Theft is not that magical

To the editor:

(re: “A very spooky steal,” March 25)

I was surprised to read in the Police Beat recently that both the reporter for The Riverdale Press and the police were apparently mystified by the local theft of a car without access to the key.

Although I have no knowledge of this specific incident, this type of theft is well-known, and may be accomplished by, for example, using an RFID repeater — a device that amplifies the signal of the car’s key fob when it is located close by (for example, in the home or store next to the car’s parking space).

This enables a thief to simply open the car’s door, start the car, and drive it far enough to load it onto a trailer or the like.

The easiest and cheapest way to defend against this type of theft is to keep one’s key fob rapped in aluminum foil when it is not being used.

This is what we do in our household.

I hope this helps the readers of The Press. But, more importantly, I very much hope that someone informs the police, and they start advising reporters and the public about the issue.

Benjamin Galynker

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