[ad_1]
On Thursday, police in western Fyrbodadal issued a warning that several car thefts had occurred in Borås, Ljungskile and Varberg, among other places, which Borås Tidning, among others, previously reported on. The thefts stand out because all the reports refer to newer Volvo car models and because the cars were stolen without access to the key.
– It is about collecting signals from the key where the plaintiff keeps it so that he can start the car, says Marcus Lindh, of criminal coordination of the West region, to DN.
The cars are then driven a short distance, 500 meters to one kilometer, to a secluded spot where the car is “euthanized”, in the words of the police.
– In recent cases, airbags, infotainment, rearview mirrors, motorists have been removed, that is, both inside and outside, says Marcus Lindh.
In general, it is about eight complaints and the stolen cars are of the XC60, XC90 and V90 models. There are no suspects yet, but the assessment is that he is an international thief who specializes in these types of crimes, says Marcus Lindh.
Police do not know why it is precisely the Volvo cars that the thieves were targeting. According to Magnus Holst, Volvo press spokesman, it could simply be that there are many Volvo cars in western Sweden.
– The function itself is not something unique to Volvo, but something found in many cars, even simpler and cheaper cars, he says.
The function is called “keyless driving” and allows cars to be locked, unlocked and started without a key.
– When you come home and put the key on the hall table just inside the front door, as many do, thieves can stay outside with a device that amplifies the key signal and then open and get in the car and drive away, says Magnus Holst.
This issue has been fixed for the latest Volvo models, he says. The keys of these have been equipped with a motion sensor, which means that the key stops transmitting the signal when it has been stopped for several minutes.
The thefts that occurred recently are likely to be on cars that were bought before Volvo fixed this, says Magnus Holst.
– If you are the owner of a slightly older car and are concerned about this, you can buy a new key with that function, says Magnus Holst and emphasizes that Volvo has issued a recommendation not to put the key in the front door, but to carry in the bedroom or further into the house, at a distance from the thin exterior walls or windows.
The police also advise owners to keep the keys in a tin box to prevent the signal from reaching the car.
Here you will find more news from western Sweden
