Waterloo regional police encourage awareness of smart tracking technology

By Lee Griffi

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) is encouraging residents to be aware of smart tracking devices and their potential misuse following reports of unidentified trackers on personal property and vehicles.

At the same time, one of Canada’s leading tech gurus said the WRPS report shows the duality of the today’s technology.

“It can save you the heartache of losing something by zeroing in on where it is, but at the same time, that very same technology can be used against an unwitting victim to identify when they may or may not be home,” said London-based Carmi Levy.

Bluetooth tracking devices commonly help locate personal items such as keys, wallets, luggage and other valuables. Using Bluetooth technology and nearby mobile devices, these trackers can provide location updates and help owners recover misplaced property. While these devices offer many practical benefits, investigators have seen an increase in reports of tracking devices being placed on vehicles and personal belongings without the owner's knowledge or consent. 

“They can be misused to monitor an individual's movements and daily activities without their knowledge. By tracking where a vehicle is parked, when someone leaves for work, or when a residence is vacant, offenders may identify opportunities to commit crimes such as vehicle theft, theft from vehicles, break-and-enters and other criminal offences,” said police.

Levy said we owe it to ourselves to understand the advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth based trackers.

“On one hand we can use them to not lose the things that matter most to us but on the other hand we can ensure bad actors and criminals don’t use them against us.”

Trackers can be concealed in a variety of locations on or inside a vehicle, including underneath the vehicle, behind licence plates, within trailer hitch assemblies, inside wheel wells, or among personal belongings or other items stored in or around the vehicle. 

Levy, who lives close to a mall in London, said there have been multiple reports of trackers being found on vehicles in wheel wells, behind a license plate inside a bumper and other places people wouldn’t normally look for them.

“It allows the bad actor to trace the vehicle and they can find out where that individual lives. They can see when you are home, when you’re not and identify when the home is unoccupied if they want to rob it. They can also identify where your car is if they want to steal it.”

He added there are also examples of stalkers dropping trackers in backpacks and purses, which they can use to find the location of a victim and either attack them, kidnap them, or worse. Levy also has some advice on how to find potential devices.

“Apple’s Air tags are likely the most popular, but Samsung, Google and Tile have their own versions. Both iPhones and Android devices have a feature called Unknown Tracker Alerts which will tell you if a tracker you did not set up is travelling consistently with you.”

Levy said the feature is not turned on by default, meaning Smartphone owners need to go into their settings and turn it on.

“It’s built into every major phone in the market and it’s up to us to go in and activate it. Also, if you are getting repeated Bluetooth pairing requests, you will get a pop up on your phone, but if you didn’t initiate it, that is a red alarm and a sign you need to go into your settings and identify what it is.”

WRPS investigators said they understand discovering an unfamiliar tracking device can be unsettling. While there may be legitimate reasons for a device's presence in some situations, police encourage residents to treat any unknown tracker seriously and report it to police so the circumstance can be investigated. 

“Residents are encouraged to periodically inspect their vehicles and personal belongings for unfamiliar devices and to pay attention to smartphone alerts that may indicate an unknown tracking device is moving with them,” said a police press release. 

Police say if you locate a smart tracking device, contact police as soon as possible, avoid handling, removing, or disabling the device if possible and note when and where the device was discovered. They also said to be prepared to provide investigators with information that may assist in determining why the device was placed there.

Levy said we as a society have become too “smart” for our own good by introducing technology that has made life more convenient but, in doing so, has made it easier for criminals to track our every move.

“The warning from the WRPS is a warning to us all that this technology can absolutely cut both ways and we need to be more aware of those risks and not treat these tracking devices as benign tools of convenience. They can be very powerful tools in the hand of criminals,” he said.

Waterloo regional police continue to investigate reports involving unauthorized tracking devices and encourage anyone who discovers an unfamiliar tracker to contact police at 519-570-9777.