When Apple launched its AirTags last June, many forgetful users were excited that they would finally be able to track their keys and wallets via their smartphone.

But the biggest pessimists did not expect this invention, which was made to not forget things, to turn into a tool in criminal operations such as car theft.

In the last week, announced Canadian police say criminals are using a new method to track and steal luxury vehicles through “airtags”.

Police revealed that in the past three months, 5 similar incidents have occurred in the York region of Ontario.

smart theft

According to police investigations, car thieves use a 5-step Grand Theft Auto plan:

1. They place Airtags in a hidden location with the target car while it is parked in public places, such as shopping malls and parking lots, for example, and can be placed in an external power socket.
2. After that they can trace the vehicle to the victim’s residence.
3. They usually use screwdrivers to get into the car, making sure the alarm isn’t triggered, of course.
4. Once in the car, they plug the reprogramming device (there are several types on Amazon) into the key recognition port under the dashboard, and reprogram the car to accept a key owned by thieves.
5. They start the car, and then drive away.

Is the problem with Airtags?

Before you get angry and blame technology, remember that Airtags isn’t the first location-tracking device in the world that can connect to your phone, as criminals have had these tools for a while.

In fact, Airtags is the least used device in these criminal acts.

To avoid potential misuse, Apple offers two security features to alert you to unmonitored Airtags around you.

• Feature 1: The sound that Airtags makes at random intervals between 8 and 24 hours if you move away from its owner.
• Two: You can discover the hidden Airtags sign inside your car, but only if you have an iPhone.

And while the features are good, they don’t prevent theft, as some Canadian car owners have discovered.

And Apple could do more to secure Airtags’ privacy, given the size of the Find My network they use.

To be fair, the criminal use of technology cannot be blamed on Apple, nor can you blame your email provider if you fall victim to a phishing email scam.

The dilemma we face is that the more advanced technology we get, the more creative criminals become and they have more tricks to stay one step ahead.

However, we cannot live in a world without technology, so we have to take some precautions when it comes to technology-related theft cases.

What can you do to protect your car?

Canadian police have listed some tips that car owners can follow to make sure they don’t fall victim to similar car thefts.

You can try very simple things, such as parking your car inside a closed garage or regularly checking it for any suspicious devices, or you can take another step and install a lock on your car’s data port to prevent it from getting to strangers.

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