Motorists are advised to be extra vigilant when presenting their car keys to third parties, as this can make it incredibly easy for a criminal to steal their vehicle.
This is according to PSG Insure’s Ryno de Kock, who spoke on 702 about the risks involved with stolen car keys in South Africa.
This warning follows a string of recent news reports where individuals had their cars stolen while handing them over to services that require access to the vehicle, such as car washes.
In these cases, the criminals will typically pretend to be the rightful owner of the car, approach the service provider, take the keys, and drive off with the stolen vehicle.
de Kock warned that motorists need to exercise more caution when leaving their car unattended or in the hands of third parties.
“There are one or two cases currently in the media where vehicles have been taken from car washes, where perpetrators basically just came and acted like they were the owners of the vehicles, and the keys were simply handed over,” he said.
While service providers are expected to verify individuals before handing back their car keys, de Kock stated that motorists also have a responsibility to check that there are security measures in place to prevent such an issue from happening.
He explained that there is a term called “Duty of Care” in the insurance industry, which refers to the responsibility of both the insurer and the insured to act in good faith, and to take reasonable steps to prevent and minimize any losses.
It’s for this reason that actions that amount to negligence on the part of the owner could potentially lead to an insurance claim being rejected.
“If you stop at a shop and you just leave your vehicle idling there, and someone climbs into your car and drives away. You know you didn’t really take the necessary precaution, and an insurance company could walk away from your loss,” he said.
In situations where you hand over your car keys, such as a car wash, service centre, or valet parking, motorists are advised to check for security measures and requirements that will allow the service to identify you as the true owner of the vehicle.
This means checking for things like security cameras, and whether the service requires a form of identification before they will return the car.
“Because in cases like this, where there was no duty of care taken, insurance companies may also not foot that bill,” said de Kock.
Popular car theft method makes a comeback
Another car theft method that was recently flagged by security companies is remote jamming, particularly in shopping mall parking lots.
The private security firm Bull Security spokesperson, French Jooste, warned motorists to double-check their car doors are locked before walking away.
“These criminals will sit in the parking area waiting for you to get out of your vehicle,” he said.
“The moment you walk away, they will jam the signal from your remote locking device, which then prevents your vehicle from locking.”
The jamming devices can be as simple as an electric gate remote, which creates ‘noise’ that interferes with the signal from your key fob.
“You will think your car is locked, and when you walk away, your vehicle remains unlocked. This happens quickly, especially when you are busy, in a rush or are distracted by your phone or kids.”
It’s recommended that motorists manually lock their cars if possible and park in a busy, well-lit area that will deter thieves.
Loading ...
