A family living in southwest Calgary is warning others after they caught something suspicious on their home security camera.
Video shows a stranger casually walking up to their garage door in the Evergreen neighbourhood. He pulls something out of his pocket and puts it up against the PIN pad at the side of the garage. Homeowner, Srini Sundaram, saw it unfold and decided to confront him.
“I came out running and asked, ‘What are you doing?’ By the time I got out there, they were gone and he just said, ‘I’m just waiting for somebody,’ ” Srini said. “I wanted him to see that I noticed.”
His daughter, Swetha Sundaram, called 911.
“I was pretty scared. I thought he was going to break in,” Swetha said.
The man never got inside the garage and hasn’t returned since, but the Sundarams said the most unnerving part is how easy it could have been. They suspect the stranger was using some kind of device that electronically captures the numbered code used to get into the garage.
“There should be a ban on selling these devices that are easy to get online. It’s under 30 bucks with free shipping,” Swetha said. “Another website says you can use a children’s toy by modifying the antenna and it makes it easier to break into garage doors.”
“I don’t know how many houses they have taken this code [from] but I thought it would be good for general public to know about it and be more vigilant,” Srini said.
The family is planning on getting additional cameras and have installed a latch inside the garage so it cannot be opened from any remote device.