Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Little King Good
Apple created the AirTag for the simple goal of helping people track their belongings, but the pill-shaped device is slowly becoming a must-have device for car owners and authorities.
In the latest series of exposed illegal schemes, an AirTag helped the police find the location of a chop shop where a car thief took apart vehicles picked up parked on the street.
His "trick," apparently in use since at least 2019, allowed Ignacio Ulisis Castande to steal cars worth up to $150,000. Castande used a black wrecker to look for vehicles parked in Houston Heights, eventually finding the targets and towing them to a chop shop on Airline Drive near Mitchell Road to take them apart.
The man then tried to sell parts online, removing any components, such as the VIN tags, that could help the police track him down.
The scheme was exposed last month when the man stole two more vehicles, namely a Chevrolet Tahoe and a GMC Yukon. Both were towed to the chop shop, where they were supposed to be disassembled.
However, one of the vehicles came with an AirTag, which shared its coordinates with a master device thanks to a nearby iPhone.
AirTags are part of the Find My network and use a CR2032 battery that offers up to six months of autonomy. The device connects to any iPhone in proximity, using its Internet connection just to reveal its location. It's unclear if the thief owned an iPhone that helped the hidden AirTag broadcast its coordinates.
The vehicle owner received notification from the AirTag, providing the police with the truck's location. Law enforcement obtained a warrant and inspected the location, eventually discovering the chop shop with the Tahoe and the Yukon already taken apart. The police officers also found the black wrecker on the spot, with video surveillance confirming the same vehicle was used for stealing the trucks.
Apple's AirTag generates anti-stalking warnings to nearby iPhones to prevent nefarious uses. The thief should have normally received a notification on their iPhone (if they used an Apple smartphone), so chances are the AirTag was planted in a place the suspect couldn't reach.
Meanwhile, police officers in some regions tell car owners to plant AirTags in their vehicles, as the little device could help them find stolen cars much faster. A car thief on the run does not have the time to pull over and inspect the cabin for Apple trackers, especially with the police on their tail.
The AirTag can be planted virtually anywhere, but I've recently put together a list of places where you can hide the tracker in the cabin. The possibilities are endless, but the harder the place is to reach, the bigger the chances for the thief to be unable to find it.
His "trick," apparently in use since at least 2019, allowed Ignacio Ulisis Castande to steal cars worth up to $150,000. Castande used a black wrecker to look for vehicles parked in Houston Heights, eventually finding the targets and towing them to a chop shop on Airline Drive near Mitchell Road to take them apart.
The man then tried to sell parts online, removing any components, such as the VIN tags, that could help the police track him down.
The scheme was exposed last month when the man stole two more vehicles, namely a Chevrolet Tahoe and a GMC Yukon. Both were towed to the chop shop, where they were supposed to be disassembled.
However, one of the vehicles came with an AirTag, which shared its coordinates with a master device thanks to a nearby iPhone.
AirTags are part of the Find My network and use a CR2032 battery that offers up to six months of autonomy. The device connects to any iPhone in proximity, using its Internet connection just to reveal its location. It's unclear if the thief owned an iPhone that helped the hidden AirTag broadcast its coordinates.
The vehicle owner received notification from the AirTag, providing the police with the truck's location. Law enforcement obtained a warrant and inspected the location, eventually discovering the chop shop with the Tahoe and the Yukon already taken apart. The police officers also found the black wrecker on the spot, with video surveillance confirming the same vehicle was used for stealing the trucks.
Apple's AirTag generates anti-stalking warnings to nearby iPhones to prevent nefarious uses. The thief should have normally received a notification on their iPhone (if they used an Apple smartphone), so chances are the AirTag was planted in a place the suspect couldn't reach.
Meanwhile, police officers in some regions tell car owners to plant AirTags in their vehicles, as the little device could help them find stolen cars much faster. A car thief on the run does not have the time to pull over and inspect the cabin for Apple trackers, especially with the police on their tail.
The AirTag can be planted virtually anywhere, but I've recently put together a list of places where you can hide the tracker in the cabin. The possibilities are endless, but the harder the place is to reach, the bigger the chances for the thief to be unable to find it.
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