Ellen PhillipsAn recent article in Bottom Line Personal is important enough to share with my readers. Those of us with remote key fobs on our vehicles need to take a closer look at what may be a safety issue.
Vehicles that constantly emit a low-power signal that automatically allows entry when the remote key fob is a few feet away from the lock is the worse-case scenario. Once the lock is activated via that signal, a person doesn't even have to touch the fob, just reach out and pull the door handle.
A would-be car thief can use a portable radio-signal booster to trick the auto into thinking he has the legitimate key fob. Not only does the now-open car invite sticky fingers to gather up all manner of possessions but, if the fob also allows the car to start with the push of a button, the thief now has a new vehicle - at least until law enforcement catches him.
Unless owners wish to trade in their cars for those with an old-fashioned, less-technological key device, they should take additional steps to ensure thieves stay out of the driver's seat and the vehicle itself.
' As I've urged many times, park in a locked garage. If this isn't possible, then remove all temptations from the (locked) car's interior. Notice I say "temptations," rather than "valuables;" for example, while a music video isn't necessarily valuable, it may tempt someone who likes to play music and/or admires the artist.
' When not in use, store your key fobs inside a metal container to block incoming radio waves. Enclosing the fob in foil or inside a small tin works equally well; just be sure whatever the protection, it isn't wooden as this material provides no protection.
' Do not place key fobs in a refrigerator, freezer or microwave. Yes, these appliances can block the radio waves; however, the condensation in the first two places can ruin the fobs and a microwave oven, if turned on accidentally, will destroy the devices as well.
Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com