COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — It isn’t clear how an Apple AirTag got into a toy belonging to a toddler, but a Colorado Springs man is sharing a warning after he says he made the suspicious discovery.
Patrick Murakami was with his family at Fred McKown Park and Field this past weekend. The park is on the northeast side of the city near Austin Bluffs Parkway and Rangewood Drive. He tells News5 that his sister-in-law brought it to his attention, asking what the device was after his niece found it in her electric toy car she was driving around.
An AirTag is a personal tracking device from Apple, one that comes with concerns of privacy issues and the possibility of using it to stalk others. Apple is aware of these concerns and has a support page for detecting “unwanted trackers.” Click here for more from Apple. Apple has also highlighted the benefits of AirTag’s for society.
“Apple designed AirTags and the Find My network to help users keep track of belongings and—at the same time—discourage unwanted tracking,” Apple Support posted to its website. “To further help safeguard that no device is unknowingly tracking users, Apple and Google created an industry standard. With it, users (iPhone, iPad, and Android) can be notified if they are being tracked.”
INFORMATION ON HOW TO DETECT UNWANTED TRACKERS CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE
Patrick isn’t sure how it ended up in his niece’s car. Not knowing what to do, he destroyed it and threw the pieces out before filing a police report online. News5 asked if the toy electric car had a previous owner and if the AirTag may have been placed there before they arrived at the park. Patrick said they bought the toy car just a few weeks ago straight from Amazon, it was new, and he doesn’t believe it could have been placed there before they arrived at the park.
“You just kind of try to, obviously be cool, calm and collected,” Patrick said about finding the device. “But again, with so many question marks around something like this, you know, as a parent… I want to give people the benefit of the doubt, but also, why would it be in a child’s toy? Why would it be, you know, in a location like that? And so having to think of safety for kids, not only my family but kids at the park. So my thought was, you know, we need to get rid of this. But then I immediately started asking questions of, why, why would this go into a kid’s toy?”
The Colorado Springs Police Department didn’t have data available on how many cases have involved AirTags or personal tracking devices, but a spokesperson added they are aware of cases in the past.
Patrick turned to social media wanting to warn others, just in case there were bad intentions behind the incident. That’s how News5 learned about this after a concerned viewer reached out.
“Parents, especially Moms, be careful out there,” Patrick wrote on social media. “Do a quick sweep of your purse, your gas areas of your car and your kid’s toys. Don’t know the reason but nothing good comes to my mind for this… Be alert.”
There have been multiple studies on concerns tied to AirTags, with several pointing to the notion more education and awareness needs to occur publicly. The Seattle University School of Law did one such study and released the results in December.
“Raising awareness about crimes associated with Apple AirTags starts with more than what has been covered in the news thus far,” part of the study reads. “Often overlooked are the domestic violence victims who silently endure the perils of intimate partner violence, such as stalking and harassment, facilitated by these tracking devices. For those victims, stepping forward publicly can be perilous, considering the immense danger involved in extricating oneself from such circumstances. Sharing these experiences with local reporters or authorities poses an added layer of complexity and vulnerability, but raising public knowledge and understanding about the potential misuse of AirTags could serve as a catalyst, encouraging victims to come forward, seek help, and navigate a way out of these threatening situations while also serving a cause to protect other victims.”
If you have a story you want to share involving being tracked by an AirTag, you can email [email protected]. We can’t guarantee coverage, but we want you to Join the Conversation.
The belief of underreporting is why Patrick decided to file a police report.
“I wanted to bring the attention and the awareness just in case,” Patrick added. “I don’t know how many of these cases get reported, and while it may be nothing, and that’s the best case scenario, but how many times have maybe somebody gone through this and without any sort of report they had, there’s no data to track from how often is this happening.”
Apple recommends that if you find a tracker and you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement. If the item is an Apple product, law enforcement can work with Apple to request information related to the item, according to Apple. You may need to provide the AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory, and the device’s serial number.
HOW TO DETECT UNWANTED TRACKERS WITH BOTH AN IPHONE OR ANDROID OPERATING SYSTEM:
To receive unwanted tracking notifications on an iPhone or iPad with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, or later, make sure that you:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, and turn Location Services on.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, and turn Find My iPhone on.
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth, and turn on Bluetooth.
- Go to Settings > Notifications > scroll down to Tracking Notifications, then turn on Allow Notifications.
- Turn off airplane mode. If your device is in airplane mode, you don’t receive tracking notifications.
- Open Settings: Navigate to your Android device’s settings
- Find Safety & Emergency: Scroll down and tap on “Safety & emergency”
- Locate Unknown Tracker Alerts: Tap on “Unknown tracker alerts”
- Enable the Feature: Toggle the switch to the “on” position.
WHAT IF I FIND A TRACKER (info from Google Support)
Once you find the tracker, you may want to save its information.
- You may want to take a screenshot of the unknown tracker alert and map of the tracker locations.
- For Airtags, to learn more information about the tracker, bring the tracker near the back side of your phone.
- You may have to wait a moment for the tracker information to come up on your screen.
- Some devices may share their serial number or additional information about the owner of the device. Other devices also have the serial number printed physically on the Bluetooth tracker.
- You may want to take a screenshot of the serial number or owner information.
- For Find My Device network compatible trackers, to learn more about the tracker, follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once all the identification instructions are completed, you’ll be able to find the device identifier and hidden email address of the owner.
- You may want to take a screenshot of the device identifier or owner information.
- If you’re unable to find the instructions to reveal owner information, follow the identification instructions on the manufacturer’s website.
Click here for more from Google Support including how to disable a tracker.
