Victoria Police warn of car theft surge as key-cloning devices target Toyota and Subaru vehicles

Victoria Police has resorted to old-fashioned letter drops and handing out pamphlets to motorists as sophisticated car thieves use electronic devices to steal an estimated 30 vehicles a day across the state.

The extraordinary campaign comes as police reveal they have seized more than 900 key-cloning devices in the past year, with criminals increasingly using technology to override vehicle security systems and drive away in some of Australia’s most popular cars.

Officers are now patrolling railway station car parks and residential streets, checking vehicles for security vulnerabilities, speaking directly to motorists and even posting warnings to their owners’ homes.

For Melbourne car enthusiast Michael Hocking, the consequences of Victoria’s car theft crisis are “devastating”.

The South Morang man is heartbroken after thieves stole his prized Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition — a rare sports car he had dreamed of owning since childhood and hoped to keep for the rest of his life.

Mr Hocking said the car was one of the biggest purchases he had ever made, having flown to Cairns to buy it two years ago after having dreamed of owning one since childhood.

He had since spent countless hours and thousands of dollars restoring and maintaining it.

“I’ve always wanted one,” he told The Nightly.

“I was kind of like, ‘I’m buying this car and I’ll be dead and buried in it. I’m never getting rid of this car’.”

Instead, his “pride and joy” vanished from outside his home in the early hours of October 5.

“My keys were still on the table where they were the night before,” he said.

“It’s just a heartbreak.

“All this effort I put into it . . . then at the end of the day, it’s just all gone in an instant.”

Mr Hocking said the car was an exceptionally rare special-edition model and virtually irreplaceable.

Even an insurance payout would not bring back the vehicle he had spent two years improving.

“The prices of them now are like $20,000, $30,000 more than what I paid for mine two years ago,” he said.

“Even if I did (buy another one), it’s not going to be the same as the one I had originally.”

A string of unfortunate coincidences has made finding the car even harder.

A neighbour’s CCTV camera, which overlooked the driveway, had been removed about a week before the theft following a privacy complaint.

His father’s dashcam had stopped working, the thieves had apparently discovered the car’s main tracker and a back-up tracking device hidden inside the Mitsubishi had run out of battery.

“It’s like the universe was just saying ‘you’re not getting this car back’,” he said.

“Part of me is just like ‘I don’t want to see it again’ because . . . they’ll thrash it, they’ll destroy the interior, destroy the engine, all this stuff, all this effort I put into it.

“But at least I would want to know what happened to it . . . for peace of mind.”

His ordeal comes as Victoria Police grapple with increasingly sophisticated car thieves.

Police estimate more than 10,000 vehicles are stolen using electronic key-cloning technology each year — equivalent to almost 30 every day.

The devices can mimic or reprogram electronic keys and override vehicle security systems, allowing thieves to steal cars without obtaining their owners’ keys.

Toyota Corollas, LandCruisers, Hiluxes and RAV4s are among the most targeted vehicles, along with Holden Commodores and Subaru Imprezas.

Police say 43 per cent of the more than 900 key-cloning devices seized during search warrants and vehicle intercepts over the past year were recovered in Melbourne’s north-western suburbs, particularly around Melton, Whittlesea and Hume.

Another 23 per cent were seized in the Southern Metro region, 21 per cent in the Eastern region and 11 per cent in the Western region.

With Toyotas among the most frequently targeted vehicles, the manufacturer has introduced a factory-approved secondary immobiliser for LandCruiser 300 and LandCruiser Prado 250 models.

The additional security system, which costs $1735 fitted through Toyota dealerships, requires a separate electronic fob to be within range before the vehicle can be started.

It also includes a battery-backed siren designed to sound if someone attempts to interfere with the vehicle, even if its main power supply is disconnected.

Toyota said it was investigating similar immobilisers for other models but warned the additional protection did not guarantee a vehicle could not be stolen.

A Toyota Australia spokesperson told The Nightly that new HiLux, LandCruiser 300 and LandCruiser Prado 250 vehicles received security upgrades in 2025, with similar improvements being introduced on newer models, including the latest RAV4.

In a statement published in September, Toyota said it was unaware of any Australian thefts involving sophisticated electronic devices targeting vehicles with the latest security enhancements.

Toyota has also called for devices used to facilitate vehicle theft to be banned and for legitimate diagnostic equipment used by locksmiths, mechanics and other automotive professionals to be regulated.

Last week, officers patrolled the Ringwood railway station precinct, checking door handles and windows, looking for valuables left in plain sight and handing out dozens of pamphlets with security advice.

They also recorded the registration details of vehicles considered particularly vulnerable, including unlocked cars and certain Toyota and Subaru models with push-button ignitions, so safety warnings could be mailed to their owners.

Transit East Local Area Commander Inspector Jacinta Hanscomb said police were taking the warnings directly to motorists.

“That’s why we are out in force conducting proactive patrols in known hotspots, speaking directly with car owners and letter-dropping with practical advice to help keep their vehicles safe,” she said.

Vehicle Crime Squad Detective Inspector Julie Macdonald said the seizure of more than 900 devices demonstrated how criminals were exploiting technology to steal cars.

“Car thieves only need one opportunity,” she said.

“We’re urging motorists to take away that opportunity and protect their vehicle.”

Police are recommending motorists install locks on their vehicles’ on-board diagnostic ports to prevent thieves connecting electronic reprogramming devices.

The locks are relatively inexpensive and can be installed by vehicle owners themselves.

Police are also urging motorists to use steering-wheel locks, park in garages where possible, ensure their vehicles are always locked, even at home and never leave engines running unattended.

Police say about 80 per cent of all stolen vehicles have been recovered over the past year.

They have also launched an online stolen-vehicle checker, allowing members of the public to enter a vehicle’s registration, make and model to determine whether it has been reported stolen and alert police to its whereabouts.

But Mr Hocking says he has no “major hopes now”.

“You can’t completely give up hope until someone’s seen it,” he said.

“At the very least, I would like to know where it is, like what happened to it.”