The robberies started as a viral TikTok challenge where thieves, predominantly young boys who choose to be distinguished as the “KIA Boys,” have been hotwiring certain KIA and Hyundai car models using a USB cable. This is because the plagued models lack a crucial component called an ignition immobilizer, responsible for cutting off the fuel supply to the engine in case someone attempts to start the car without the actual key.
Due to the viral TikTok trend, several thieves have joined in to carjack the affected models and spread the word further. Most of these models affected by the flaw use mechanical keys and not smart key fobs.
Incidentally, many insurance companies “temporarily” stopped offering coverage for the affected models owing to their lack of anti-theft features. Despite warnings from several state and city police departments, there is no national tally of the number of robberies since the trend went viral. But in January 2023, Progressive, one of the leading insurance companies, told CNN that these vehicles were 20 times more likely to be stolen. It was one of the companies to limit the sale of new policies for the affected vehicles.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest gaming News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
Denial of responsibility! NewsAzi is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
