Drivers urged to put car keys in the fridge | Tech News

Drivers have been urged to put their car keys in the fridge for one important purpose. While the unorthodox advice could appear reasonably bizarre, specialists say it may help stop your car from being stolen.

According to ONS crime statistics, a car is stolen each 4 minutes, with more than 130,000 stolen in England and Wales between March 2024 and 2025. While the crime numbers have a tendency to fluctuate, it’s nonetheless price defending your vehicle from thieves any approach you’ll be able to, and this easy hack may make all the distinction.

Car thieves use technology that permits them to hack fobs while standing outdoors people’s houses. These particular units choose up the signal from key fobs, which is then handed on to an confederate standing subsequent to the car and holding one other transmitter that replicates the signal from the key fob, tricking your car into unlocking and beginning the ignition.

Money Supermarket highlighted that criminals solely need to be metres away from the car to begin it, which is how they’ll get the signal even when the secret is inside your home. But by merely placing your car keys in the fridge, you’ll be able to break the plans of legal opportunists. 

Keeping the keys in the fridge is efficient as a result of the fridge’s metal partitions block the signal out of your fob, stopping keyless theft.

The Metropolitan Police additionally warns about keyless theft it and provides advice on how to defend keyless entry automobiles.

It mentioned: “When at home keep your car key (and the spare) well away from the car, put the keys in a screened or signal-blocking pouch, such as a Faraday Bag and check if the bag or pouch is still working every few months, reprogramme your keys if you buy a second hand car, and turn off wireless signals on your fob when it’s not being used.

As well as concentrating on blocking fob signals, drivers should simply ensure doors and windows are locked, as ONS vehicle crime data shows that thieves gaining access to a vehicle through an unlocked door is the most common way they steal cars.

The Met Police explained: “Locking your vehicle, even when filling up or parked in your drive, tremendously reduces the risk of it being focused by an opportunist thief. Even when you have locked your vehicle, verify you haven’t left any home windows or the sunroof open.”