A new challenge is here on TikTok, and it is not good news for car owners in the United States. A number of cars have been stolen all around the country following a dangerous challenge on the social media app that asks teenagers to steal a specific type of cars using just a USB cord.
According to the police, the main target of the challenge are 2010-2021 Kia and Hyundai cars which still use mechanical keys and not electronic systems. It makes it more vulnerable to theft and the challenge asks the users on the app to take advantage of that and steal it using minimal tools.
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In Los Angeles, the theft of these cars has gone up by almost 85 per cent in the last year while in parts of Florida, the Kia and Hyundai cars account for around one third of all stolen cars. A similar trend can also be seen in Chicago and many other places in the country, CNBC reported.
“In our jurisdiction alone, [thefts of certain models are] up over 800% in the last month,” Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told CNBC. “We see no end in sight.”
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“The viral nature of how this has taken off on social media — it’s accelerated like we’ve never seen. The perpetrators are doing it in 20 to 30 seconds. It literally is as old-fashioned as you can imagine.”
The thieves are taking videos of all their acts and posting on TikTok using the hashtag “Kia Boys”. It has become a major trend over time and right now, the hashtag has around 33 million views.
