Using a remote device to block or jam the locking device to motor vehicles has unfortunately become an everyday occurrence in South Africa. This could be due to the simplicity of the crime as well as the fact that it is so quick that detection is extremely difficult and the perpetrators have often left the premises before they can be apprehended.

This modus operandi is by no means a new phenomenon and is not limited to shopping centres and occurs wherever a person may park their car. Shopping centre management across the country are doing everything in their power to stop this scourge and have asked the public to be aware.

The scam works as follows, when a person leaves the vehicle and pushes the remote to activate the vehicles locking system a criminal pushes a remote at the same time effectively blocking the signal of the locking remote. This causes the person to believe the vehicle is locked but it is actually left open for the criminal to freely access the vehicle and help himself to the contents while the owner of the vehicle is going about business. Often thousands of rands worth of valuables are stolen and insurance companies sometimes do not cover these losses

Using a remote device to block or jam the locking device to motor vehicles has unfortunately become an everyday occurrence in South Africa. This could be due to the simplicity of the crime as well as the fact that it is so quick that detection is extremely difficult and the perpetrators have often left the premises before they can be apprehended.

This modus operandi is by no means a new phenomenon and is not limited to shopping centres and occurs wherever a person may park their car. Shopping centre management across the country are doing everything in their power to stop this scourge and have asked the public to be aware.

The scam works as follows, when a person leaves the vehicle and pushes the remote to activate the vehicles locking system a criminal pushes a remote at the same time effectively blocking the signal of the locking remote. This causes the person to believe the vehicle is locked but it is actually left open for the criminal to freely access the vehicle and help himself to the contents while the owner of the vehicle is going about business. Often thousands of rands worth of valuables are stolen and insurance companies sometimes do not cover these losses