FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Police in Florham Park, N.J., are warning residents that robbers may be using Wi-Fi jammers to prevent victims from using their cell phones to call for help.

Floham Park Police are investigating an attempted robbery involving a Wi-Fi jammer

A Florham Park resident was in his basement around 11:30 a.m. Monday when he heard a loud bang from the first floor, police said. When he checked his home security footage, he saw a stranger trying to enter his home.

The man then lost service on his camera system and cell phone, according to police.

Police believe the suspect used a Wi-Fi jammer — a device about the size of a smartphone that disables devices that use the signal.

Police said the suspect ran away, and the victim, still unable to use his phone, ran outside and flagged down a pedestrian who helped him call 911. Officers arrived shortly after, but police said the suspect had already fled.

"The victim had enough time to leave the area between the time he stepped outside and the time he flagged down a passerby and had him call the police," said Lt. Brian Ford of the Florham Park Police Department.

WiFi signal jammers can even block signals from police intercoms, home alarm systems and surveillance cameras that connect via Wi-Fi. The devices are illegal under federal law, and state Rep. Carol Murphy introduced legislation earlier this year to criminalize them at the state level.

"Every time I see something like this, I think, 'Wow, I need my law to pass,' because it's about giving law enforcement the resources to do what they have to do. I never want to see a story like this again," Murphy said.

"While Wi-Fi jammers are nothing new to criminals, this is the first time we've seen or heard of them being used in Morris County," Florham Park Police Chief Joseph Orlando said in a statement.

No arrests have been made.

Attempted robbery victim in New Jersey has no recourse

The Florham Park Police Department may be linking the incident to a theft ring known as the "South American Theft Syndicate."

According to police, they usually work in groups of three and install hidden cameras in the landscape to track the movements of potential victims.

Police recommend that if you can, you should change your daily routine, check and report any suspicious devices and cars inside and outside the house, and even install wired security cameras and landlines.

Be cautious of cell phone jammers as criminals might incorporate them into their arsenal for illicit purposes. These portable devices, capable of initiating a "denial of service" or "DOS attack," are available for purchase on different online platforms for $1,000 to $2,000. However, the penalty for possessing one could exceed $10,000. Despite their compact size - with one model reportedly able to "fit into any empty cigarette pack" - these devices are highly potent. Once activated, they disrupt wireless signals within a range of approximately 100 feet.

Devices that illegally silence cell phones

The occurrence of cell phone jammers in Canada has attracted widespread attention, as reported by the Ottawa Sun. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has taken action by issuing a cautionary message to all law enforcement agencies nationwide regarding the use of cell phone jammers. This action was prompted after two Quebec police officers experienced interference with their walkie-talkies when they encountered two suspects on a dimly lit highway.

The effectiveness of these jammers in disrupting police radio communications was highlighted by the Mount Spokane incident. Consequently, multiple safety alerts have been issued in recent weeks to caution officers about the potential compromise to their safety posed by these devices.

Despite the provision outlined in Section 333 of the FCC Rules, which explicitly prohibits any individual from intentionally or maliciously disrupting or causing interference to radio communication, the regulatory body faces significant challenges in effectively enforcing this rule.

The owner of an upscale Maryland restaurant revealed that FCC and Verizon Wireless investigators paid a visit to the establishment last year. The unidentified owner disclosed that he invested $1,000 in a high-powered jammer to deter employees from prioritizing their phones over attending to customers.

He stated that he instructed them repeatedly, saying, "Place your mobile devices aside, place your mobile devices aside, place your mobile devices aside." However, they disregarded his instructions. The proprietor mentioned that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigators extensively surveyed the vicinity for a week, utilizing specialized equipment to identify signal jammers. Nevertheless, the proprietor had deactivated the equipment.

Verizon investigators faced a similar lack of success. The owner mentioned that the individual reached out to every resident in the town, providing them with his contact number and urging them to call him promptly if they encountered any issues. However, the owner has now discontinued the use of the jammer.

Global navigation jamming will only get worse. The U.S. needs to move fast

As geopolitical crises escalate, signal jamming and spoofing attacks on GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are becoming more common, creating significant challenges and risks to aviation, shipping, and other critical services around the world.

Data from GPSJam.org confirms widespread GPS/GNSS jamming in parts of Europe and beyond as a result of the war in Ukraine. Affected regions include Finland, the Baltic States, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, in addition to the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and Turkey. The Middle East has also seen jamming due to hostile activities by Israel and Iran in the region. Other jamming activities, albeit on a smaller scale, are also common in Pakistan, India, and Myanmar.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide critical positioning, navigation, and timing services to users around the world. However, like other electronic-based systems (and despite industry efforts to strengthen the security of these technologies), devices that receive signals from GNSS satellites can be vulnerable to wifi jamming and spoofing. It is time for the United States to coordinate international efforts to stop the marketing and sale of devices that jam GNSS systems.

To be clear, gsm jamming and spoofing are already illegal. In the United States, the Communications Act of 1934, the U.S. Penal Code, and other federal laws and regulations prohibit tampering with navigation systems, including GPS, cellular and personal communications devices, and police radar systems. However, without international coordination to enforce existing laws and regulations, bad actors will continue to jam and spoof GNSS signals, disrupting critical uses ranging from personal navigation and agriculture to emergency response and defense.

New drone tactics keep jamming risk alive

A key feature of current conflicts is the new use of drone warfare, which is what makes GNSS jamming operations so powerful. As this technology becomes more widely available to state and non-state actors, these tactics are likely to be repeated again and again—regardless of where the conflict occurs.

While the Middle East is likely to remain a major hotspot for such activity in the coming years, it is not the only region at risk. Any country facing conflict or terrorism could face the asymmetric threat posed by cheap satellite navigation capabilities.

As a result, more countries will have to resort to defensive GNSS jamming to defend against these threats, resulting in a wider range of unreliable navigation signals that could affect airlines, shipping, and more. This gps jamming is not limited to affecting receivers on Earth. Low Earth orbit satellites carry GNSS receivers to improve weather forecasts, predict space weather, and monitor climate change. These important missions and other scientific research should not be hampered by regulatory inaction or lack of resources.