After thieves stole high-end cars, using technology like antennas and tablets, one locksmith said Thursday the devices can be purchased by anyone, making newer car owners vulnerable to such thefts.
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\nAnaheim Police Department officials have told NBC Los Angeles exclusively that criminals are using tablets meant for locksmiths to target expensive vehicles.<\/p>\n
Other thieves are also going after cars with keyless entry key fobs by using antennas, according to officials. Since keyless entry key fobs use signals to open doors for their rightful owners, thieves are intercepting those signals for their own use.
\nCorey Friedman, who runs the California Institute of Locksmithing, said the tablet that criminals used in at least two thefts in Orange County is similar to what he and other locksmiths use to reprogram cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always hate to see criminal activity, but we\u2019re kind of used to it in the industry,\u201d Friedman said. \u201cTechnology is more in the hands of the common person, I\u2019ll say it that way. And once you learn it, it\u2019s not hard.\u201d
\nPolice said people have also been using antennas to steal cars, holding it outside a home, trying to pick up the signal from your key fob inside. Once they get that signal, they start the car and they drive off.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more convenient they make your car for you, the more accessible they make it for everybody to get in,\u201d Friedman explained, saying professional locksmiths only use tablets or transponder programmers to work on a car.
\nFriedman explained as most states don\u2019t have licensed locksmiths, the tablets to unlock the cars can be sold to anyone, who passes a background check, for $500.<\/p>\n
To avoid more high-tech auto thefts, Friedman said the solution may be up to the car or truck manufacturer, making it hard for thieves to steal.
\n\u201cJust like they have a DUI or breathalyzer or DUI device they put in a car, maybe do something like that, like a key pad that you have in the car. And you have to have a certain way of starting that car that\u2019s not open to everybody,\u201d Friedman suggested.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, the ease of car theft using technology like antennas and tablets is a growing concern. As technology becomes more accessible, car owners need to be aware of the potential risks and take necessary precautions to protect their vehicles. It is also important for car manufacturers to consider implementing additional security measures to prevent high-tech auto theft.<\/p>\n
A: Thieves are using tablets meant for locksmiths to target expensive vehicles and antennas to intercept signals from keyless entry key fobs.<\/p>\n
A: Yes, the tablets can be sold to anyone who passes a background check for $500, as most states don\u2019t have licensed locksmiths.<\/p>\n
A: Car manufacturers can consider implementing additional security measures, such as a key pad that requires a specific code to start the car, to make it harder for thieves to steal vehicles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Car Theft After thieves stole high-end cars, using technology like antennas and tablets, one locksmith said Thursday the devices can be purchased by anyone, making newer car owners vulnerable to such thefts. Anaheim Police Department officials have told NBC Los Angeles exclusively that criminals are using tablets meant for locksmiths to target expensive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/media.nbclosangeles.com\/2025\/11\/image-9-4.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=1500,846&w=1500&resize=1500,845&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24672,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24669\/revisions\/24672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}