EXCLUSIVE Gone in 20 seconds! Moment two thieves stole Hyundai ioniq 5 parked outside a home: Owners of the electric car are targeted by gangs breaking into vehicles using Game Boy-style gadgets
MUST SET VIDEO 3297393 LIVE AND PUT IN ARTICLE AS FEATURE VID This is the shocking moment two brazen thieves steal a six-figure Hyundai car in mere minutes as the unassuming owner and his young family sit inside their home.
MUST SET VIDEO 3297393 LIVE AND PUT IN ARTICLE AS FEATURE VID
This is the shocking moment two brazen thieves steal a six-figure Hyundai car in mere minutes as the unassuming owner and his young family sit inside their home.
The duo dressed in all black can be seen casually strolling up to Mikails vehicle in south London on the evening of October 19.
As seen in the shocking CCTV footage, the yobs approach his keyless vehicle and effortlessly open it with an unidentified device in just seconds.
It comes as recent reports emerged of thieves using Game Boy-style gadgets to steal Ioniq 5 vehicles, which are worth between £39,900 and £60,000 brand new.
Originating in South Korea - where the car manufacturers headquarters are based - the devices are used to gain entry to the car without breaking the locks or windows.
Using the £20,000 gadget, thieves can emulate a cars valid key fob by scanning data from the vehicles proximity system.
All that needs to be done to activate the proximity system is a press of a button on the cars door, meaning vehicles can be swiped in minutes.
Although the 33-year-old father was able to track his vehicle down thanks to AirTags he self-installed into the car, the incident has a lasting impacted his wife and young children.
Peter Cassizzis Hyundai Ioniq 5 (Pictured) was stolen from his home in north London on October 30, 2024 and later dumped a 41-minute drive away in Ilford
Mikail, who lives in southwest London had been home with his wife and children for 15 minutes when brazen thugs robbed his Ioniq 5 (Pictured)
He told MailOnline: I was sitting on the stairs waiting for my child, then I saw the notification on the phone. I looked out the window and the car wasnt there anymore.
When you look at the CCTV footage, they didnt come near my front door.
They just use that device to press the button on the door handle, and it just opened up for them. It is shocking
He added: My children were worried after the car had been stolen.
They were asking questions to my wife like "If they stole the car, what happens if they come in the house?"
Obviously my wifes trying to tell them, "Dont worry daddys here to protect you and like thats not gonna happen", etc.
But its worrying to see them grow up having to witness me purchase a locking thing on the car because there are thieves.
The attempted car theft is one of the reasons why Mikail has decided he and his family will be moving abroad permanently.
Theyre growing up with that [the theft] in their head, with that state of paranoia, that you need to do these things because someone might steal from you.
Luckily the father retrieved the car from nearby Streatham thanks to air-tags he installed in the vehicle.
However he is adamant that without them, his car would have been lost forever.
My faith in the authorities went a long time ago, he said: I know if I didnt have the air tags in the car my car would probably be abroad or in a garage chop shop, or maybe still in Streatham right now.
After locating the vehicle, he went to collect it with three family members, as per the Metropolitan Police forces advice.
My wife didnt want me to go, because obviously these are thieves, he said: You dont know what theyre like.
They could be violent, but the reality is the police are the ones saying, Its your car, go and get it!.
When he arrived there was very minor cosmetic damage to the car, and very little mileage added to the clock.
I could see by the mileage on the car and the percentage of the battery that it was probably driven straight from here to there. They hadnt gone on a joyride or anything.
But despite having retrieved the vehicle, the impact and frustration of the attempted theft remained as Mikail felt there was very little done by Huyndai or the Metropolitan Police to help.
I called Hyundai, and I called the dealership, and like no one really cares, he said.
Its on customers to buy additional stuff like a wheel lock, a ghost immobiliser.
How about you [Huyndai] make the vehicles safe and secure in the first place, and at least admit to these flaws and do better.
The cyber security expert added: You can make anything secure. Its just have you spent the time and effort to actually try to make it secure.
The theft, which occurred on October 19, has impacted his entire family, with his children left worried the yobs would break into their home
The thieves stole his car and drove it ten minutes away to nearby Streatham, where Mikail was later able to retrieve the vehicle
If the family man had not been able to locate his vehicle - thanks to air tags - he wouldve been left to pay a possible six figure sum to the leasing company for the vehicle
After retrieving the vehicle Mikail says his case was closed and nothing more was done to track down the criminals who had also stolen his childrens bank cards.
