Home / Crime and Justice / High-Tech Car Thieves Strike in Under a Minute
High-Tech Car Thieves Strike in Under a Minute
22 Apr
Summary
- Sophisticated ring steals cars in less than a minute.
- Electronic device reprograms vehicle computers for theft.
- Stolen cars are shipped overseas, primarily to Africa.
Federal authorities have indicted an international car theft ring that utilized advanced technology to steal vehicles in under a minute. This sophisticated operation bypassed traditional security measures by employing a device called an Autel to reprogram a car's internal computer, enabling thieves to program blank key fobs without breaking windows or hot-wiring. The indictment, announced by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, details 15 counts against the alleged perpetrators.
The ring operated in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania, targeting a variety of vehicles from Corvettes to Honda Civics. Once stolen, the vehicles' tracking systems were disabled, license plates were swapped, and the cars were hidden within containers labeled as furniture. These stolen vehicles were then transported to ports in Savannah, Georgia, and Baltimore, Maryland, before being shipped overseas, primarily to Africa, where they were sold for high profits.
