This is the moment a brazen gang of thieves steal a Rolls-Royce Cullinan worth £350,000 with a high tech gadget which takes a matter of seconds.
The footage, captured on the victim’s CCTV doorbell camera shows one member of the gang holding up an antenna, which picks up a signal from the owner’s key.
The signal – which includes a code for disarming the car’s security system – is relayed to the vehicle.
The thief holds up an antenna to pick up a signal from the car’s key which is inside the owner’s house
The cloned signal convinces the car that the key is nearby and allows the engine to start. Moments later, the gang made their escape.
The incident happened in Aveley, Essex at 4.10am on Monday.
According the Sun, a friend of the owner said the victim was ‘stunned and devastated’ that their luxury SUV was stolen from outside their door.
Essex Police said the matter is under investigation, but no arrests have been made and the car has not been recovered.
Criminal gangs use electronic devices to try to signal the vehicle owner’s key inside the house, which is then fooled into sharing its code to open the car.
The thieves are then left to press the start button and drive off in the luxury vehicle.
One of the gang is able to open the door, get in and start the £350,000 motor
Within 30 seconds the car is away from the owner’s driveway
When the owner woke up on Monday morning they saw their driveway empty
Cars are often stolen to order and are shipped in containers which prevent trackers from locating them while they are sent overseas to be either sold whole or traded for parts.
Another tactic used involves jamming the lock signal as the owner presses the button and walks away thinking their car is secure.
Motorists are advised to keep keys in secure pouches or locked away in a box to block hackers’ signals.
According to the AA, over 130,000 vehicles were stolen in the UK, many using keyless ‘relay’ tactics.
Despite a steady increase in car stolen in the last three years, figures are still well below the peak in 2002, when thefts reached almost 307,000.
Experts believe the recent wave is being spurred by the high cost of second hand cars and a shortage of car parts.
As many as 72 per cent of stolen cars are never recovered, with insurance claims costing the industry an estimated £1.5 billion a year.
- Are YOU victim of key-less car thieves? Email [email protected]