Any car equipped with electronic locks is at risk from signal jammers.

There has been an appeal for South Africans to help identify the person seen in the video about the signal jammer and how it works.

The video was shared widely on social media and quickly went viral.

It is unclear who this person is, but Crime in SA on Twitter plagiarized a post from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and appealed to South Africans to come forward with information about the person.

"Unidentified individuals are showing off signal jammers on social media. These devices are used by criminals to block tracking devices and cell phone signals. Let's help police identify this person of interest."

While some comments on the post claim possessing the device is not a crime, crimes in South Australia suggest otherwise.

“Some people are saying that this man cannot be arrested because he has such a device, let us put their doubts to rest. Failure to provide satisfactory service under section 82 of Act 129 of the Third Amendment Act 1993 reports of possession of equipment or items.

"Any person who is in possession of a device or article which is reasonably suspected to have been used or intended to be used to break into or unlawfully enter a motor vehicle, but who is unable to do so; any person who can satisfactorily prove that possession of such device or article , that is, committing a criminal offence," he tweeted.

How signal jammers work

Any vehicle with electronic locks carries the risk of signal interference.

Since signal cell phone blocker are widely available on the Internet, this gadget prevents telematics devices from transmitting their location to vehicle tracking service providers.

Criminals buy illegal GSM and gps jamming devices on the black market and then use them to hijack vehicles and trucks.

These devices can be small handheld devices or large industrial jamming devices the size of a briefcase.

Most jamming devices simply plug into a vehicle's cigarette lighter to block all tracking signals.

"This results in the control center losing contact with the vehicle. The vehicle tracking system only shows the vehicle's last position before the signal was lost.

“Many different types of devices are susceptible to signal interference, including smartphones, remote controls and tracking devices.

“The signals these jamming devices emit on the GSM or GPS frequencies prevent tracking devices in the vehicle from receiving and transmitting messages, thereby blocking the positioning signal.

“The tracking device may be disabled without the driver even being aware”.

Four Ways to Prevent Long Range or Signal Interference

1. Physically check that your vehicle is locked, even if you locked it with the remote control.
2. Keep valuables out of sight and, if possible, in the trunk of your vehicle.
3. Please put away your valuables before parking. Put them in the trunk before you start your journey rather than putting them in the suitcase when you arrive at your destination where someone may be watching.
4. If you are unable to lock your vehicle for any reason, move to another location.