As if all that holiday shopping we do isn’t stressful enough, the email making the rounds again this year is the same one that made the rounds last year and the year before that, too.  You probably know the one I’m talking about the email which warns shoppers that their vehicles can be broken into with just a push of a button by thieves who supposedly use a high tech gadget which can replicate the key pad to capture and clone signals to gain access to vehicles laden with festive holiday gifts.

If you’ve never received one of these emails, here’s a sample:

While traveling, my son stopped at a roadside park. He came out to his car less than 4-5 minutes later and found someone had gotten into his car, and stolen his cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator briefcase…..you name it…Called the police and since there were no signs of his car being broken into – the police told him that there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your key-chain 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 have a few minutes to steal and run.

The police officer said to manually lock your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the car, that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim it will not be you. When you hit the lock button on your car upon exiting…it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain – it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be stolen.

Something totally new to us…and real.

Be aware of this and please pass this note on…look how many times we all lock our doors with our remote to be sure we remembered to lock them…and bingo someone has our code…and whatever was in the car…can be stolen.

There have been a few different versions of this email circulating over the last few years, but I did some checking and according to what I could find, if you’re on the receiving end of this warning, feel free to hit delete and chalk it up to being nothing more than just another urban legend of the technology age.

When asked about the email and the possibility of using such technology, John Abounader, who is the executive director for the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, has been quoted as saying a brick through the window is probably just as good, if not faster: 

“You don’t need all that sophisticated technical equipment when you can use the brick-to-the-window method.”

As far as I can tell, while it may seem somewhat feasible for theives to be able to gain access to your vehicle with such wizardry, experts say current technology makes it unlikely.  They say that while it’s possible to send a radio signal to lock or unlock doors, the code is encrypted, which means the command travels via a new frequency, and when protected by a new password, it would be difficult for the signal to be intercepted.  Besides, experts also say such a process would be tedious and time consuming, as well.

Of course, these emails do nothing to ease the anxiety of rushed shoppers who may, in their haste, simply forget to lock their car doors, so don’t forget to lock up and be aware of your surroundings, place packages in the trunk and don’t leave your purse on the passenger seat in plain view all welcoming invitations for thieves during the holiday season and all throughout the year.

For more info on this email (and more like it), click here to visit Snopes.com and for safe parking tips, check out this Cars for Girls article, Park Smart: 25 Ways to Park Safe During the Holidays.

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