Police are warning people with this model of car to take extra precautions
Waterloo regional police are warning owners of Toyota Highlanders to consider taking extra precautions amid what they say is a growing number of thefts targeting the model.
As of June 2, 29 Toyota Highlanders have been reported stolen so far this year in Waterloo region, police said.
Twelve of those cars were taken within the last month.
Thieves are using relay and reprogramming technology to steal the cars, police said.
“The theft of Toyota Highlanders locally, and across the province, has been identified as a growing trend throughout 2023,” Waterloo regional police said in a news release.
Police said the thefts typically happen in the early morning hours and thieves get inside the vehicle by breaking a rear window.
In the early hours of Monday, May 29, two Highlanders were stolen from driveways on Arthur Fach Drive in Cambridge, police said.
Both were newer models with keyless entry.
RELAY VEHICLE THEFT
According to police, suspects will use technology to find a key fob signal inside a home. They'll use that technology to amplify and transfer the key fob signal to unlock, start and steal the vehicle.
Police said most people don't know the vehicle was stolen until the next morning, when victims realize they have the key fob but their vehicle is gone.
REPROGRAMMING VEHICLE THEFT
Suspects can also force entry inside a vehicle and use an electronic device to access diagnostics.
Police said suspects can reprogram a blank key fob to start the vehicle they plan to steal.
PROTECTING YOUR VEHICLE
Here are some tips from police for preventing relay and reprogramming theft:
- Park vehicle inside locked, secure garage
- Block access to onboard diagnostic port (police said these devices can be purchased online)
- Place the key fob in a frequency shielding bag or pouch to block signals when not in use
- Consider equipping the vehicle with a third-party tracking device or immobilizer
- Lock the vehicle
- Purchase a surveillance system to record any suspicious activity
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'