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TikTok challenge spurs rise in thefts of Kia, Hyundai cars

Thieves are targeting certain makes and models of 2010-2021 Kia and Hyundai vehicles that use a mechanical key, not a key fob and push-button to start the car.

The thieves are mainly young teens who use a USB cord to hot wire the car.
They post videos stealing and driving the cars on social media using the hashtag “Kia Boys” — which has more than 33 million views on TikTok.

A dangerous challenge spreading on TikTok and other social media platforms has car owners and police departments on alert across the country — challenging young teens to steal certain cars off the street using a USB cord.

The target? Certain makes and models of 2010-2021 Kia and Hyundai vehicles that use a mechanical key, not a key fob and push-button to start the car. Investigators tell CNBC the trend started last year and the number of cars being stolen is continuing to surge across the country.

In St. Petersburg, Florida, police reported more than a third of all car thefts there since mid-July are linked to the TikTok challenge. Los Angeles officials say the viral trend has led to an 85% increase in car theft of Hyundais and Kias compared with last year.

The story is the same in Chicago, according to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.

“In our jurisdiction alone, [thefts of certain models are] up over 800% in the last month,” he said. “We see no end in sight.”

The trend challenges teens to steal a car off the street by breaking into the car, popping off the steering wheel column and hot wiring the vehicle using a USB cable, similar to the wire used to charge a phone.

“The viral nature of how this has taken off on social media — it’s accelerated this like we’ve never seen,” Dart said. ”[The perpetrators are] doing it in 20 to 30 seconds. It literally is as old-fashioned as you can imagine.”

Dart told CNBC the thieves are mainly young teens — some, not even old enough to legally drive. The stolen cars are often used for joyrides, or used to commit other crimes and then abandoned on the side of the road, he said.

“We had an 11-year-old who was one of our most prolific stealers … the notion that they can drive is a fantasy,” Dart said.

The thieves post videos online of stealing and driving the cars, using the hashtag “Kia Boys” — which has more than 33 million views on TikTok. The social media company said in a statement it “does not condone this behavior which violates our policies and will be removed if found on our platform.”

Illinois resident Karen Perkins said her 2019 Kia Sorrento was stolen from in front of her apartment on Aug. 6.

“I looked out the window and realized my car was gone,”

Shout out to Tom Gerszewski, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based filmmaker who tracks the viral crime spree on his YouTube channel in the “Kia Boys Documentary,” which has already topped 3.7 million views.

sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/08/tiktok-challenge-spurs-rise-in-thefts-of-kia-hyundai-cars.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbTrLyqL_nw

https://www.tiktok.com/@unknown_siah5/video/7115617341366586670?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7115617341366586670&lang=en

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/it-affects-millions-of-people-class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-hyundai-kia-alleging-ease-of-theft/ar-AA11zS6m

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