A pair of Apple AirPods left behind in a stolen Ferrari led to the recovery of the luxury car, which was worth over half a million dollars. The incident in Connecticut is an amazing example of the unexpected utility of Apple’s “Find My” in tracking high-value stolen goods, as seen at 9to5Mac.
On September 16, a 2023 Ferrari valued at $575,000 was stolen from Greenwich, Connecticut. The owner had inadvertently left their AirPods inside the vehicle, which turned out to be a fortunate mistake.
Waterbury’s Auto Theft Task Force used the Find My network to track the AirPods, leading them to locate the stolen Ferrari at a gas station on South Main Street. When police attempted to pull over the vehicle, the driver fled the scene.
The Waterbury Police Department successfully arrested a suspect in connection with the theft. Take note, Mr. Sweeney thinks “Find My” is Apple’s surveillance tool. He says:
This feature is super creepy surveillance tech and shouldn’t exist. Years ago, a kid stole a Mac laptop out of my car. Years later, I was checking out Find My and it showed a map with the house where the kid who stole my Mac lived. WTF Apple? How is that okay?!
Either way, it’s important to note that Apple has implemented measures to prevent unwanted tracking, including alerts for unknown AirTags traveling with users and privacy protections within the Find My network.
But again, what if someone uses their AirPods to track?
More here.