Thieves ditch hidden AirTag in Vancouver car jacking

AppleInsider

A woman's attempt to track down her stolen car in Vancouver went awry, after a thief discovered a hidden AirTag and placed it on another rentable vehicle as a distraction.

AirTag on a keyring.

On a Sunday morning trip to Vancouver, Becca Hislop and her boyfriend discovered her car was stolen. Hislop was prepared for the emergency, having previously snuck an AirTag in her car to keep track of it, but her plan wasn't entirely watertight.

After watching the AirTag move through downtown traffic, Hislop used AirTag the next day to track down what she thought was her car, reports Global News. Arriving at the AirTag's location at a Kelowna winery, she discovered the thief was smart enough to discover the AirTag, and to attach it to an Evo Car Share vehicle.

The result of the change meant that Hislop was sent "on a wild goose chase" while her car went elsewhere, she explained.

While she couldn't use AirTag to keep tabs on her car while it was stolen, it was eventually tracked down via the Vancouver police, with minimal damage.

"I want this person to get their karma because we work hard for our things and it's not fair that some people think they can cheat and just take," said Hislop.

While AirTag has been helpful in recovering vehicles and other property that has been stolen, it is best advised to pass the information over to the police rather than attempting to get the goods back yourself.

In July, four people were charged for jacking a car and killing the driver, after the victim attempted to recover the vehicle using AirTag. In April, the owners of a truck went after their vehicle instead of waiting for the police, resulting in a shootout and the alleged thief dying in the vehicle.

While not fatal, one New York Man tracked down his stolen motorbike using AirTags in August 2022, but ended up with a broken nose.

Read on AppleInsider

mayfly

Just didn't hide it well enough. And it's just going to happen more and more as car thieves get accustomed to looking for them.

If you can hide it without using tools to place it, it will be found. The harder it is to get to when installing it, the harder it is to find when trying to remove it!

Xed

mayfly said:

Just didn't hide it well enough. And it's just going to happen more and more as car thieves get accustomed to looking for them.

If you can hide it without using tools to place it, it will be found. The harder it is to get to when installing it, the harder it is to find when trying to remove it!

The fact that it lets smartphone users know it's there means it's not the best tool for tracking stolen items. If this is your primary use then seek another option.

drhamad

This is the downside of the anti-stalking measures they employ.

Toortog

Surprised it hasn't happened sooner.  So Apple needs to make a Stealth AirTag designed to be hidden better in cars or other items.   Maybe they need a LoJack like program that installs  stealth AirTag so they are very hard to find and also transmit better in cars.  What I've read AirTags in cars are hit and miss because if put in area with too much metal the signal doesn't get out   

robin huber

Dome light. 

Actually, seems a bit fishy. Either it was “hidden” in the glove box, or the thieves broke in, then spent a substantial amount of time combing through the interior and exterior of the car looking for a possible tracker. Seems like a losing game plan for a crime in which speed and stealth are essential. Perhaps it was stolen quickly, then driven to a secure location to be searched? More info needed for his story. 

ravnorodom

If the thief uses iPhone, he will be notified that there's an AirTag is following him. This anti-stalking feature really backfires and it gives the thief an upper hand. Car manufacture needs to step in so the dealer can install anti-thief device that is tied to the car's VIN number. Modern car can be tracked via their own app without using AirTag. On the other hand and In Germany, if a Mercedes car owner misses several car payments, the dealer will track the car location down and tow it away. A win-win.

hammeroftruth

Xed said:

mayfly said:

Just didn't hide it well enough. And it's just going to happen more and more as car thieves get accustomed to looking for them.

If you can hide it without using tools to place it, it will be found. The harder it is to get to when installing it, the harder it is to find when trying to remove it!

The fact that it lets smartphone users know it's there means it's not the best tool for tracking stolen items. If this is your primary use then seek another option.

Yeah but imagine hiding 5 of them in different way hard to get areas. That would drive the thief nuts! 

