The aluminium foil hack drivers fearing car theft are now trying

Drivers are implementing a quirky technique to prevent their who are using new ways to commit the crime. Installing alarms or automatic door locks is a few of the mechanisms that have traditionally been used to prevent theft, but a new trend has emerged, and it has been working for many.

Many drivers have been wrapping car keys in aluminium foil, and the trick has gone viral. So, how does it work? The wrapping acts as a barrier to block the electromagnetic waves emitted by the keys themselves, thereby preventing thieves from using techniques to intercept them. This signal is crucial for the connection between the car and the key without the need for contact.

Until now, the work carried out by criminals has involved, for example, breaking the car window.

However, with the advent of this new method of opening and closing vehicles, thieves use antennas that amplify the remote signal, allowing them to not only open the car but also start it, so they do not have to use force to steal it.

In the first half of 2024, 16,277 passenger vehicles were stolen in Spain, according to data from the Crime Portal of the Ministry of the Interior.

This figure is 2.5 percent higher than in the same period of 2023, during which 15,869 theft reports were filed.

Meanwhile, the UK Home Office data shows there were more than 133,000 vehicle theft offences recorded in England and Wales in 2023-24, a 12 percent increase compared with 2018-19.

The Home Office said it was determined to clamp down on vehicle theft, which it said had "a huge impact on people and communities".

The spokesperson has told "For too long, many of the victims have felt that not enough was being done to prevent their vehicles being stolen, or track down the thieves responsible."