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California AirTag Tracking Theft
This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office shows an AirTag, used by a Santa Barbara resident to track down thieves stealing their packages on an unspecified date in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office via AP)

California woman fed up with stolen mail sends Apple AirTag to herself to catch thief

A California woman tired of packages being stolen from her post office mailbox mailed herself an Apple AirTag to track the thieves

By AP News
Published - Aug 27, 2024, 10:53 AM ET
Last Updated - Aug 27, 2024, 10:53 AM EDT

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California woman fed up with her packages getting stolen out of her post office box sent an Apple AirTag to the address and cleverly tracked down the suspected thief, police said.

The woman had had several items stolen from her mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office already when she thought of the idea, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Apple’s $29 AirTags have become popular items since their 2021 release, helping users keep tabs on the location of anything from their lost keys to wallets and luggage.

On Monday morning, sheriff's deputies were called to the post office where the woman told officials her mail had been stolen again — including the package with the AirTag.

Law enforcement tracked the AirTag to a block in Santa Maria, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the post office and arrested two suspects — a 27-year-old woman from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside.

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