Drivers told to keep car keys in microwave as | Tech News

Motorists have been urged to keep their car keys inside their microwave ovens as hundreds of autos are stolen yearly. Experts at Cinch pressured that microwaves act as an additional layer of safety, with keyless car thefts turning into a main concern.

Data from the DVLA revealed that a whopping 61,343 automobiles have been reported stolen over 2024 with 8,145 fashions stolen in London alone. The figures have been more than double the quantity recorded back in 2015 and have been the third-highest annual whole over the previous ten years. Previous estimates declare as a lot as 70% of car crimes are due to keyless entry making it a main fear for motorists.

Cinch mentioned: “Keyless car fobs let you unlock the car when you’re nearby and turn the engine on without putting the key in the ignition. But thieves have exploited this handy feature by ‘cloning’ the signal. You can stop this from happening by blocking the signal with a Faraday pouch, which is lined with metal and stops thieves tricking your car into thinking the key is nearby.”

Those with out entry to a Faraday pouch or simply in search of an additional layer of safety have been told to look no additional than their own microwave. Criminals can steal keyless car alerts utilizing refined “relay” units even when they’re sitting exterior a home. 

However, microwave ovens are constructed utilizing supplies that electromagnetic waves can’t go by, making it more durable to steal. 

Sam added, “You can even keep your keys in an aluminium tin, or pop them in the microwave, to block the signal. But a proper Faraday pouch or box is the best way forward. You can even get smaller Faraday pouches to keep your keys in when you’re out and about.”

AA boss Edmund King previously admitted to storing his own car keys inside a microwave after his wife’s Lexus was stolen. Experts at Ofcom urged road users to consider the microwave as an “extra level of protection” for street customers.

Ofcom mentioned: “No Faraday pouch is 100% perfect, which means some radio waves may still get through, although at a much weaker level. Putting the pouch inside a microwave oven means radio waves would have to get through two barriers and the signals would be even weaker on the outside. 

“The effect of this is to reduce the distance over which the fob would operate – to an impossibly small distance from the car or a thief’s equipment. And this in turn means thieves can’t be successful if they’re trying to capture the frequency of your key fob from somewhere near your home.”