Kia and Hyundai cars stolen at alarming rate using USB cables because of TikTok’s ‘Kia Challenge’
Not only is car theft on the rise, in general, but the way people steal cars is becoming increasingly complex. Our obsession with everything remote-controlled is coming back to bite us. Kia and Hyundai owners are at risk of having their car stolen using a USB cable thanks to the gruesome new TikTok “Kia Challenge”.
What is the TikTok “Kia Challenge?”
According Self-evolution, the Kia Challenge emerged after a video uploaded to TikTok of someone starting a Kia with a USB cable went viral. Today Kia and Hyundai owners are reporting that their cars have been stolen at an alarming rate.
Do people really do the Kia Challenge?
Kia and Hyundai owner stories grow like weeds. An Indiana woman recently reported finding her Kia with the driver’s window smashed, the steering column disassembled, and a USB cable in the front. Luckily, the Kia Challenge didn’t work for the vandals. They seem to have figured out how to use the USB cable to start the car. Even though they failed to steal the car, the owner still has to repair all the damage.
In addition to the damage, would-be car thieves also stole two bicycles, the owner’s wallet and juice cans.
A Kentucky woman named Hannah Reitz recently reported her car stolen.
“We were in an Airbnb located in Butchertown, Louisville. We were parked right in front of the Airbnb. I left for dinner in an Uber, came back and noticed the car wasn’t there,” Reitz said.
According CBS WKYT, she initially thought her car had been towed away. Seeing how mismatched it was, the realization set in that it had been stolen.
“It was definitely a moment of panic. A bit of tears, a bit of, ‘what am I doing?’ Then from there, calm down, call 911 and follow the steps to a stolen vehicle,” Reitz said.
Can you really start a Kia or a Hyundai with a USB cable?
Investigators call this bizarre hot-wiring tactic a “design flaw” that leaves South Korean cars vulnerable.
“I had never heard of this trend. I learned about the trend after it ended. So it’s a floating TikTok trend. I’m not on TikTok because I’m not a kid who has all this time,” Reitz said.
Investigators managed to recover her car, but it is being impounded until the investigation is complete. Authorities warn that any Kia newer than 2011 or Hyundai newer than 2015 are the cars most susceptible to this strange theft trend.
RELATED: Consumer Reports Tips on Preventing Car Theft
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