check out the new remote control Jockey Wheel SmartBar Canegrowers rearview170 Cobb Grill Skid Row Recovery Gear Caravan Industry Association of Australia
Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Click here for the Grey Nomads website -> The Grey Nomads Forum -> Techies' Corner -> How to Lock Your Car and Why ....
Post Info TOPIC: How to Lock Your Car and Why ....
aussie_paul


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 5748
Date:
How to Lock Your Car and Why ....
Permalink  

How to Lock Your Car and Why (This has Happened on SunshineCoast)

  
An incident similar to this happened to a friend who parked at a shopping
center, on the Sunshine Coastabout a month ago,

There was no sign of a breakin but he lost Laptop, Navman,Camera, and other
valuables from his car and the boot.

Do NOT lock your car at Shopping Malls, Service stations etc. using the
remote.

Use the Car's Door Key...........

How to Lock Your Car and Why

I locked my car.  As I walked away I heard my car door unlock.  I went back
and 
locked my car again three times.

Each time, as soon as I started to walk away, I would hear it unlock again!!


Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car
next to the store. They 
were obviously watching me intently, and there was no doubt they were
somehow involved in this very 
weird situation ..  I quickly chucked the errand I was on, jumped in my car
and sped away.  I went 
straight to the police station, told them what had happened, and found out I
was part of a new, and 
very successful, scheme being used to gain into cars.

Two weeks later, my friend's son had a similar happening....While
travelling, my 
friend's son stopped at a roadside rest to use the bathroom.  When he came
out to his car less than 4-5 
minutes later, someone had gotten into his car and stolen his mobile phone,
laptop computer, sat nav, 
briefcase......you name it.

They do not steal your car but everything of value is gone.

He called the police and since there were no signs of his car being broken
into, the police told 
him he had been a victim of the latest robbery tactic - there is a device
that robbers are using now to 
clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your
remote locking device.

They sit a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are
going 
inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and that they now have a few
minutes to steal and run. The 
police officer said to manually lock your car with the key -- that way if
there is someone sitting in a 
parking lot watching for their next victim, it will not be you.

When you lock up with the key upon exiting, it does not send the security
code, 
but if you walk away and use the remote button, it sends the code through
the airwaves where it can be 
instantly stolen.

This is very real.

Be wisely aware of what you just read and please pass this note on.  Look
how 
many times we all lock our doors with our remote just to be sure we
remembered to lock them -- and 
bingo, someone has our code...and whatever was in our car.

Snopes Approved --.Please share with everyone you know

 

Aussie Paul. smile

 

 


__________________
D and D


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 1081
Date:
Permalink  

Since some degree of authenticity was claimed by using the Snopes approval I thought I check it up. Surprise, surprise ... Snopes neither confirms nor disputes the story but does lean more on the dispute side stating that there is no evidence of this happening. http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/lockcode.asp



__________________

Mr & Ms D - On the road at last

Mazda BT50 towing a 22'6" Aussie Humpback

See you on the road
Delta18


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 2265
Date:
Permalink  

Did this REALLY happen to a friend of yours or are you forwarding a spurious email attachment designed to be spread far & wide?  The aim is to spread alarm, & fear.

Be careful if it is an email fwd, these are known to carry virus' at times and this one is well known too.



__________________

Neil & Lynne

Bacchus Marsh

Victoria

MY17 Isuzu D-Max Dual Cab / 21' Silverline 21-65.3

1260w Solar: 400ah Lithium Battery: 2000w Projecta IP2000 Inverter

Diesel Heater: SOG Toilet Kit: 2.5kw Fujitsu Split System A/c

 

 
aussie_paul


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 5748
Date:
Permalink  

Delta18 wrote:

Did this REALLY happen to a friend of yours or are you forwarding a spurious email attachment designed to be spread far & wide?  The aim is to spread alarm, & fear.

Be careful if it is an email fwd, these are known to carry virus' at times and this one is well known too.

 No, not to a friend of mine. I copied and paste rather than forward the email.

 

Aussie Paul. :)



__________________
Plendo


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 865
Date:
Permalink  

This is an OLD story, it has been around since the electronic lock. You can tell when news is quiet because the TV current affairs infomercials roll it out as their scare mongering for the week.

Radio Frequency (RF) door locks use rolling codes, what this means is that the car locking system, and the remote have a formula built in that calculates the next code, and only codes that follow the correct formula will activate the system. Capturing one lock code will do nothing for the supposed thieves, if they captured dozens of codes in sequence, then applied a very smart bit of code breaking they may be able to work out a valid code after many hours of work. They can not just replay the last code used, it is no longer valid.

