This is the shocking moment a brazen thief steals a £48,000 Hyundai car in under 20 seconds as the owner and his young family slept soundly inside their home.
The shameless balaclava-clad thief emerges from a black vehicle parked on the neighbouring street before he confidently approaches Elliott Ingram's car.
CCTV footage from the early hours of February 2, 2025, shows the yob effortlessly open the Ioniq 5's door in a matter of seconds.
Positioning himself in the stolen car's seat, the masked man quickly reverses from the drive in north London, with both cars speeding away into the night.
It comes as recent reports emerged of thieves using Game Boy-style gadgets to steal Ioniq 5 vehicles, which are worth between £39,900 and £60,000 brand new.
Originating in South Korea - where the car manufacturer's headquarters are based - the devices are used to gain entry to the car without breaking the locks or windows.
Using the £20,000 gadget, thieves can emulate a car's valid key fob by scanning data from the vehicles 'proximity system'.
All that needs to be done to activate the 'proximity system' is a press of a button on the car's door, meaning vehicles can be swiped in minutes.
And even though the Met Police managed to retrieve the car a couple of days later, Mr Ingram, 38, told MailOnline he is 'relieved' to have cancelled the lease on the car, as it left him feeling a 'target' for other criminals.
This is the shocking moment a balaclava-clad thief steals Elliott Ingram's Hyundai Ioniq 5 from his driveway in north London
They managed to take the car within a matter of seconds using £20,000 gadget, thieves can emulate a car's valid key fob by scanning data from the vehicles 'proximity system
Even though the Met Police managed to retrieve the car a couple of days later, Mr Ingram (pictured) told MailOnline he is 'relieved' to have cancelled the lease on the car, as it left him feeling a 'target' for other criminals
'The relief comes from not having it on my driveway anymore because you feel like a sitting duck, basically, with that thing hanging outside,' he said.
'You're basically a target for criminals just by virtue of having it on the driveway. Anyone in theory can just walk up and steal it.'
He added: 'I'm very happy to have this thing [the car] out of my life.'
His wife was the first to realise the the five-figure Ioniq 5 was missing from their drive at 7am before she headed to work on the fateful day.
Also up bright and early, the digital security expert discovered that he had been logged out of the Hyundai tracking app as he scrolled his phone.
But it was only upon reviewing the CCTV footage they found out what had happened to the car they had been leasing for around £450-a-month for three years.
Recalling his shock, he said: 'It was just some dude who walked up to the car pressed the handle, and unlocked the car as if he had a key.’
Following the ordeal, the father-of-two was horrified to learn of the key emulators were becoming increasingly common - especially with Ioniq 5 Hyundai cars.
'This is a family car. It is advertised and marketed as a family and people with kids,' he said.
'It doesn't sit well with me these cars sat on driveways around the country, basically being used to bait criminals to turn up to houses where kids sleep.'
Referring to his own ordeal, he said: 'This was a very sort of targeted attack. I think the thieves knew what they were doing.
'Hyundai have lost a customer - a loyal customer of the manufacturing group.'
He added: 'I've got two young kids so I want a safe car.
'But the fact is they've implemented fundamentally weak security in the car, so essentially I've been deceived.'
When the Metropolitan Police recovered the car two days later, he discovered several miscellaneous items were missing, including rubber mats worth hundreds of pounds, as well as more insignificant items such as his glasses and phone charging cables.
Now Mr Ingram, who has paid thousands to cancel his lease and to rent another car, says he will take legal action against the car manufacturer if they do not compensate him.
He claims that Hyundai were in breach of the Consumer Rights Act as they informed him of other required modifications in the past but had failed to warn him or other owners that the car's security was compromised.
'My sort of case to Hyundai is that they should have told me about this, because keys shouldn't be optional to drive a car.' he said: 'It's a pretty standard thing.'
'I think anyone who has a car has a reasonable expectation that that car should be secure.'
In a letter to Hyundai, he wrote: 'The thief was able to enter the vehicle and steal it effortlessly in seconds. Had I been informed of this specific security risk, I could have taken additional deterrent measures, such as installing a secondary immobiliser or using a steering lock.'
