The main function of the Apple AirTag is to track and find items that are easily lost, such as keys, bags, and so on. But this Apple gadget is also often misused, even used to steal luxury cars.
The York Regional Police in Toronto, Canada reported that since September 2021 it has investigated five car theft cases involving AirTag.
In an official statement from the York Regional Police, the thieves initially targeted the car they wanted to steal in a public area, such as in a shopping center parking lot. After finding the desired car, they then place the AirTag in a hidden part of the car such as on the fuel tank door or inside the bumper.
After that, the thief used the hidden AirTag to track the car to a more private location of the owner's house. There, the new thief launches his action using a screwdriver or other tool, reprograms the diagnostic port, and immediately runs away with the stolen car.
"By using an iPhone, they can always know where the vehicle is," Detective Jeff McKercher said in a YouTube video uploaded by the York Regional Police, as quoted from Tom's Guide, Monday (6/12/2021).
"They can wait and execute the action while they're watching, maybe at night, and it always tells them where the vehicle was parked at that time."
AirTags will usually make a sound if they are separated from their paired iPhone for between eight and 24 hours. This gives criminals enough time to carry out their actions.
In fact, Apple has already provided extra protection to the AirTag to ensure that irresponsible people can't track and spy on targets.
If someone places an AirTag on a target without them knowing, the victim will receive a notification that someone is trying to follow them. But this system sometimes doesn't work optimally, especially if the victim doesn't have an iPhone.
The police then advised car owners to park their vehicles in locked garages and always check their cars for tracking devices such as AirTags.