A carer who had her keyless Toyota stolen by “headlight hackers” says she's been left feeling “violated and unsafe”.

Kaye Milne, from Howard Road in Dartford, says her life became a “nightmare” after car thieves, who were caught on CCTV, stole her vehicle

The 46-year-old said: “It happened at 12.30am on January 2. I went outside at 9.30am that day and couldn’t believe it, the car wasn’t there.

“I knocked on my neighbor's door and they said they didn’t hear anything, not even a car alarm.

“She told me that someone nearby had CCTV and I could see what had happened.

“That’s when I saw two men in balaclavas stealing my car by going through its headlight. It took them 127 seconds.”

According to ExtremeTech, a technology weblog, the “headlight hacking” method involves accessing a car’s Controller Area Network bus, a system that allows multiple devices within a vehicle build to communicate with each other in real-time.

An article on the website states: “Thieves have identified the headlight module as an easy entry point into a vehicle’s CAN bus system.

“By wiring in a tool, disguised as a Bluetooth speaker and sold on the dark web, thieves can mimic the vehicle’s key fob.

“Pressing ‘play’ instructs the vehicle’s door electronic control unit (ECU) to unlock.

“Since many newer cars offer a remote start function, the fake speaker can also start the ignition.

“Because the CAN bus interprets each command as one from a key fob, the vehicle’s security systems are none the wiser.”

Kaye, who is a full-time carer for her 83-year-old mum, said she had no idea “headlight hacking” was something that could happen to keyless cars.

She said: ”It has been a manic two weeks since the car was stolen. It’s been a nightmare.

“I had no idea about headlight hacking but now I’m trying to tell everyone about it.

“The dealership never said anything about how poor the security of the car was when I bought it.

“It is a car that cost little over £30k with 21,000 miles on it, you’d think they’d target something like a Porsche or a Land Rover.”

However, Kaye says the loss of her car has also left her with psychological woes.

She said: “The shock of losing my car meant I couldn’t sleep for two nights.

“It makes you feel unsafe, on edge, especially as they were in balaclavas.

“I couldn’t get a hire care for two days after mine was stolen so I had to cancel my mum's medical appointments as we couldn’t get to them. It is horrendous.”

Despite this Kaye did explain that her insurance company was “brilliant” and she has now got a new car – one with a key as she “won’t be going keyless any more”.

She added: “The cars have pathetic security.

“It was brand new in 2021, you’d have thought they’d have stolen it then, not now it is three years old.

“If I’d known it was so easy to steal I wouldn’t have bought it. It’s like a personal attack, I feel violated.

“I’ve lived here for 17 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.”

A police spokesman confirmed the force received a report at 9.51am on Tuesday, January 2, that a vehicle had been stolen overnight while it was parked in Howard Road, Dartford.

They said: “Officers have made enquiries, including reviewing CCTV. However, no suspects have yet been identified. Police will review any further information should it be received.”