Thieves targeting vehicles with hidden tracking devices

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say two people near Cornwall recently made the same unsettling discovery within a 24-hour period: a tracking device had been placed on their vehicles without their knowledge. 

Both received notifications that an Apple AirTag tracker was trying to connect to their iPhones, according to OPP Insp. Marc Hemmerick of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry detachment. 

The problem was that neither person owned an AirTag. 

"They both noticed that AirTag devices had been placed in hidden areas on their vehicles," Hemmerick said Wednesday. 

According to the detachment, the first report was made March 4 by a resident of North Stormont Township. 

She found the tracker in her fuse box under the hood of her Jeep Wrangler. It had been parked in a public place in Montreal the previous night, police said. 

The second was by a man in South Stormont Township on March 5. He found the AirTag under his Toyota Rav 4's hood after it dinged his phone while he was driving.

It's not the first time Hemmerick has seen AirTags or other trackers placed on vehicles in his area.

OPP said in a news release that thieves can place a tracker on a vehicle, follow it and wait for a chance to steal it.

They're studying people's habits, patterns, determining the best time to take the vehicles.- David Corak, owner of car security company

"They're studying people's habits, patterns," said David Corak, who owns the Brampton-based car security company DC Unlimited, "determining the best time to take the vehicles."

Car thefts in Ontario have "almost become an epidemic," he said. 

"They do all their research before, whether they're using [trackers] or … physically watching them. Then once they strike it could be as quick as three to six minutes."

Hemmerick said luxury cars are most often targeted in cases like this, with Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep products topping the lists. He said high-end Toyota vehicles are also targeted — particularly the Toyota Highlander. 

"I can tell you that we have seen an uptick in the vehicles that are being stolen and recovered," the inspector said. 

The OPP's investigation into the two incidents is ongoing. 

Thefts up in Ottawa, elsewhere

Over the past five years, the number of vehicles stolen annually in Ottawa has roughly doubled. More than 1,200 vehicles were reported stolen in 2022 in Ottawa.

Ottawa police didn't comment on whether AirTags or similar tracking devices had been used in the capital. 

The OPP's press release on the two incidents in eastern Ontario recommends motorists park their cars in a closed garage, possibly with a less-valuable vehicle blocking it in.

Police also recommend using a device that can block a vehicle's Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) port from being accessed. They warn that unprotected OBDs can be used to reprogram an ignition system.

GPS trackers, alarms or steering wheel locking devices can also be helpful, police said, as well as a slew of other anti-theft devices.

Technology pros, cons

The OPP also recommends vehicle owners leave AirTags of their own inside their rides as a way to track them if stolen. One of them costs $40 from Apple, which promotes them as a way find lost keys or bags.

"While thieves continue to use technology to assist in stealing high-end vehicles, you as the owner can respond using the same tools," they said in the news release. 

Corak said AirTags have their limitations and can also be detected by potential thieves. 

He recommends a device called an IGLA that prevents a car from starting, even with keys, without a code being punched in. 

Jeff Bates, owner of Lockdown Security in Markham, said many stolen vehicles from southern Ontario eventually end up shipped across the Atlantic Ocean from Montreal.  

The increase in vehicles that start without keys has created loopholes that thieves have exploited, he said. Anti-theft techniques have also increased in complexity. 

"It is very much a double-edged sword," he said.