Hyundai said in its response to Ingram that there was an industry-wide issue of organised criminal groups using electronic devices to illegally override smart key locking systems and it is working with police.
The manufacturer told The Guardian: 'The software and hardware updates that we have and are implementing will significantly reduce the risk of this particular form of vehicle theft occurring in the UK.
'However, this is a race against very determined, well-funded individuals who stop at nothing to steal vehicles for multiple purposes.'
Describing the ordeal as a 'scandal', Mr Ingram alleged there was a WhatsApp group of Hyundai owners who had all fallen victim to the same theft.
'For a while every morning I would log onto the cameras just to sort of see there had been any activity overnight,' he said.
'You're basically a target for criminals just by just by virtue of having it on the driveway. Anyone in theory can just walk up and steal it,' Mr Ingram said
Originating in South Korea - where the car manufacturer's headquarters are based - the devices are used to gain entry to the car without breaking the locks or windows.
Mr Ingram were sound asleep when the vehicle was taken in the early hours of February 2, 2025
Describing the ordeal as a 'scandal', he alleged there was a WhatsApp group of Hyundai owners who had all experienced the same theft
Giving his advice to future Ioniq 5 owners he said: 'I would say buy very good insurance, the best that you can afford - and buy a steering wheel lock.'
MailOnline has approached the Metropolitan Police and Hyundai for comment.
It comes after two other thieves stole the same type of car in mere minutes from Mikail's home in south London last October.
As seen in the CCTV footage, the yobs approach his keyless vehicle and effortlessly open it with an unidentified device in just seconds.
Although the 33-year-old father was able to track his vehicle down thanks to AirTags he self-installed into the car, the incident has a lasting impacted his wife and young children.
He told MailOnline: 'I was sitting on the stairs waiting for my child, then I saw the notification on the phone. I looked out the window and the car wasn't there anymore.
'When you look at the CCTV footage, they didn't come near my front door.
'They just use that device to press the button on the door handle, and it just opened up for them. It is shocking'
He added: 'My children were worried after the car had been stolen.
'They were asking questions to my wife like "If they stole the car, what happens if they come in the house?"
'Obviously my wife's trying to tell them, "Don't worry daddy's here to protect you and like that's not gonna happen", etc.'
Mikail, who lives in southwest London had been home with his wife and children for 15 minutes when brazen thugs robbed his Ioniq 5 (Pictured)
The theft, which occurred on October 19, has impacted his entire family, with his children left worried the yobs would break into their home
The thieves stole his car and drove it ten minutes away to nearby Streatham, where Mikail was later able to retrieve the vehicle
'But it's worrying to see them grow up having to witness me purchase a locking thing on the car because there are thieves.
The attempted car theft is one of the reasons why Mikail has decided he and his family will be moving abroad permanently.
'They're growing up with that [the theft] in their head, with that state of paranoia, that you need to do these things because someone might steal from you.'
Luckily the father retrieved the car from nearby Streatham thanks to air-tags he installed in the vehicle.
However he is adamant that without them, his car would have been lost forever.
'My faith in the authorities went a long time ago,' he said: 'I know if I didn't have the air tags in the car my car would probably be abroad or in a garage chop shop, or maybe still in Streatham right now.'
After locating the vehicle, he went to collect it with three family members, as per the Metropolitan Police force's advice.
'My wife didn't want me to go, because obviously these are thieves,' he said: 'You don't know what they're like.
'They could be violent, but the reality is the police are the ones saying, 'It's your car, go and get it!'.'
If the family man had not been able to locate his vehicle - thanks to air tags - he would've been left to pay a possible six figure sum to the leasing company for the vehicle
Despite having retrieved the vehicle, the impact and frustration of the attempted theft remained as Mikail felt he received very little help from Hyundai or the Metropolitan Police
When he arrived there was very minor cosmetic damage to the car, and very little mileage added to the clock.
'I could see by the mileage on the car and the percentage of the battery that it was probably driven straight from here to there. They hadn't gone on a joyride or anything.'
