Car thieves target locksmiths to steal key fob programmer Police think the thieves are targeting computers used to program key fobs on newer cars.

High-tech car theft on the rise, these are the most vulnerable models Suspects can steal cars in seconds with a key-fob programmer in their hands, police say the crime is on the rise.

Police are concerned that stolen key programmer could be used in future crimes. "A lot of vehicles may have some type of microchip or chipping in that key that the vehicle actually reads ...

“So this really hurts us all.” Ibrahim said even when the device does not successfully reprogram a car, they can cause thousands of dollars in damage to the vehicle’s computer system.

The high-tech way to steal cars is taking off across Milwaukee. Milwaukee police say they responded to 19 car thefts from key fob programmers in the first three months of the year.

Police said Clarke was in possession of a motor vehicle computer programmer that allowed him to enter vehicles and reprogram a generic master key to drive off in the stolen vehicles.

A Chicago auto technician recounts the terrifying moment robbers shot at him in an attempt to steal his car key programmer.