Police Issue Warning To Motorists Over Hidden AirTags, What You Need To Know

Vermont border authorities are alerting drivers returning from Canada that car thieves might be using Apple AirTags as a way to track vehicles down and steal them. If the police agency is saying that this is occurring often enough, it might be a good idea to start doing quick sweeps around your car if you're planning to cross back into the U.S. from our northerly neighbors. 

Vermont law enforcement has issued a warning to those returning Stateside from Canada to check their vehicles for AirTags. While Apple's wireless trackers are great for finding misplaced keys, wallets or lost luggage, they have been repurposed for nefarious reasons, such as stalking unexpecting citizens and being weaponized for phishing scams, among other things. In this case, criminals usually affix AirTags on vehicles with the intention of stealing and selling them.

According to a local news report, the number of drivers finding random AirTags on or in their vehicles is on the rise. Ryan McLiverty, a cyber analyst with the Vermont Intelligence Center, said that the trackers "could be identifying vehicles that could be stolen and shipped abroad as part of a car theft ring." It seems that criminals in Montreal have been using Apple AirTags or similar trackers to track and steal the cars, then ship them somewhere else to be sold.

Thanks (or rather no thanks) to its compact size and affordability, AirTags can be quickly deployed and easily hidden. A Massachusetts native Ethan Yang found one such device under the front grill of his car after a road trip from Montreal. McLiverty says that "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 advises that some common hiding spots for tags are under windshield wipers, inside unlocked cars, and under grills (as in Ethan Yang's case).

If you find any AirTags or GPS trackers on your vehicles, please report them to your local police department.