Tag, you’re it: California woman mails herself an Apple AirTag to nail post office thieves
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Law enforcers found the AirTag inside the parcel that two suspects stole from a post office in Southern California.
PHOTO: SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
It was not how Apple intended its AirTag to be used, but a woman in Southern California found a way to use the US$29 (S$38) tracker to catch the people pilfering her mails.
The woman, who declined to be named, sent a parcel containing an AirTag to her post office box.
The parcel reached the post office, but it went missing on Aug 19.
The woman then alerted the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
With the AirTag still inside, sheriff’s deputies managed to track the parcel to a block in Santa Maria, about 26km from the post office, and arrested two suspects – a 27-year-old woman from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside.
Officers located the package with the AirTag among the victim’s mail, as well as items believed to have been stolen from more than a dozen other people.
The two suspects were charged with possession of cheques, with intent to commit fraud, conspiracy, and identity and credit card theft. The woman was also booked on a burglary charge and several other theft warrants from Riverside County.
The sheriff’s department commended the mail theft victim for contacting law enforcement so they could nab the suspects, instead of trying to contact them on her own.
AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from their lost keys to wallets and luggage.
