UPPER PROVIDENCE TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Police in Montgomery County are searching for thieves accused of using technology to clone the signals of key fobs to unlock and steal several vehicles in Royersford, Pennsylvania.
Action News has been covering similar cases since early last year in different areas of the suburbs from Gulph Mills Upper Merion, to Conshohocken and now in Upper Providence Township.
ALSO SEE: Pa. AG issues warning after Philly group allegedly used cloned key fobs to steal cars
Police said three people seen walking in surveillance video might be responsible for stealing three Hondas during the overnight hours of Wednesday into Thursday morning.
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They said it happened in the Royerford area of Roboda Blvd. and Vaughn Rd.
One resident said, “You’d think if you lock your doors, you’re safe but apparently they’re always one step ahead.”
Police said the thieves are targeting modern cars with keyless entry and do not need the actual fob to pull it off.
They stand near someone’s home and use a device that clones the signal of a fob that might be in someone’s entryway, giving the thieves the ability to unlock and start the vehicle.
“It sounds more sophisticated like planned out like people are scoping the place out kind of thing. That’s what it feels like,” another resident said.
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Man shares warning after car was stolen without key fob
Upper Providence police said there’s been an increase in these types of thefts.
So far this year six vehicles, mostly Hondas have been stolen in the township, compared to 11 thefts for all of last year, according to police.
“Unfortunately, today with the technology available to criminals, I don’t know if there’s a sure-fire way of ever stopping this however you can use some sort of device to lock the steering wheel,” said Detective Sgt. Patrick Haines.
Haines said you can put your key fobs in a faraday bag or faraday box, which blocks the signal from being detected.
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It’s also suggested that you register for any tracking features that come with the car or even place an Apple Air tag in the vehicle to track it if it’s stolen.
FILE – Powerball logo displayed on a phone screen and coins are seen in this illustration photo.
PHILADELPHIA – A Powerball ticket sold in Pennsylvania matched five numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing, winning $1 million, according to lottery officials.
What we know:
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The Pennsylvania ticket was one of several nationwide that matched all five white balls. The ticket did not include the Power Play multiplier.
Because no one matched all six numbers, the Powerball jackpot continues to climb. The next drawing will feature an estimated $1.5 billion jackpot, with a cash option of $689.3 million.
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Winning numbers (Dec. 17, 2025)
25 – 33 – 53 – 62 – 66
Powerball: 17
Power Play: 4x
The Pennsylvania Lottery has not yet announced where the winning ticket was sold.
What’s next:
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The next Powerball drawing takes place Saturday night, Dec. 20. The estimated jackpot is an astounding $1.5 billion.
The Source: This article is based on official Powerball drawing results.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
