Soter Professional Services

Micro-Chips!

Micro-Chips!

02/06/2020

Some drivers are keeping their car keys in their microwave and with good reason. For some placing their keys in their small oven is a better way of protecting their car then finding a decent parking bay.

The Office for National Statistics has revealed a rise in car thefts over recent years. Over 89,000 UK vehicles were stolen in 2017 which was a jump of 56% from 2016. Many industry experts blame the rise on the adoption of "key-less" entry systems and technology by car manufacturers.

Would be car thieves can “cruise around” after dark with a relay amplifier and transmitter in the hope of receiving signals from keys.

Once a signal is detected they can relay the signal to the car, making the car behave as if the actual key was nearby, unlocking doors and allowing the engine to start. Ergo putting your keys in something metallic like a microwave can stop the signal being detected.

Soter, a leading Key Insurance provider handles many thousands of key related queries each year, Operations Director Daniel Humphreys advised “given the proliferation of car thefts that are attributed to thieves hacking the key systems, people are doing what they can to mitigate this risk.” Before going on to advise “as such we have seen an increase in claims where people have popped the microwave on forgetting car keys are in there”.

Whilst a microwave may provide some security a Faraday box is a better option and can be obtained easily from Amazon or other retailers.

Soter