Carjackers are using the $29 AirTag devices from Apple to help them break into cars, police warn.

The devices, which are intended to help users keep track of their belongings, are being repurposed by criminals who use them to track and steal high-end vehicles, Ontario police said.

Law enforcement officials say that suspects place the small and unassuming trackers on luxury vehicles in “out-of-sight areas” while they are parked in public areas and then track the vehicle back to the owner’s home.

Criminals then use a separate electronic device typically used by mechanics to reprogram the vehicle’s factory settings to essentially hack into the vehicle’s ignition and drive off with their loot.

Police are advising car owners to park their vehicles in locked garages, install locks on the steering wheel and data port, as well as to install a video surveillance system inside the vehicle.

On the other hand, AirTag has been used on multiple occasions to hunt for stolen vehicles. Many care owners have been putting AirTags on their car preemptively, allowing Shomrim and police to track the vehicle if they do wind up being stolen.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)