Journalist Pamela Cerdeira has lifted the veil on the trafficking of associative donations in Mexico, whose packages never actually reach their destination. To do this, she used two AirTags that she discreetly introduced into her parcels. A few days later, she ended up realizing that these were put back on sale in the country.
Since their release, AirTags have regularly been the subject of controversy, as they are often used to spy on and harass victims without them realizing it. The phenomenon has grown to such an extent that Apple was finally forced to deploy an update preventing its users from tracking anyone else. This does not prevent some from finding new ingenious ways to use the little tracker.
This is particularly the case of Pamela Cerdeira, a Mexican journalist, who wanted to know if the donations made through an association were reaching their destination. To do this, she tried to send two parcels to Turkey, in support of the victims of the earthquake which struck the country at the start of the year. To ensure that these gifts reach their recipient, she also slipped an AirTag into each of them, then tracking their shipment.
A journalist lifts the veil on a diversion of donations thanks to AirTags
Unfortunately, these never arrived safely. Or rather, they have obviously been hijacked by the platform supposed to be responsible for sending them. Indeed, the two parcels never crossed the border of Mexico. In fact, the two packages never even left town. Instead, these, which contained rice and toilet paper respectively, were resold in two separate markets.
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“I have nothing to do with [ces marchés], but we will gladly investigate the case”, reacted Oscar Gutierrez Camacho, federal deputy, questioned by Pamela Cerdeira. It seems that the case is an isolated case. Nevertheless, if in doubt, do not hesitate to go through associations and donation platforms recognized as trustworthy.