ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.), the German automobile club, created a simple video that shows how cars with keyless ignition system are, or can be, stolen. The video says that the thieves use a laptop computer as a range extender to the key. They show an example of how the thieves are able to break into someone’s home, get the signal from a key that is some distance away, inside the house, and fool the car into thinking that the key is inside of the car.
The auto club used the same tactic to “steal” the car of unsuspecting cafe goers. The club further states that they were able to access twenty cars made by twelve different manufactures that the club was evaluating at the time using this method. The club stops short of saying specifically which automakers are prone to this type of theft. Former Hoon contributor Bozi Tatarević, recommends”storing your proximity key fob in a small Faraday cage-type pouch to reduce the risk of theft.” Or you can just, you know, drive something old and cool.