California woman fed up with stolen mail sends Apple AirTag to herself to catch thief

An AirTag used by a Santa Barbara resident to track down thieves stealing their packages on an unspecified date in Santa Barbara, California. — Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office via AP

SANTA BARBARA, California: A Southern California woman fed up with her packages getting stolen out of her post office box sent an Apple AirTag to the address and cleverly tracked down the suspected thief, police said.

The woman had had several items stolen from her mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office already when she thought of the idea, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Apple’s US$29 AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from their lost keys to wallets and luggage.