What just happened? We've heard quite a few negative stories about Apple's AirTags being utilized for nefarious purposes, but the devices can fight criminals as well as aid them. Take the example of a carpenter who used Apple's trackers to find not only his stolen tools but also around 15,000 others worth millions of dollars.
The 43-year-old carpenter in question was distraught after the tools he relies on for a living were stolen from his van on two occasions, writes the Washington Post. Not wanting to lose any more, he hid some AirTags in the larger items in the hope of tracking them down if the thieves struck again.
Sure enough, a third break-in occurred. The carpenter used his iPhone to search for the AirTags, driving around D.C.'s Maryland suburbs for hours until he reached a storage facility in Howard County.
After the police were informed and a search warrant secured, it was discovered that the warehouse was hiding not only the carpenter's stolen tools, but also thousands more that had been purloined from local businesses, cars, homes, and other carpenters.
The discovery led detectives to 12 more caches of stolen tools over the next four months. In total, 15,000 portable tools were found, including saws, drills, sanders, grinders, generators, batteries, and air compressors, some of which were stolen as long ago as 2014. The equipment's value has been estimated at between $3 million and $5 million.
Police are still investigating several suspects. No arrests have yet been made. Around 80 victims have been identified so far, and it's believed hundreds if not thousands more are out there, but identifying the tools' owners isn't proving easy. You can check if any of your stolen goods were found using this online form.
The carpenter who helped track down the criminals has got around half a dozen of his roughly 50 stolen tools back. "They don't know what they do to me," he said of the thieves. "They steal our job." His home remodeling business employs 14 workers.
While AirTags have gained a reputation for being stalkers' device of choice – something Apple and Google are hoping to stop with the new standard – they've also been used to track down a lost $8,000 bike and suspected narcotics equipment.
Carpenter uses Apple AirTags to locate stolen items, finds stash of tools worth millions
