Gone are the days when a gun, ski-mask and black Nike Air Force’s were needed to commit a crime. Nowadays, all you need is to be tech-savvy with a phone or laptop. Olamide of 234Drive previously covered a story in which a Maybach GLS and Rolce Royce Cullinan were stolen with a phone. On today’s episode of stolen vehicles, a grey 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica was swiped once again with just a phone. The vehicle in question belongs to a Major League Baseball (MLB) star, Kris Bryant.
The tech-savvy thieves did not break a sweat while carrying out this car theft. According to The Denver Gazette, the perpetrators hacked into a car transport company’s system and rerouted the delivery address of the vehicle. The 300,000 USD (500 million naira) supercar was apparently shipped from Cherry Hills, Colorado to Sin City, Las Vegas. On arrival at Sin City, the Huracán was picked up, but never made it to its destination. The car was then reported missing to the Cherry Hills Village Police Department (CHVPD) on 2 October, 2024.
How Were They Caught?
A multi-agency investigation ensued after the Huracan was declared missing. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that a ‘business email scheme’ had been used to compromise the transport company’s system and change the delivery destination to another location in Las Vegas without authorization. Authorities eventually tracked down the Huracán on 7 October, 2024 by tracing the vehicle using licence plate tracking technology. Worse still, a larger theft ring in which fake documents and VIN switching were used to steal and traffic luxury vehicles was discovered. Alongside the Huracan, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and GMC Yukon Denali were also recovered.
Car theft has been on the rise lately and it is more troubling that these culprits do not have to physically see or touch these vehicles. Back in the day, all you needed to do was ensure that all the car doors were locked. But now, one has to probably lock up his/her car in a bank vault just to ensure its safety. Jokes on car thieves though, because I don’t have a car yet. Nonetheless, what can be done to combat these cyber car thefts? Your thoughts?
