GARDAI are warning people of a scam where people locking their cars by clicking the button on their key, have their code cloned by nearby would-be thieves.

The scam which has been going on in the Midlands and Dublin area, but hasn’t been experienced in Kerry yet, involves thieves sitting in nearby vehicles, waiting for motorist to ‘zap’ their cars locked.

At the same time, the scammers press their own zapper and are somehow able to clone the electronic code.

Then one of the scammers follows the motorist to make sure they don’t come back early to catch the thieves entering the car and stealing possessions.

Gardai are advising people to lock their cars manually with their keys whenever possible, rather than using the button.