Tracker found on my car?
April 30, 2023 12:05 PM Subscribe
Someone driving my car has found a tracker on it.
I'm not sure what to do here - someone found a magnetic tracker on top of my car. It was leased (but bought) so I don't think it's the dealership. I don't have any enemies or jealous exes that I know of, so the whole thing is very odd to me.
What do I do now? How can I track down who may have done this? How worried should I be?
I'm not sure what to do here - someone found a magnetic tracker on top of my car. It was leased (but bought) so I don't think it's the dealership. I don't have any enemies or jealous exes that I know of, so the whole thing is very odd to me.
What do I do now? How can I track down who may have done this? How worried should I be?
Can you post any more information about the tracker itself? Was it literally found on top of your car? That seems a bit weird, considering it would be less likely to be detected in a wheel well or etc. It also suggests that it might not have been there very long, considering you'd likely notice it.
posted by Alterscape at 12:12 PM on April 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Alterscape at 12:12 PM on April 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
This sounds like something worth contacting the police (non-emergency number) about. They might know about scams or other things going on, and/or be able to give you some help or guidance in finding out what's behind it.
posted by rpfields at 12:13 PM on April 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by rpfields at 12:13 PM on April 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
> whole thing is very odd to me.
Car thieves are using airtags to track prospective cars to home parking spots where they can scoop them up at 3am or some such.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:33 PM on April 30, 2023 [9 favorites]
Car thieves are using airtags to track prospective cars to home parking spots where they can scoop them up at 3am or some such.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:33 PM on April 30, 2023 [9 favorites]
I would anonymize this question, in case someone is stalking you or the person using the car. Stalking is not uncommon. Air Tags will notify iphone users of their presence. Tiles will show up but you have to check. Most police depts seem ill-equipped to respond meaningfully.
I think I would take the tracker to a known pick-up bar, leave it there, go sit in the car, and see who shows up.
posted by theora55 at 12:40 PM on April 30, 2023 [13 favorites]
I think I would take the tracker to a known pick-up bar, leave it there, go sit in the car, and see who shows up.
posted by theora55 at 12:40 PM on April 30, 2023 [13 favorites]
sebastienbailard has it, assuming your car is worth stealing. This is not uncommon in the slightest. In my city, Toronto, it's very common indeed.
posted by dobbs at 1:30 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by dobbs at 1:30 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
It would be useful to have a photo of the item in question.
posted by aramaic at 1:30 PM on April 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 1:30 PM on April 30, 2023 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Here it is: https://pasteboard.co/MbMCdRQASvhs.png
posted by Anonymous at 1:45 PM on April 30, 2023
posted by Anonymous at 1:45 PM on April 30, 2023
Where was the tracker in/on the car, did you witness the removal? How was it found and removed? (Also, is the finder a reliable witness?)
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 1:46 PM on April 30, 2023
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 1:46 PM on April 30, 2023
Response by poster: Yes, it was a close friend, and if you can see from the photo, it was on the top of the car (sunroof), so clearly placed there
posted by Anonymous at 1:50 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Anonymous at 1:50 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
If was magnetic, it could not stick to your glass sunroof, because a magnet can't stick to glass. So either it's stuck on some other way (suction cup? glue?), or the person who found it is lying.
posted by Alterscape at 2:10 PM on April 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Alterscape at 2:10 PM on April 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
This feels like pure fucking around -- any legit bad guy is gonna want to hide that thing, and instead they've put it in a highly visible spot where you could reasonably be expected to find it instantly. Could just be some random passer-by dropping it there? Kids goofing off with something they found? Slightly nutty street person thinking they're doing something to you by putting it there?
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:34 PM on April 30, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:34 PM on April 30, 2023 [11 favorites]
Do you not have access to the tracker yet? I agree that it looks more like something stuck on with glue, rather than magnetic, and the phone you've provided doesn't do much to identify it. Can you post up-close photos of the top and bottom?
posted by sagc at 2:46 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sagc at 2:46 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think you should have the person return the car to you without interfering with...whatever that is. So you can determine how to investigate.
The last time I saw something like that, secured to the glass, it was an aftermarket antenna for a weird radio thing, two decades ago. It's just super odd for a "tracker" to end up on glass, right in the eyeline of anybody getting in and out of the car, and in fact right where any passerby could steal it.
It can't have been there long, or you would have seen it, so it's strange to suspect the dealership unless this is literally a new-to-you car that you loaned to someone else without ever seeing it. If it is secured to or through the glass, and you think it maybe could have been there the whole time without you noticing it, I'd suspect it was some kind of rfid controller for a parking garage, property gate, or similar security device, but that's STILL super weird because people generally keep them inside the car where the rain isn't.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:12 PM on April 30, 2023 [6 favorites]
The last time I saw something like that, secured to the glass, it was an aftermarket antenna for a weird radio thing, two decades ago. It's just super odd for a "tracker" to end up on glass, right in the eyeline of anybody getting in and out of the car, and in fact right where any passerby could steal it.
