GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Police Department in Greenville, S.C., is urging drivers with push-to-start vehicles to protect their key fobs from a type of theft that can unlock and drive off with a car in less than a minute without the thief ever touching the keys.
The department is spreading the word through a notice it calls Lock It, Shield It, Protect It. Police said they have not yet seen any of these thefts inside the city but want residents to know how the scheme works before it shows up locally.
In a relay theft, criminals use an electronic device to pick up the signal from a key fob kept inside a home. Typically one person stands near the house, close to where the fob is sitting, while a partner waits by the vehicle with a second device. The relayed signal tricks the car into acting as though the fob is right beside it, letting the thieves unlock it, start it and leave.
Fobs left on a hook or table near an exterior wall, window or door are the most exposed. The devices used in these thefts are technically legal to own in the United States, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau is pushing for laws nationwide that would ban or regulate them.
Police recommend keeping fobs away from doors and windows or storing them in a signal-blocking pouch or metal container. Other steps include checking vehicle settings for a way to turn off keyless features, reprogramming fobs on a used car, using a steering wheel lock and always locking the car and removing valuables.
Anyone whose vehicle is stolen should call 911 right away and be ready to give officers the vehicle information they need.