Maybe you've heard of @Betfjord, but my guess is that you haven't. Betfjord is a Swedish car key engineering company that - besides producing car security systems - also makes the best forensic key reading system, perhaps in the world.

Only a few Danish insurance companies have invested in this system. A few are on their way, but it's going very slowly. It's clear that the Danish insurance industry has yet to realize the value this tool can add. That should change.

In this verdict, you can read about the decision from the Western High Court and the crucial difference a - forensically correct - system can make. And have a good laugh at a ”key expert” who is not quite up to speed.

Vestre-Landsrets-dom-of-1.October-2025_anonymized- Congratulations to @arklaw with that decision.

Betfjord trains police forces in several countries in key reading and the many pitfalls of the field. They are expert witnesses in many countries and even engineers - as in the nerdy kind, meant in the absolute most positive way - and they play a role in developing new collaborations and ERFA networks worldwide. I guess the credentials are in place.

Betfjord knows that when reading out keys today, you have to think carefully - because keys in modern cars should be treated in the same way as computers and phones, with respect for evidence. Most police officers today know that you don't just boot up a seized computer or cell phone to see if ”there's something interesting” on it. It needs to be secured and given to police technicians. In the future, insurance investigators and those who handle the car key in an insurance case must also have this understanding.

Car keys are just like computers and cell phones. They must be examined with respect for trace protection. They must be handled in such a way that you can tell what happened with your hand on the Bible in court.

You don't have to press the key, test it in the car or move the car using the key because it's easier for the sweeper. Instead, the key must be isolated from the car and read out with Betfjord's key reading system, which handles the forensic part and provides support all the way to court - if necessary.

Many insurance companies today use different and older - non-updated and unsupported - key reading systems. Because it's cheaper, or they don't understand the importance of correct reading. This is a problem that we will see in the future. Because who can be an expert witness in court when the key system is not updated or supported by the company that originally manufactured the system?

Can't you just drive to the car dealership - maybe even a brand workshop - and have the keys read out there? NO NO NO NO - you shouldn't do that either, and the explanation comes here.

Car dealers focus on giving their customers and workshops the best possible service experience and smoothest workflows - just as it should be. The police don't send a Lenovo PC to Lenovo to be examined for crucial clues in a child pornography case.

Car brands do NOT focus on forensics, i.e. precise and accurate track preservation - and that's only natural. They sell cars and good experiences. How much does it cost the insurance companies to have employees ”out and about” for half a day to read a single key at a brand workshop? Far too much, if you ask me.

We've seen examples of branded workshop data being ”blended” with other data, such as that retrieved via the car's IOT system, to make everything nice and easy. But when you mix data, you reduce the evidential value. Can data be trusted?

This can result in insurance fraud going undetected. Ultimately, it could have the disastrous consequence of an innocent policyholder being accused of something they did not do. I don't think anyone can bear to think that thought through to the end.

Rumor also has it that several of the brand workshops have either already, or are in the process of, switching off the old ”legacy servers” used for key reading. Several countries in Europe have done this, and it is currently a little uncertain what the time horizon is, as different countries send different signals. Branded workshops will not need these servers in the future for their service tasks - and this will be a challenge for the insurance industry.

Betfjord has a solution to this challenge.

In Denmark it is @yourCompany, which is Betfjord's partner. As already mentioned, a few of the larger insurance companies have invested in a Betfjord key reader for their own use. The others can - without great expense - use the Betfjord system via yourCompany, which has created an easy and smooth workflow for reading keys, suggestions for investigation steps, chain of custody documentation - or we can even handle the insurance investigation for you professionally.

Especially for small insurance companies without their own investigators - or those who have forgotten to focus on IT security, compliance, encryption etc. and use some of the few remaining ex-police officers around for investigations - Betfjord's key reading and yourCompany's offer of professional investigations is the right solution for these companies. In all modesty, of course.