AirTag on car

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119324782#Comment_119324782

OP, thanks for the update! Very interesting situation. May I ask the model and age of the vehicle please?

cython

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326301#Comment_119326301

The very first post says it's a 221 VW ID.4......

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326208#Comment_119326208

In the world of engineering, we call them a boroscope, and they are fantastic machines to have....

I'd love one myself!!

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326208#Comment_119326208

There’s a warehouse sale in Lidl Shankill where they are selling off lots of left overs..

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326301#Comment_119326301

It’s a 2022 VW ID4, picked it io the day before good Friday.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326314#Comment_119326314

Sorry! Overlooked while I read the 6 pages.

With the lack of EV's in stock, this vehicle would be a prime target.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326751#Comment_119326751

I've been surprised at how well they narrow down the location and just how many apple devices are out there within range of one(the useful range appears to be about ten metres, 30feet in old money). In an urban/suburban setting anyway.

Andrea B.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119326751#Comment_119326751

I doubt. After purchase it needs pairing with the master and 1 only iPhone.

It will hijack local devices to give location.

This was, in my opinion, a planned plant.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119327212#Comment_119327212

In agreement here. That location is the very good place to hide one too as it's not completely surrounded by metal. If you have opportunistic access to the rear of the car then it's easily hidden in that location too, unlike installing one in in an area such as the headlining, which would require a fair bit of faffing.

The air-tag sends out a BT beacon (BLE advertising packets) which is picked up by a service on any local iPhone and relayed to Apple's servers. So the likelyhood is that the car could be tracked to virtually any location where any passing iPhone could relay the beacon message, even underground (to a somewhat lesser level of precision).

Alun

Is there no way of finding out who the registered owner of an AirTag is? Even if there's no physical ID printed on the AirTag itself, either on the outside or maybe on the inside if you open it up to replace the battery, say, then as a Bluetooth device it presumably has a MAC address that can be displayed somehow on any device that's connected to it.

Andrea B.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119328301#Comment_119328301

Apple will under a law enforcement route.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119328945#Comment_119328945

This is the details I got from it.

whippet

Looks like you have the last four digits of the phone number of the owner ... have a look through your contacts

antodeco

If it really was for some nefarious reason, I don't understand why they didn't disconnect the speaker. It's a 1 minute job to do it.

wonski

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119329009#Comment_119329009

I would disable it now if I were you.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119329091#Comment_119329091

I have. I just stuck the battery back in to read it. Now I have the details it’ll go to the Gardai.

I wanted to see if I recognised the number first. I don’t

it actually reads the details very slow.

Andrea B.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119329109#Comment_119329109

Rubbin me sweaty paws together awaiting the next development....

Keep us posted please!

Jokes aside, I would be doing my nut in if I felt that my/our location was being tracked in such a targeted manner, as in someone consciously and specifically positioned this device.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119329066#Comment_119329066

Might not have the tech ability, or maybe they place a lot of these on cars, and it would take them too much time.

Miscreant

If there was nefarious intent in this case, surely something would have happened in the several weeks it has taken to find the device inside the car?

Like everyone else on this thread, I would be very worried if this happened to me, however this may have been an accident on the part of whomever did the valet back in mid June. They could have been sitting on the back seat doing something and the AirTag fell out of their pocket, found it's way between the seat back and base and then was "vibrated" into that cavity by the motion of the car over the course of a few days before being discovered by an iPhone. Just a thought.

antodeco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330199#Comment_119330199

True, but it's literally a one minute job. No tech skills needed. I honestly think this was just an accidental drop as others have said.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330308#Comment_119330308

Not in my mind. If this is opportunistic targeting, then it's possible that devices have been installed in multiple vehicles with only the best candidates - ie those in open drive-ways or on-street - being selected for "collection". Even so, what better way of building up a profile of targets and then choosing the next target on-demand.

And with a projected run-time of a year on a battery, for a criminal network what's not to like about this other than the linkage to a phone-number - which I'd guess they have a workaround for too.

