AirTags are widely used by car thieves. An American from Detroit also discovered a beacon hidden under his vehicle after stopping in the parking lot of a shopping center. He was apparently the target of a criminal. We take stock of the different ways to protect yourself from this spy tracker.
Car thieves use AirTag, Apple’s bluetooth beacon, to track targets. According to the Canadian police force, several thefts have been carried out with the help of the tracker in recent months. The criminals’ modus operandi is as follows: they slip an AirTag on the vehicle, a high-end racing car, when it is parked in a public parking lot. They then follow the car to the owner’s home. The vehicle is then stolen directly from the driver’s driveway when the driver is dozing off.
As reported by our colleagues from Fox2, a local American media, some thieves in the Detroit region (United States) are betting on the same ploy. John Nelson, an individual residing in the city of Detroit, has also discovered an AirTag on his 2018 Dodge Charger after parking for several hours in the parking lot of a shopping mall.
On the same subject: An AirTag allowed the police to find a stolen scooter
Criminals use AirTag to track cars for theft
“When I got out, I had a notification on my phone, and it said I was being tracked by an unknown AirTag”, explains John Nelson, obviously the owner of an iPhone. Unlike Android smartphones, iPhones constantly check that an AirTag belonging to others is not hidden nearby. If a beacon is found, a notification appears on the screen. To protect themselves from illegal AirTags, Android users must install a dedicated app on the Play Store.
“I was able to click on this notification and it gave me the possibility of making the AirTag emit a sound and I heard it under my vehicle”, says John Nelson. Indeed, it is possible to ring the beacon to find where it is. The accessory was housed under the trunk. An individual had unscrewed the drain plug to hide the beacon. John Nelson contacted the police to inform them of his mishap.
According to a local task force specializing in car theft ensures that the use of AirTag is on the rise in the Detroit region as well as in the Austin (Texas) region. Some malicious individuals even use the beacon to spy on young women. Recently, a young American indeed discovered the hidden beacon on her car as she was leaving a bar. Frightened, she was forced to sleep with a loved one.
How to protect yourself from criminals who use an AirTag?
To prevent a criminal from following you, you will be advised to be careful, especially if you are driving in a high-end car. As a precaution, we encourage you to follow these tips:
- For iPhone users – regularly watch fora notification alerting to the presence of an AirTag.
- For Android users – download the Tracker Detect app from the Play Store.
- Regularly check for the presence of a beacon on your car, especially above the wheels, behind the license plates, the opening between the hood and the windshield and along the underside of the bumpers.
- Empty your bags, suitcases regularly to check that a tracker has not been placed by others, especially in the liner.
- Also make sure that an AirTag is not hidden in your jacket pocket or your coat. Again, we advise you to run your hands over the lining in search of a clandestine object.
- Check that an AirTag is not hidden in your mail or in a received package. It is indeed possible that a malicious individual slips the tag in a letter or in a package.
- For cyclists, check that a tracker is not placed on your bike. We especially advise you to look under the saddle.
If you find an AirTag that does not belong to you, you are encouraged to deactivate it. The simplest method is to remove the battery removing the metal back. We hope that these few tips will help avoid unpleasant surprises. Have you ever discovered a clandestine AirTag in your belongings? We await your testimony in the comments.
Source: Fox2