by Philip Salama-West
Victoria Police and the RACV are warning Victorians of a recent increase in high-tech car theft focusing on vehicles using modern push start ignition systems.
Both bodies are advising motorists with push-start ignition cars to install OBD port locks which deny thieves physical access to a car’s OBD port and can be purchased relatively cheaply from auto stores and online anti-theft retailers.
An OBD port lock can act as a deterrent, police note, encouraging thieves to give up and look for easier targets.
RACV motoring products general manager Jeff Ames explained the ways in which third party devices such as On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) reprogrammers can be used to bypass car security features.
“By connecting unauthorised devices to a vehicle’s OBD port, a thief can communicate directly with the car’s engine control unit, allowing them to program a new key or even start the engine without the original key.”
Another method used by criminals to steal vehicles is ‘relay theft’, where thieves amplify the signal from a car key to ‘trick’ a car into unlocking and even starting, allowing them to steal a car from a driveway while its owner is at home, or from a car park while they’re shopping or at work.
“By staying vigilant and implementing security measures, vehicle owners can significantly reduce the risk of theft.,” Mr Ames said.
Increasing numbers of cars are being stolen from residential streets, driveways, and other community locations.
In the twelve months to September 2024, 25,773 vehicles were stolen in Victoria, 6,408 more than in the previous twelve months, and increasing numbers of these crimes are being attributed to criminals using recent high-tech innovations like OBD reprogrammers.
Casey and Greater Dandenong have been noted by police as ‘epicentres’ of car theft.
In Greater Dandenong, nearly 1200 vehicles were reported stolen in 2024 – up 27 per cent.
“It was considered impossible to steal a car this way as little as two years ago,” Detective Inspector Julie MacDonald of Victoria Police’s Vehicle Crime Squad said.
“However, offenders are now using these devices like a modern-day screwdriver to steal cars.”
A number of car brands have been disproportionately targeted using these tactics, police say, including Holden, Subaru and Toyota.
In the 2024-2025 period Holden thefts increased by 92.9 per cent, Toyota thefts increased by 76.4 per cent, and Subaru thefts increased by 107.8 per cent.
Police say that awareness of these technologies has spread among criminal circles and that they are widely known.
“They are showing up more and more at search warrants and offenders are admitting they are using them during arrest interviews,” Inspector Scott Dwyer of SD2 Investigations and Response said.
“Local police continue to arrest car thieves, including several who have admitted to using these devices to start and steal cars”
