How your GPS can work against you

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2009-04-14

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In the U.S. an estimated 1.5 million cars are equipped with GPS navigation systems. In a recent experiment, ABC's Good morning America program (GMA) did a little experiment to show how this navigation aid could be used to help a thief find the car owner's home and gain easy access to it.

While the Purdue family of Houston, Texas, attended a little league game, GMA's security expert Bill Stanton took their car and navigated to "home" which the Purdue's had conveniently programmed into the GPS. In 10 minutes he was in their driveway. A few seconds later, using the remote garage door opener, he was in their garage, and then into their house through an unlocked door.

Including the typical couple of minutes it takes an expert car thief to steal a car, the whole operation of executing the burglary could have been carried out in less than 30 minutes.

People often don't use the security they already have at their disposal, Stanton observed.

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