It can't have been there long, or you would have seen it, so it's strange to suspect the dealership unless this is literally a new-to-you car that you loaned to someone else without ever seeing it. If it is secured to or through the glass, and you think it maybe could have been there the whole time without you noticing it, I'd suspect it was some kind of rfid controller for a parking garage, property gate, or similar security device, but that's STILL super weird because people generally keep them inside the car where the rain isn't.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:12 PM on April 30, 2023 [6 favorites]
What would happen to it if you were to open and close the sunroof?
Seems a strange spot to place anything.
posted by yyz at 3:19 PM on April 30, 2023
Seems a strange spot to place anything.
posted by yyz at 3:19 PM on April 30, 2023
Car thieves are using airtags to track prospective cars to home parking spots where they can scoop them up at 3am or some such.
Assuming we're not talking about very expensive cars indeed, this has all the earmarks (including being reported uncritically by credulous local media) of a police fairy story (e.g., based on pure speculation about Elaborate Criminal Schemes, without any apparent evidence). I'm surprised they weren't described as being protected by fentanyl booby traps.
I'm with the crowd that thinks this is placed very oddly for any kind of surreptitious tracker and looking for another explanation.
posted by praemunire at 3:22 PM on April 30, 2023 [22 favorites]
Assuming we're not talking about very expensive cars indeed, this has all the earmarks (including being reported uncritically by credulous local media) of a police fairy story (e.g., based on pure speculation about Elaborate Criminal Schemes, without any apparent evidence). I'm surprised they weren't described as being protected by fentanyl booby traps.
I'm with the crowd that thinks this is placed very oddly for any kind of surreptitious tracker and looking for another explanation.
posted by praemunire at 3:22 PM on April 30, 2023 [22 favorites]
I just googled images of Air Tags and Tiles, and that thing in the image you linked to doesn't look like any of the photos of those brands or like the other off-brand trackers I've seen. I'd be really interested to see a better, closer photo of the item.
posted by QuakerMel at 3:40 PM on April 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by QuakerMel at 3:40 PM on April 30, 2023 [5 favorites]
On second thought, it looks like it could be magnetic, because it's close to the back of the sunroof and maybe there's some metal under there from the frame. That still seems like a terrible place to put a covert tracking device, so I'm still thinking something's off here, but I apologize for confidently stating it was not magnetic when.. yeah, it totally could be.
posted by Alterscape at 4:02 PM on April 30, 2023
posted by Alterscape at 4:02 PM on April 30, 2023
Why do you think it's a tracker?
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:01 PM on April 30, 2023 [33 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:01 PM on April 30, 2023 [33 favorites]
If it is a tracker, then perhaps remove it _before_ bringing it to your home. Perhaps remove it at an empty home somewhere (perhaps found on Zillow or something).
posted by amtho at 5:20 PM on April 30, 2023
posted by amtho at 5:20 PM on April 30, 2023
Do you trust the person that borrowed the car?
posted by Miko at 5:37 PM on April 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Miko at 5:37 PM on April 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm surprised they weren't described as being protected by fentanyl booby traps.
Seriously. The most common stolen car is the Honda Accord, which no-one needs to track to find one, because it is one of the most common cars sold. The next most common are pickups which are the most common vehicles sold. Criminals do not need to airtag common vehicles to steal them. They just literally look left and right.
Even luxury/supersports cars just sit out in the lots at repair shops and dealerships. You don't have to airtag those either to find one to steal.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:43 AM on May 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
Seriously. The most common stolen car is the Honda Accord, which no-one needs to track to find one, because it is one of the most common cars sold. The next most common are pickups which are the most common vehicles sold. Criminals do not need to airtag common vehicles to steal them. They just literally look left and right.
Even luxury/supersports cars just sit out in the lots at repair shops and dealerships. You don't have to airtag those either to find one to steal.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:43 AM on May 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
Google image search thinks it's a trinket box, fwiw, but the matching photos weren't exact. (or a bar of soap haha). Is there any chance on the planet that this could be an elaborate setup for a wedding ring to be in there? Or something that you're intended by your friend to find? (or something that somebody else maybe intended for your friend to find?)
