MUNICH: Police in southern Germany have tipped their hats to one car owner who managed to protect his car from being stolen with the help of little more than a metal box wrapped in aluminium foil.
The man grew suspicious when his surveillance system alerted him to a man tampering with his car in the southern German area Thalmassig, near the city of Regensburg.
The individual turned out to be one of a growing number of thieves stealing cars with keyless theft technology. The robber merely extends the signal produced by the remote key used in most new cars, allowing the car to be unlocked even when the owner is at a distance.
All that is required is an inexpensive device that can be easily built from readily-available electronic parts for around 100 dollars.
However police said the theft was foiled because the man kept his car key in a box wrapped in aluminium foil, which blocks the signal that car thieves try to hack, a tip that car safety experts are increasingly recommending that owners consider.
According to automotive experts ADAC, the rise in the number of cars operated by smart key systems - which only require the driver to be within signal range of the car to unlock it - has been of particular benefit to thieves.