Flying Abruptly

If it was accidental, would the person who dropped it not have tracked it and asked for it back as soon as they realised it was missing?

Better asking for it back, than knowing it is moving around and possibly having the gards coming after you for tracking someone without their knowledge.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330783#Comment_119330783

The phone would be 100% a 'clean' burner phone with a pre-pay sim, and all bought with cash, and kept 'clean' for this very reason.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330357#Comment_119330357

Accidental drop of an active tracking device into an ideal hiding-hole which is specifically shaped to avoid coins and lint collecting? Only in Russia.

Look at the evidence so far:

• New and desirable EV with high resale value and low availability.
• Active tracking device located (in what I see) as an ideal location: accessibility to plant, low impact on signal strength, long device-life, ease of recovery afterwards.

If you take the objective criminal view of the operation: If I wanted to identify high value targets and track them back to their overnight location for future theft, I'd have a paid operative who knows enough about cars to identify the targets, plant the tracker and compile a list of each. Simple.

How do I best achieve this? Have the operative working where a continuous rotation of high-value targets are presented with internal access.

I'll leave the rest up to you.

Kat1170

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330886#Comment_119330886

Ronald and his feckin' drive thru.

I knew it, I knew it all along.

zg3409

EVs have been stolen in ROI. Lots of Nissan leafs and Tesla's even those that have onboard SIM card that the owner can track. Even unusual rare EVs such as 28kWh ioniq. People assume they are stolen to order then stripped of high value parts such as the battery, front parts often damaged in a crash etc. Things like headlights are crazy money on used market as there is probably no aftermarket parts created yet.

In some cases cars are shipped whole to eastern Europe or Africa, and often sold to unsuspecting buyers. The manufacturer tracking is typically disabled within minutes of the car being stolen, often taken away on a flatbed truck. In some cases they may use a donor car such as a very crashed Tesla, and fix it up or switch parts over to stolen car and clone non stolen crashed car identity. It's big business and cars are stolen to order. They might only make 5000 euro per car, but it's relatively easy money for steal and scrap.

This is a potential reason OP may have been targeted, but as said they would have disabled the buzzer, unless they are very new to the game. Anyone capable of stealing a car with onboard SIM and manufacturer tracking, should be capable of disabling a buzzer, but maybe they are learning or don't care as they don't expect any consequences. The guy working at the valet might be just selling his mates the locations without being that clued up. However air tags are not cheap, I would not expect them to throw them in a car and not follow up for a month unless something in their plans changed.

Citizen Six

There was a guy here on boards who posted about having his Tesla Model S stolen, last year I think, where they just used a relay to boost the key signal from the house. He had it on video, with the lad holding up a bag with the relay. Had it gone in less than a minute.

Friend of mine keeps his keys in a special box in the house that blocks the signal to prevent something like this happening to his cars.

Hurrache

You don't need a box, you can get little bags or pouches you can ship them into too.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119332594#Comment_119332594

Gone in sixty seconds.... but but Elon Musk is one of the smartest guys in the world 🙄

Knine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119332793#Comment_119332793

I just got one of these today for my new car. I got it on Amazon. Also the Fordpass App - you can set notifications & schedules if anyone tries to access your card at specified times.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119333099#Comment_119333099

Happens to lots of cars, and you can easily disable it in a Tesla with a pin code upon entry.

Friend of mine had his Merc taken that way last year. He wasn't even aware it could happen, but neighbours CCTV caught the whole thing.

Hotblack Desiato

Having a feature like that as an option is daft - that a car will drive off and continue driving with no key present.

Having that as the default is beyond stupid, and other manufacturers doing it too doesn't make it any better.

