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Locked car broken into, victim believes thieves hacked keyless-entry

Posted at 7:52 PM, Jan 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-20 22:50:01-05

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A former sailor woke up Thursday morning to discover his car and his fiance's were broken into just feet from his front door. But he knows their cars were locked.

"We opened our doors at the same time and both the insides of our cars were ransacked, I mean turned over completely," said Matthew Kirk, who added he overly locks his car. "I will literally hit the button so many times it annoys them, it's got beep beep, beep, beep so I'm that guy. So I know it was locked."

According to Edmunds.com, thieves can hack keyless-entry systems. They can block your signal so your car won't recognize it and needs another code to unlock it. Then, thieves will use that first code to get into your car. Or thieves can amplify your car's signal, which can be fooled into unlocking the doors, even if your key is tucked away.

"It's ridiculous what's the point? I have to get into my car with a key fob. I have to lock it with a key fob. So what do I do?" asked Kirk.

Edmunds said car owners can keep their keys in a metal box or carry them in a handbag or wallet with radio-frequency chips designed to protect them. Kirk is taking another recommended approach.

"I hired a company coming to outfit my house completely. Tomorrow at 3 o clock it's going to be top to bottom so try again," said Kirk.

But he's still frustrated it happened five feet from his front door.

"All that hard work can be just...I don`t even know what the word is, gone through and rifled through like nothing. That really upsets me."