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A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

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Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#21

Post by drglitch »

gagabity wrote: post #17

More surprising that the car has some call home feature that the owner doesn't seem to know about.

Having recently gotten a new BMW (in USA), they give you a huge packet of about 30 pages explaining the BMW TeleService and the "SOS" button. They also make you sign a power of attorney-style doc giving them rights to notify police in case they believe your vehicle is in trouble and provide police/EMS with its exact location.

Mercedes and Audi have similar systems, as do others via OnStar. This is one of few cases where i believe having an "oh shit" button/system that automatically activates in case of serious accident or another event is valuable.

EDIT: oh, and this is entirely opt-in, at least on BMW.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#22

Post by jimmy1 »

noncoml wrote: post #4

I was sure he would wake up next morning and find the car missing. I think he was really lucky that this wasn’t the case and the thieves waited(?) for the next night.

Yeah, I don't understand this. After you went through all the work of disabling the SOS, you can just take the car then, unless breaking the window was the way they initially got inside, and maybe they were thinking that the person would blindly repair the broken window to increase the value of the car on the black market? I don't know.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#23

Post by vwelling »

madeuptempacct wrote: post #15
vwelling wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Signal jamming will trigger high-end car alarms as well. Also, if the alarm is connected to a security provider, a disruption in communication with the car will also cause them to follow up on it.

What is this magical land you live in where signal jamming triggers a CAR alarm?

PDF alert: https://automotive.vodafone.co.uk/media/239296/stolen%20vehi...

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#24

Post by dsfyu404ed »

soneil wrote: post #7
ashleyn wrote: post #2

Immediately, I'd be wondering what very powerful spy agency or organisation felt the need to break into my car, and why.

I'm not sure I'd be so paranoid. We've read of people managing to hack the key openers, etc. They're an attractive target. I mean, if you were going to leave a box containing $30,000 on your doorstep. A box not only containing 30k, but a box that was labelled that it contained 30k. How would you protect it? Put a serial number on it so you can prove it's yours? A bike lock? A motion sensor? Cement it into the ground?…

$30k in cash is not the same as a $30k car. A $30k car that's been stolen is not worth $30k, then there's liquidity, risk and a bunch of other things. Having your car parked outside is not at all like having a box containing $30k outside your house.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#25

Post by cptskippy »

jimmy1 wrote: post #22
noncoml wrote: post #4

I was sure he would wake up next morning and find the car missing. I think he was really lucky that this wasn’t the case and the thieves waited(?) for the next night.

Yeah, I don't understand this. After you went through all the work of disabling the SOS, you can just take the car then, unless breaking the window was the way they initially got inside, and maybe they were thinking that the person would blindly repair the broken window to increase the value of the car on the black market? I don't know.

When they broke the window SOS was triggered. They knew this and that Police were en route.

When they cut the wire in the pillar, they didn't disable SOS, they disabled the triggering mechanism. The idea being that they would return and break the window again only SOS wouldn't be triggered because that wire was cut.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#26

Post by lphnull »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #24
soneil wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I'd be so paranoid. We've read of people managing to hack the key openers, etc. They're an attractive target. I mean, if you were going to leave a box containing $30,000 on your doorstep. A box not only containing 30k, but a box that was labelled that it contained 30k. How would you protect it? Put a serial number on it so you can prove it's yours? A bike lock? A motion sensor? Cement it into the ground?…

$30k in cash is not the same as a $30k car. A $30k car that's been stolen is not worth $30k, then there's liquidity, risk and a bunch of other things. Having your car parked outside is not at all like having a box containing $30k outside your house.

well then is it closer to having a box with $15k? $10k? $5k? In all these situations, the incentive is still there.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#27

Post by avar »

Reading this article is honestly a bit of a domestic culture shock for me, where does this guy live in The Netherlands?

Here in downtown Amsterdam we called the police because the rear window of someone's car had just been smashed outside our office, and the police's response was "Has anyone been hurt? Nope? Then we're not coming".

Meanwhile, wherever this guy lives they're sending officers because some BMW call center calls the police in the middle of the night telling them that some car reported unspecified distress within some radius, and they sent officers to search the whole neighborhood for the car and locate the owner.

I guess the next time I need police help I'll use a burner phone and tell them a BMW is in distress.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#28

Post by rconti »

jimmy1 wrote: post #22
noncoml wrote: post #4

I was sure he would wake up next morning and find the car missing. I think he was really lucky that this wasn’t the case and the thieves waited(?) for the next night.

Yeah, I don't understand this. After you went through all the work of disabling the SOS, you can just take the car then, unless breaking the window was the way they initially got inside, and maybe they were thinking that the person would blindly repair the broken window to increase the value of the car on the black market? I don't know.

Because the police arrived 5 minutes after they disabled the SOS button.

The next night, there would be no SOS notification when they broke the window again. Or maybe they'd only have to tear away a plastic bag, if the owner hadn't gotten the window replaced.

Or maybe they were hoping to find a valet key in the car, making their job even easier, either that night, or the next night.

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#29

Post by jasoncartwright »

giobox wrote: post #16

I've anecdotally heard a lot of stories about the relay/replay attacks on keyless ignition systems used in many BMW models and other cars as well. No need to smash the window at all in some cases. Remarkably simple attack in principle, and probably a nightmare to explain to your insurer given there will be no evidence of a break in. Makes you wonder if you should start storing the key in a metal/RF shielded box at ho…

This has happened so many times (I've heard of at least 5) in the UK to Tesla cars that Tesla themselves sent out a warning with instructions on how to turn off the passive entry feature that allows this attack.

https://pasteboard.co/HypzOWg.png

Here's a video of a relay theft (of a Merc) from West Midlands police in the UK...

https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/news/4544/watch-police-r...

Photo from a camera of attempted theft, from a UK Tesla owner...

https://pasteboard.co/HypF8Ep.jpg

Re: A Dutch first: Ingenious BMW theft attempt

#30

Post by NightlyDev »

avar wrote: post #27

Reading this article is honestly a bit of a domestic culture shock for me, where does this guy live in The Netherlands? Here in downtown Amsterdam we called the police because the rear window of someone's car had just been smashed outside our office, and the police's response was "Has anyone been hurt? Nope? Then we're not coming". Meanwhile, wherever this guy lives they're sending officers because some BMW call cent…

They didn't search the whole neighborhood. They got a call about a potential accident and ofc checked it out.
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