ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said the TikTok Kia challenge is driving up car thefts in the city, and the numbers so far this year already exceeded the total number from last year.

The videos in the viral challenge show people how to steal Kia and Hyundai models 2021 and older that use an inserted key instead of a push button ignition.

St. Pete Police Sgt. Cody Lance said thieves use a USB cable to steal the cars.

“Essentially they just tear open the steering column, damage the ignition to a point where the key’s not needed anymore, and then they force it to start,” he said. “I would not be doing my job if I showed you how it’s done. I’ll leave that to the criminal underworld to describe, but it’s not complicated, it’s not sophisticated. It’s simple to do. So simple that teenagers can do it."

According to the St. Pete Police Department, last year there were 167 car thefts in the city, compared to 222 so far this year. Almost half of those used the Tiktok Kia challenge method.

Lance said there are ways to protect yourself from car theft whether you have those make and model cars or not. The secret is simple, lock your doors. And if that doesn’t work, there’s an even older, trusty option, the Club. He cautions people to install the club device correctly to hopefully deter criminals from even attempting to break into your car.