Police Report Suspicious Activity Related to Air Tag

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***UPDATE***  The Lower Providence Township Police Department is actively investigating the incident on Barrington Road that occurred on January 14, 2022 involving the possibility of an Apple Air Tag being affixed to a resident’s vehicle while at the Movie Tavern in Upper Providence Township. We have received several phone calls from individuals who have recently received similar safety alerts on their phones. Fortunately, what we are noticing in many of those cases, is that there is a strong correlation between the individuals receiving these safety alerts and all of them owning Apple Air Pods. With that said, there is a possibility that an individual’s Apple Air Pods or other Apple accessory may be activating the safety alert you receive on your phone. Additionally, as of today, the Lower Providence Township Police Department has not located an Apple Air Tag on any of the reporting parties’ vehicles or belongings.

The most important thing to remember is to remain vigilant. If you receive a safety alert from Apple and the message says an Apple Air Tag is detected and moving with you, call 9-1-1 and arrange to meet with a police officer in a public and secure location. If you receive a safety alert from Apple that says “Unknown Accessory Detected” you can check the Find My app on your phone to determine if there is an Apple Air Tag tracking you, or simply another Apple accessory that may have synced up with your phone through a Bluetooth signal. You also have access to tap the safety message you receive from Apple, select “continue” and then select “play sound.” When you tap “play sound” the Apple Air Tag will begin to make a noise to alert you of its whereabouts.

If you are in a public and secure area, check the outside of your vehicle, handbags, luggage, pockets, and anything you have with you to see if you can locate an Apple Air Tag. Apple Air Tags are approximately the size of a quarter and will make a noise if you receive a safety alert and tap “play sound.”

Here is a link for Apple Support that goes into more detail and lists the steps you can take to confirm you are not being tracked by an Apple Air Tag. www.support.apple.com/en-us/HT212227. If you receive a safety alert from Apple for an “Unknown Accessory Detected” and you do not locate an Apple Air Tag, please call Apple Support to also make a report with them.

If you believe you are being followed, stalked, or in danger of any sort, call 9-1-1 immediately. Our officers are trained professionals that are available 24/7 to assist.

Thank you to everyone who has assisted our agency in this active and ongoing investigation.


 
On Friday, January 14, 2022 at 8:44 PM, the Lower Providence Township Police Department was dispatched to the 600 block of Barrington Road for suspicious activity.  The victim advised that they had just returned home from the Movie Tavern, located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, when they received an IMessage on their I-Phone from Apple declaring the following message:

“Unknown Accessory Detected – This Item Has Been Moving With You For A While”

When the victim went inside their home, they looked at their phone again and received an additional message that read:
“Safety Alert, Your Current Location Can Be Seen By The Owner Of This Item.  You May Be Carrying This Item, Or It Could Be Located Closely.  If This Item Is Not Familiar To You, You Can Disable It And Stop Sharing Your Location.”  
 

The victim then received a map of the area showing that at 7:19 PM, the device was activated by the Movie Tavern and then travelled along the map until they returned to their residence at 8:38 PM.  The victim looked out their front window and observed an unknown vehicle sitting just down the roadway from their residence and when they approached the vehicle it slowly drove away. As the vehicle was driving away, the victim received another notification on their phone that the device was currently driving eastbound and then eventually disconnected once the vehicle was out of sight. 

The vehicle in question was described as an older model, light gray or silver hatchback, possibly a Subaru. 

The device used on this victim’s vehicle was an Apple Air Tag, which is equivalent to the size of a quarter.  Apple Air Tags are relatively inexpensive and are becoming a very popular item created for the consumer to keep track of their belongings, such as keys and wallets. Unfortunately, criminals are starting to use this technology for several reasons such as stalking purposes or to track vehicles they want to steal.  The battery life of an Apple Air Tag can last for more than a year before needing to be replaced. Even though Apple Air Tags are designed to discourage unwanted tracking, it can still occur. 

Police urge everyone to be vigilant of their surroundings and if you get a notification like the one reported in this incident, call 9-1-1 immediately.

If anyone has additional information pertaining to this investigation, please contact the Lower Providence Township Police Department at (610) 539-5901.

Released under the authority of:
Michael Jackson
Chief of Police