Stealing a car by holding a bag up to the front door.

[oragex]

I put in my wallet a foil of aluminum, for this reason. they have to be really close to the wallet, basically touching him with a reader but that can happen in a busy place. not sure if the aluminum would prevent the cards from being read, I may want to try at the supermarket

[Whippy]

I sleep in an aluminium foil hat, stops 'them' reading my brainwaves and finding out where I left the keys. Can't be too careful can you?

[canis]

Yes, as the last post on page 2 said, ideally the metal shielding should be grounded. Sorry i can't remember who it was, but respect anyway.

Obviously this introduces a portability problem, but I may have a solution. Years ago, in order to detect if an ioniser was working (new-age faddy device designed to make us all healthy and happy, but everyone has since forgotten about) but to see if it was working I connected a simple neon with a simple disc capacitor. It spent the next five years sat on my kitchen wall, flashing occasionally. Don't know what happened to it.

The way it works, is that a neon (the kind you found for "mains-on" indicator lights in old freezers and such-like) a neon will remain open circuit up to about 50 volts, so the capacitor gathers stray ions, becomming charged gradually, until a 50 volt potential is achieved, the neon glows and the capacitor becomes discharged, the neon extinguishes and goes open circuit again and the capacitor begins charging again. From thin air!

So you could build a simple wallet shield this way, creating a pocket. One side gathering stray positives, the other side gathering stray negatives, and then consuming them all harmlessly, turning them into light as an alternative to earthing.

Two sheets of aluminium, a reasonably large disc capacitor, and a neon bulb.

Just an idea.

[christheancient]

Credit cards etc...

I use one of these... ebay item 281451002845 Dead easy to slip into a trouser pocket (as if anybody would want to be rummaging in there while I'm wearing them!).

Car keys...

Not having one of those new soopa doopa types of fobs, I just make sure I keep my car keys in a less than obvious place at home these days. Though, once upon a time when there was more than one car and things like shed/garage/back door/patio doors/outhouse/ladders etc keys to worry about, one of the kitchen cupboards was modified to have a very discrete lock on it and hooks on the inside to hang all the different keys on. With RFID fobs these days, perhaps some sort of screening would also be needed.

But if I did have one of those RFID fobs, a metal box (earthed) in a discrete location would make a neat answer; but the box should also be sort of hidden and not obvious as such. Perhaps something on the lines of a hollowed-out, hard-back book with a tin (an old tobacco tin could be ideal) in a book case that is not near a door or a window would be sufficient?

[tt82]

It's interesting that so many members advocate hiding the car keys. I seemed to recall a while ago that police advise was take the keys out of sight of any windows (prevent any hook on a pole style thefts of the keys), but make it so that once an intruder was in the house, the keys were easily seen. The rationale was that it is better to lose the car, than be put in a situation were you may have to confront an intruder.

As there has been yet another car owner, killed by car thieves stealing the car from his house at night in my local neck of the woods, see here.., I'm quite apt to take their advice.

[Simon Jones]

As a variation on the theme: have a metal box but wired live to the mains with a suitable isolation switch. That way, the thief will (literally) get a shock when they try to access it.

Obviously, don't try this at home if you're very forgetful or prone to being a bit stupid

[niggly]

You could use a Stoplock. On a £60k Beemer would look the part Painted in M-Power colours. Better than on Sid and Doris's 2001 Nissan Micra.
Suppose it would nullify some of the benefits of the key-less go.

[soupytwister]

Originally Posted by tt82

It's interesting that so many members advocate hiding the car keys. I seemed to recall a while ago that police advise was take the keys out of sight of any windows (prevent any hook on a pole style thefts of the keys), but make it so that once an intruder was in the house, the keys were easily seen. The rationale was that it is better to lose the car, than be put in a situation were you may have to confront an intruder.

Would tend to agree. It's what you have insurance for. A car is a bit of metal and plastic. No point risking your life over it. I know some like to "stand their ground" to these lowlife, but is it worth it? To have the kids confronted by an aggressive irrational opportunist shouting "where's the key" is not something i'd want - it's life scarring. I'd rather they took the car with ease if they find their way into the house, and i'll sort it out with the insurance company at a later date. It's why we pay good money for insurance after all...

Call me weak or a scaredy cat if you like. I value life over the unpredictability of a lowlife, a knife, a fist, or indeed any other weapon! It's a car....

[GreenBrick]

Having been a victim of crime, having the window right next to me, put through, by idiots who though we were all in bed, I would prefer not to have had that experience at the cost of a car that can be replaced. You can replace a car, but not erase memories.

Unless the car that was stolen was the source of a lot of good memories, then what?

[Simon Jones]

Originally Posted by GreenBrick

Unless the car that was stolen was the source of a lot of good memories, then what?

Or a hearse with 'cargo' on board.