The brazen criminals had also attempted to make purchases at a pizza shop and a Tesco in Dulwich with the cards.
There has been zero deterrence for the thieves now. Theyve stolen a vehicle - it is a big deal, he added.
The family man said had he not gotten his vehicle back - it would have spelled financial ruin.
He explained that he have had to pay the difference between the leasing companys and insurances estimates of the cars value - which may have been around the six figure mark.
I would have had to pay in this example like £10,000 to match it [the leasing companys value of the car], he said.
I dont even have that much money like I wouldnt even be able to pay.
However Mikail is not the only victim of keyless car thefts, as Peter Cassizzi also had his Ioniq 5 stolen from his driveway in a sleepy north London suburb last year.
Despite having retrieved the vehicle, the impact and frustration of the attempted theft remained as Mikail felt he received very little help from Hyundai or the Metropolitan Police
When Mikail retrieved the vehicle was very minor cosmetic damage to the car (Pictured), and very little mileage was added to the clock
The yobs had also nabbed Mikails childrens debit cards from the vehicle and attempted to use them at a pizza shop and a Tesco in Dulwich
Peter Cassizzi expected to hop in his Hyundai Ioniq 5 and head to work when he woke up on October 30, 2023.
However when he looked out to his driveway he was rudely greeted with a empty car parking space.
Panicked by the absence of his £50,000 vehicle, the 48-year-old quickly looked to his cars tracker to determine its location.
After tracing it to Ilford - a 41-minute drive from the quaint London suburb of Hampstead - he reported the theft to police, who he claims, advised him to go and retrieve the vehicle himself.
With no signs of forced entry into his Ioniq 5, Peter is convinced yobs used hacking software to break into his six-figure car and whizz away.
Speaking of his frustration, he told MailOnline: It was much easier to steal my car than it would have been to steal my bike.
When you invest nearly £60,000 into a car, you dont think somebody is going to be able to just use a device to click it open and drive it away.
You dont think you are going to wake up at 7.30 in the morning, and your car is going to be gone.
Adam Metselaar was left enraged after his vehicle was nabbed by thugs - despite having both sets of keys safely tucked away in his home in a separate incident in April
The new theft tactic has been on the rise in the UK after making its way to the US from South Korea (Pictured: Thieves stealing Mr Metselaars car)
He added: This is a calm neighbourhood. Theres literally signs up with old people walking in a red triangle.
These things happen in cities, but I think the frustrating part of it that when you think about it again you start to realise that its maybe not that much of a coincidence, Mr Cassizzi added.
With the Metropolitan Police unable to provide much assistance, Mr Cassizzi was keen to get some answers about his freshly new car and wasnt going to let the matter - like his car - drift into the silent night.
Following the forces advice, he and his partner booked an Uber and explained to the driver that yobs had stolen the vehicle. informing him of the potentially dangerous situation that could lay ahead.
Recalling the tense, 41-minute journey, Mr Cassizzi said: Ive just focused on not kind of exposing anyone of us to any more unnecessary danger.
When they arrived at the disused warehouse, they found the 48-year-olds keyless car, with minor damage to the exterior as one of the wheels was slightly scuffed.
After examining the car, the lawyer determined it was drivable so informed the police ahead of taking it home.
It comes as a new emerged for keyless car owners after a gang of thieves used a Game Boy-style device to steal a £47,000 Hyundai Ioniq 5 in less than a minute (Pictured: Hyundai Ioniq 5)
Thieves are now using hi-tech emulator(s) tucked away in Game Boy style devices to unlock keyless cars (Stock image: A Game Boy)
Its happening disproportionately to these Korean cars.
I didnt want to get stopped on the way home and for them to think I was the thief, so we waited for a good while before we decided to exit, he said.
However Mr Cassizzis vehicle turmoil didnt end their, as he discovered the criminals had attempted to rip out part of the cars innards in an unsuccessful bid to disconnect the GPS device - damage that would end up costing over £10,000.
The car also sat unused on a lot for six months waiting for specific Hyundai-made parts so the warranty wouldnt become null and void.
He said: I dont need a car for work so for me its more of a convenience outside of work, and I can get by without that convenience.
But I had decided to pay for that convenience, and I wasnt really getting my moneys worth.
Following a separate incident involving drunk-driver, Mr Cassizzi was forced to write off his new vehicle as insurers were unwilling to wait another six months to pay for his car to sit on a lot and wait for parts.
