How dumb is a criminal though that they can't just walk down a street in a good neighborhood? Maybe I'm the dumb one, lol
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Apple AirTag Linked to Increasing Number of Car Thefts, Canadian Police Report
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I plan on avoiding this issue by never being able to afford a high-end vehicle. Take that, fancy thieves!
Great MacRumors, thank you for giving more than the 1-2 people doing this in a small town in Canada the idea. Now it's possible that it will become a mainstream problem.
Why don't the owners hide their own AirTags in the cars and they can tell the police where they are, after the theft 
We can have nice things, but certain others cannot. I’m sure if you put together the instigators of those 2,000 car thefts, most would have some important characteristics in common.
I expect the police know more about this than you do. This is their turf.
This wouldn't happen if it was a requirement for the user operating the tag to give their name, address and matching credit/debit card details (for identity verification purposes only) to Apple.
Only 5 out of 2000+ have been linked to Air Tags. Thats a pretty small percentage. Also those cars probably would have been stolen either way, the criminals would just had to follow the car home.
Given that there are other cheaper ways to do this, that have been around for a while, this just smells like manure.
Nah, most criminals know you can get a bag of 50 more reliable GPS tracking devices for a lot cheaper than the 4 you get with Apple. There are non-tech savvy criminals, too
One or more of that 5 may have been placed for more nefarious reasons than stealing vehicle.
The tracking notification doesn’t do anything for people using Android phones. Not sure if iPhone users that have the Find My network turned off still get notified of AirTags following them (the feature to check for possible trackers in Find My under 15.2 beta got removed and some thought that it may cause issues with a thief finding tag to remove in stolen item), but is the Find My Network built up in areas like this where a thief doesn’t also have to confirm owner both uses an iPhone and has the Find My network turned on. Bluetooth side of it is inconsistent in our home with multiple devices that should help.
The tracking notification doesn’t do anything for people using Android phones. Not sure if iPhone users that have the Find My network turned off still get notified of AirTags following them (the feature to check for possible trackers in Find My under 15.2 beta got removed and some thought that it may cause issues with a thief finding tag to remove in stolen item), but is the Find My Network built up in areas like this where a thief doesn’t also have to confirm owner both uses an iPhone and has the Find My network turned on. Bluetooth side of it is inconsistent in our home with multiple devices that should help.
Posting this is an utter journalistic failure and whoever greenlit it should be ashamed. 5 thefts out of MORE than 2000 involved AirTags. FIVE. That’s less than 0.25%. This is NOT a story. It’s a joke.
Meh. Wake me up when a new Gone In 60 Seconds movie comes out whose plot hinges on the usage of Air Tags.
The thieves are already spreading the idea among themselves. Better that the public also knows so that they're more aware and use bluetooth scanner apps to see if they're tagged. Sunshine is always the best disinfectant.
Yeah cause everyone has the luxury of having a locked garage. Come on already.![]()
Apple's AirTags are being used in an increasing number of targeted car thefts in Canada, according to local police.
![airtag-in-hand.jpg]()
Outlined in a news release from York Regional Police, investigators have identified a new method being used by thieves to track down and steal high-end vehicles that takes advantage of the AirTag's location tracking capabilities. While the method of stealing the cars is largely conventional, the purpose of the AirTag is to track a high-end car back to a victim's residence where it can be stolen from the driveway.
Since September 2021, police officers in York Region alone have investigated five incidents where suspects used AirTags in thefts of high-end vehicles. Thieves target any particularly valuable vehicles they find in public places and parking lots, placing an AirTag in an out-of-sight area, such as in the tow hitch or fuel cap, in the hope that it will not be discovered by the car's owner.
- 'AirTag Found Moving With You' - What it Means and What to Do
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Thieves have no way to disable Apple's anti-tracking features that alert users when an unfamiliar nearby AirTag is tracking their location, but not all victims receive or act on the notification, or have an iPhone.
While only five thefts have been directly linked to AirTags so far, more than 2,000 vehicles have been stolen across the region in the past year, and the problem is likely to extend to other localities and countries around the world. The police expect to see AirTags used on a wider scale in an increasing number of vehicle thefts in the future.
The police have encouraged car owners to park in a locked garage if possible and inspect their vehicle regularly for trackers, especially if they receive an unknown AirTag notification, and have released two public information videos related to the growing problem.
Article Link: Apple AirTag Linked to Increasing Number of Car Thefts, Canadian Police Report
Probably because the app would just drain the thief’s battery before they had the chance to track down the car.
No "Apple" name attached to the story
“speculative”???
what’s the speculation on 5 confirmed reported cases of this happening? maybe I missed something.
Apple's AirTags are being used in an increasing number of targeted car thefts in Canada, according to local police.
"While only five thefts have been directly linked to AirTags so far, more than 2,000 vehicles have been stolen across the region in the past year, and the problem is likely to extend to other localities and countries around the world. The police expect to see AirTags used on a wider scale in an increasing number of vehicle thefts in the future."
What crappy journalism! OMG Apple Air Tags cause a spree of car thefts!!! How many? "Five, but we are SURE there are more than that"... "We fully expect this to increase, especially after all the articles written with instructions on how this is done."
"While only five thefts have been directly linked to AirTags so far, more than 2,000 vehicles have been stolen across the region in the past year, and the problem is likely to extend to other localities and countries around the world. The police expect to see AirTags used on a wider scale in an increasing number of vehicle thefts in the future."
What crappy journalism! OMG Apple Air Tags cause a spree of car thefts!!! How many? "Five, but we are SURE there are more than that"... "We fully expect this to increase, especially after all the articles written with instructions on how this is done."
Want to really confuse thieves have a car with a manual choke and a switch for the ignition separate from the starter