Dad tracked mother of his child by hiding AirTag in her vehicle, Texas sheriff says

Apple also has said its AirTag devices are “designed to discourage unwanted tracking.” If someone else’s AirTag is on your belongings, and you have an iPhone, your phone will let you know an AirTag is traveling with you. — Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash

A man tracked the mother of his toddler by hiding an Apple AirTag inside of her vehicle, authorities in Texas said.

The mom became suspicious when the man began sending her photos of her parked vehicle, “making her aware that he knew where she was at,” according to a Jan 17 news release from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office.

She inspected her vehicle and found the GPS tracking device inside, authorities said. She reported it to the Criminal Investigations Division on Jan 10.

Investigators determined the Apple AirTag was linked to the father’s phone number, according to the release. The man confessed when questioned by authorities.

The dad was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful installation of a tracking device. He was booked into the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center.

McClatchy News is not naming the man to protect the identity of the woman and their 1-year-old child.

In a February statement, Apple said “AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property.” “We condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” the company said.

Apple also has said its AirTag devices are “designed to discourage unwanted tracking.” If someone else’s AirTag is on your belongings, and you have an iPhone, your phone will let you know an AirTag is traveling with you.

“After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there,” according to Apple.

Is an ‘unwanted’ Apple AirTag tracking you? Here’s how to tell – and what you can do To get AirTag tracking alerts, Apple users should follow the following steps, according to McClatchy News: Go to device settings and under Privacy, turn on your Location Services.

Under Location Services, click on System Services and turn on Find My iPhone.

Scroll to Significant Locations and turn it on.

Under Settings, turn on your Bluetooth.

Open the Find My app, click the Me tab and turn on Tracking Notifications.

“Android users are advised to download the Tracker Detect app from the Google Play store that can find nearby AirTags,” McClatchy News reported. “For those without an Apple device or smartphone, an unknown AirTag will alert you by making a sound.” — The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service