and windows and using a radio frequency-blocking box or pouch.
Andy bought a pouch on Amazon and plans to get the frequency of his key changed at a VW dealership.
"You're the first person I've talked to who's responded to anything that I've done," Andy said.
Adding to his frustrations, Andy says he's getting the runaround from authorities.
"Minneapolis police they don't even know if they're going to investigate it at all because of manpower, that's frustrating to me. I want this to never happen again," Andy said.
Andy is now keeping his car in another location because the thieves have his garage opener.
He is also waiting to see the surveillance footage from his apartment, hoping it shows the theft.
English (US)