Cars get hacked faster than the driver can find the keys

At a time when theft methods are constantly evolving, more and more owners are looking for and finding their cars through social networks … Sometimes they even find them.

The story of Nikos Petrugakis is not only original, but would make anyone who has been the victim of a car theft envy. This happened because he found his stolen car from Piraeus in … Alexandroupolis, after he was informed about this by one of the Internet users who saw his message on social networks.

As Petrugakis revealed on social media, last Sunday evening he was heading with his sons to the Karaiskakis stadium to watch a football match. He left the car at the store, which is also used as a parking lot during such events. However, when he returned, the car was gone.

“Gone in 10 Seconds”
“After the first shock and after I reported it to the police, I asked the store managers, who had not noticed the theft of my jeep, to show me the surveillance footage,” recalls Petrugakis.

What he saw left him speechless. “The video clearly shows how the scooter stopped behind my car. Two men were riding it. The first of them gets off the scooter and approaches my car. After checking, he gestures to the second and literally in a matter of seconds gets into the jeep. It took him about ten seconds to get into my car, turn on the engine and leave with the scooter,” he explains, emphasizing that the speed with which they stole his car was lightning fast.

Mr. Petrugakis’s hopes were dashed when he gave the model of the car to the police in order to register the theft. “He shook his head and told me that it was very likely that the thieves were destined for northern Greece.”.

In addition to reporting the theft, for good luck, he later turned out to consider posting a photo of his car and related details on Facebook groups, in case anyone noticed his car.

“A few hours later my phone rang. “Dude, I saw the car that was stolen from you, on one of the streets of Alexandroupoli”, – the stranger told him, explaining that the driver of the stolen jeep was driving at such a breakneck speed, violating many traffic lights, that he had a suspicion that it was theft. So he searched social media, found this message and confirmed it.

“I am surprised that my car, although I immediately reported it stolen, arrived from Piraeus to Alexandroupolis with the same license plates,” concludes Mr. Petrugakis, emphasizing that the police eventually caught the hijacker after a chase.

Hijacking cars bound for Evros seems to be a common practice behind which migrant smugglers hide. Rania Hamu, who has worked in her family’s car rental business in Alexandroupoli since 1996, spoke of how she has experienced 20 cases of car theft from her business since the beginning of the year.

“The cars that have been stolen from this business in recent years number in the dozens. This year alone, we had about 20 cars stolen from us by people who came to the store and asked to rent them. there is an organized plan behind it.”she notes.

Abandoned in the mountains

According to police investigations, smugglers involved in smuggling illegal migrants were behind most of the cases, stealing cars, usually jeeps, to transport migrants across the border.

“The police found many cars of the company that were abandoned in the mountains of Evros and were in a very bad condition due to a bad road,” she says. One incident that happened last year is deeply imprinted in her memory: “I remember a mother and child came to my office and asked me to rent a big car so they could have a rest in Halkidiki. A few days later she called me and said that her car was stolen. Eventually the car was found in the same way, like most others – abandoned in the mountains of Evros”.

Hamu adds that the problem has become so widespread that she has created a Viber group where she talks to car rental companies in other regions to exchange information.

Search for stolen cars in social networks

Vladimir Karipidis, creator of the page “Stolen Vehicles”Κλεμμένα Οχήματα)which has more than 5,000 Facebook users, notes that reports of stolen cars and two-wheelers have increased significantly. “In the last month alone, we have 182 records of stolen cars. Most of them are new technology and equipped with factory alarms. In addition, most of the records of theft are in Athens”– explains Karipidis, confirming that many jeeps and minibuses are also hijacked.

Sophisticated stealing techniques
The creator of the page notes that finding a car on social networks is not an easy task, and it requires a lot of luck. However, since the site reported the theft, there have been ten cars found: three in Athens, two in Thessaloniki, the rest in Katerini, Volos and Xanthi.

After listening to dozens of similar stories, he emphasizes in an interview that every time he is shocked by the videos that he sees during thefts. “Today, there are technological means that disable the security systems of cars, so that a thief can get into the car faster than a driver who takes time to find the keys and get into the car. It is incredible with what ease, speed and convenience they steal cars even close by with police stationshe notes.

Recommendations

Offering advice to those who may find themselves in a similar predicament, he says that, in addition to calling the police, they should not forget to take a walk around the area where the car was stolen. “They should not hesitate to ask for store footage, ask residents and especially store owners if they have seen any strange movement. Of course, notification then on Facebook and on our page is always helpful.”he concludes.

Return of a stolen car for a fee

In recent years, a new technique for Greece has appeared to obtain benefits from car theft. Criminals steal a car, and then find its owner (often through his own social media ads) and offer for a relatively (in relation to the price of the car) a small sum to return it back. Allegedly, they found him and want “a reward for their good deed.”

This method usually works successfully. Many car owners are in no hurry to contact the police, realizing that they will not even look for their car. And this opens up great prospects for intruders and reduces the risk of going to jail: “no theft, no punishment.”

However, experts recommend filing a theft report regardless of your thoughts on this matter – after all, if your vehicle is used by intruders in any criminal case, you, as the owner, may be held liable and may be attracted as an accomplice .

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