Keyless car theft in Cambridge: how it really happens
Three thieves, two minutes, no broken glass. Here's how keyless theft works and the small things that actually stop it.
If you live in Cambridge and own a modern car with keyless entry, you've probably seen a CCTV clip on the Cambridgeshire Live or Spotted Cambridge Facebook group of a car being driven off a driveway in under two minutes. This is how it works.
The relay attack — the most common one
Two thieves work as a pair. One stands close to the front of the house with an aerial unit, picking up the weak signal from your key fob (which is still transmitting from your hallway, kitchen, or bedside table). They relay that signal to a second device next to your car. The car thinks the key is right there. Door unlocks. Push start works. Drive away.
Signal amplification
A more advanced version of the same thing — the device boosts the key's range from ~2m to ~30m. They don't even need to be at your front door.
OBD plug-in
After breaking a window or jimmying a door, the thief plugs a programmer into the OBD port (under the steering wheel) and codes a brand new key in 30 seconds. Common on older Fords and BMWs.
What actually stops it
- Faraday pouch for keys: free, 5 seconds. Defeats relay attacks entirely. Get one tomorrow.
- Park keys far from the front door: ideally upstairs at the back of the house.
- Steering wheel lock: visible deterrent. Ugly but effective — thieves move on to easier cars.
- PIN immobiliser (Ghost): defeats every attack above because the car won't drive without the PIN.
- OBD lock: physical block on the OBD port for older cars.
- Tracker: doesn't prevent theft, but recovers the car ~88% of the time.
Cambridge hot-spots
Anecdotally from our customer base: residential streets in Cherry Hinton, Trumpington, Newnham, Histon, Milton, Impington, and the Bar Hill / Longstanton commuter belt have all had clusters in the last year. If you're parking unsecured on the street, layer up.
Filed under Cambridge
See the cambridge service page