By HI-TEC SECURITY
It’s month-end, and the local remote jammers, who have been more and more active lately, are out in full force! We’ve been receiving many reports recently of remote jammers being very active around Church Square – along both sides of High Street – and are urging everyone to be vigilant.
A new tactic is to remote jam from the upstairs flats facing both sides of High Street. This allows them to hide from being seen easily and thus avoid getting caught. On Thursday, we have confiscated two remotes from suspected car jammers. They are just regular gate remotes used by these car jammers to prevent vehicle doors from locking.
How certain are you that your vehicle is locked every time you get out of it❓
Unfortunately, vehicle remote jamming has become an everyday occurrence in Grahamstown Makhanda and the rest of the country.
WHAT IS REMOTE JAMMING❓
It is when a remote device is used to block or jam the locking device of a motor vehicle. When you press your vehicle’s remote, the prospective thief presses a different remote button simultaneously, effectively blocking the signal from your remote to your vehicle.
This means you walk away from your vehicle, assuming that you have activated the vehicle locking system. However, your car is left open, and free access is given to the contents while you are going about your business.
Valuables worth thousands of rands are stolen from the vehicle in many cases. Your short-term insurance provider will not cover the loss, as there is no visible sign of forced entry, and the insurer cannot rule out recklessness as a possible reason. You will therefore have to replace the stolen items at your own cost.
Remote jamming thus almost always comes at a high price. Here are tips to protect you from falling victim to vehicle remote jamming:
🟨 Be aware of your surroundings at all times and take note of suspicious persons or activity in and around the parking area. Someone standing nearby with their hands in their pockets, with no apparent reason to be there, may well be concealing a remote jammer in their pocket. Or a suspicious vehicle parked close to yours – they may appear as very normal individuals just sitting in their car, chatting or listening to music.
🟨 Report suspicious activity to centre management or security at malls, our control room or the police.
🟨 Do not leave valuable items in an unattended vehicle.
🟨 Do not leave any items out in full view in your vehicle. Remember, everything has value to someone, even something as innocent as a jacket or school bag.
🟨 Never press the remote to lock your vehicle while walking away; always lock your vehicle whilst standing next to it. Better yet, instead use your car key – much safer and more reliable.
🟨 Check that the vehicle is locked by testing the doors before walking away – if you have young kids, turn it into a game by letting the kids take turns to check the doors. They will remind you.
🟨 Ensure that the boot is locked.
🟨 Most importantly, NEVER approach or confront any individual you may suspect of remote jamming. By doing this, you may be putting yourself in danger.
🟨 Lastly, you may choose to invest in a remote jamming detector. These devices range in price from R500 to over R1000. The device will determine if a signal has been transmitted for a specific length of time and alert you to potential remote jamming, giving you time to leave the parking area and park elsewhere.
❗ REMOTE JAMMING HOTSPOTS: Around both sets of ATMs in Peppergrove Mall’s parking lot, Checkers’ parking lot, SPAR’s parking lot, in front of Clicks, the area around the Cathedral in the CBD: both sides of High Street, Bathurst and Beaufort Streets.
‼️ Please be vigilant and contact our Hi-Tec control room for 24/7 emergency assistance if you see anyone or anything suspicious or feel threatened: (046) 636-1667 / WhatsApp/SMS 071 682 9054. Your safety is important to us, and our armed response officers will be there in a flash.
