Hi-tech car theft filmed for first time in UK

UK thieves have been filmed using a hi-tech ‘Relay’ box to steal a car – the first time such a device is believed to have been caught on camera.

CCTV outside a house in central England showed two hooded suspects stealing a luxury car earlier this year with the help of a ‘Relay’ device, reports the BBC.

West Midlands Police believe it is the first time the hi-tech car theft has been caught on camera.

The box-shaped device can receive signals through doors, walls and windows but not metal.

Thieves exploit the technology by taking a signal from a vehicle key left close behind the front door and transmitting it via a ‘Relay’ device.

They use the signal to trick a targeted car’s security system which thinks the key is present and unlocks, before the ignition can be started.

Footage showed one of the men waving a box in front of the vehicle owner’s house, near Solihull.

Just seconds later, the driver’s side door of the Mercedes saloon opens and the second suspect gets behind the wheel and drives away.

Police say the theft on September 24 took less than a minute. The car has yet to be recovered.

Australian vehicle owners are being urged to remain vigilant.

The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council told Nine.com.au that seven out of 10 motor thefts in Australia involve stealing vehicle keys.

“Whilst it is prevalent in Europe and the UK, police and insurers are not seeing it here,” said Ray Carroll, the council’s executive director.

“But it is not impossible that it can be done here so everyone needs to be aware of it,” he added.