Tiktok-inspired 'Kia Boys' car thefts could be a $600 million problem, according to a new court document

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Screenshots of Kia challenge hacks
TikTokers have suggested a "hack" to get a Kia or Hyundai car started without the key.

@negasi_enterprise999/@sophiestumbles/@roos_4_ever/TikTok

Thieves can steal a car in minutes by hacking it through its headlights with devices sold online, experts warn

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A car headlight.
Car thefts are on the rise in the US — and some thieves are finding access through headlights.

Peter Cade/Getty Images

Criminals are stealing hundreds of thousands of Kias and Hyundais — and TikTok is to blame

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A Kia Sportage is shown with three phones blocking it. Inside the phone screens, the car has disappeared, and its outline is shown by a dotted line.
Car thefts are booming thanks to a viral TikTok that exposed a vulnerability in certain Kia and Hyundai models.

iStock; Robyn Phelps/Insider

How a viral video sparked the theft of hundreds of thousands of cars

Gone in 40 seconds: Kentucky police arrest teenage suspect following $600,000 multiple car heist that took less than a minute

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two suspected thieves enter car dealership with Dodge Challengers
Three hooded individuals can be seen in the surveillance footage circulating social media, but only one suspect has been arrested so far, officials said.

WHAS

Kia and Hyundai are rolling out software upgrades for models targeted by a viral challenge that taught people how to steal them

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2021 Hyundai Elantra
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra is one of the models eligible for the free anti-theft software update in June.

Hyundai

Some Kia and Hyundai models get stolen so often that State Farm and Progressive said they'll no longer insure them in some cities

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the front and left side of a red 2013 kia sportage driving on a road with grass in the foreground and trees in the background
The 2013 Kia Sportage is one of the models being targeted by car thieves.

Kia

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