But despite having retrieved the vehicle, the impact and frustration of the attempted theft remained as Mikail felt there was very little done by Huyndai or the Metropolitan Police to help.
'I called Hyundai, and I called the dealership, and like no one really cares,' he said.
'It's on customers to buy additional stuff like a wheel lock, a ghost immobiliser.
'How about you [Huyndai] make the vehicles safe and secure in the first place, and at least admit to these flaws and do better.
The cyber security expert added: 'You can make anything secure. It's just have you spent the time and effort to actually try to make it secure.'
After retrieving the vehicle Mikail says his case was closed and nothing more was done to track down the criminals who had also stolen his children's bank cards.
The yobs had also nabbed Mikail's children's debit cards from the vehicle and attempted to use them at a pizza shop and a Tesco in Dulwich
The brazen criminals had also attempted to make purchases at a pizza shop and a Tesco in Dulwich with the cards.
'There has been zero deterrence for the thieves now. They've stolen a vehicle - it is a big deal,' he added.
The family man said had he not recovered his vehicle - it would have spelled financial ruin.
He explained that he would have had to pay the difference between the leasing company's and insurance's estimates of the car's value - which may have been around the six figure mark.
'I would have had to pay in this example like £10,000 to match it [the leasing company's value of the car], he said.
'I don't even have that much money like I wouldn't even be able to pay.'
However Mikail is not the only victim of keyless car thefts, as Peter Cassizzi also had his Ioniq 5 stolen from his driveway in a sleepy north London suburb in 2023.
Peter Cassizzi expected to hop in his Hyundai Ioniq 5 and head to work when he woke up on October 30, 2023.
However when he looked out to his driveway he was rudely greeted with an empty car parking space.
Peter Cassizzi's Hyundai Ioniq 5 (Pictured) was stolen from his home in north London on October 30, 2024 and later dumped a 41-minute drive away in Ilford
Panicked by the absence of his £50,000 vehicle, the 48-year-old quickly looked to his car's tracker to determine its location.
After tracing it to Ilford - a 41-minute drive from the quaint London suburb of Hampstead - he reported the theft to police, who he claims, advised him to go and retrieve the vehicle himself.
With no signs of forced entry into his Ioniq 5, Peter is convinced yobs used hacking software to break into his six-figure car and whizz away.
Speaking of his frustration, he told MailOnline: 'It was much easier to steal my car than it would have been to steal my bike.
'When you invest nearly £60,000 into a car, you don't think somebody is going to be able to just use a device to click it open and drive it away.
'You don't think you are going to wake up at 7.30 in the morning, and your car is going to be gone.'
He added: 'This is a calm neighbourhood. There's literally signs up with old people walking in a red triangle.'
'These things happen in cities, but I think the frustrating part of it that when you think about it again you start to realise that it's maybe not that much of a coincidence,' Mr Cassizzi added.
With the Metropolitan Police unable to provide much assistance, Mr Cassizzi was keen to get some answers about his freshly new car and wasn't going to let the matter - like his car - drift into the silent night.
Adam Metselaar was left enraged after his vehicle was nabbed by thugs - despite having both sets of keys safely tucked away in his home in a separate incident in April
Following the force's advice, he and his partner booked an Uber and explained to the driver that yobs had stolen the vehicle. informing him of the potentially dangerous situation that could lay ahead.
After examining the car, the lawyer determined it was drivable so informed the police ahead of taking it home.
Discussing his irritation regarding the recent spate of keyless cars thefts - several being Hyundai - he said: 'They need to do some kind of recall for a software update or something.
'Why are they not able to send out a general notice to existing owners and inform new owners.
'They should say "You should take measures to protect your vehicle. Get a steering wheel lock. So the things to dissuade your car becoming the target of this kind of crime."
'But they don't and then what that ends up, you know, coming at the cost of consumers
He added: 'I am surprised that there's no more serious political interest in in this issue, because it's deeply affecting the wallets of many constituents in this country.'
'Increasing levels of auto theft are also going to make people feel less safe in their communities.'