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119334696#Comment_119334696

My car has that feature too. Last week the battery died while I was driving and I got a warning that the key was no longer detected. What should happen in that case - should the car shut down? That doesn’t seem safe at all. I’d much rather my car was stolen than it stopped on a motorway.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119334842#Comment_119334842

I heard a similar case where the passenger got out , driver drive off and then car said key not detected, as key was actually in passenger pocket. In reality these guys often have a tow truck around the corner and they disable any standard tracking straight away. They often have cell phone, WiFi and gps jammers to block other trackers until they disconnect the 12 volt battery. Often cars are put straight into sealed steel containers and shipped abroad for dismantling. The key relay attack is thwarted by adding a motion sensor to the key, so if key is not moving then it won't react. This is standard on some newer keys. Keyless entry can be disabled on some cars in the menu. That said they will just drag car away. Often house burglars will take the car keys, to just move the stolen stuff, but also to steal in demand cars. They sometimes leave it parked up elsewhere for a week in case it has tracking in which case it will be recovered, if not they grab it later.

Hurrache

There was a gang busted with their yard based in Louth I think it was a couple of years ago who were stealing high value cars and either breaking them or shipping them off.

They were caught because there was a tracker in one of their recent thefts and the place was subsequently raided.

It's too much movie myth to think they drive around the corner, find and remove the tracker immediately and off they go into the sunset.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119334842#Comment_119334842

What on earth was wrong with putting a key (RFID chipped, no battery) into an ignition?

Is the supposed convenience worth the paranoia and having to put your keys into a biscuit tin at night?

Damien360

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119335401#Comment_119335401

It’s going on years. I think the one I linked below was found because they nicked and broke the new 5 series which had been just released less than a week and the gardai found that. I can’t find reference to that particular car but I’m pretty sure that it’s the same one.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/man-to-face-charges-in-stolen-cars-case-1.1306418

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119336981#Comment_119336981

I walk up to my car, it unlocks, the door opens, I enter a pin and it starts. When I get home, I open the door and walk away. There’s no biscuit tin involved. With newer models, there’s no key at all, just a card or a phone.

Is it a first world feature? Absolutely! Personally I don’t understand why people use TV remote controls and have the hassle of having to find them and replace the batteries when they die. What was wrong with getting up, adjusting the rabbit ears and pressing a button to change the channel?

zoe 3619

Do you leave your t.v outside at night?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119337843#Comment_119337843

Ridiculous comparison tbh. A remote control doesn't allow anyone to walk into my house and steal my tv

newmember2

That's a comparison of convenience if ever I saw one...

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119337843#Comment_119337843

 I enter a pin and it starts

Fancy having to physically press buttons to enter a pin?

How last year is that.

markpb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339519#Comment_119339519

Keyless entry doesn’t make it any easier to steal my car. They might get access but they need the pin to start. If they’re stealing it for parts, it’s just as easy to drag it onto a flatbed and drive away, no key required.

It’s a convenience. The trade-off is potentially making it easier to steal but the car is just property and it’s insured.

listermint

How confident that some of your daughters friends were no in the back of the car being dropped off somewhere. And the airtag fell out of one of their bags. They may not even have known a parent put it there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339839#Comment_119339839

After checking the OP photos again I’d agree that someone lost this who was sitting in the back seat

Either the OPs contacts his daughters contacts or friends of his daughters contacts holds the answer to this - text the last few digits of the number you have OP to as many contacts as you can and the daughter to do the same- I’ll bet you’ll find the owner of the tag

pippip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339981#Comment_119339981

Oh the irony of losing something that has the one job of being easily found.

Which itself begs the question as to why nobody has come looking for it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119340149#Comment_119340149

Embarrassment?

Its hard to know but I’d bet there’s a simple explanation - when these tags first came out there were “horror stories” of females being tracked without their knowledge- but at the same time it was called out that these tags alert iPhone users to their presence- so if creeping or spying on the OPs wife or her car is the objective here, it’s a very silly “criminal” - I just think there’s a more simpler explanation.

Hurrache

I don't see how an air tag will fall from a pocket or bag and manage to get itself into the trim like that though.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119339839#Comment_119339839

Absolutely really confident, it’s a new enough car, so we know who was in it. And there was only a limited number of people

I can’t see us getting to the bottom of this any time soon so- your best bet is matching the digits to a mobile number of one of your contacts or of someone who was in your car- unlikely the Guards will come back for a while or if they’ll even be able to progress it further