Wilshire-area neighborhoods were told to be particularly vigilant.

The Los Angeles Police Department has warned residents to be wary of thieves using technology to break into homes undetected. High-tech burglars have apparently knocked out their victims’ wireless cameras and alarms in the Los Angeles Wilshire-area neighborhoods before getting away with swag bags full of valuables. An LAPD social media post highlights the Wi-Fi jammer-supported burglaries and provides a helpful checklist of precautions residents can take.

Criminals can easily find the hardware for Wi-Fi jamming online. It can also be cheap, with prices starting from $40. However, jammers are illegal to use in the U.S.

We have previously reported on Wi-Fi jammer-assisted burglaries in Edina, Minnesota. Criminals deployed Wi-Fi jammer(s) to ensure homeowners weren’t alerted of intrusions and that incriminating video evidence wasn’t available to investigators.

  • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.mlEnglish
    10·
    5 months ago

    If a burglar is using a wifi-jammers then the basic consumer is not going to be able to stop said burglar. Basic consumer security products aren’t designed to do anything more than keep honest people honest. It’s much harder & more expensive to prevent a determined criminal from gaining entry and would likely require rethinking housing construction from the foundation up.

    • Venator@lemmy.nzEnglish
      9·
      5 months ago

      Its also to help police with investigations. POE cameras and doorbells won’t have this specific weakness, they’ll probably still get in and steal all your valuables, but if they think thier wifi jammer is working you might get some footage thats useful for the cops…

      • suction@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        5 months ago

        Then the burglars will just upgrade to a device that sends an EMP to disable everything. If it’s worth it.

        • ✺roguetrick✺@lemmy.worldEnglish
          21·
          5 months ago

          My go to method for stealing people’s stuff is actually a neutron bomb. It keeps the property intact and all you gotta do is wait for a few months for the big gamma emitting neutron activated materials to cool off.

      • Venator@lemmy.nzEnglish
        11·
        5 months ago

        But then if they do realise you’ve got POE devices I guess they could use a laser to overheat the external cameras I guess, or nock out your power if you don’t have them on a UPS…

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          2·
          5 months ago

          I highly doubt they’ll go through that much effort. If they do notice you have POE devices, they’ll probably just go to your neighbor’s house. And that’s the whole point of this type of security, be just a bit more secure than the next person.