Unknowns manipulate Mercedes in Rheinsberg: the alarm saves the car!

Unknowns manipulate Mercedes in Rheinsberg: the alarm saves the car!

In the night from June 9, 2025, there was an attempted intervention on a parked Mercedes in a hotel car park in Rheinsberg. The vehicle owner, a 59-year-old man, received a notification of an irregularity on his car via an app. An attentive witness heard an acoustic alarm from the vehicle and noticed an unknown car that drove from the parking lot at high speed. Police officers who were quickly alerted found that the wheel bolts had been removed on two tires of the Mercedes. Fortunately, there was no damage because the tires remained on the vehicle. The perpetrators apparently had enough time to give up their plans after they were disturbed by the alarm and the witness's attention, such as MAZ reports .

Another incident that shows how vulnerable vehicles are today, occurred on April 10, 2025 in Wörth am Main. Here an attempted shop theft was prevented in a Lidl market. An employee watched a man who passed the cash register area with a fully loaded shopping cart without paying. After talking to him, the man left the goods worth over 600 euros and fled. However, the police could no longer find the refugees. In addition, the Obernburg police are looking for witnesses to another incident in Elsenfeld, in which a parked Mercedes was hit, and in Großwallstadt a laptop was stolen from a vehicle My news reports .

The increasing vehicle crime

The increased number of vehicle thefts in Germany is alarming. In 2023, the number of stolen cars rose to 15,924 cases, which corresponds to an increase of about 9 % compared to the previous year. Vehicles of Asian manufacturers such as Toyota, Hyundai and Kia are particularly affected. Thieves often have a special focus on SUVs and mid -range cars, while small vans at risk of theft have increased by 48.4 %. Safety measures such as GPS trackers are strongly recommended to localize stolen vehicles faster and prevent the perpetrators from carrying out their actions undisturbed, so Deutschland/"> Authora.

Another problem is modern vehicles with keyless go systems that have become increasingly the target of relay attacks. Here, thieves use special radio amplifiers to extend the key signal and gain unauthorized access to the vehicles. Interpol has taken many international measures to combat vehicle theft, including the Operation Carback, which ensured the identification of over 1,100 stolen vehicles in 77 countries.

The problem of vehicle crime affects both private individuals and companies in Germany and requires increased prevention measures to increase the safety of the vehicles and prevent thefts.