There’s been a number of car robberies in Ballard and Magnolia over the past few days in which the cars were discovered locked, but possessions were taken. It’s believed the thieves are using technology to capture the auto-locking codes used by remote-entry key fobs, allowing them to break in cleanly, with no window-smashing.

Kiro 7 reports that while Seattle Police don’t have evidence of this type of break-in, the technology is available. Greg Miller of car alarm company S3 Designs told Kiro there are several ways it could work, but it would likely be a “code-grabbing device” that would steal the signal from a key fob, so long as it’s within range.

A number of Ballard residents have chimed in on a post about the break-ins on the Nextdoor forum, with some suggestions that people keep their keys in aluminum foil or in the microwave to avoid having the signal nabbed by passing thieves. However, the best way to avoid a break-in is to keep all possessions out of sight or in your home.