BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – If you misplace items like your wallet or car keys, an Apple AirTag might be helpful to keep track of where they are. But police now say criminals might be using the devices as a way to steal cars.
“Immediately concerned and scared, and just initially confused,” said Ethan Yang.
The Massachusetts man frequently travels through our region to visit family in Montreal. But a few months ago a routine visit quickly turned into something he couldn’t wrap his head around.
“When I was on my way back, I was about to cross the border, my phone alerted me that there was a tracking device. By the time I realized it, I confirmed it with my phone that was able to make the AirTag beep,” Yang said.
And Yang isn’t the only one, according to Burlington Police. Just this month they’ve had two reports from people who say GPS tracking devices were found on their cars after returning from Montreal.
“They could be identifying vehicles that could be stolen and shipped abroad as part of a car theft ring,” said Ryan McLiverty a cyber analyst with the Vermont Intelligence Center. He says these incidents have been going on for a while but they’re noticing a new spike, where criminals in Montreal use the technology to track cars, steal them, and sell them.
WCAX investigated stolen cars in Montreal back in the early 2000s, where highly-trained thieves were stealing trucks and SUVs bound for places like Africa and Russia.
AirtTags are about the size of a coin and only cost about $25. McLiverty says common hiding spots are under the windshield wipers, inside unlocked cars, or in Yang’s case, in the front grill.
“I didn’t think that people would use an AirTag for this kind of purpose. The fact that they were so very easily able to put such a small device into the grill,” Yang said.
While the crooks have gone high-tech, McLiverty says people can take extra precautions to keep this from happening. “Being aware of some of the security features on personal devices. Criminals are increasingly using technology to target individuals and sometimes just knowing the basic security features of those devices can go a long way,” he said.
He says it’s also possible cars are being tagged as part of an effort to move small amounts of drugs over the border. Experts say if you do come across the devices in or on your car, turn them over to police immediately.