Gone in four minutes: Truck stolen from Windsor driveway while owner was asleep

A Windsor man is shocked by how quickly and easily his vehicle was stolen.

Around 12:46 a.m. Saturday, two suspects were seen on security video walking onto Elie Rizk’s driveway in Forest Glade. Four minutes later, they were seen driving away with his truck.

“They were calm. This wasn’t their first car theft. Absolutely not,” said Rizk.

Rizk had installed a GPS tracking system in his truck, but the thieves were able to compromise the location.

“The data it gave them (the police) wasn’t very helpful. It was sending them to locations where my vehicle was not,” he explained.

Rizk’s stolen vehicle is described as a black RAM 1500 Limited Longhorn with the license plate OLIVERJ.

According Équité Association, an insurance fraud prevention organization, thieves are using technology to tap into vehicles. The most common method is tampering with the onboard diagnostic board.

“The legitimate use for the OBD port is when your vehicle serviced. Criminals are plugging into that same port. They're able to reprogram a key fob that matches the coding of that car and they're able to start the vehicle,” said Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services at Équité Association.

Another common method is called “relay attack,” in which the criminals attempt to extend the range of communication between the car and key fob.

“They're trying to intercept that key fob signal so they can start the car and drive it away,” said Gast.

An increasing number of auto thefts are being tied to organized crime groups, according to Gast.

With ongoing global supply chain issues, stolen vehicles are often exported overseas for profit.

“We're finding them all over Europe and west Africa. The demand is high,” said Gast.

Automakers are trying to address the rise in theft, with some companies adding a sleeping mode to their key fobs.

However criminals are quickly adapting and finding vulnerabilities with the new technology.

To best protect yourself Gast suggests:

• Parking in a garage when possible
• Park strategically e.g one car behind another
• Install an OBD port protector
• Steering wheel lock
• Faraday pouch for key fob to block signal