Man Disables More Than 100 Cars Over Internet
Car manufacturers often tout the peace of mind that comes
from GPS devices that can
help you recover a stolen car, unlock your car doors, etc. When used in the
wrong hands, however, these devices can wreak havoc. After a man who was fired
from a Texas auto dealership used an Internet service to remotely disable
ignitions and set off car horns of more than 100 vehicles, the downfalls of
these devices are quite apparent.
Omar Ramos-Lopez was arrested by Austin police on Wednesday after he used a former colleague's password to deactivate starters and set off car horns of vehicles sold from his former workplace. After their cars were deactivated, several owners said they had to call tow trucks and were left stranded. "He caused these customers, now victims, to miss work," Austin police spokeswoman Veneza Aguinaga said. "They didn't get paid. They had to get tow trucks. They didn't know what was going on with their vehicles."
The vehicles had GPS devices that were installed by the Texas Auto Center dealership in Austin. The devices are designed to be used to repossess a car if a buyer is overdue on payments. They also allow repo agents to activate the car horn if an owner attempts to hide the car.
In mid-February, dealership employees noticed someone was changing business records. One record even showed dead rapper Tupac Shakur as the owner of a 2009 vehicle. Soon after the changed records were discovered, customers began calling to complain their cars wouldn't start or the horn was going off incessantly. Originally, the dealership believed the cars had mechanical problems. Eventually, police were able to trace the sabotage to Ramos-Lopez's computer.
Omar Ramos-Lopez was arrested by Austin police on Wednesday after he used a former colleague's password to deactivate starters and set off car horns of vehicles sold from his former workplace. After their cars were deactivated, several owners said they had to call tow trucks and were left stranded. "He caused these customers, now victims, to miss work," Austin police spokeswoman Veneza Aguinaga said. "They didn't get paid. They had to get tow trucks. They didn't know what was going on with their vehicles."
The vehicles had GPS devices that were installed by the Texas Auto Center dealership in Austin. The devices are designed to be used to repossess a car if a buyer is overdue on payments. They also allow repo agents to activate the car horn if an owner attempts to hide the car.
In mid-February, dealership employees noticed someone was changing business records. One record even showed dead rapper Tupac Shakur as the owner of a 2009 vehicle. Soon after the changed records were discovered, customers began calling to complain their cars wouldn't start or the horn was going off incessantly. Originally, the dealership believed the cars had mechanical problems. Eventually, police were able to trace the sabotage to Ramos-Lopez's computer.
