Woman uses AirTags to nab alleged parcel-pinching scum
- Reference: 1724830215
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/08/28/airtag_mail_arrests/
- Source link:
According to the sheriff's office in Santa Barbara County, California, two suspects were apprehended last week on suspicion of stealing mail. One of their victims, having become sick of losing incoming items, decided to try a novel approach: she sent herself an Apple AirTag – Cupertino’s consumer-grade tracking device – and followed its movements.
According to the police, the package – once it failed to arrive at its intended destination – was tracked to a private home in the Californian town of Santa Maria. Officers entered the property and found mail addressed to over a dozen people not at that address – including a package containing the missing AirTag.
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"The suspects are identified as 27-year-old Virginia Franchessca Lara from Santa Maria and 37-year-old Donald Ashton Terry from Riverside," local police [2]revealed .
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"Lara was booked at the Northern Branch Jail for felonies including possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, fictitious checks, identity theft, credit card theft and conspiracy. She is being held on $50,000 bail. Terry was booked at the Northern Branch Jail for felonies including burglary, possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, credit card theft, identity theft, and conspiracy. He was also booked on several theft related warrants from Riverside County. He is being held on $460,000 bail."
[5]Woman accused of killing boyfriend after tracking him down with Apple AirTag
[6]Google, Apple gear to raise tracking tag stalker alarm
[7]Three dozen plaintiffs join Apple AirTag tracking lawsuit in amended complaint
[8]What's called Grogu but isn't that cute? Google's leaked answer to Apple AirTags
While the sheriff's department isn't commenting beyond its statement, it appears the victim set up her own AirTag account before mailing the device. While she was praised for getting law enforcement involved, things don't always work out so smoothly – one Vulture here in San Francisco had a similar issue when their tagged bike was stolen, but police declined to pursue the matter.
AirTags can also have more nefarious applications. Apple is facing [9]numerous lawsuits from stalking victims who claim jealous exes used the devices to track them. In one case, a woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison after using an AirTag to track down a target before [10]running him over with her car.
AirTags and similar devices are readily available and have been an ideal tool for stalkers – until the industry took action.
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Following protests from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others, Apple and Google agreed to make their tracking devices [12]more transparent by establishing a standard protocol to find out if you have one secreted in your home or vehicle without your knowledge. Tile and other manufacturers of similar devices are also joining in. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zs71RER5IxFRIDcBCQ4p0AAAAUo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.sbsheriff.org/mail-theft-suspect-apprehended-using-airtag/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zs71RER5IxFRIDcBCQ4p0AAAAUo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/14/airtag_tracking_murder_charge/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/14/android_apple_devices_anti_stalking/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/13/three_dozen_plaintiffs_join_apple_airtag_suit/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/17/google_leaked_airtags_competitor/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/13/three_dozen_plaintiffs_join_apple_airtag_suit/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/14/airtag_tracking_murder_charge/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zs71RER5IxFRIDcBCQ4p0AAAAUo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/14/android_apple_devices_anti_stalking/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
"Never on a Monday ?"
Well, as the Bangles sang - It's just another maniac Monday!
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
It's my impression that police across the entire Anglosphere magically become deaf and blind the moment you say the word "bicycle".
Cordless power tools have made bike theft trivial. Insure your bikes and don't leave them in places where they're easy to steal.
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
"It's my impression that many police across the entire Anglosphere magically become deaf and blind the moment you say the words 'work for your pay'."
FIFY
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
Leave your bike next to one that's worth more and has a worse lock...
So far I have fared well by having my good bikes inside (almost all of the time) and using a pretty shite looking bike for my errands downtown with a decent lock. The bike works well (admittedly the drive train is close to being shot, but as long as the chain doesn't jump under torque I'll leave it and not replace chain, cassette and chain rings).
I just hope my kids take bike locking seriously (Übut then again, not great looking bikes).
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
I do a similar thing with my truck. It looks like you would catch a serious disease if you went near it and so no one does.
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
Thieves once broke into the place where I stored my bike... and stole the bike lock. Get a bike that bad and it's yours for life.
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
"Insure your bikes and don't leave them in places where they're easy to steal."
Please read the Insurance Policies thoroughly before going down that path.
Some of them will insure you but only recompense if the theft was at home, you insurance might not cover theft from a public location.
I had a look at some of the nicer electric bikes and then had a look at the quantity that are stolen here everyday, no thanks, it will probably disappear in less than a month
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
Very important indeed to read the fine print on bike insurance. The vast majority of them require extremely heavy, certified to a certain standard chain locks AND proof that the lock was properly used and destroying in stealing the bike. You'll have to be able to show all keys to all locks used too. Can't show these things? Or the lock wasn't cut/destroyed properly? Or they claim whatever you chained the bike to wasn't sufficient (even if they still cut the lock)? Sorry, no insurance pay out for your. When the bike is stored at home it's often covered by household/property insurance (Check the fine print!) UNLESS you have bike insurance, in which case they'll point to the bike insurance and tell you to pound sand if your claim on that policy is then denied.
The unfortunate reality is that bikes are easily stolen and modern battery powered tools have made cutting basically any lock trivial. The best you can do is slow them down. Until society starts actually giving a shit and bike theft stops being an easy payout for lowlifes it'll be an ongoing problem.
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
"I had a look at some of the nicer electric bikes and then had a look at the quantity that are stolen here everyday, no thanks, it will probably disappear in less than a month"
And that is why we can't have nice things. Because there are scumbags around.
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
It's not just bicycles. In the East of England we had an epidemic of catalytic-converter thefts (also made much easier by cordless power tools). The police response to both of my acquaintances who were victims was to issue a crime number and tell them to contact their insurer. I had the same response when I was targeted by vandals (three broken windows in a week).
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
"I wonder what their policy is on murder ? Never on a Monday ?"
- Tell me why?
- I don't like Mondays, I wanna shoot the whole day down
Re: "police declined to pursue the matter"
It is more important to inform the thieves that they are being tracked, than trying to recover the items.
"police declined to pursue the matter"
How reassuring it must be to live in a country where the police can decide not to investigate a theft . . .
I wonder what their policy is on murder ? Never on a Monday ?