How $10,000 in stolen goods were recovered with a simple $45 gadget
If you've ever had something stolen from you while out and about, at home or worse - on holidays - you know the pain and frustration that comes with it.
Sydney resident Graham Tait discovered this on a holiday in South Australia this week when $10,000 worth of items were stolen from his car while parked at a hotel.
"My car was broken into whilst we were travelling in the Flinders Ranges last night and they took a laptop bag and camera - both of which had AirTags fitted," he said.
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Graham Tait had an estimated $10,000 worth of gear stolen but got it back thanks to a $45 gadget. Supplied
Fortunately for Tait, he remembered he had an Apple AirTag attached to several of the items which were stolen.
An Apple AirTag is a small coin-sized device which emits a Bluetooth signal that is picked up by almost every Apple device in the world.
So if you don't have your item with you and it has an Apple AirTag attached, every single iPhone, iPad and Mac becomes part of the search party for your item.
So Graham set to work.
"I used the Find My app and tracked the missing items down to a room in the hotel we are staying in," he said.
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The items were taken while Graham's car was parked at a hotel, with the alleged thief found in one of the rooms. Supplied
The AirTag attached to Graham Tait's camera. Supplied
In Tait's case, he had an Apple AirTag attached to two of the items, a camera and a laptop.
When he opened the Apple "Find My" app, the location of those items was revealed, thanks to either the iPhones of people who passed by the room, or the iPhone of the alleged thief themselves.
The items, including a wallet, camera, laptop, GoPro and much more were all recovered.
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AirTags emit a Bluetooth signal that is picked up by Apple products. Apple
Police were called and are now dealing with the alleged offender.
A great example of a very simple technology working effectively - a single Apple AirTag costs just $45.
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