THIEVES who cloned a Finchley driver's keys to break into her car have been filmed in the act.

Susan Franks, 50, thought she was going mad when she kept finding her BMW saloon unlocked outside her house.

But last Tuesday she found evidence someone had been inside her car and phoned the police - who told her the crooks had used a sophisticated "grabbing" device to exploit the vehicle's keyless entry system.

The equipment is believed to have been hidden in bushes near her home so it could access signals sent from her key fob to the car.

This gadget would allow the thieves to unlock her car each time they returned by replaying the cloned signal.

Mrs Franks has video footage of the men using the device, having recently installed a CCTV camera at her house.

She said: "I noticed someone had been in my car last Tuesday, but there was no sign of a break-in.

"I later checked the CCTV and saw two men in baseball caps and jeans, maybe 17 or 18 years old, circling the car at around 3.30am and then easily opening the door.

"I'm very worried about it. It's very concerning, and I have no idea what to do about it.

"I don't feel safe anymore."

The part-time actress said the same thing had happened to several neighbours and friends, all of whom owned BMW and Mercedes cars.

But when she called BMW, she was told the only solutions were to buy a new lock for £1,200 or have the key re-coded for £81.

"But what's the point in doing that?" she said. "They'll only come back and re-clone it again."

Police are investigating.