Please make family members aware of this carjacking technique - used in PDX but could be used elsewhere

[MichaelH]

Yeah, if I'm getting out, then I'm pulling over and turning it off. But then again I'm 6'5" and weighed 230 before putting on 15 middle age pounds so most opportunist thieves steer clear of me.

I read about this this morning and discussed it with my wife so she'd know to be on the lookout because this happened in our general area.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

Yeah, if I'm getting out, then I'm pulling over and turning it off. But then again I'm 6'5" and weighed 230 before putting on 15 middle age pounds so most opportunist thieves steer clear of me.

I read about this this morning and discussed it with my wife so she'd know to be on the lookout because this happened in our general area.

It does not matter how large you are for the key fob spoofers.

You lock your car and go in to get a Cafe Latte. The guy behind you in line scans the info from your fob and relays it to his partner who takes off with your car.

 

[po18guy]

Carjacking! Darned white supremacists!!! You'd think that people would notice the pointy heads and flags. I mean, aren't they the true national crime problem?

 

[MichaelH]

It does not matter how large you are for the key fob spoofers.

You lock your car and go in to get a Cafe Latte. The guy behind you in line scans the info from your fob and relays it to his partner who takes off with your car.

Ha! My wife lost the key fob for my shotty Kia on the beach so I'm in luck as I'm analog only. Doubt it'll work with her bougie Audi.

Frankly I just want my wife to avoid an unplesant and possibly dangerous interaction. My guess is if properly equiped theives want my car they're able to take it.

 

[ma96782]

Remember.....
That "stealing a car" in some jurisdictions is a "minor inconvenience". Why else would they call it "Joy Riding"? As for the police.....even if they were in sight and in pursuit of the stolen vehicle.....they will likely call off the pursuit because of ____name your excuse here____. And, even if/when caught, the culprit(s) will have plenty of opportunities to see that they get the last laugh. Thanks to the Liberal DAs, Court and the Criminal Justice System (with punishment based on whatever criteria that seem to favor the criminal).

But then....insurance will pay, IF you bought the coverage. Why else would the Police and Politicians be so nonchalant about Riots in the Streets and Businesses losses/property destruction.

Yeah.....it sucks. BUT.....don't forget to thank your Politicians too.

Aloha, Mark

PS.....I have more faith in the $2 key vs a $400 key fob. Not to mention the repair costs IF the criminal decided to break the mechanism that runs it.

 

[gmerkt]

I pocket the key every time I get out. For one thing, Mrs. M's car every once in a while will lock you out with the electric door lock thing. Which is a major inconvenience if the key is left in the switch. Then there is one of my Panther cars (ex cop car) where the inside trunk lock release will only open when the ignition is hot (LEO thing). So were I to somehow leave the ignition key in my hand, then let it rest on something inside the trunk, then shut the lid, I'd be walking. So the pocket habit thing can prevent problems.

Re. the car jacking thing. Well, the method described sure beats a pistol pointed at your face. There are many forms of shenanigans involving cars and scams going on. At Fred Meyer parking lots, one of the gags for a while was for someone to watch you walk out to your car, get in, whereupon this perp would run over to your car and pretend that you'd backed into them as a pedestrian.

My sister-in-law had finished her shopping at Fred Meyer, put her purse on the front seat of her car, then went back to push her shopping cart into the corral. In that short amount of time, someone who had been watching her ran over, snatched the purse and disappeared. My sis-in-law saw nothing, only noticed the missing purse.

Back in the NY metro area, especially on the NJ side, the locals had a mis-direct and truck jacking deal going. They'd have a guy standing out along a turn-off from a major artery of traffic. He'd wave and point, kind of directing the truck to turn down a certain street. I'm not sure why drivers would follow these directions, but I guess there were enough from out of the area who'd fall for it for some reason. Once directed down this particular street, it wouldn't be navigable by the truck for one reason or another, like a car blocking the road. The truck would stop, some guys would come up and lure the driver out of the truck, then maybe steal the truck. Or another version was, while the driver's attention was diverted, a crew would be at the back of the 53 foot trailer, cutting the seal, opening the doors, and helping themselves to the contents.

There are all kinds of ways to rob the unwary. And that's the key, you have to be wary when you are out and around. Don't daydream and drop your guard. Be particularly alert to requests for assistance. It seems cold, but these days if such a request is made, best to call 911. People can be such convincing liars and it can be difficult for some honest people to find them implausible or incredible.

Not resulting from guile, I've had a couple of close calls over the years, and I was just alert enough to avoid becoming a victim. I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, but I really believe in the concept of "spidey sense" because that is what saved me those times. It wasn't a close call, but one time I was in San Francisco with my family. Right down on the Embarcadero near the old Ferry Building. I don't know how I noticed in the crowds of hundreds of people all around in a normal weekday. But I happened to see a guy who was following our every turn. When we'd stop, he'd stop and watch. So I had my family members line up with their backs against a wall, look across the street where this guy had stopped, and stare back at him. He left. I figured he was waiting for the right time to snatch a purse.

 

[TNThomas]

My Dad told me sbout a atory from the 1980s when he was in college. Him and a buddy were driving in an old "Shorty" van through town to go get groceries. A sedan with 4 passengers cuts them off and all 4 dudes get out of the car and yelled for them to get out. My Dad and his buddy get out: Dads 6'4" 300lbs and buddy is about 6'2" 340. College offensive tackle and respective nose guard for the local University. 4 dudes say F-this, and get back in the car.

 

[Certaindeaf]

My Dad told me sbout a atory from the 1980s when he was in college. Him and a buddy were driving in an old "Shorty" van through town to go get groceries. A sedan with 4 passengers cuts them off and all 4 dudes get out of the car and yelled for them to get out. My Dad and his buddy get out: Dads 6'4" 300lbs and buddy is about 6'2" 340. College offensive tackle and respective nose guard for the local University. 4 dudes say F-this, and get back in the car.

They probably figured the springs were shot.