Long gone are the days of warm summer evenings, winter is here and at ScorpionTrack we have put together a handy guide to make sure your vehicle security is in tip-top condition for the colder months.
We’ll start with a major one that you might be prone to doing every now and again…
Frost Jacking
It’s icy, your hands are cold, the kettle has just boiled and your thinking of that warm brew as you turn on your engine and start to defrost your vehicle. You head inside and leave your motor running to let it do its thing, but little do you know, there is a certain opportunistic thief waiting and ready to pounce.
Frost jacking is a term used to describe a type of theft that is carried out in the winter months. Thieves take the opportunity to target vehicles left unattended with the ignition running, often while the vehicle owner waits for the windscreen and windows to de-frost. You may think that your vehicle is safe parked just outside your home, but unfortunately these thieves are fast and are able to drive away within seconds, especially if they find the vehicle unattended and running with keys in the ignition.
Did you know, most insurance companies refuse to cover a vehicle that has been stolen whilst left unattended or where the keys are left inside. So, not only are you without your vehicle, but you’re also out of pocket with no pay out from your insurance provider. Was that cuppa worth it? Probably not. Wait with your vehicle while it defrosts and make sure the engine is off and doors are locked when you’re not around.
Key Theft or Keyless Entry
That key bowl by your front door where you always plonk your keys after a hard day at the office? Get rid! A rookie mistake that a lot of vehicle owners do is leave their keys in plain sight for all to see, and usually by their front door.
Thieves are clever, there are now a range of devices that they use including strong magnets or hooks in a bid to land keys left within easy reach. One disconcerting device that has been around for a couple of years now is one that is used to enter a vehicle without the need for a key fob. A key relay attack involves two people working together, one stands by the targeted vehicle, while the other stands near the house with a device that can pick up a signal from the key fob. The device then relays the key fob’s signal directly to the car, allowing the thieves to get in and drive away immediately – scary stuff!
There are a couple of precautions you can take to stop the above from happening. Firstly, you should make sure that you don’t keep your keys in a place where they can be seen or accessed from outside. If you have a keyless fob, keep it in a RFID pouch or inside a signal-blocking container. The darker evenings and mornings mean it’s easier for thieves to go unnoticed, so consider installing motion sensor lights that will help catch any individual approaching your home or vehicle. Another handy piece of kit is the X-Series CAN Bus immobiliser, which will make sure that your vehicle won’t start even if the keys are stolen. The immobiliser allows you to set a unique and changeable PIN that needs to be entered before starting the ignition, combating key theft and key relay attacks.
Parking and Valuables
You’re probably feeling pretty confident about leaving your vehicle on a drive or in a private garage, but what if you don’t have one? If you’re going to be leaving your vehicle parked overnight, then your best bet is to park it somewhere that is well lit and visible, making sure that you don’t give a thief an easy shot at taking it.
Parking on a street with overnight streetlights in a built-up area is going to make your vehicle less irresistible to thieves as there is more chance of being caught, especially if you have additional security that they need to try and bypass. Consider adding a Scorpion Automotive S-Series alarm to your vehicle as a first layer of defence in the event of an attack. A number of the S-Series range come Thatcham Approved, meaning that you can potentially benefit from a reduction in insurance premiums whilst also adding a solid layer of protection to your vehicle that can be paired with a tracker – winner.
Invest in your vehicle’s security
Have you ever thought about what you might do if your vehicle is stolen? You wake up one morning and it’s gone – vanished! How will you get to work? What about the school run? When will you get it back (if you do)?
The above questions are a worry to any vehicle owner and not to mention the hassle of dealing with a stolen vehicle. You should first inform the police and your insurance company and if your vehicle is recovered you will have 14 days to pick it up and pay any storage costs, otherwise it will be disposed of. This is before your insurance decides to pay out in accordance with your policy cover, and sometimes it may not be to the value of your vehicle. So, not only will you be facing a huge inconvenience, but it will also be costly to you because someone else decided to take your prized asset.
Because of this, it’s a huge advantage to fit a stolen vehicle tracker to your vehicle. The ScorpionTrack S5 tracker comes with 24/7 monitoring, and in the event of theft, the ScorpionTrack Monitoring Team will liaise with the police using their live location tracking to help recover your vehicle. Boasting a 96% theft recovery rate, a tracker gives you peace of mind whilst also supplying you with multi benefits through the ScorpionTrack App as well as customisable features to fit any driver.
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