WORCESTER, Mass — Worcester police are warning residents who drive Hyundai and Kia cars that they may be at risk of their cars being stolen due to a viral trend on TikTok.
Worcester police say 24 Hyundais and 12 Kia vehicles have been stolen since November 1. The rash of car thefts seems to have spawned from a TikTok challenge that takes advantage of a security vulnerability in some models.
Hyundais and Kias account for 25% of the city’s total car thefts over that period with the Hyundai Elantrana being the most targetted car, according to Worcester police.
While the thefts have occurred throughout the city, police say there are two hot spots: one near the area of Chandler and Austin Street and more recently the downtown area of Front Street and Commerical Street between the garages at 145 Front Street and 201 Commerical Street and the Worcester Public Library.
Worcester police provided the following tips to keep your car safe:
- Contact your local dealership to see if your vehicle qualifies for the software update and/or retrofit kit
- Use a steering wheel club
- Park in a well-lit area
- Install a battery disconnect switch
- Install a kill switch
- Lock all windows and doors
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