The clever tactic hijackers use to avoid getting caught in South Africa

Hijackers in South Africa tend to tail their targets closely when the road is busy as they blend in with traffic and are difficult to identify.

However, when the road is quieter, these criminals opt to hang back by around 80 to 100 metres, or roughly the same distance as four homes in a suburban street.

The reasons for this are two-fold, National Hijack Prevention Academy’s Richard Brussow explained to Newzroom Afrika.

Firstly, the robbers know that when you look in your centre mirror, you won’t be able to see who is in the car behind you nor how many people are in it, lowering the chance of raising your suspicions.

Secondly, they know your eye will tell your brain the criminals are far away and you’ll be through the gate long before they get to you, when in reality, the time it takes to close the distance is much shorter than it takes for the average gate to open.

With up to 65 hijackings in South Africa per day, these crimes have become more prevalent than vehicle theft in the country, said Brussow.

The majority of incidents, over 70%, take place in a victim’s driveway or within a 5km radius of their home as this is when they start letting their guard down.

The National Hijack Prevention Academy therefore recommends that motorists switch up their routes and times of travel to throw hijackers off balance.

Before they attack, these criminals tend to learn their target’s travel patterns and arrival times so that they can pounce at the perfect opportunity, hence, making these more unpredictable will help keep you and your ride safe.

Furthermore, use well-lit, busy roads where it will be tougher for the hijackers to follow you while remaining undetected.

It’s recommended to be suspicious of all vehicles that are potentially trailing you regardless of the make or model, as hijackers are increasingly using an assortment of cars to keep an eye on their targets.

If you do arrive home and there is still a car behind you, do not open the gate and pull into your driveway as this could allow criminals to corner you and gain access to your vehicle and home.

Instead, drive around the block to see if you can lose the car, or stop parallel to your gate, which will allow you to make a quick getaway should the trailing vehicle slow down.

If it looks as though you are still being followed, or should you feel uncomfortable with the situation, drive to your nearest police station instead of back home.

Having an escape route planned will help to distract criminals and alert them that you have spotted their unusual actions.

However, Brussow notes that one can only go so far to prevent hijackings.

Should these measures prove unsuccessful and you become a victim, it’s better to heed the hijackers’ demands than it is to try to fight back.

These criminals are often armed and on high alert and won’t hesitate to become violent to get what they want.

Popular hijack tactics in South Africa

There are several methods hijackers use to carry out these heinous acts, some being sophisticated and others less so.

One of the most prevalent, as discussed above, is following victim to their home and attacking as soon as they stop in their driveway.

Another tactic that has gained popularity in modern times is signal relay attacks.

New vehicles often come with keyless entry and start systems that use a wireless signal transmitter to sense when the key is near the car and allow the owner to access it.

According to car tracking and recovery firm Cartrack, criminals use signal relay devices to dupe this system and gain entry into a victim’s vehicle.

This works by mimicking the vehicle’s signal with the high-tech relay devices. Another accomplice then holds a second device near the key fob, which sends the signal right back to the vehicle.

This tricks the car into thinking the key fob is nearby, enabling thieves to open the doors and take what they want.

Key cloning has also been cited as a frequently employed tactic for hijackers.

A car’s key emits a signal that either locks, unlocks, or starts the engine. With special cloning devices, perpetrators can save these radio signals and create a copy of the key in a few moments, which they can use to gain access to the vehicle, fire it up, and drive away. 

Brazen hijackers may even impersonate police officials using cars kitted out with blue lights and the correct uniforms.

These “blue light gangs” pull over unsuspecting motorists claiming they are on official police business and steal their cars with force once they come to a stop. In extreme cases, they will even assault and kidnap the victim and take them to ATMs to withdraw cash.

If all else fails, hijackers may resort to using the “tap tap” trap, where they will drive behind you and bump into your vehicle on purpose.

After you come to a standstill to assess the damage and swap insurance info, the hijackers overpower you and steal your car, leaving you stranded next to the road.

It has also been reported that they will employ the services of a female to act as a decoy driver, which gives their target a false sense of safety, said Cartrack.