Man uses AirTag to find stolen luggage, report says

Here's another reminder that AirTags can do a lot more than help you find your keys. They can also help recover stolen luggage.

A man returning to his Los Angeles home from Salt Lake City in August used an Apple AirTag stored inside his suitcase to track it down after it was stolen from baggage claim, according to NBC Los Angeles. After searching multiple carousels, Daniel Scott checked his phone to try and locate his luggage with the AirTag inside and saw it moving away from the airport.

Scott said he sprinted to the rideshare lot and grabbed an Uber to follow the moving AirTag, according to the report. Meanwhile, his partner called LAX police and they traced the AirTag to an abandoned building nearby. When the police showed up and lined up several people who were in the abandoned building, Scott noticed one of them wearing his clothes, Scott told NBC. Police detained several people and Scott was able to get most of his clothes back, although they were scattered throughout the building and his suitcase had been destroyed.

Scott urged others to travel with the device if they can. "It just gave me a fighting chance to find my luggage and retrieve it," he told the outlet.

Apple AirTags were launched in 2021 as a coin-sized GPS gadget that could attach as a keychain or inside your wallet to help the forgetful relocate their stuff. But since then, AirTags have been used for a lot more than finding absentmindedly placed valuables. A London coupled successfully used an AirTag to track down their stolen Jaguar, and a man set up his own sting operation by attaching AirTags to power tools to uncover millions of dollars worth of stolen tools.

There's also a dark side to the convenient GPS-tracker. AirTags have been used as a stalking tool since they can easily be slipped into a bag or pocket. Apple teamed up with Google and other makers of Bluetooth trackers to send a push notification alerting users that there's an AirTag moving with them.

Airlines have used the increase in passengers using AirTags to improve their customer service offerings. Since last year, more than a dozen airlines have started allowing flyers to submit their AirTag data to track missing luggage in hopes of reuniting it with their owners quicker.