Ever heard of criminals using remote control units to jam your vehicle´s immobiliser when you are trying to lock the doors? It might sound like science fiction, but it is not.

Ms Laurien Venter of Louis Trichardt told the Zoutpansberger on Wednesday that during the past two weeks, she almost fell prey to this trick twice, were it not that she had realised what was going on.

Saturday two weeks ago, Venter says, she parked in front of Mr Price in the town’s CBD. She got out of her vehicle and tried to lock it with her remote control. The vehicle, however, failed to lock. Venter says she saw two men, with their hands in their pockets, standing close by and decided to stay with her vehicle. After about 10 minutes, the men left, after which the vehicle finally locked.

On Tuesday, Venter says she again parked in the town’s CBD, this time in front of CNA. Again her vehicle failed to lock. She kept on trying, however, until the doors finally locked. Venter then walked to Jet.

“While standing in the doorway, I saw a lady park her car next to Identity. She got out, pointed her immobiliser at the car and walked off. I saw, however, that her immobiliser did not activate the car´s central locking as the lights didn’t flicker,” Venter says. Within a flash a man walked up to the vehicle, opened the door and took several parcels from the back seat.

“I shouted at him, asking him what he was doing?” Venter says. The man ignored her and started walking off. Outraged by the man’s blatant arrogance, she ran across the street and confronted the man.

“He dropped the parcels, yelling ‘There it is! There it is!’ and ran away,” Venter says.

She says it is clear that the town is being targeted by these “remote” criminals. They operate by using a remote control, normally those used to open gates, to jam the signal from a vehicle’s remote immobiliser by pressing and holding it down while the owner tries to lock his or her vehicle via remote. This only works, however, if the culprits stand close enough to their target vehicle. They then rely on people’s ignorance not to look and make sure their vehicle has actually locked as they start walking away.

Following her own personal experience over the past two weeks, Venter has urged members of the public to be aware and make sure their vehicles actually lock.