How thieves are targeting cars
A Twin Cities locksmith says the same tools he uses to help stranded drivers are now being misused by thieves to steal cars in seconds, sometimes from several feet away.
“This is a cloner/key generator,” said Andrei Damian, owner of The Key Doctor locksmith service. Holding the device, he said, “You can pretty much do anything you want with the key. You can take your key, stick it in here. It will read it. I will clone it right off my phone. It is pretty slick.”
When asked how fast it works, Damian said, “Thirty seconds. It will sniff the data, pull it up the ignition.”
He explained how it works.
“You take a random key, random key, you put it in the middle. It sniffs the data, and then I write the data on my key. I drop your key back first, and then now I have a key.”
Damian said in some cases a key is not needed to take a car.
“You just plug into the diagnostic table,” which he said takes about a minute, “then you’re done.”
He showed another device that pairs with a tablet and a dongle.
“These are only about 500 bucks. They got no restrictions on them yet,” Damian said. “I can sit across the parking lot, and it will communicate without me even having to sit in the vehicle.”
He said the range can reach across a lot. “This range here across. We got here 50 feet. It will catch.”
Damian said the problem is widespread.
“There is 20 devices out there, different brands, no restrictions, no regulations.”
Minneapolis police are seeing teens as young as 13 years old stealing cars.
Damian said it does not take much to learn the key programming devices.
“To learn one vehicle, you do not need much skill. To be a professional, yes, it takes 10 to 20 years to consider calling yourself professional. I have been doing it for 13 years. I am finally starting to maybe consider saying I am good,” he said.
Damian said locksmiths have been pushing for tighter regulations.
We asked him how it feels that people are misusing the technology he uses to help people.
“It is not a great feeling. We have been pushing for the regulations to be enforced,” he said.
Law enforcement says the same tools are showing up in thefts
Minneapolis Police Department data through April 2, 2026 shows:
- In the 4 previous weeks, there were 423 vehicles stolen. 50 of those (12%) were Stellantis vehicles,
- Of those 50 Stellantis vehicles, six were confirmed to be stolen through programmer technology,
- 17 of those Stellantis vehicles were taken with keys or by a known party but without permission. This includes vehicles stolen with keys in them or while running unoccupied,
- For the statistics through April 7, vehicles stolen with keys or left running unoccupied remain a leading means by which vehicles are stolen. These are totally preventable,
- MPD has three open cases related to robberies involving the loss of a programmer.
Through April 7, 2026, the 1,652 YTD auto theft reports break down this way:
- Reports of Kia/Hyundai vehicles taken without keys are up 23% (438 vs 356 last year),
- Reports of all other make/model vehicles taken without keys are up 56% (622 vs 400 last year),
- Auto theft reports with keys inside are up 9% (356 vs 328 last year),
- Auto theft reports with ignition unlocked (aka vehicle left running) are up 41% (635 vs 450 last year)
- Attempted auto theft reports up 21% (169 this year vs 140 last year) *Car not physically stolen from location, but an attempt was made
“We are seeing the same amount of stolen vehicles during the day as we are at night,” said Lt. Bryan Hermerding, with Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Task Force. “The uptick might happen a little more at night. But it is still the same.”
Hermerding said the technology itself is not new.
“Key programming is something that has been around for a while. It is technology that can be purchased online. It is typically these devices that typically a locksmith would have. If you get locked out of your car or lose your key, they typically can grab you another one. We are seeing a lot of juveniles using these to break into cars,” he said.
He said the task force is seeing a notable share of thefts involving reprogramming.
“We are dealing with not a huge number but maybe one in five reprogram-related car thefts.”
He said since Jan. 1, the task force has recovered around 170 stolen vehicles.
“We have been involved in at least 55 arrests,” Hermerding said.
National Automotive Service Task Force says new safeguards are rolling out
The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) said one major tool company, Launch Tech USA, has already adopted new verification requirements.
A representative said the company has been on the program for more than a year and reported zero car thefts on their tools.
NASTF said three more companies are preparing to roll out similar protections. “Two of them are literally coming out in April with their version of this program, and the other one is a work in progress,” a representative said.
The representative said the goal is to ensure drivers know their locksmith is legitimate through a background‑check process required to use the devices.
NASTF said locksmiths on those devices are required to upload a customer’s driver’s license and proof of vehicle ownership.
If a car later turns up stolen, the representative said the system creates a trail. “Those pieces then allow us, if there is some odd activity or if a vehicle winds up being stolen, they allow us to be able to come back to that vehicle owner and say, ‘Hey, did you have this done?’”
They said the new requirements make anonymity harder for people who buy key programmers online to steal cars. “Transparency is something that bad guys do not like. They do not want somebody to know who was on the phone.”
Suggestions to protect your car
Damian said simple tracking tools can give drivers a faster chance of locating a stolen vehicle.
“Let’s just say they do take your car, you will find it sooner than maybe law enforcement, because they are so busy with everything that is happening,” he said.
He also pointed to which vehicles tend to be targeted less often.
“Get a Mercedes. Nobody is gonna try to steal a Mercedes. Get a BMW. New BMW. Look at the statistics. Statistics do not lie,” he said.
Some drivers add aftermarket protections. Damian said, “A kill switch will disable your vehicle from being started.”
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is urging drivers to remove valuables and secure firearms at home.
Lt. Bryan Hermerding said, “Do not leave anything of value in your car, and please do not leave any firearms in your car. We are seeing a significant number of firearms stolen out of these vehicles and used in other related crimes.”
Story by KaMaria Braye KSTP