I'm suspicious because the picture your friend sent you seems to be deliberately not quite good enough to do anything but generate excitement/fear. There seems to be a logo of some sort on the top of the box so you would think they would have included a clear shot of it if they were really concerned.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:58 AM on May 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
I'm suspicious because the picture your friend sent you seems to be deliberately not quite good enough to do anything but generate excitement/fear. There seems to be a logo of some sort on the top of the box so you would think they would have included a clear shot of it if they were really concerned.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:58 AM on May 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
Agree that it looks like a ring box or similar. If someone is genuinely trying to track you this would seem to be the most ridiculous and obvious place to put it. Has your friend actually looked to see if the box opens (or even looks like it opens?) Also maybe get a photo of the logo on the box and image search it?
posted by Chairboy at 8:17 AM on May 1, 2023
posted by Chairboy at 8:17 AM on May 1, 2023
It would be great if you could post additional, close-up photos, and also update with how it turns out.
posted by theora55 at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
All the GPS trackers I find online look like unremarkable black boxes, not the brighly obvious orange color shown in your photo.
Leased vehicles may include GPS trackers, nonetheless. Talk to the dealership and ask for it to be removed, see what they say — "yes, we removed it already", say. Or, "no, we don't put trackers on sunroofs", etc.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:10 PM on May 1, 2023
Leased vehicles may include GPS trackers, nonetheless. Talk to the dealership and ask for it to be removed, see what they say — "yes, we removed it already", say. Or, "no, we don't put trackers on sunroofs", etc.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:10 PM on May 1, 2023
Response by poster: Sorry all for the delay - I don't want to leave everyone hanging - but here's a close up shot. https://pasteboard.co/os4kAoNsi2jZ.png
There's some adhesive on one side.
My close friend definitely is not playing a prank on me, although it's possible someone else is because I agree that the sunroof is a bizarre location.
It's a nice car.
posted by Anonymous at 2:27 PM on May 1, 2023
There's some adhesive on one side.
My close friend definitely is not playing a prank on me, although it's possible someone else is because I agree that the sunroof is a bizarre location.
It's a nice car.
posted by Anonymous at 2:27 PM on May 1, 2023
What was the logo on the top? does it open? Does it even have a circuit board in it?
posted by sagc at 3:06 PM on May 1, 2023
posted by sagc at 3:06 PM on May 1, 2023
Response by poster: The box does not open. My latest working theory is that maybe something fell from the garage door opener directly above it, but it still works when I press my clicker and this object far away.
I may give up and leave this to be a mystery that never gets solved...and pray that I won't be stalked.
posted by Anonymous at 3:44 PM on May 1, 2023
I may give up and leave this to be a mystery that never gets solved...and pray that I won't be stalked.
posted by Anonymous at 3:44 PM on May 1, 2023
If you have a "spudger" (that is, a small flexible pry tool) you will very likely be able to separate the two layers to see what's inside. You'd kinda work the blade of the spudger in between the two layers, prying your way around the perimeter until you release the pressure on the internal tabs that are holding it together.
...it actually kinda looks like a temperature probe I've got scattered around my house & environs, but not quite (mine are grey), so I'm not saying it's that -- but I *am* saying that nobody would be able to get my probes apart unless they had a spudger, in which case it's easy and poof, there's the circuit board.
posted by aramaic at 3:54 PM on May 1, 2023
...it actually kinda looks like a temperature probe I've got scattered around my house & environs, but not quite (mine are grey), so I'm not saying it's that -- but I *am* saying that nobody would be able to get my probes apart unless they had a spudger, in which case it's easy and poof, there's the circuit board.
posted by aramaic at 3:54 PM on May 1, 2023
"tiny sensor box orange" is getting closer in the image department but still not it.
Those two holes in the bottom might be useful in figuring it out.
If all else fails, please saw that sucker open with a hack saw and let's see the inside!
posted by bluesky78987 at 5:07 PM on May 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Those two holes in the bottom might be useful in figuring it out.
If all else fails, please saw that sucker open with a hack saw and let's see the inside!
posted by bluesky78987 at 5:07 PM on May 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
So is there a logo on top like there appears to be?
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 6:08 PM on May 1, 2023
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 6:08 PM on May 1, 2023
The link to a close-up photo doesn't work (for me, anyway) - says 'image not found'. I'd be absolutely flabbergasted if this was part of your garage door opener that just happened to get firmly adhered to the middle of your sunroof.
posted by dg at 8:26 PM on May 1, 2023
posted by dg at 8:26 PM on May 1, 2023
@dg they linked incorrectly https://pasteboard.co/os4kAoNsi2jZ.png
posted by saturdaymornings at 8:29 PM on May 1, 2023
posted by saturdaymornings at 8:29 PM on May 1, 2023
Given what appears to be a lack of any attempt to meaningfully conceal it, if it is indeed a small piece of electronics, I wonder if it was someone known to the driver (a student, or a geek-inclined adult?) playing with something like a PocketLab that feeds sensor information to their phone as they drive around? Not that something like that couldn't also be potentially used as a tracker, but the location it was placed on sure seems like there's a more benign explanation.
posted by Inkslinger at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2023
posted by Inkslinger at 2:52 PM on May 3, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amtho at 12:09 PM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]