A Montrealer is warning owners of luxury cars against thieves who now have the nerve to hack into their smart keys in broad daylight, all thanks to gadgets bought online for a pittance.
“It sure worried me when I saw the images. We are talking about someone who comes into your home, into your privacy. […] They are not embarrassed to do that! We can see that the guy is very relaxed on the images, too,” says Justin Addison.
This resident of the Tétreaultville neighborhood in Montreal had a surprise visit from a burglar on Tuesday morning. Videos from his apartment building captured the thief preparing to steal his Audi-branded car using a signal sensor. The sequence, broadcast on social networks, caused a lot of ink to flow.
In a few seconds
“At first, I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Looks like he was walking around with a walkie-talkie. But people started writing to me on Facebook. That’s when I realized he wanted to clone my smart key from my car,” Addison said.
In this sequence which lasts barely 10 seconds, a man approaches the entrance of the Montrealer and waves a simple sensor in the air.
“He is picking up the code from the smart key that is in the house. Then they transmit the code on a blank key at their disposal. Afterwards, the thief can come back in the evening to steal the car. It’s easy and simple,” explains Freddy Marcantonio, vice-president of Repérage Tag.
Not a priority
Justin Addison says he remains on the alert while waiting for the return of the thieves. “We have to change the key code at our Audi dealership, it still costs more than $100,” he sighs.
In the meantime, he has filed a request with the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
“The neighborhood police told us that they had no specialists and that they could not help us. We asked for help from someone, whatever, at the SPVM. We were told that our file was not a priority, ”laments Mr. Addison.
Contacted on this subject, the SPVM maintains, however, that it “takes car thefts seriously” and “that it does not comment on the investigations in progress so as not to interfere with their progress”.
Barely $80
For specialist Freddy Marcantonio, the most worrying thing about this case is that the gadgets bought to steal luxury cars cost next to nothing.
“In Quebec, car thieves are pros. Gone are the days of hammer and screwdriver to steal a vehicle. […] Before, a sensor or an amplifier to steal a smart key cost thousands of dollars. Now it’s barely $80 on the Internet,” notes Mr. Marcantonio.
The Journal has indeed found the signal sensor used by the thief at Justin Addison’s in Tétreaultville. The gadget was on sale over the counter for the sum of $140 on a very popular Chinese site.
Source: Police Department of the City of Montreal
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