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Look at the post #120, just 1 down after yours :)

I prevent car thieves from stealing my car, by not having a car. I also prevent my huge and expensive tv and sound system system from being stolen, by not having a tv and sound system, at all.
I also prevent… (do you see the pattern in here?). Being moderately broke has got its own advantages
lol, yeah I saw, but to be fair they're just wanting to sell the parts. Not keep the car itself. But still having it stolen would really suck. As it's my only transportation. Until I can afford my Porsche 911, lol.
 
I'm sure Apple contemplated property crimes with Air Tags. Wonder how they can guard against this? Not sure there's away.
 
I have to ask, does the benefit of informing people about this seemingly minuscule (as of now) issue outweigh the cost of the inevitable increase in AirTag related thefts by making this information public?
The bad guys would find out quickly. The police and car owners are also learning about the problem. Knowledge usually wins out.
 
Apple's statement on this: " I missed the part where that's my problem...''
Let me fix that for you

"We are aware that a small number of car owners are having issues with the AirTag and for that we are sorry. The vast majority of car owners and AirTag users are having a positive experience with them."
 
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One of the most stolen car in the US! Nope, I’d be very concerned if I were you because spare parts for your vehicle are so valuable. Time to check for these AirTags :)
I'm still not concerned. I park in my garage. And at work it's relatively secure, monitored by security patrols that are contracted to my employer. And I'm a home body so I don't really go anywhere. So unless a group of armed assailants break into my garage then sure.
 
So criminals are upgrading from grand theft auto to b&e, with the extra risk of getting shot?

Oh that's right, no guns in Canada. Carry on.
 
Sadly, it's just a matter of time before someone is kidnapped and murdered with the help of these tags. It's not apple's fault, but it will be a PR nightmare. Double if it involves a kid
 
Aren’t most car thefts common, inexpensive cars that are easily chopped and sold for parts? Here is the list. But, perhaps thieves using AirTags are targeting expensive cars.

  1. Ford full-size pickup
  2. Chevrolet full-size pickup
  3. Honda Civic
  4. Honda Accord
  5. Toyota Camry
  6. Nissan Altima
  7. GMC full-size pickup
  8. Toyota Corolla
  9. Honda CR-V
  10. Dodge full-size pickup
My older vehicle is an early 90s Accord and whenever I want to drop it off at my mechanic overnight he warns me how it is one of the most stolen vehicles which surprised me.
 
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I doubt it'll be a problem in the UK. You can already pay the government £2.50 and give them a licence plate and they'll happily tell you the address it's registered to!
 


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.


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
I don't understand what Airtags or any GPS tracker adds to this equation. I can follow any expensive car I want to their home, wait for it to leave and then rob the house. Or I can wait for someone to exit the vehicle and steal that car. Unauthorized tracking is about privacy and safety issues, it has nothing to do with actual theft. Google Maps and Search have made stalking and theft 1000% more easy than AirTags ever will.
 
Just hide your AirTag inside the car ?

P.s.? Maybe it will alert the thieves there is another AirTag around
 
I doubt it'll be a problem in the UK. You can already pay the government £2.50 and give them a licence plate and they'll happily tell you the address it's registered to!

Not sure if you are joking but that information isn’t readily available for £2.50 at all. It is unlawful for the DVLA to reveal the registered keepers details unless there is just cause. That just cause might be a parking enforcement company or a council. Individuals can’t just get that info easily and the government certainly don’t ‘happily tell you the address a number plate is registered to’. Ignoring GDPR and handing that info out would be a stalkers dream.
 
Apple should simply add the following option

I think I am being tracked - enable this option to see if an air tag is following you.
You phone will check if an air tag is following you over the next xx minutes. Drive or move around a safe area during this time. You will be alerted if you are being tracked.

seems simple enough.
 
Sounds like such a click bait …. Just put a small gps tracker that can’t be traced for the same results , also not sure what’s the shock is about , computers are used for fraud in the billions each year , it’s not like this AirTags made an impossible crime possible , but what can you do , it’s a weekend , news are slow
It does show that the anti-tracking features that cripple it as an anti-theft device were pointless.
 
Does it not make sense to require registering purchased AirTags so they can be tracked back to the purchaser if a crime is committed?
 
but that would require more people to be running the tile app on their phone for it to be tracked. Not going to happen, Apple is the dominant smart phone that I see here in the Greater Toronto Area, and the area that these thieves target happen to be high end areas. The majority of people use iPhones, only seems to be Nerds/tech people that tend to buy the high end Androids.. the Average Joe/Jane, if had a choice to buy a iPhone vs Android phone will pick Apple, because, you know "Apple" .
If on a budget, thats where you will see the Andorids mainly picked.

Now all this above is all my personal speculation etc. lol! No scientific evident, just seeing and observing..

Which in return means it’s not an actual issue because the iPhone users get the warning prompts about AirTags travelling with them anyway.
 
just curious, if someone was to find the AirTag and report it, would the police have a way of tracking the AirTag to the would be thief?

Unless you catch them while they attempt to take the vehicle you’ll have a hard time proofing their intent. What if someone wants to mess with you, steals your AirTag and puts it into some else’s car?
 
Apple should simply add the following option

I think I am being tracked - enable this option to see if an air tag is following you.
You phone will check if an air tag is following you over the next xx minutes. Drive or move around a safe area during this time. You will be alerted if you are being tracked.

seems simple enough.

iPhones already provide such a prompt.
 
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