Thieves steal keyless car in under a minute using transmitter

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This is the shocking moment that two thieves stole a car in less than a minute – without needing the key.

Jason Lang was asleep at his home in Heywood, when he was hit by the thieves using a ‘relay’ technique, which tricks the car into thinking the key is close enough to unlock it.

Two men, concealing their faces got out of a car which had reversed into Mr Lang’s street and stopped near his driveway.

One stayed next to the Toyota with a transmitter, whilst the other walked towards Mr Lang’s front door with the relay amplifier.

Once the signal from the car key is boosted, the thieves can press the start button and drive away – as these two did, leaving no trace of their crime except for on Mr Lang’s CCTV system.

The theft has left Mr Lang cautious of purchasing another car with a keyless ignition.

Mr Lang said: “I keep my keys as far away from my car as possible, about 30ft away. I noticed my Toyota had gone when I went to go to work the next morning.

“My gripe really is the security. If anything, cars should be more secure these days, not susceptible to thefts like this using items bought online.

“These types of thefts are in the news a lot, yet no-one seems to challenge the manufacturer and I would love to know what Toyota think of this.”

Mr Lang has reported the theft to both the police and his insurance company.

A Toyota spokesman said: "Toyota takes the issue of car theft seriously, and ensuring our vehicles are as secure as possible is of the utmost importance to us and our customers.

"We continuously work on developing technical solutions to make our vehicles more secure in order help reduce the risk of theft, including for vehicles equipped with the keyless entry feature. It is unfortunately very difficult for any auto manufacturer to completely eliminate the risk that people and organizations acting with criminal intent could find ways to circumvent existing security technologies.

"To reduce this risk, we are regularly collaborating and sharing information with insurance associations and police authorities around the world to understand new threats and techniques used by thieves, and we use this to develop more secured systems."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Policesaid: "Offenders have arrived on Woodstock Close and it is believed they have used a device to gain entry to the car. They have then driven off in the stolen vehicle and their own.

"The stolen car is a black Toyota Hi Lux.

"No one has been arrested."