Thieves in Bensalem Township are quietly driving off with cars in the middle of the night, and they are not bothering with broken glass or jimmied locks. Police say a recent run of thefts has zeroed in on both high-performance muscle cars and everyday Hondas parked in driveways and outside homes, prompting a public warning and a fresh round of theft-prevention advice.
In a Facebook alert, the Bensalem Police Department urged residents to tighten up their routines around car keys, highlighting Dodge Charger and Challenger models along with Honda CR-Vs, Accords and Civics, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. The department shared a surveillance clip from last Saturday that shows masked suspects strolling up to a parked vehicle, getting in and driving away without any obvious signs of forced entry. Police told the station that thieves are using "sophisticated relay devices" that capture and boost the signal from key fobs sitting inside nearby homes.
How Relay And Key-Cloning Thefts Work
Investigators and local reporters say two high-tech tricks are driving a jump in cases across the Philadelphia area: relay attacks and OBD-port programming. In a relay attack, crews use two electronic devices working together. One is held near a house to grab the signal from a key fob inside, while a second device by the car rebroadcasts that signal and convinces the vehicle that the key is right there, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
What Police Are Advising
Officers are pushing old-school habits alongside new-school tools. They recommend keeping key fobs away from doors and windows, storing them in an RFID-blocking pouch or box, parking in a locked garage whenever that is an option and adding obvious physical deterrents like steering-wheel locks. Those steps have been emphasized in community outreach highlighted by CBS News Philadelphia, which also noted that drivers should ask dealers about any available anti-theft software updates. Police stress that residents should never confront suspects themselves and should dial 911 immediately if they see a theft unfolding.
Practical Steps To Harden Your Vehicle
Security specialists suggest layering protections so crooks have to clear more than one hurdle. A Faraday-style pouch for key fobs, an OBD-port lock that blocks quick on-vehicle programming and a visible steering-wheel club can work together to make a car a much less appealing target. Using an OBD lock, shutting off passive-entry features where the vehicle allows it and keeping keys well inside the home are among the most effective steps, according to guidance compiled by Bumper.
Legal And Regional Context
Across the Philadelphia region, police have logged an uptick in keyless-theft schemes over the past year. That trend has led to arrests and to proposals in Harrisburg aimed at cracking down on devices used to clone or relay key-fob signals. Lawmakers and investigators say the gear that makes these crimes possible is getting cheaper and easier to find, which has allowed organized crews to scale up their operations, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Local departments have responded with public-awareness campaigns, targeted enforcement and stepped-up community outreach.
Bensalem police have repeated the same bottom line for residents: if you witness a car theft or suspicious activity, do not approach the suspects and instead call 911 right away, per NBC10 Philadelphia. Officials say that relatively cheap steps like keeping fobs out of range of the driveway, using signal-blocking pouches and adding visible locks are often enough to stop opportunistic thieves from choosing your car.
