How Cars Are Really Being Stolen Right Now

Car theft doesn’t look like it used to. Most stolen vehicles today don’t have a smashed window or broken ignition. They’re unlocked, started, and driven away without any sign of damage. Here’s how it’s really happening:

Signal boosting is one of the most common methods. Thieves walk up to your house with a small device, catch the signal from your key fob inside, and use it to unlock and start your car. You’ll never hear it. You won’t know until the car is gone.

OBD programmers are another one. Once inside the car, thieves plug into the diagnostic port under the dashboard and program a new key. Some devices can do it in under two minutes. No alarms go off, no glass is broken.

VIN cloning is used to hide stolen vehicles in plain sight. A stolen car gets a fake identity using the VIN from another clean car. It’s resold to someone who has no idea they just bought a stolen vehicle — until the police eventually trace it.

Code grabbers are showing up in parking lots. When you lock your car, these devices record your fob’s signal. The thief comes back later and uses it to unlock the car without touching anything.

And yes — old-school break-ins still work. Slim jims, wedges, pry bars. Especially on older cars and work trucks. If you left a key, spare remote, or registration inside, that’s all they need.

Most stolen cars are unlocked, undamaged, and quietly gone by the time you wake up. That’s what makes it work so well.