Anyone who has fallen victim to remote jamming will know that sinking feeling when you open your boot and there’s nothing there – no laptop, no handbag, no gym shoes. You look around, dumbfounded. My car was locked. How did this happen? Remote jamming is nothing new but it’s not getting old for criminals either. In fact, it is on the increase.

Remote jamming is when thieves jam the signal from the immobiliser to the car, so it doesn’t lock even when the owner presses the ‘lock’ button. A remote jammer is any device that deliberately blocks, jams or interferes with authorised wireless communications. Jamming can interfere with various types of wireless equipment, including the alarm panel, cellphone communication, detectors, fleet tracking systems and radio reporting to a control room.

It goes well beyond your and my car in a shopping centre parking area. These criminals are not only committing theft out of motor vehicles but also theft of motor vehicles, hijacking of vehicles/trucks and cargo and house and business robberies by using remote jamming. This well-practiced tactic is especially alive and well in public places because, sadly, motorists continue to be vulnerable to it.

Remote jamming is prevalent in parking areas at shopping malls and petrol stations, and that the thieves are often so brazen they don’t even leave the area after hitting their mark but continue to target others. These criminals rely on the ability to blend in while people go about their business of parking and shopping and not checking that their cars are locked, or observing anything around them.While security guards and car guards are on high alert for these criminals, remember it is effortless for the thieves to approach a car, open it, pop the boot, take what they want and walk off - they’re not breaking into a car; they aren’t even concerned about what car security devices or vehicle anti-theft systems you may have.

Fidelity provides these 7 tips to avoid falling victim to remote jammers: