More people tell Action 9 someone put Apple AirTags on their car

CHARLOTTE — Last month, Channel 9 reported on a Charlotte couple who discovered an Apple AirTag taped to their car. Now, two more people have contacted Action 9 saying they found AirTags on their cars.

Freddy Hidalgo says his phone did what it was supposed to do. It flashed a message saying a device was following him. He says he played the sound to locate it and that it led him to his truck.

“(I) felt something that didn’t belong there, and sure enough, there was a piece of black duct tape (around an AirTag) wrapped around the wiring, and it was just kind of hanging there,” he told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.

At first, he thought it was some co-workers playing a prank on him, but now he’s convinced it wasn’t. He says he has no idea who planted it.

“Shocked, that’s all I could think. … I just couldn’t believe that people were using these to stalk and track people,” he said.

Other cases in the area

In November, James Jackson told Stoogenke he found an AirTag in a similar spot. “I feel violated. My wife’s scared,” he said at the time.

Then another Channel 9 viewer reached out to Action 9 saying she found an AirTag on her car as well.

Class-action lawsuit

Some people are suing Apple over this issue. They filed a class-action lawsuit, saying the company should have done more to make AirTags “stalker proof.”

How AirTags work

AirTags are supposed to help you find things such as your keys or wallet if you lose them. They’re convenient, small and inexpensive, costing about $30.

Here’s how they work:

If you have an iPhone running operating system 14.5 or newer, your phone is supposed to send you a written notification if an AirTag is traveling with you. You should get that alert 1) when you arrive home, 2) when you arrive at a significant location (based on your travel patterns, such as work or the gym) or 3) at night (no matter where you are).

If you have an iPhone with an older operating system or an Android, the AirTag is supposed to beep 8 to 24 hours after being separated from its owner.

Apple’s response

Apple told Channel 9 it won’t comment on pending litigation.

In the past, Apple told Stoogenke, “AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.”

The company said it’s been working closely with various safety groups and law enforcement agencies and “identified even more ways we can update AirTag safety warnings and help guard against further unwanted tracking.”

Read Apple’s full statement here.

Advice from Action 9

- Make sure you do not disable certain settings on your phone.

- Don’t turn off Bluetooth.

- If you have an iPhone, but the operating system is older than 14.5, update it.

- If you have an Android you can use the app Tracker Detect.

VIDEO: How to make sure someone isn’t using an Apple AirTag to track you

How to make sure someone isn’t using an Apple AirTag to track you

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