How car thieves are using Apple AirTags as tracking devices to locate, steal vehicles in Toronto

Thieves hoping to steal a vehicle appear to be turning to a new — and familiar — form of technology to expedite the crime by tracking and locating a car with the help of an Apple product.

Toronto police issued a warning to car owners across the city amidst a shocking rise in carjackings, with the latest string of incidents happening over four hours in Scarborough.

Const. Marco Ricciardi says thieves are getting increasingly creative with carrying out the carjacking, utilizing Apple AirTags by placing the small button-like device on cars in parking lots and tracking where it ultimately ends up.

“These little things are being used to mark a vehicle. What thieves are doing is that they’re walking around, ‘shopping’ outside in parking lots, and when they find a car that they like, they stick these to the car or place them on the car somehow,” Ricciardi says.

Apple AirTags are magnetic and function through Bluetooth technology, designed to be attached to items such as keys and wallets to allow these accessories to be tracked by the owner.

“Your AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that nearby devices can detect in the ‘Find My’ network,” Apple Canada says in describing the product. “These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the ‘Find My’ app and see it on a map. The whole process is anonymous and encrypted to protect your privacy.”

In reviews of the product, AirTags are described as “smart and capable,” with many praising the tracking, lauded for accuracy. For iPhones, AirTags are managed in the ‌”Find My‌” app that Apple introduced in iOS 14.3.

The maximum Bluetooth range is approximately 100 metres, so Apple AirTags are likely able to remain trackable to at least that distance.

For would-be car thieves, Ricciardi notes that they can be hidden behind a licence plate, a hitch or even near a gas tank.

“Once you go home, they just track their device to your driveway, and when you’re sleeping comfortably, they come and steal your car or truck,” Ricciardi says.

What to do in these situations

Ricciardi explains that iPhone users may be prompted with a notification on their phone indicating that an Apple AirTag was detected nearby. In that instance, Ricciardi says the phone owner should pinpoint where the AirTag is, locate it, and disable it.

“If you find one of these [AirTags] on your vehicle, I recommend contacting your local police department, and the officers will come and seize it,” Ricciardi says. “The plastic and shiny part, we might get fingerprints and know who has been putting this on your car.”

Apple says if an AirTag is nearby, an iPhone can lead you directly to it with “Precision Finding,” compatible with iPhone 11 and up.

There is also a solution for non-iPhone users.

Ricciardi says Apple created an Android version of an app called Tracker Detect. What it does (available free for download) is help detect and locate an Apple AirTag within proximity for more than 20 minutes. With the app, non-iPhone users can scan the area to see if any AirTags were dropped in a pocket or purse — or, in this case, attached to a car.

“After that 20-minute period has elapsed, the app will pick up [the AirTag] because of the Bluetooth frequency. You can then zone in on the tag and locate it,” Ricciardi says.

How Apple AirTags uses Bluetooth to alert iPhone users of where the device is. Photo: Apple Canada.

Outside of these relatively new forms of technology, Ricciardi says sometimes resorting to the old-fashioned forms of protection is best. He suggests looking into a steering wheel lock as a visible deterrent that could prevent thieves from attempting to steal the vehicle.

Ricciardi says the OBD Blocker is another suitable option. OBD blockers are designed to block unauthorized communication through the OBD port to your vehicle. This helps prevent key reprogramming or other unauthorized activities.

For clarity, an OBD1 is connected to the console of a car, while OBD2 is remotely connected to the vehicle.

Finally, Ricciardi recommends car owners better protect or entirely hide their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) from sight. A VIN is widely considered your car’s fingerprint, as the 17-number code provides valuable information about its manufacturer, model, model year, make, equipment and class.

“There is a lot of information here,” Ricciardi says. “Do more searching on Apple AirTags, Samsung [Galaxy] SmartTags and GPS tracking devices to see how you can use that for your benefit. You can also learn how people are using it to their benefit.”

TPS announces dedicated task force to address surge in carjackings

Toronto police announced it would be redeploying additional officers to form a new, dedicated team to address a recent crime spree of armed carjackings.

Police Chief James Ramer said Wednesday the police force reallocated approximately $2.3 million to assemble an “Organized Crime Investigative Support Team” that will begin to patrol the streets this week.

There have been over 90 carjackings to date compared to only 21 at this time in 2021. The total number of carjackings in 2022 has almost reached the 2021 total of 103.

“The Organized Crime Investigative Support Team will enhance our specialized investigative capacity by allowing us to put more resources into detecting and solving complex crimes that impact public safety,” said Ramer.

The task force will “focus on citywide major crime activity where the investigative scope exceeds the resources of local divisions or has links to organized crime.”

This includes carjackings, auto thefts, kidnappings and other organized crime that falls outside the mandate of the other investigative units in Toronto.