TikTok's viral 'Kia Challenge' prompts warning for car owners
A viral TikTok "trend" is the reason why two popular brands of cars are being targeted by thieves, so it begs the question — should Australians be concerned?
The 'Kia Challenge' kicked off on TikTok and it shows how people can illegally break into Kia vehicles and start them up using just a USB.
There have also been reports of Hyundai models being broken into with the same method.
The issue has become so prevalent in the US, that several law enforcement agencies have spoken about the "trend" in the hopes of warning people who have Kia or Hyundai vehicles.
Other people on TikTok also made videos warning people to counter the illegal information being circulated.
Thieves break into woman's car twice in two days
One woman claimed her Kia was broken into two nights in a row.
Bettina Bausa, from New Orleans, was watching a movie when she heard someone break into her 2013 Kia Optima.
On Sunday night, her window was smashed. She then noticed part of her ignition had been ripped out.
The night before, she believes her window may have been left open, as there was no damage to her car, but her belongings had been thrown around and spare change was missing.
"Apparently there's the 'Kia boys' is what they call themselves and I can't believe there's even a TikTok algorithm that teaches you how to break into people's cars," Ms Bausa told WWL-TV.
Do you drive a Kia or Hyundai?
Police warn of rise in car thefts of two particular car brands. Is yours one of them?
Forest Park police said thefts of two brands have been rising following social media postings sharing how to start the cars without keys. pic.twitter.com/9O4ey9Ne4I— Sharon Cortez (@SharonC10428102) July 21, 2022
The issue has been plaguing the US for months, but the videos that kickstarted the illegal trend have reportedly been deleted.
There has also been one incident in Australia which may have been inspired by the trend.
Kim Gardiner's new Kia sat outside their home on the street for just one night after she and her husband, Bill, had concrete poured in the garage.
The next morning they noticed the back window was smashed in and the thieves had broken the steering lock casing to try and get the car to start.
Should Australian drivers be worried?
Social media has changed the way we communicate and this is the same for criminals.
"In the past, it was more word of mouth," Dr Rick Brown, the Deputy Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology told Yahoo News Australia.
"You know, offenders showing other offenders how they were breaking into cars, but obviously now we've got social media platforms where that sort of material can be shared.
"It means that you reach a far larger audience far quicker than you could previously."
As for the issue of people breaking into cars and using a USB to jump-start it, Dr Brown says for the most part, Aussies shouldn't be concerned, but there are a few caveats.
From July 2001, all new vehicles in Australia had to be fitted with an electronic immobiliser which was in line with the Australian Standard, he explained.
Electronic immobilisers are not the standard in the US and such devices prevent vehicle theft, so Dr Brown does not expect the 'Kia challenge' to take off in Australia like it has overseas.
While people won't be able to drive off with your car, this trend could still present problems.
"If you've got offenders that don't realise there are immobilisers on cars, it doesn't stop them from trying and you could still see some damage to your car," he says.
The downside is that electronic immobilisers have exposed somewhat of a vulnerability to all Australians.
Given you need the car keys to steal a car in Australia, thieves may attempt to break into homes to seek them out, Dr Brown explained.
"That's where we start to see a lot more house break-ins for keys. So that's that point of vulnerability," he said.
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