Photo via Facebook/ Phuket Times ภูเก็ตไทม์

 

In a technologically savvy twist on car theft, a foreign man attempted to steal a Thai woman's vehicle in Phuket, using what appeared to be a modern mobile phone application. The incident, which occurred on 24 August, has sparked concerns about the security of electronic car locks.

 

The car owner, seeking to alert other drivers, shared her unsettling experience with the Phuket Times via Facebook. She recounted how she had parked her car near Limelight Avenue on Dibuk Road in the Mueang district. Confident her vehicle was secure, she returned to find a door suspiciously ajar.

 

Troubled by this discovery, she procured CCTV footage from a nearby source, uncovering a shocking scene. The video depicted a foreign man in a blue T-shirt nonchalantly approaching her white sedan. After verifying the coast was clear, he allegedly used his mobile phone to unlock the car and sat in the driver’s seat.

 

Fortunately, the suspect's high-tech attempt stopped short of success; he was unable to drive the car away. Whether any valuables were taken remains uncertain, as the owner did not disclose further details, nor did she confirm filing a police report.

 

Local media have speculated that the would-be thief employed a specialised scam application, underscoring a broader security threat to car owners throughout Phuket. The incident has sparked an online discussion, with others stepping forward with similar tales.

 

Notably, a woman recounted a strikingly similar experience at a Phuket supermarket. She described attempting to lock her car using a remote control, only to find it mysteriously unresponsive. Suspecting foul play, she believed electronic signal jammers were being employed by a criminal gang to disable locking mechanisms. Though she eventually secured her vehicle, the experience left her on edge.

 

This incident echoes a previous case last year in Chachoengsao province. At a motorway rest stop, police arrested two Chinese nationals for using signal jammers to exploit unguarded vehicles, focusing particularly on stealing credit cards. Such high-tech methods pose a growing challenge for motorists dependent on electronic security.

 

As digital expertise becomes an increasingly common tool in criminal arsenals, it reinforces the need for improved vehicle security and awareness. Car owners are encouraged to stay vigilant, double-check their locks manually, and remain aware of any unusual electronic activity around their vehicles.

 

For now, the Phuket incident serves as a timely reminder to exercise caution and embrace both traditional and modern security measures to safeguard against such inventive, high-tech threats.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-27

 

Very interesting info in this about the methods crooks use to manipulate the data systems in the wonderful new vehicles:

 

"What people need to look at cars and say is those cars aren’t just cars, they’re computers on wheels basically and they’re being hacked."

 

https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2025/08/26/grand-theft-global-the-business-of-street-crime?utm_content=ed-picks-image-link-10&etear=nl_today_10&utm_campaign=a.the-economist-today&utm_medium=email.internal-newsletter.np&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=8/26/2025&utm_id=2102932

 

 

3 minutes ago, Enoon said:

What people need to look at cars and say is those cars aren’t just cars, they’re computers on wheels basically and they’re being hacked."

 

I mentioned this in an couple of EV vehicle threads on this here forum and got quite an ear bashing...apparently the EV drivers are not concerned at all about data breaches or having their movements tracked or the whole vehicle hacked....they have nothing to hide !!!

14 hours ago, johng said:

 

I mentioned this in an couple of EV vehicle threads on this here forum and got quite an ear bashing...apparently the EV drivers are not concerned at all about data breaches or having their movements tracked or the whole vehicle hacked....they have nothing to hide !!!

 

This applies to all modern vehicles, not just EV's.

 

We have EV's and ICE cars, any government is welcome to spy on us, knock yourself out.

Newer cars employ keyless entry and every manufacturer uses certain bands of frequencies for their keyfobs.  

Car thieves have been using devices which "brute force" attack autos by broadcasting every single freq in the known ranges used by a manufacturer until a car gets opened/started.  

These are usually devices the size of a handheld transmitter.  I didn't know there are now apps that can do this.

We may need to go back to clunky keys to protect our cars.

As for the lady shopper who couldn't lock her car with the remote key fob and instantly suspected scammer jammers, I instantly suspected the battery in her remote key fob.

8 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

This applies to all modern vehicles, not just EV's.

 

We have EV's and ICE cars, any government is welcome to spy on us, knock yourself out.

IMHO Ev's are particularly vulnerable  because they have

the hack-able stuff built in from the start...the up datable firmware/software controlling every aspect of operation , the ability of the manufacturer to turn  functions on and off depending if you pay a subscription...  of course inevitably  it will not be just the manufacturer or government agencies that will be able to hack these functions and spy on you but anyone/everyone else with a bit of tech savvy.

