The tracking gadget has turned out to be so useful that it is now used by carjackers, according to the Regional Police of York in Ontario, Canada.
The police said that criminals attach an AirTag to a car they are interested in in a public parking lot, track it while the owner drives home, and then steal it straight from the driveway.
Offenders open the cars with a screwdriver and then reprogram the car through the diagnostic port so that it can be started using the ignition key that the criminals took with them. This way of carjacking is much safer than doing it at a public site.
The number of cases involving AirTag was said to have increased significantly as police have recorded five high-end vehicle thefts using AirTags since September 2021. The cars targeted include the Lexus S350, Ford F150, Toyota Highlander and Honda C-RV.
The police recommend that car owners undertake some security measures to protect their vehicles. They include leaving the car in a closed garage, using wheel locks and enabling diagnostic port lock. It also has been recommended to regularly check the car for unwanted AirTags.