A sharepic is currently circulating again with the claim that key fobs with built-in tracking chips are being distributed.

The key fob would lead criminals from the gas station to the house, where they would then break in. However, this story is false news.

This is the text here:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

!!! A warning to “everyone”!!!

Currently, free key rings, small jewelry for the car, etc. are offered in many places - at gas stations or in parking lots!

Do not accept these items!!! There is a chip processed into it.
Criminals follow you from the gas station to your home so that they can determine when you are home or not.
Then when you're away, they'll take the opportunity to break in!

According to the police, this manner is the work of Romanian criminals!
A new type of crime.

Please also inform your friends and acquaintances!

The fact check

The text has been in circulation since at least 2008. Since then he has repeatedly appeared on Facebook and WhatsApp. The claim is circulated as text or mostly as a graphic and probably comes from English-speaking countries and was still sent by email at the time - older than Facebook.

But where does this claim come from?

[mk_ad]

The gas station chain Caltex (a brand of the US oil company Chevron) distributed key rings at its gas stations in South Africa in 2008 to advertise its premium diesel fuel. The first rumors soon emerged about what mysterious functions it might contain.

The rumor mill was already bubbling between 2008 and 2010

URGENT PLEASE REPOST people at gas stations giving out key chains.. but the key chains have tracking devices to track u too ur house so they can rob u blind.. please pass this on too everyone on ur friends list please.. it could be ur mother or father that will accept one of them from these ……people!!!!!

This gave rise to the legends that emerged in the USA in 2010 and also made it to Germany and Austria.

In 2012, the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office warned of this false report for the first time:

Conclusion:

The text is false news based on a rumor and has been circulating since 2008. So there are currently no key fobs being handed out, especially not ones that contain chips...

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )