An apple AirTag was put on me to track my location Saturday night. Im sharing what happened to me so you know what to look for as I had never heard of this prior to Saturday night.
So what if youre an older person who doesnt even own a cell phone and someone puts one of these on your car to track you to your home so they can steal it later. Can that happen? Would they even know?
That`s shocking
Did you actually find the AirTag or just get the notification ?
I had heard of this happening with AirTags as well as other trackers. Thank you for sharing your story, hopefully it will help others to stay safe
Thank you for sharing! Glad you`re safe!
Which is nearly useless as it requires you to manually scan
My god this is so scary.
Happened to me about 5 months ago. A bit concerning
Are you able to find out the owner? There must be a MAC address (a unique network ID) which should be linked to the person who bought it.
Oh god Hannah so glad you located it there really are some sick people out there stay safe
Is this only if you have an iPhone?
yeah, this is super common in florida
Yeah, but you have TO KNOW about the issue to install the app. Major flaw. Unless it`s integrated with every OS and working automatically in the background (with a manual opt-out) then it`s busted and dangerous.
A really fat coin. Theyre also used for lots of other entirely legitimate purposes (at Disney, theyre great to put on small children prone to wander or get lost in a crowd). More bad than good is sensationalist nonsense.
And is there an established process to trace/report the observing device? This should be criminal in and of itself.
This has been a problem literally since they launched. There have also been incidents in which people hide them on police cruisers to follow officers activities - including when they go home, which can put their lives in danger. Not a fan of these gadgets at all.
I bought a pack of three Apple air tags. Didnt activate them and put them down at home. Theyre somewhere in my house but Ive absolutely no idea where!!! Cant find them anywhere.
What like the tags I used to put on naughty peoples ankles, GPS?
What range do these things have? I assumed they used Bluetooth.
This sounds nasty, but is it illegal? Probably not. Law does not prohibit following anyone. In fact private detectives do it all the time to find out about infidelity.
It`d be great if android integrated this feature by default like Apple does, given that it`s a safety/security feature that most won`t be aware of, and by the time they realize they need it, it might be too late!
A client of mine is a rental car firm. This method used to steal cars later.
needs to stop selling AirTags until hey can make them safer. Apple is putting lives at risk. Surely they can see this major problem with AirTags. AppleAirTags Apple
Today in Black Mirror Bleed-thru
unroll please
Where was the airtag placed? I think its important to share that key information!! I will warn family members.
You need to report this to law enforcement. Apple will work with them to find out who owns the AirTag.
I dont drive a lot anymore since I work from home & pandemic. My husband has them on our various car keys (chronically misplaced issue not to track anyone) & when I do drive, I never get the notification until I am home. How is that helpful?
They do need to lower the alert time judging from this, though. Would you agree, That is scary. I`m glad you were notified and could disable. Where did you find it eventually?
Almost certainly not more harm than good Likely a tiny proportion of use is harm I expect the police are interested though
Frightening but I am glad you`re alright x
A device created with good intent now being subverted by creeps and criminals.
Someone should sue Apple for this! They should have known this could be used in this way. They have the smartest people in the industry. The cannot claim they did not anticipate this scenario. Do it now so others dont have to experience it.
What starts in US often ends up in UK
The mentioned app: Glad you saw that notification and are safe! Thanks for sharing this! Ive been seeing this AirTag problem pop up a lot recently
So Apple are requiring people to download an app because they created something that makes stalking easier?! That seems... No, I`ve not got the words.
As horrifying as this is. It is good to know Apple built in a warning system for this kind of thing. Of course more people need to be aware of this. Also if you have an Android phone get AirGuard it will also get notifications if an AirTag is detected as following you.
unroll please
They are directly paired to iPhones so surely the police will be able to find out who did this?
This is horrendous.
Get a VPN and set it for USA
Strange to post the notifications but not the tag itself, or where it was found. Hmmmm getting though
Thats so scary!!
Did you say "after hours event at Disneyland" and still nobody`s here whose pedo-alarm went of?!
Feels like something needs to be accountable for and make necessary changes to the product to prevent this kind of thing from happening.
JFC and having red your comment about it being done at the happiest of places, its just hit me how paedos could go there to specifically find children to then tag!!!
This is awful! Glad youre safe and hope others remain safe too.
So where was the AirTag put? You dont mention finding it.
Thank you for alerting others. Thank goodness you are safe!
Truly terrifying..the stuff of horror films.and Thank God youre okand THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU. I had no idea about this and I betcha loads of people who read your message didnt either. Thank you. X
Disable this app and stop selling this product until you can ensure it won`t be used by predators.
What sucks about this is that Ive had two leather jackets stolen in the past, and was thinking about getting an AirTag if I get another. But in this case potential thieves will get an alert and will be able to cancel the tracking!
Wow. Thanks for the info. Any idea why you were tracked?
Thanks for this warning
Thats terrifying.
Being used in auto theft too especially if youre car keys get nicked
Thank you for this!
Ta very much. Extremely useful.
Who wanted to track where you were?
I used to want an air tag. Now I want nothing to do with them. A few months ago I found out about this stuff and I am so disgusted by it all. Of course stalkers would use these as a tool in their tool belt. I cant wait till they are taken away/improved and u can track the tracker
Can you explain to what happened and ask them to identify the AirTag owner so you can file a police report?
There are also apps for Android users for this.
needs to update these so you get a notification immediately and every minute until you acknowledge that its in range of your phone. You should need to acknowledge it before it can track you at all. Terrible things can happen within 2 hours. Im so glad youre ok.
did you report this to the police?
Ok this is truly terrifying.
Omg!! I would also like to know why it took 2 hours for you to get the notification. So glad you are safe.
Thank you for this...I just downloaded the android app. So scary!
I immediately told my daughter who travels a lot. Thank you for sharing this.
Jesus Were being hunted.
Since the tag is tied to someone`s account I`d imagine it`d be straightforward tech wise to find the person`s identity. Legality wise not so much... Probably needs a subpoena.
Thanx for sharing. Your tweets are truly a public service announcement. Id heard of these things but didnt realize they could be used to track ppl. Did you ever find the actual tracking tag? If not, how was it still able to track you if it wasnt with you?
So glad you are safe. Thank you for sharing. I have heard that this is being done. This is such a frightening story.
How creepy!
Did you find it?
Thank you Hannah.....so glad you`re ok!
I hate that one has to download Tracker Detect app and get in a contract with Apple for saving oneself from Apple`s development of a invasive product.
Women learn from this! It happens in DV and coercive control EVERY DAY!
What does it look like?
Do you know who put the AirTag on you??
Huge number of reviews saying it doesn`t work with their phone or when they test it with AirTags, so yeah, still not reassuring for Android users. If I do find a tracker, can I leave it on the ground? Do people somehow pair it to my phone? I had an AirTag placed on me in the airport lounge at EWR last Sunday and they havent responded to me. It even went off during my entire flight and the steward onboard was like They should beep on command, how can you even find them otherwise? Tempting to disable it and re-enable it right before throwing it in the center of the busiest intersection you can find.
I am so sorry someone did this to you. Its unforgivable. Sadly, in my work with schools and other youth settings it is emerging more and more frequently that teenage boys / young men are using tracking devices covertly like this. Its a huge worry on many fronts.
Im glad that you are ok. Thank you for sharing this. It disgusting to know that someone would even think about doing that, let alone actually doing that.
Reason 254 why we need privacy legislation on a federal level. We should have an absolute right to NOT be watched, heard or tracked without our clear consent.
Thank you so much for sharing this. As busybody anti-abortion laws become more invasive, this is definitely something women need to be aware of.
Mist all chucking frighty! Thats terrifying.
Glad youre safe & thanks for the warning.
Sadly, predators are devious and get very creative, this is why it`s so important women should always try to go in a min of twos, this is not new.
Do you know why it took so long for you to get the notification that you were being tracked from when the tracking started? It`s really concerning these messages are coming so late after the fact
Not to be that guy, but gps trackers existed before air tags, and if they had used an older gps tracker instead of the AirTag you would have never known
Thanks for sharing this. Seems like should have sent you a notification much sooner if not immediately. Also, dont these devices have serial numbers that could be traced to the purchaser?
The benefits of air tags are huge for those of us with ADHD but clearly the problems are huge too! There must be a way of dealing with this more easily
How long can their batteries last? A month?
I had only heard of it being used on cars slipped into the gas tank cover by thieves to find out where you live to steal your car. Never thought of this use. Thanks. Glad youre safe!
Can`t find the App. Would you have a link?
Thanks for sharing this.
Dumbphones are destroying society. Remove all apps and just turn it off when not in use and just hail a cab.
Hilary and Obama are using these in their pedo ring at the pizza parlor.
They`ve been using airtags for a couple of years now to find out were car owners live to steal their cars from their homes & strippers been setting up customers with money & jewelry to get followed & robbed when they leave the club. It`s crazy how easy it is to track ppl now!
Good info to have & Im glad you made it safely to the other side of this scenario. That said, its unfortunate to know that bad actors might get an alert telling them that theyre being tracked while they have my stolen my X/kidnapped my kid & could disable the function.
I guess people who dont own a smartphone are just out in the cold.
my good gosh
Why don`t iphone simply have a notification pop up automatically that an airtag is moving with the phone? Perhaps that would look bad as people will realise how dodgy AirTags are?
Yeah. I was fortunate to find out about this on a bus ride yesterday. Someone on the bus had AirPods and I got an alert like this. Im so glad I found out in a safe way, but I immediately thought how scary it is that people do sh** like that to make this necessary.
thanks 4 sharing...
I was out to dinner with friends one evening & their phones got this notification. They tracked it to my bag, in which my AirPods were stored. It (and I) had followed them from the parking lot to the dinner table.
Scary Is there a way to prevent this from happening in the first place?
thanks for sharing this
Thank you for sharing. Good info. My friend busted her lying, cheating hubby w/ an AirTag. He was flying to Chicago for work Nope; he and the tag went to FLsame place flowers had been sent. Busted!
Hearing more and more of this. So glad you`re ok. Scary stuff indeed.
Did you find the tag?
I have to ask: is this just an Apple thing?
I dont have one mostly b/c it seemed creepy, but I thought nah, just a woman thing. Its apparently a woman thing to sense danger from a predator. Someone put their AirTag on you so they could track you? Thanks, Apple, for making the world an easier place stalkers
So did you find the actual tag? Im confused about that part. A lot of data so I would assume you found the tag that was following you? Also, how has the company Tile not had this same problem? They basically do this same thing, and they operate on IOS and Android
Someone I work with had his 11 yr old daughter tracked a few months ago. She brought it home unknowingly.
It should give you an instant notice as soon as it is activated.
This is happening to women all over the world. Apple needs to discontinue support for this product.
Retired military. Heard of families putting them in their household goods so they could track their stuff. This is scary on a whole different level!
So good that you`re safe and had a chance to disable it! Very responsible, to share the information. Thank you. Terrifying.
This just sounds like an ad.
Did you find the device? Was it disguised as anything?
This is absolutely terrifying. I`m so sorry this happened and so glad you are safe
How do you know it was for 2 hours? Could the person have put the tag on you at, say, 2:00 am?
I just downloaded it. Thanks for sharing! I`m happy you are safe.
So, Apple make and sell the AirTag and you have to have an Apple app to get rid of it if you`re a victim?
I hope police will take this seriously! Thank you. This will likely save someones life. I am so sorry this happened to you.
Why am I just hearing about this? Now I have to go research AirTags! As if our world wasn`t already crazy enough. Thanks for the PSA, glad you`re safe.
That is bananas.
Do you think its wise to tweet about this and alert the perp? What do you think about contacting the police?
My wife was able to recover her purse after it was stolen because she had an AirTag attached to her keys.
This is just scary! Glad youre ok
Thank you.
There should be a reverse track. So if somebody is tracking you with an airtag then the app should show you where the phone is that`s tracking that airtag
What troubles me is it was two hours before you got the notification. A quick run to the grocery store isn`t two hours. That`s concerning.
Question: How did you receive a notification if the tag wasn`t registered to your device?
Um... Have you seen the reviews??? They are awful. It has a 2.2 review rating. I`m not installing that on my phone
Airdetect is better for Android It runs constantly in the background
This happened to a family at disney world a few months back too, scary!
This is just scary! People can be such trash!
