Check your iPhone for warning signs after dozens of women revealed stalking nightmare

AN INVESTIGATION has revealed the extent to which Apple AirTags are being used to track women in the United States.

tech website motherboard analyzed 150 police reports filed over the past eight months involving coin-sized trackers.

1

According to the report, less than half of the cases involved reports of robbery or theft Devicesdesigned to help people keep track of lost items using an app.

The rest was harassment or stalking of women with an Apple AirTag.

In 50 cases, women called the police after receiving alerts on their iPhones.

Since the gadget was launched in April last year, multiple reports of AirTags being used to follow women have surfaced on social media.

The inexpensive trackers are slipped into jacket pockets or attached to the underside of cars to remotely track people’s whereabouts.

AirTags have built-in anti-stalking features, such as B. a warning system that warns people via an iPhone notification that they could be tailed.

However, the report highlights that these protections do not appear to be sufficient to prevent abuse.

Here’s how you can protect yourself from AirTags tracking.

How to recognize and deactivate an AirTag

There are two ways your iPhone can help you if you’re being tracked by an AirTag.

If an AirTag travels with an unregistered person, it will beep sometime after 8 to 24 hours.

It also sends a notification to the nearest iPhone (provided it’s running on iOS 14.5 or later).

If you find an unknown AirTag in your belongings, you can hold your phone against it.

This will give you the serial number and deactivation information.

How to protect yourself

There are several ways to reduce the risk of being tracked by an AirTag PCMag’s Steven Winkleman.

To start, Winkleman recommends regularly inspecting items like luggage, purses, and bags.

“Take a few minutes each day to empty your bag and pockets; check that all seams are intact and you don’t feel any uncomfortable lumps or hard surfaces,” he wrote.

Next, be careful with the mail, especially if you use a PO Box or rent a mailbox.

Boxes or unfamiliar envelopes can contain Bluetooth trackers, so it’s best to open all of your mail before returning home, Winkleman suggested.

Lastly, check your bike and car for trackers.

You can easily check your bike for AirTags, but cars contain many more hiding places.

Still, Winklesman recommends checking behind license plates, the opening between the hood and windshield, inside the wheel wells, and the front and rear bumpers of your car.

• Read the latest phone and gadget news
• Stay up to date on Apple stories
• Get the latest on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science Team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk