Police in Canada say that Apple's AirTags are being used in car thefts.
A new method being used by thieves to track down and steal high-end vehicles that take advantage of the AirTag's location tracking capabilities was outlined in a news release from York Regional Police. 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.
Police officers in York Region have investigated five cases where suspects used AirTags in the theft of high-end vehicles. Thieves place an AirTag in an out-of- sight area, such as in the tow hitch or fuel cap, in the hope that the car's owner will not notice it, in order to steal it.
Apple's anti- tracking features can't be disabled by thieves, but they can be used to alert users when an unfamiliar nearby AirTag is tracking their location, but not all victims receive or act on the notification.
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 believe that AirTags will be used on a larger scale in the future.
The police have encouraged car owners to park in a locked garage if possible and inspect their vehicle regularly if they receive an unknown AirTag notification, and have released two public information videos about the growing problem.
