A woman in Southern California ingeniously used an Apple AirTag to track down a suspected thief who had been stealing her packages from a post office box. Tired of being a victim of theft at the Los Alamos Post Office, the woman decided to attach the AirTag to a package in an attempt to catch the thief, as recounted by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. Apple’s AirTags, which cost $29, have gained popularity since their launch in 2021 as they facilitate tracking the location of various items such as keys, wallets, and luggage.
Sheriff’s deputies were summoned to the post office on Monday after the woman reported that her mail, including the package with the AirTag, had been stolen once again. Using the AirTag, law enforcement was able to follow the signal to a location in Santa Maria, approximately 16 miles away from the post office, where they apprehended two suspects—a 27-year-old woman from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside.
Upon locating the package with the AirTag along with suspected stolen items from multiple victims, which amounted to more than a dozen individuals, the thieves were taken into custody. Authorities disclosed that the woman who orchestrated the plan chose to remain anonymous.
Both suspects were arrested and faced charges including possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, conspiracy, and identity and credit card theft. The 37-year-old man also faced a burglary charge in addition to several outstanding theft warrants from Riverside County. The sheriff’s department praised the victim for promptly involving law enforcement in the matter, emphasizing the importance of working together to apprehend suspects rather than taking matters into one’s own hands.
