Criminals using high-tech key cloning devices are now responsible for a growing share of car thefts across Australia.
Police issue warning about growing threat of key cloning devices used to steal cars
Police say around 30 to 40 per cent of vehicles stolen in the past year were taken using electronic key cloning devices. While the technology is legally used by mechanics to access locked vehicles, it has increasingly been exploited to bypass modern push-button ignitions.
Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill explained the process: “It would be less than a minute. It would be a matter of 10, 15 seconds. The onboard diagnostic tool plugs into a port that is beneath the dashboard, and that will override the security system and allow the ignition to come on.”
Deputy Commissioner Hill said most offenders are adult repeat criminals who share methods among themselves. Last month, four men were charged with stealing more than 20 vehicles as part of a syndicate using third-party electronic key reprogramming devices.
In the past year, police have seized more than 800 such devices.
He said: “It’s illegal to possess those items of technology if you’re out and about in the middle of the night, where we believe you might be looking for a potential vehicle to be stolen.”
While major cities have historically seen the highest number of thefts, suburban and regional areas across Australia are increasingly affected.
The majority of stolen vehicles are eventually recovered – often after being used in other crimes – but some are exported or dismantled for parts.
Hill said: “We would recover approximately 80 per cent of those vehicles.”
Police are working with car manufacturers to develop new security solutions and are urging drivers nationwide to upgrade protections, including installing onboard diagnostic port locks.
Authorities note that similar trends are reported internationally in the United States and United Kingdom, reflecting a global rise in high-tech vehicle thefts.
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