Jammers leave cars unlocked for thieves in Upper Austria

Police are warning that signal jammers are being used to prevent cars from locking at a shopping centre in Pasching, Upper Austria, ORF Oberösterreich reports. The devices block the signal between a vehicle key and the car, making the method increasingly popular among thieves.

A 53 year old man tried to lock his car with the key fob after shopping on Saturday, but the vehicle remained unlocked despite several attempts. He became suspicious and eventually alerted police, according to the Kronen Zeitung.

The Upper Austria State Criminal Police Office believes a jammer caused the disruption. The small device blocks the radio signal between the key and the vehicle. As a result, the car cannot be locked and can then be opened by offenders, said Christian Schmidseder of the State Criminal Police Office.

Police said the devices are easy to obtain online. Drivers who do not check whether their car is actually locked after pressing the key fob may unknowingly leave it open.

Schmidseder also suspects that many such incidents go unreported. Thieves often take only cash, which may not be missed until much later, making it difficult to establish where it disappeared.

Police recommend briefly pulling the door handle after locking the car to check that it is secured.