As auto thieves keep finding new ways to steal cars, South Florida police and car expert offer possible solutions
MIAMI - For 30 years, the Fernandez family enjoyed the quiet, the solace and what seemed to be the safety of living in the Redlands. That was compromised in September last year when a truck was stolen in the middle of the night from their driveway.
"It would not be surprising to me if they saw the truck passing by and they followed me, either myself when I drove it or my husband at some point, and then realized, 'Hey, this is the opportunity,'" said Silvia Fernandez.
The Fernandez' security cameras spotted thieves walking up their driveway and accessing the truck at 3:30 a.m. Silvia found out the vehicle was missing when she was heading to the gym at 10:30 that morning.
"I opened the door and when I looked towards the left, which is where my husband's truck was, I didn't see it," she said. "I immediately go to the bedroom, ask him, 'Hey, did you park your truck somewhere? I don't see it, maybe you parked it in the back?' He gets up, obviously, and then all of a sudden, I go and he's like, 'No, my truck is stolen.'"
The Miami-Dade Police Department's Auto Theft Unit said if a thief knows what they're doing and has the right equipment, it takes seconds.
Auto theft detective Mike Martinez displayed a table full of gizmos for CBS News Miami to show what crooks are using. Now, they use something as simple as a tablet that plugs right into the car's on-board computer. A scanner can be used to program a new key fob.
Essentially the scanner, which is similar to what locksmiths use to reprogram keys, is talking to the car's central nervous system and directing it to add, delete or program new fobs.
Martinez also said there's a huge uptick in stolen Kias and Hyundais, specifically. The crooks' tool? A simple phone charging cord or USB.
"The criminal will enter your vehicle, and rip out the bottom portion of the vehicle and there's a port that fits exactly as a charging cord and it turns on the vehicle," he said. "And it's a key."
Martinez said this technique was trending on TikTok as part of the "Kia Challenge" — a test of how fast someone can steal a key and how many Hyuandais they can steal in a day, using a USB charging cord.
Randy Russell, who has tens of thousands of dollars in after-market value on his muscle car, knew there had to be an answer.
"I got a lot of money in this thing, the purchase price plus all the aftermarket work that I've done," he said. "So, I started reaching out on the forums and asking people around the country, 'What do you feel is the best way to keep this car secured?'"
He found American Muscle Performance, which is one of only a handful of businesses in Florida authorized to install a European security system that disables a car without a designed or pre-programmed key fob.
"It gets wired into the body harness of the car," said Scott Bogler, who owns American Muscle Performance. "There are many places that we could hide this. It would take somebody hours if not days to figure it out. It is totally undetectable by any type of scanner, including dealership software."
If somehow the key fob was replicated, the car still wouldn't start without a combination or code using the buttons on the steering wheel. With this security system, the only way it can be stolen is to throw it on a flatbed and haul it away.
Russell shelled out $1,200 for this seemingly fail-proof security system.
But the easiest, cheapest way to stave off theft is to use a steering wheel lock, which costs $17 on Amazon.
Police advise drivers to not leave keys in the car, lock the doors and park in well-lit areas. Detectives also said Russell is right to use a steering wheel lock — anything that is going to make stealing your car more troublesome, the better.
Hyundai and Kia reached out to Miami-Dade police to let them know that the automakers will be in South Florida this summer holding events to remedy the "Kia Challenge" problem, which to detectives sounded like something as simple as a software update.