Anilu_777

Toortog said:

Surprised it hasn't happened sooner.  So Apple needs to make a Stealth AirTag designed to be hidden better in cars or other items.   Maybe they need a LoJack like program that installs  stealth AirTag so they are very hard to find and also transmit better in cars.  What I've read AirTags in cars are hit and miss because if put in area with too much metal the signal doesn't get out   

I’d like to get my mechanic to install one and change the battery yearly. 

dewme

This situation was inevitable and entirely predictable. 

Apple sells AirTags to help owners recover lost, misplaced, and left-behind items. That’s the entire scope of AirTags intended use.

I’m not aware of a single instance where Apple even vaguely alludes to AirTags being used to recover stolen items. They go out of their way to dissuade such use including informing non-owners of an AirTag to the presence of an AirTag. 

I have no doubt that Apple could design an AirTag-like product that’s intentionally designed for loss and theft protection. And why not? There’s obviously a market for it. I’d imagine that the use of such a product would impose additional requirements on the owner, such as registration of the tag with authorities. 

Until Apple steps into that product domain, don’t expect Apple to help anyone trying to use an AirTag outside of its intended use. You’re on your own. 

StrangeDays

Toortog said:

Surprised it hasn't happened sooner.  So Apple needs to make a Stealth AirTag designed to be hidden better in cars or other items.   Maybe they need a LoJack like program that installs  stealth AirTag so they are very hard to find and also transmit better in cars.  What I've read AirTags in cars are hit and miss because if put in area with too much metal the signal doesn't get out   

No. Then it’s a stalking device, and that isn’t their market. ATs are not for stolen items, they’re for lost items. LoJack is what you want. 

StrangeDays

ravnorodom said:

If the thief uses iPhone, he will be notified that there's an AirTag is following him. This anti-stalking feature really backfires and it gives the thief an upper hand. Car manufacture needs to step in so the dealer can install anti-thief device that is tied to the car's VIN number. Modern car can be tracked via their own app without using AirTag. On the other hand and In Germany, if a Mercedes car owner misses several car payments, the dealer will track the car location down and tow it away. A win-win.

It’s not backfiring. ATs are not designed for busting thieves. 

mayfly

Xed said:

mayfly said:

Just didn't hide it well enough. And it's just going to happen more and more as car thieves get accustomed to looking for them.

If you can hide it without using tools to place it, it will be found. The harder it is to get to when installing it, the harder it is to find when trying to remove it!

The fact that it lets smartphone users know it's there means it's not the best tool for tracking stolen items. If this is your primary use then seek another option.

That can be disabled. It's not transparent, and I'm not going to show how, for obvious reasons, but there are many other places without as much discretion. In addition, the alert only appears 8-24 hours after it's been out of range from the AirTag owner's iPhone for about 3 days.

Mystakill

ravnorodom said:

IModern car can be tracked via their own app without using AirTag. On the other hand and In Germany, if a Mercedes car owner misses several car payments, the dealer will track the car location down and tow it away. A win-win.

Unfortunately, the vehicle tracking info is only available to vehicle owners for as long as they maintain the relevant service sold by the manufacturer.  For many, there's an initial "free" period, but owners must pay for it after that expires.  I presume that the manufacturers still have access to it regardless of whether the owner maintains the service, so it could/should still be available for law enforcement usage, regardless.

sevenfeet

Buy two. Put one in a fairly obvious place, the other well hidden. If they find the obvious one and discard it, it will lull them into thinking that they scored.

Xed

mayfly said:

Xed said:

mayfly said:

Just didn't hide it well enough. And it's just going to happen more and more as car thieves get accustomed to looking for them.

If you can hide it without using tools to place it, it will be found. The harder it is to get to when installing it, the harder it is to find when trying to remove it!

The fact that it lets smartphone users know it's there means it's not the best tool for tracking stolen items. If this is your primary use then seek another option.

That can be disabled. It's not transparent, and I'm not going to show how, for obvious reasons, but there are many other places without as much discretion. In addition, the alert only appears 8-24 hours after it's been out of range from the AirTag owner's iPhone for about 3 days.

1) You're claiming you can disable the AirPod's ability to notify iPhones that it's tracking them?

2) Apple does say 8–24 hours but I recently borrowed a car that I've never been in before and it told me an AirPod was tracking me within 15 minutes of driving the car, which included an image of the map from the time I got in the car.