Lithuanian car thieves love this feature as well. They take a range extender and get your car running while you were standing in line at the grocery store. One of them standing next to you sending the signal from your key to another thief at the door, etc. Lots of CR-Vs were gone from driveways as well with the same method - a directional antenna was used for boosting the signal for the range extender and back home they went with your new car.
Well they must be robbing older vehicles because that trick got killed about three years ago when all the companies started to use rotating unlock codes. Every time your FOB sends out and unlock code to the immobilizer a new code is sent to the FOB for the next use. This typically does not happen until you start driving and reach a certain speed.
As for keys, don't get me started! A guy tried to steal my 2003 Toyota Van because he thought it would yield him a quick buck. Instead he got a warning shot across his rear when I heard the engine start. Luckily I was still up at 2am working on a project for work. Long story short after he took off and I went outside to shutoff the engine. That is when I found a set of keys still in the ignition. The next day I took the Van down to the garage to get an alarm installed on the vehicle and asked the guy how the heck the thief had a key that could start the vehicle. The guy told me that Toyota has master keys that can unlock and start a wide range of their vehicles. Ok so I sit there with the "This is BS look" and the guy says to me you see that Toyota car over there, go and see if the key he left will unlock it. I went over and to my Freakin surprise the key opened the door.
Now I cannot say how many models that key will open since I have never tried it again, but it was a shock that it opened the first Toyota sedan I tried it on and it would open my Toyota Van.