Data from vehicle tracking and recovery firm Netstar shows an uptick in remote jamming of vehicle immobilisers in the run-up to Black Friday and peak shopping periods.<\/p>\n
The device used to jam the remote signals is often a customised version of a 400MHz gate or garage remote control, Netstar said, and while car-jamming is relatively common, perpetrators are rarely caught.<\/p>\n
Netstar data shows a downward trend for car-jamming incidents over the course of the year, but there has been a steep increase over the past week, in the run-up to Black Friday and the subsequent peak festive shopping season, it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pandemic lockdown saw far less travel by South African motorists, and therefore fewer car-jamming incidents,\u201d said Netstar chief technology officer Clifford de Wit. \u201cHowever, as we\u2019ve returned to a Level 1 lockdown, and perhaps due to more shopping towards the end of the year, we have seen a rise in car-jamming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Netstar figures show that after a gradual decline throughout the year, since the middle of November, car-jamming incidents have surged 66%.<\/p>\n
De Wit recommended that motorists take the following precautions to reduce their chances of falling victim to car-jamming:<\/p>\n
\u201cRemote jamming stops the vehicle from receiving signals from your remote,\u201d said de Wit. \u201cIt is like a noise in a room \u2013 anyone can talk, but the noise prevents people from hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that there is technology that proactively prevents this type of crime. \u201cTracking and jamming-prevention technology can detect and resist signals from potential jamming devices near where your vehicle is parked,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n