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After allegedly stealing cars from train stations and homes across Melbourne, a man has been charged with over 60 offences by police.
An alleged ‘serial’ car thief who steals vehicles from train station car parks has been hit with over 60 charges from Victoria Police.
Police allege the man used a key reprogramming device to steal at least 25 cars across Melbourne.
These key reprogramming devices, also referred to as ‘OBD’ devices, plug into a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics port, which most modern cars possess.
Plugging the device into this diagnostic port allows thieves to overwrite the vehicle's security by using functions intended for mechanics and locksmiths such as programing new keys.
Victoria Police told Drive earlier this year that these devices were proving difficult for them to tackle: “This crime type is proving particularly difficult to get on top of – largely due to offenders exploiting technology in a range of popular push start vehicles,”. A spokesperson said.
The man allegedly stole the cars between September and January this year from locations across Melbourne’s east and southeast, including Malvern East, Hawthorn, Clayton, Pakenham, Ferntree Gully, Frankston, Narre Warren and Bayswater.
These allegations relate to thefts from train station car parks, along with some vehicles stolen from residential driveways and streets.
As part of their investigation, Victoria Police located seven of the allegedly stolen cars and seven separate sets of stolen registration plates.
As vehicle theft has risen in Victoria over the last few years, theft of registration plates has also seen an increase.
Police have automatic registration plate scanners on their vehicles, and once a vehicle has been reported stolen it will trigger an alert if it drives past a police number plate scanner.
However, if thieves swap the vehicle’s registration plates for a vehicle of the same colour and type (which has not been reported stolen), the stolen vehicle can avoid detection from automatic scanners.
Thieves can also create counterfeit ‘cloned’ license plates instead of physically stealing them from vehicles.
A typical scenario involves copying a vehicle's registration number, and then creating duplicate number plates that they then attach to a (typically stolen) vehicle of the same type.
This cloning of real plates to create so-called 'ghost plates' means vehicle owners only discover their plates have been copied once they receive an infringement notice in the mail, or notification from the police.
Victoria Police were unable to provide more details as the matter of the alleged train station car theft bandit is currently before the courts. However, Drive understands the license plates were allegedly physically stolen, rather than being ‘cloned’.
A spokesperson for Transport Victoria declined to comment regarding theft of vehicles from train station car parks.
The 27-year-old alleged offender has been remanded to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 25 February, where police will look to issue further charges.
The over 60 offences the man has been charged with include theft of motor vehicle, burglary, criminal damage, unlicensed driving, going equipped to steal, committing an indictable offence while on bail, handling stolen goods and possessing drugs of dependence.
Police arrested the man at an address in Ringwood North on 29 January when executing a search warrant. A key mimicking device was allegedly located in his possession.
Detective Sergeant Ryan Davis from the Maroondah Crime Investigation Unit advised motorists to take measures to make their vehicles harder to steal.
“With technology making it easier to steal cars, we are urging owners to firstly lock their vehicles and where possible, park off the street to help lower the chances of having their car stolen," he said.
“They can also purchase port devices that decrease the effectiveness of key mimicking tools and slow down the offender substantially.
“A small expense could save you tens of thousands of dollars by not having to replace your vehicle if it’s stolen.”
It is legal for anyone to buy one of these devices under 'right to repair' laws.
Max is the News Publishing Coordinator for Drive. He enjoys creating engaging digital content, including videos, podcasts, interactive maps, and graphs. Prior to Drive, he studied at Monash University and gained experience working for various publications. He grew up playing Burnout 3: Takedown on the PS2 and was disappointed when real life car races didn’t have the same physics.
