It became known how car thieves steal cars using coins

Drivers were advised to check five points before locking their car.

A description of a new scheme used by car thieves has appeared on social networks: they slip a coin under the handle of the passenger door of the car. As a result, the car is not completely locked when parked and can be opened without a key. Obviously, this gives attackers access to things in the cabin and makes theft much easier. MK found out which cars this scheme works with and what precautions drivers need to take.

A number of automotive Telegram communities reported about the new trick of scammers. In particular, theft “with a coin” became news in the west of the Moscow region, in Ruza.

“After unlocking the central lock, the owner sits down and calmly goes about his business. A criminal is following him unnoticed,” describes the key element of the scheme from the community “Auto Help Ruza – Tuchkovo.” The interior is opened after the owner has left the car, locking it with the central lock.

“The driver closes the car, all the doors are locked, except for the one where a coin is placed in the handle, which actually holds the handle in the open position,” they note on the social network. It also gives obvious advice: “Inspect your own car for the presence of such “traps” in the door handles.”

“Apparently, this method of opening cars can really be used, but not on all brands and generations of cars,” says Andrey Makhanko, a car alarm installer. – The coin trick requires an external handle of a certain design – but these were the standard handles for many years, from about the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s.

According to the interlocutor of MK, cars of old models – including such as the classic VAZ, Samara and Dozens – cannot be opened in this way. The most modern cars – with recessed or completely absent handles – are also invulnerable to coins. But many models “in the middle” are at risk.

“The key element of the scheme is that when the car is locked with a central lock, the door handle does not reach its original position,” says Makhanko. – Strictly speaking, the central locking and security system can be adjusted so that the signal about a locked door “reaches” only when the lock is completely closed. However, over the years, the adjustment may get lost, and then the limit switch shows “closed” even when the door is not completely closed.

To avoid becoming a victim of this technique, the security system installer suggests inspecting the car as you walk away from it, using five points. “First: we look to see if all the doors are physically closed; they should be flush with the openings,” says the expert. – With the modern level of interfacing of door panels, the “under-closedness” is obvious. Second check point: inspect the door handles to see if there are any foreign objects there. Third, you need to listen carefully to what sound the alarm makes when locked. If the sound is unusual (for example, three short beeps instead of one long one), it means that the locks may not be completely closed.”

You can also check the closure status using the alarm key fob or in the corresponding application, the security system installer recalled. Finally, the fifth and most reliable way is to pull all the door handles like an old-fashioned man before you leave the car.