Scary Stuff...

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 17:08

Thought I would share this but I have to keep this one a little high level. A few weeks back I got a knock on the door from 2 boys in blue enquiring about my car and it's movements. Asked the normal questions, "er why?" and turns out they were concerned that a car in my location (middle of nowhere with a few other houses) had potentially been tagged by some naughty men who were seeking to steal nice motors. Well long story short and a day later we found such a tracking device attached to the rear offside wheel arch of my car and for over 1 week certain unsavoury types had been logging my movements. Bib knew about it because they had accessed said tracking software and saw my car bleeping hence why they tracked me down but seems when it was in my garage it was not visible and when they turned up at the house that is where it was so they were not getting an obvious detection.

All my directions, routes, SPEEDS and GPS positions were there for all to see. Seems crims like to tag cars in public locations, a work of a few seconds, follow them home, take keys and go. I live in the middle of nowhere so it would have been very difficult as we also have a shared garage block which does not associate garages with properties but seems said seekers of my motor had driven up to my location, with another tracking device trying to triangulate it with my position, which is somewhat worrying as to get it they would have needed my keys.

Scary world out there and those of you with nice motors, check your wheel arches, probably just under the arch lining if you have one...

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:11

IAmATeaf said:
Scary **** indeed, are you sure that the guys who knocked were real cops?

100%

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:12

Flibster said:
How are they attached?
Any images of what the devices look like?

I have a number of photo's but cant really share them. But black box the size of a small mobile phone with 2 magnets on the back.

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:14

Car was a B7 RS4, they didn't both with the wife's S-Line.....oddly.

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:18

BigglesPiP said:
Surely they attached it when you weren't parked next to that?

It was parked in a public location with loads of other motors, most worse but some much better. Seems the RS4's are in demand and are also quite often the car of choice for serious crims.

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:21

Gaygle said:
Woah, that's not good.

How had the police managed to access the software? Had they arrested someone and found a laptop with it on?

Careful now, if they've been tracking you for a week, they'll know where you live and may just break in and steal the keys. Will Gill's idea of an underfloor safe sounds good!

I can't go into the details of how they knew. If they come back they will lose, I have 3 keyboards and a ninja dvd, they stand no chance.

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:22

Firestar_3x said:
Works both ways really, people like this will just wake you up at night and stick a knife or gun in your face till you hand the keys over, having them in a safe could actually be a bad thing.

Yup. If they want it that bad it's theirs. Keys are in the open, Im not making it difficult for them if they are that serious have it, its insured.

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 18:33

Mines all clean, just been serviced.

Housey · 27 Nov 2009 at 19:59

Flibster said:
You need the old IBM clickies - built like brick Kidderminsters.

Got one somewhere thats in a steel case.

I remember selling them for £399 each in the 80's

Housey · 28 Nov 2009 at 10:14

Enfield said:
How did the Police know that a car in your area had been tagged? It's late and I'm tired so I am probably missing something obvious.

They had access to the tracking software, as stated in the OP.

Housey · 28 Nov 2009 at 10:28

Wicksta said:
I guess in the future the thieves will just switch to the GSM trackers like the ones on eBay, that way the police will not be able to detect anything other than a mobile phone signal.

To detect this one they had to have access to the software. If they hadn't managed to acquire said access they would have known nothing about it and I might have been filling in insurance forms. It was pure luck.

Housey · 28 Nov 2009 at 10:57

Nathan said:
we had an email about this at work (im your bib). Quite worrying, they will be back so keep checking the wheel arches and leave your keys downstairs for them to find as it is simply not worth putting yourself or indeed your family at risk.

You will have seen my pictures attached to it then, I know your man was going to share it as a new thing.

Housey · 28 Nov 2009 at 11:02

Nathan said:
hmmm is your car blue? lol

Silver.

Housey · 28 Nov 2009 at 11:06

Nathan said:
I will recheck the email but im sure the car is blue Would be ironic if it was your car.

You'll appreciate why I'm not posting pictures on a public forum.

Housey · 28 Nov 2009 at 11:08

I also confirmed that I could mention it on a web forum to warn others.

Housey · 24 Jan 2010 at 20:16

twoblacklines said:
Did this get sorted ? I may have some information, but wish to keep this off-forum. Do you have a decent email addy ?

Feel free to mail me at [email protected] but no idea where it is at presently, I left it with the Police to sort and haven't concerned myself with it since really. I have done my due diligence and moved on.

Housey · 24 Jan 2010 at 20:23

MrLOL said:
wings on cars arent very thick. Not like they are made of lead lined GPS signal proof metal or anything

Perhaps it was all a figment of my imagination to be cool on the internetz

Housey · 24 Jan 2010 at 20:35

MrLOL said:
must have been. Just another OcUK vain "look at my RS4 post" tbh

Did I mention I had a GT3, not sure I did, hang on, i'll get some pictures.

Housey · 24 Jan 2010 at 20:52

Not really, pay around £600 per year I think, might be miles off, can't remember.

Housey · 24 Jan 2010 at 20:54

NickXX said:
He's definitely lying now.

I'm not, here's proof then!!