This wiki article gives a good overview. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_code

 



__________________

 

Discovery 4, 

Retreat Brampton

 
Umpie1


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 177
Date:
Permalink  

Plendo wrote:

This is an OLD story, it has been around since the electronic lock. You can tell when news is quiet because the TV current affairs infomercials roll it out as their scare mongering for the week.

Radio Frequency (RF) door locks use rolling codes, what this means is that the car locking system, and the remote have a formula built in that calculates the next code, and only codes that follow the correct formula will activate the system. Capturing one lock code will do nothing for the supposed thieves, if they captured dozens of codes in sequence, then applied a very smart bit of code breaking they may be able to work out a valid code after many hours of work. They can not just replay the last code used, it is no longer valid.

This wiki article gives a good overview. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_code

 

 While it may be an old story, I like to work on the theory that what man can make man can unmake, and there are some very smart hackers out there.



__________________
PJK


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 157
Date:
Permalink  

Even if this story was true, locking your car with the key will only lock the car - not set the alarm, and not set the immobliser.

So, for real security it is better to use your remote whenever possible.

PJK

__________________
Now that food has replaced sex in my life - I can't even get into my own pants!!!!!!
The dog lady


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 529
Date:
Permalink  

Don't know about people cloning your remote when you lock your car, BUT I know for a fact that there are enterprising thieves who can unlock remote locking systems. In 2003 in Cairns somebody unlocked and cleared out over twenty 2000 model fords, including all the government ones parked outside the government office where I worked! Yes, including the one I used and they took all my CDs. Govt insurance said personal property not covered by insurance toocry

 



__________________

Cheers, Marianna. 

The more I learn about people, the more I like my dogs (Mark Twain)
hako


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 2534
Date:
Permalink  

PJK wrote:

Even if this story was true, locking your car with the key will only lock the car - not set the alarm, and not set the immobliser.

So, for real security it is better to use your remote whenever possible.

PJK

 In most cars, the immobiliser is in the keyhead and the remote only locks/unlocks the doors....nothing else.smile

It pays to actually check that all doors are actually locked as the lock actuators are only small electric motors with plastic gears and arms and they can and do fail. I had one go in My Territory and for all I know it could have been unlocked for weeks, months or years?  Same with leaving windows down a few inches - they sometimes can be forced down with a bit of pressure which snaps the mechanism....probably why the police now can book you if they are down a certain amount.



__________________

Denis

Ex balloon chaser and mercury measurer.

Toowoomba.
PeterD


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 4713
Date:
Permalink  

The dog lady wrote:

Don't know about people cloning your remote when you lock your car, BUT I know for a fact that there are enterprising thieves who can unlock remote locking systems. In 2003 in Cairns somebody unlocked and cleared out over twenty 2000 model fords, including all the government ones parked outside the government office where I worked! Yes, including the one I used and they took all my CDs. 

 Back in those days the rolling codes were a bit simpler. My Disco D2 rolled through 4 codes. I don't know if they all used the same 4 codes. If they all used the came codes then it would only take attempts to score the correct one.



__________________

PeterD
Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top
Retired radio and electronics technician.
NSW Central Coast.

 
PJK


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 157
Date:
Permalink  

hako wrote:
PJK wrote:

Even if this story was true, locking your car with the key will only lock the car - not set the alarm, and not set the immobliser.

So, for real security it is better to use your remote whenever possible.

PJK

 In most cars, the immobiliser is in the keyhead and the remote only locks/unlocks the doors....nothing else.smile

It pays to actually check that all doors are actually locked as the lock actuators are only small electric motors with plastic gears and arms and they can and do fail. I had one go in My Territory and for all I know it could have been unlocked for weeks, months or years?  Same with leaving windows down a few inches - they sometimes can be forced down with a bit of pressure which snaps the mechanism....probably why the police now can book you if they are down a certain amount.

 Thanks for the update Hako.

Must admit my "new" car is a 2002 model, so things would have changed since then.

Not going to replace that car though, still runs like new and not a single rattle.

 

PJK



__________________
Now that food has replaced sex in my life - I can't even get into my own pants!!!!!!
Bello


Veteran Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 67
Date:
Permalink  

I can't lock my 4wd with a key. There is no key hole in the door, only a "hidden" hole to open the door if the remote does not work.

A good story but not worth all the talk.

__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
Click here for the Grey Nomads website -> The Grey Nomads Forum -> Techies' Corner -> How to Lock Your Car and Why ....
Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us
Purchase Grey Nomad bumper stickers Read our daily column, the Nomad News The Grey Nomad's Guidebook