Homeowners with surveillance cameras and alarm systems should be vigilant regarding a new and sophisticated criminal trend in Miami-Dade County, as authorities have reported that some criminals are using Wi-Fi jammers to disable these security systems.
Roger Williams, a resident of the Four Ambassadors condominiums in Brickell, recounted to Local 10 how he became a victim of such a robbery.
The man, with a camera installed on his doorbell, explained that the camera recorded two deliveries, but hours later, a man was seen loitering around the packages.
"You see, there's no one in front of my door and suddenly, poof!, they disappear," Williams recounted.
Williams suspects that this individual, whom he describes as a "pirate," used a clever method.
"I believe they may have used some kind of modifier on my internet connection," said Williams, who was out of town when the intruder appeared.
"He could be seen doing something on his phone and then he disappeared around the corner," Williams recounted.
After that, the camera signal was suddenly interrupted. When it was restored, the packages had already disappeared.
In the surveillance video, Williams claims that the alleged thief can be seen in the elevator. He is carrying what appears to be the stolen packages in a bag, just as the camera signal was interrupted.
Williams contacted the company responsible for the camera on his doorbell to get answers.
“They told me that the signal had degraded during that period, but they couldn’t say whether it was hacked or anything like that; they simply blamed my internet connection,” he lamented.
The Miami Police Department continues to investigate the robbery, although the theory that the criminals may be using Wi-Fi blockers is not far-fetched.
California police had already warned residents in the state about this practice early last spring.
“As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, we need to evolve,” warned Rafael Horta, a police officer in Miami.
"Cameras with an SD card that will continue recording even when not connected to Wi-Fi are always a great idea, or a traditional camera with a wired connection," he added.
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