 

I'll stick to my dumb ICE vehicles for as long as I can...a carburettor might even survive the  nuclear EMP blast   

War of the worlds and Mad Max style 😝

 

 

13 minutes ago, johng said:

IMHO Ev's are particularly vulnerable  because they have

the hack-able stuff built in from the start...the up datable firmware/software controlling every aspect of operation , the ability of the manufacturer to turn  functions on and off depending if you pay a subscription...  of course inevitably  it will not be just the manufacturer or government agencies that will be able to hack these functions and spy on you but anyone/everyone else with a bit of tech savvy.

 

I'll stick to my dumb ICE vehicles for as long as I can...a carburettor might even survive the  nuclear EMP blast   

War of the worlds and Mad Max style 😝

 

 

It’s not just EV’s, do you want heated seats in your BMW? Pay a subscription and the manufacturer will enable them  remotely for you.

23 hours ago, johng said:

I mentioned this in an couple of EV vehicle threads on this here forum and got quite an ear bashing...apparently the EV drivers are not concerned at all about data breaches or having their movements tracked or the whole vehicle hacked....they have nothing to hide !!!

 

This is not something specific to EV's...   you are presenting (or understanding) with a flawed bias - All modern cars are at such risk.

 

25 minutes ago, johng said:

I'll stick to my dumb ICE vehicles for as long as I can...a carburettor might even survive the  nuclear EMP blast   

War of the worlds and Mad Max style 😝

 

IF you are using an car that has conventional 'key entry'... then it could be argued that the car is quite old and that you are taking greater personal safety risks as the car you are travelling around in is of sufficient age that it lacks modern safety design and features.

 

An additional bonus, of course, is that no one wants to steal a car of such age anyway.

 

 

22 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

It’s not just EV’s, do you want heated seats in your BMW?

I'll steer clear of all this malarkey and if inadvertently do purchase a vehicle with  software locked features  will endeavour to unlock them myself   gratis.

13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

An additional bonus, of course, is that no one wants to steal a car of such age anyway.

 Exactly !!!     but it still gets me from A-B

12 minutes ago, johng said:

39 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

It’s not just EV’s, do you want heated seats in your BMW?

I'll steer clear of all this malarkey and if inadvertently do purchase a vehicle with  software locked features  will endeavour to unlock them myself   gratis.

 

Voiding any warranty... 

12 minutes ago, johng said:

25 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

An additional bonus, of course, is that no one wants to steal a car of such age anyway.

 Exactly !!!     but it still gets me from A-B

 

No need to worry about AC failing...  

 

 

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Voiding any warranty... 

The warranty would have long gone before my purchase..

as I said I'll stick to the dumb ICE vehicles for as long as I can..they have no (much less) inbuilt tracking/tracing GPS ,over the air firmware updates ,spy camera's  mandatory app on phone to re-fuel  keyless entry and other malarkey...and yes if the AC fails  a cheap shade tree mechanic can fix it  without the need to contact HQ,NSA,GCHQ,MI5,MI6,FBI,CIA,FBI   etc etc

So technology has now made stealing everything you own,, easier if you have a phone,,Ohyeah this is really smart people,, wake up,, in my day you had to break a window and figure out how too hot wire the car, bust out the ignition column and hope theirs gas in the tank,,, but today all you need is a phone

I liked my old Yugo back in the States. Nobody wanted to steal it, and the heated rear window kept my hands warm when push-starting it on a cold morning.

 

10 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I liked my old Yugo back in the States. Nobody wanted to steal it, and the heated rear window kept my hands warm when push-starting it on a cold morning.

 

 

Was it the 16 valve model?  8 in the engine and 8 in the radio.

 

Looks like a child's toy?

No it's a mighty hacker tool (with all kinds of special firmware).

Can not only open and start many cars (particularly models older than 2 years).

It also serves for NFC, remote gate locks and more.

Flipper Zero

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipper_Zero

 

An attack with the tool can leave your remote unusable as might be in one of the cases described.

Time to fallback to physical locks (steering wheel, pedals) 🤣

On 8/28/2025 at 9:11 AM, JBChiangRai said:

 

This applies to all modern vehicles, not just EV's.

 

We have EV's and ICE cars, any government is welcome to spy on us, knock yourself out.

Apparently, the information they can glean is quite telling. These are just a few;  All your phone contacts, your conversations in the car, musical tastes, where you go, how you drive, and even if and when you have sex in the back seat.

 

I'm not sure if that last one could be used as a blackmail tool for any married cheats. 😀