A California woman, fed up with packages disappearing from her porch, mailed an AirTag to herself. The thieves stole it, it was traced to their location, and she sent in the cops.
Law enforcement tracked the AirTag to a block in Santa Maria, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the post office and arrested two suspects — a 27-year-old woman from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside. They located the package with the AirTag among the victim's mail, as well as items believed to have been stolen from more than a dozen other people. The woman declined to be identified, the sheriff's department said. … The two suspects were booked in jail on charges of possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, conspiracy, and identity and credit card theft. The 37-year-old was also booked on a burglary charge and several other theft warrants from Riverside County.
Don't confront thieves on your own, especially at their own lair.
AirTags have also proven useful in exposing the lies airlines tell people about the location of their luggage. German carrier Lufthansa briefly tried to ban them, thereby Streisanding its own errors and misstatements. The convenient and inconspicious devices have their dark side, though, enabling the activities of stalkers.
Previously:
• A carpenter used Apple AirTags to find his stolen tools — along with 15,000 others (video)
• Luggage tracking made easy: how to use AirTags for travel
• Lufthansa to allow AirTags in luggage after all
