A Viral TikTok Trend Has Sparked an Increase in Car Thefts
A viral TikTok trend has sparked a large number of car thefts in cities across the U.S. The TikTok videos demonstrate how a person can start a car without a key by using only a screwdriver and a USB phone charger to hot-wire automobiles, with some Kia and Hyundai models particularly vulnerable. The hack only works on cars with keys that don’t have engine immobilizers, a type of anti-theft technology that uses a computer chip to help an engine recognize a corresponding key. Hyundai told Good Morning America the TikTok videos target Hyundai models that were made before November 2021.
I could not believe the increase in numbers of thefts when I came across the statistics! Since July 1, one county in Illinois alone has received 642 reports of Kia and Hyundai thefts, a dramatic rise from last year’s 74 reported thefts. This challenge shows the power of influence that social media can have especially on younger folks.
A logo of South Korean automaker Hyundai is seen on the 2022 Hyundai Tucson, a new sport utility vehicle (SUV) from Hyundai Motor India, during its launch in Kolkata on August 10, 2022. This fourth generation Hyundai Tucson is fitted with level 2 ADAS (advanced driving assistance systems) capability. The car was launched today in India.
(Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
You may be wondering what the car makers plan on doing about this terrible hack, well it seems the automaker plans to roll out security kits for those models starting in October. In a statement, the company said it will work with police departments to “make steering wheel locks available for affected Hyundai owners.”
Some Kia and Hyundai owners have filed a class-action lawsuit in Missouri and Kansas, as reported by ABC affiliate KMBC.
To prevent a car theft, the National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends using visible or audible devices, such as steering wheel locks, brake locks, wheel locks, steering column collars, audible alarms and theft deterrent decals as part of a multipronged approach to discourage thieves. I always try to park in well-lit areas and crowded locations of a parking lot, for some reason I feel safer when a lot of people are around. Hope you are safe wherever you decide to park your car. – Maryann Morgan
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