Mr Cassizzi claimed to be in a group chat of between eight to nine Hyundai car owners from North London who had all been hit by car thieves using similar tactics.
Thieves are now using hi-tech 'emulator(s)' tucked away in Game Boy style devices to unlock keyless cars (Stock image: A Game Boy)
It comes as a new emerged for keyless car owners after a gang of thieves used a Game Boy-style device to steal a £47,000 Hyundai Ioniq 5 in less than a minute (Pictured: Hyundai Ioniq 5)
He also alleged that a man who lived down the road from him in the sleepy north London suburb, who also owned an Ioniq 5, had also been targeted by thugs as early as September.
A Huyndai spokesperson previously said 'Car thefts using digital technologies have recently become the focused target of organised criminal groups in the UK that have come into the possession of devices to illegally override smart key locking systems. This is an industry-wide issue.
'In the short term, Hyundai, alongside other vehicle manufacturers, has been working closely with law enforcement to understand more about the circumstances and the devices used and also to help to track any vehicles so that they can be recovered as quickly as possible.
'All our vehicles feature vehicle immobilisers as standard and they meet all the necessary security standards required for vehicles to be sold in the UK.
'In addition, as part of our continuous product improvement process, we have also been actively developing updates designed to significantly reduce the risk using these specific 'keyless theft' methodologies.
'Therefore, Hyundai vehicles placed in the market in February 2024 or later have all received the latest hardware and software technology updates to mitigate the ongoing risk.
'For Ioniq 5 placed in the UK market prior to that date, we are also actively working to offer the choice of a retrospective action for existing customers.'
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police said at the time: 'The Met recognises the impact that motor vehicle crime can have on victims, especially those who rely on vehicles for either means of employment or the routine of daily life.
'Any allegation of crime reported to the police will be assessed to see if there are any viable lines of enquiry including forensic opportunities that can be progressed.
'There are several measures that motorists can take to protect their vehicles and keep their contents safe, such as fitting a steering lock which can act as a visible deterrent, and keeping electronic car keys in a signal blocking pouch when not in use.
'Here's what you can do to help keep your vehicle safe: Always leave your car locked and secured. Lots of modern vehicles fold in their wing mirrors when locked – so very easy for thieves to spot when a vehicle has not been locked.
'Take valuables with you when you leave the vehicle. Consider investing in steering wheel locks, pedal locks, immobilisers and tracking devices.
'Key fob protectors (Faraday bags) help prevent keyless car thefts. Consider installing driveway posts.'
Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director at The Motor Ombudsman, said: 'With the motor industry being self-regulated through The Motor Ombudsman's Chartered Trading Standards Institute-approved Motor Industry Codes of Practice,
'The Motor Ombudsman's long-established New Car Code, which is adhered to by 46 different carmakers covering 98 percent of new cars sold in the UK, stipulates that new cars supplied to retailers must be manufactured to a high quality standard which will meet a customer's expectations.
CCTV of the gang stealing a car using the disguised device
Pictured: Members of a keyless car theft gang who stole £2m worth of vehicles over four years have been jailed for nearly a decade between them
'Whilst vehicle manufacturers continue to invest in the enhancement of security systems to deliver a high standard of security, technological innovation on its own cannot prevent all theft - especially with the often-sophisticated practices used by organised crime gangs behind many of these keyless thefts.
'The sector also continues to work closely with the police, insurance industry and other security stakeholders to tackle vehicle crime and to help drive down the occurrence of vehicle theft.'
Bill added: 'In instances where a complaint has been made by a consumer about software being compromised to gain entry into a vehicle, and its subsequent theft, The Motor Ombudsman is able to look at cases where a consumer deems that the security systems used in the vehicle were not of satisfactory quality from their perspective.
'With The Motor Ombudsman being a fully independent and impartial organisation, any associated evidence submitted by a consumer and business for their individual case is given equal weight to come to a decision in response to a specific complaint.'
It is understood that the Motor Ombudsman is unable to investigate any criminal offences that have occurred or thefts themselves.
