Linda-Ann Bowling is wondering if a new type of car crime has hit Langley, after her vehicle was pilfered of everything in it, while parked at Aldergrove Regional Park on Oct. 6.
“My husband and I went running at Aldergrove Lake so we parked our car at the east bowl parking lot,” she said.
But they made the mistake of leaving their wallets and phones in the trunk. Bowling said she distinctly remembers locking the car using her fob.
They returned 45 minutes later to find everything gone, including her glasses from inside the vehicle. She had forgotten to take out her passport from her purse. Both their iPhones were taken.
But there was no sign of forced entry into the vehicle, even thought the doors had been locked.
“We think they must have some sort of fob scrambler to open doors,” said Bowling.
Langley RCMP said they haven’t heard of this type of crime hitting Langley. But Bowling spoke with several people in the United States, who said this is a new type of crime, with thieves using a scrambler.
Within an hour, the thief used her credit card to charge $84 in gas in Abbotsford. Bowling said she cancelled all her credit cards and bank card and had to get all new ID.
It was a good reminder to leave all your ID and valuables at home, or take whatever you can with you.
In hearing from her American friends, Bowling said this fob scrambler is a radio jammer that bypasses the remote locking system.