Thieves Hack Keys to Access, Steal Toyotas in Canada
Over 100 Toyota, Lexus SUVs and trucks have been swiped in Ottawa, Ontario area since April, radio amplifier key to thefts.
Aside from a severe accident, the worst thing owners of Toyota trucks and SUVs have to fear is waking up one morning to find their cherished rig disappeared in the dark of night. Such vehicles are prized elsewhere in the world, especially in areas where conflict is the day-to-day experience.
Once upon a time, a thief would have to carefully crack open their target, or, if they didn’t care that much, smash and grab the Toyota for delivery to their employer. Alas, things have changed. Canadian national broadcaster CBC says there’s been a wave of Toyota and Lexus thefts in the Ottawa, Ontario area since April 2019, all linked to the victims’ keys.
“The funny thing about the whole story is that my truck never spends any time outside except for the twice a year that I take the tires off it,” said Scott Dillon, whose 4Runner was swiped in mid-November, all caught on camera. Luckily, Ottawa Provincial Police recovered his SUV parked nearby, though missing one of its door handles.
Unfortunately, recoveries like Dillon’s are few and far between. As the above infographic from the Toronto Police Service shows, thieves are committing relay attacks with a radio amplifier, tricking both the Toyota and its key into recognizing one another. Once inside the truck, the thieves make their getaway to the nearest port, where the ‘Yota will be shipped off to countries in Africa, and the Middle East.
“They spot the cars they will take,” Petawawa Toyota GM Mike Douglas told CTV News, “They go out back, pre-program something into laptops so they can get in and out. The police tell us it is less than two and a half minutes to get car started and gone.”
According to CTV News, a handful of Toyota dealerships in the area lost 25 new vehicles from their lots within the same period of time as the other thefts. Douglas’s dealership alone lost seven vehicles in the early morning hours of September 6, totalling just over $300,000. Some dealers have tried blocking in the prized vehicles with less expensive ones, only for the thieves to trash them on the way to what they really want.
“We would like to know what we can do to stop it,” said Douglas, “but common denominator is to put a Club on the cars, something that is archaic actually to stop them from stealing them.”
As for how individual owners can protect their Toyotas, company representative David Shum says they should add more security to their rigs, including alarm systems, and diagnostic port locks. He adds owners should never leave the keys hanging near the front door, suggesting they place their keys in a Faraday pouch to defend against the thieves’ radio amplifiers.
Sadly, some owners have been hurt by the thefts to the point where they’re abandoning Toyota and Lexus for another brand altogether. That may be the most damaging result of all, and it’s all due to more than a few greedy jerkasses.
Photos: CBC; Ottawa CTV News
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