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Police Bust Car Theft Ring That Used Keyless Software to Steal Cars

A car theft ring has been dismantled across three countries in Europe.

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Corinne Reichert Senior Writer
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently oversees the CNET breaking news desk for the West Coast. Corinne covers everything from phones, social media and security to movies, politics, 5G and pop culture. In her spare time, she watches soccer games, F1 races and Disney movies.
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Corinne Reichert
Europol building
Europol

A ring of car thieves that used software to steal cars with keyless entry and start systems has been dismantled across France, Spain and Latvia, Europol said Monday. More than 1 million euros ($986,175) in assets was seized as 31 suspects were arrested in a joint effort on Oct. 10. 

Arrests included the alleged software developers, those who sold the software and the car thieves themselves. The software was allegedly used to replace the original vehicle software so the doors could be unlocked and the ignition started.

The software worked on two French car manufacturers, though Europol didn't specify which ones.