Scammers hack cars to steal them. The gendarmerie has just dismantled a network of thieves which raged in Gironde and Dordogne, in Bergerac. The technique used is called “mouse jacking”, mouse flight in French, in reference to the computer mouse. Thieves use electronic boxes to leave with the cars, without break-ins. Eleven suspects were arrested on November 5, notably in Dordogne.
Around thirty cars stolen, including several in Bergerac
The scammers are extremely well-rehearsed. In the team, everyone has a very specific role. First, there are the thieves. They spot modern, recent cars in the streets. They open them with an iron rod. Once inside, piracy begin. Thieves connect an electronic box on the vehicle diagnostic socket. This is what mechanics usually use to take control of the car when it needs to be repaired.
Except that here, the idea is not to do troubleshooting. The scammers have planned a key, already configured. When they take control of the car, they make it only respond to their key. So they can start, and leave with it. That's how they stole around thirty cars, dont “several in Bergerac”according to the Libourne public prosecutor's office, which led the investigation. Among the stolen models, a Volkswagen Multivan or a DS7. Models worth more than €50,000.
The scammers then change the license plates
The crooks then have a technique to erase all traces of the theft. This is where another type of scammer comes into play. The gendarmes from the Bordeaux research section who carried out the investigation call them the “SIVers”for SIV: vehicle registration system. These are fake mechanics, who do not repair cars, but who have obtained authorization to modify the administrative identity of vehicles. Concretely, this allows them to change license plates stolen cars. Even when victims file a complaint, the vehicles remain very difficult to find, because their registration has disappeared. The fences then enter the track to resell the cars.
The investigation began at the start of 2024. After several months of investigations, a vast operation was carried out on Tuesday November 5, in Bergeracois in Dordogne, but also in Gironde, in Aisne, the Alps- Maritimes, and in Seine-Saint-Denis. Of the eleven people arrested, five were indicted and placed in pre-trial detention.