Discussing is irritation regarding the recent spate of keyless cars thefts - several being Hyundai - he said: They need to do some kind of recall for a software update or something.
Pictured: Members of a keyless car theft gang who stole £2m worth of vehicles over four years have been jailed for nearly a decade between them
CCTV of the gang stealing a car using the disguised device
Why are they not able to send out a general notice to existing owners and inform new owners.
They should say You should take measures to protect your vehicle. Get a steering wheel lock. So the things to dissuade your car becoming the target of this kind of crime.
But they dont and then what that ends up, you know, coming at the cost of consumers
He added: I am surprised that theres no more serious political interest in in this issue, because its deeply affecting the wallets of many constituents in this country.
Increasing levels of auto theft are also going to make people feel less safe in their communities.
Mr Cassizzi claimed to be in a group chat of between eight to nine Hyundai car owners from North London who had all been hit by car thieves using similar tactics.
He also alleged that a man who lived down the road from him in the sleepy north London suburb, who also owned an Ioniq 5, had also been targeted by thugs as early as September.
A Huyndai spokesperson said Car thefts using digital technologies have recently become the focused target of organised criminal groups in the UK that have come into the possession of devices to illegally override smart key locking systems. This is an industry-wide issue.
In the short term, Hyundai, alongside other vehicle manufacturers, has been working closely with law enforcement to understand more about the circumstances and the devices used and also to help to track any vehicles so that they can be recovered as quickly as possible.
All our vehicles feature vehicle immobilisers as standard and they meet all the necessary security standards required for vehicles to be sold in the UK.
In addition, as part of our continuous product improvement process, we have also been actively developing updates designed to significantly reduce the risk using these specific keyless theft methodologies.
Therefore, Hyundai vehicles placed in the market in February 2024 or later have all received the latest hardware and software technology updates to mitigate the ongoing risk.
For Ioniq 5 placed in the UK market prior to that date, we are also actively working to offer the choice of a retrospective action for existing customers.
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police: The Met recognises the impact that motor vehicle crime can have on victims, especially those who rely on vehicles for either means of employment or the routine of daily life.
Any allegation of crime reported to the police will be assessed to see if there are any viable lines of enquiry including forensic opportunities that can be progressed.
There are several measures that motorists can take to protect their vehicles and their contents safe, such as fitting a steering lock which can act as a visible deterrent, and keeping electronic car keys in a signal blocking pouch when not in use.
Heres what you can do to help keep your vehicle safe: Always leave your car locked and secured. Lots of modern vehicles fold in their wing mirrors when locked – so very easy for thieves to spot when a vehicle has not been locked.
Take valuables with you when you leave the vehicle. Consider investing in steering wheel locks, pedal locks, immobilisers and tracking devices.
A gang of car thieves used a £20,000 gadget (pictured) that looks like a Nintendo Gameboy to steal a series of cars in Leeds - but were caught after they filmed one of the thefts
Key fob protectors (Faraday bags) help prevent keyless car thefts. Consider installing driveway posts.
Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director at The Motor Ombudsman, said: With the motor industry being self-regulated through The Motor Ombudsmans Chartered Trading Standards Institute-approved Motor Industry Codes of Practice,
The Motor Ombudsmans long-established New Car Code, which is adhered to by 46 different carmakers covering 98 percent of new cars sold in the UK, stipulates that new cars supplied to retailers must be manufactured to a high quality standard which will meet a customers expectations.
Whilst vehicle manufacturers continue to invest in the enhancement of security systems to deliver a high standard of security, technological innovation on its own cannot prevent all theft - especially with the often-sophisticated practices used by organised crime gangs behind many of these keyless thefts.
The sector also continues to work closely with the police, insurance industry and other security stakeholders to tackle vehicle crime and to help drive down the occurrence of vehicle theft.
Bill added: In instances where a complaint has been made by a consumer about software being compromised to gain entry into a vehicle, and its subsequent theft, The Motor Ombudsman is able to look at cases where a consumer deems that the security systems used in the vehicle were not of satisfactory quality from their perspective.
With The Motor Ombudsman being a fully independent and impartial organisation, any associated evidence submitted by a consumer and business for their individual case is given equal weight to come to a decision in response to a specific complaint.
It is understood that the Motor Ombudsman is unable to investigate any criminal offences that have occurred or thefts themselves.
