IAS News and Press
The Blue View
Mar 15, 2002
Chief Walter A. Kimble : Rockaway Township Police Department
As vehicle theft systems have become more sophisticated and effective, car thieves have become increasingly inventive in their quest to continue their business.
I have seen an increase in the theft of vehicles equipped with "smart" ignition key technology.Although training and experience tells us that these vehicles cannot be stolen using conventional methods, the thefts continue.
Further investigation of similar cases has yielded a disturbing trend.Dealership employees have stolen vehicle keys for new or recently sold vehicles.The thief, now armed with a key and address of the owner, commits the theft using the factory key.
Additionally, many vehicles with smart key technology are being stolen and when recovered, show virtually no signs of theft related damage.Further, the owner can account for all issued keys.Again, further investigation led to the dealerships parts department.It seems, specially encrypted keys had been unlawfully ordered by a dealerships parts department employee.The key was sold to the auto thief who then stole the vehicle using the factory key.
In each case previously mentioned, legal suit was filed against the dealership for damages in not properly supervising employed personnel.
In conclusion, there are simple safeguards, which can be put into place to reduce the likelihood, that specific keys to vehicles fall into the hands of a would-be auto thief.Such safeguards serve to insulate the customer from potential monetary and physical harm as well as protect the dealership from embarrassing and costly lawsuits.
Chief Walt Kimble can be reached via email at waltk@gti.net for further target hardening programs tailored to specific dealership needs.
About IAS
Innovative Aftermarket Systems (IAS) is the leading provider of F&I aftermarket programs to automotive dealerships. IAS offers a variety of products including, GAP, Invisible Phantom Footprints, Theft Avert, Super Polysteel, The Preferred Advantage, R.O.A.D. InTire, among others. Additionally, IAS' flagship software suite, SmartDealerProducts, provides revolutionary F&I software solutions for dealerships and their customers. IAS' training department, SmartDealerUniversity, provides ongoing training and feedback to ensure continued penetration, ethical presentations and increased profits for IAS dealership customers. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, IAS has hundreds of certified agents throughout the United States and provides technology solutions and aftermarket products for many of the top-100 dealer groups. For more information, please visit www.iasdirect.com.