Is nothing safe these days? We’re all at risk of fraudsters cloning our credit cards, and hackers penetrating our computer systems, but did you know cloning transponder car keys is a big cause of vehicle theft?
In my last blog, I gave your some advice about how to protect your car keys from theft. Bad enough to have to call a car locksmith out to cut new keys, but worse still to lose the vehicle itself. If you’re still not taking good care of your vehicle keys, perhaps this will persuade you to think again.
Vehicle theft, like all ‘industries’, has changed since technology took over, and car thieves have learnt some new tricks. Cars are harder to break into now, and immobiliser systems have made ‘hot-wiring’ one of yesterday’s skills. There’s no doubt joy-riding theft still goes on, particularly if someone’s been daft enough to leave their car keys in the ignition. But it’s important to realise today’s car thief is a sophisticated criminal.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that cars being stolen to order is just something the TV dramatists have made up. It happens. And new markets for these cars are continuing to open up.
Vehicle locksmiths use cloning equipment to reprogramme your transponder car keys. These are expensive, legitimate tools of the trade, and your car locksmith has to invest in them and learn how to use them before setting up in business. But nowadays, criminals are manufacturing their own transponder cloning equipment. Technology is an ongoing battle between the automotive companies and the criminal community as one tries to outwit the other.
So the moral to this story must be, if you need new car keys cut or your transponder reprogrammed, make sure you choose a reputable vehicle locksmith – they are the only ones with legitimate equipment. Avoid anyone who says ‘my mate can do that for you’… or it might be more than your car keys you need to replace.
Picture credit 123rf