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Driver Finds AirTag in Car Fuse Box, Triggers Emergency Police Warning

The nefarious uses of AirTags can’t be stopped, and the police now say the number of drivers finding a hidden tracker in their cars is skyrocketing.
AirTags are becoming thieves' favorite weapon 6 photos
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/OPP
Apple AirTagApple AirTagApple AirTagApple AirTagApple AirTag
Two recent cases from Ontario triggered an emergency warning from law enforcement.

In one case, a driver found an AirTag hidden in the fuse box of a Jeep Wrangler. The thief somehow got access under the hood of the vehicle and planted the tracker next to the fuses, hoping it wouldn’t be discovered.

The driver of a Toyota RAV4 says an AirTag was found under the hood of the car as well. In both cases, the police believe the intent was to steal the vehicles.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) warn the number of vehicles stolen after thieves monitored owners with an AirTag is skyrocketing.

The coin-sized tracker can be planted virtually anywhere given its form factor and reduced size. Thieves hide it behind the license plate, in wheel wells, or even under the hood.

Once planted, the AirTag provides its location to the master smartphone using nearby iPhones. The tracker connects to other devices to share the information, allowing thieves to track the location of the vehicle in real time.

AirTags come with built-in stalking protections that send warnings to nearby iPhones. This is how drivers end up finding the tracker in their vehicles. Due to its dimensions, however, figuring out where it’s hiding is extremely difficult.

The police claim thieves use AirTags to follow vehicles and wait for the right moment to steal them. An investigation has already started in both cases, but for now, it’s not known if officers identified the AirTag owner or not.

Finding the owner of an iPhone should be a rather straightforward process. AirTags require a master iPhone and an Apple account to share location information. The data is displayed in the Find My application that comes pre-loaded on the iPhone.

AirTags have a unique serial number, and given they use an Apple account, this information should be enough for the Cupertino-based tech giant to find out who owns a tracker. Police in other states have already reached out to Apple to request such info in similar cases. The OPP did not reveal if it requested Apple’s help in the investigation.

Finding a nearby AirTag with an iPhone doesn’t require any special process. The tracker automatically sends the notification when it’s moving with an iPhone other than the master device. In the case of Android, users must download a dedicated application from the Google Play Store and manually scan for trackers in their proximity. Google is believed to be working on native detection for trackers, and the feature could be part of the next Android OS version.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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