Airtags Used to track spouses
So it's thursday and the third call I've gotten this week about someone having used an airtag to track a cheating wife and the third one was to track a rented car. Everytime I hear this from a potential client, I roll my eyes and my inner monologue is screaming at them “What the hell were you thinking!” Each time the conversations circle back to them somehow having gotten caught. The vehicle rental person thinks I'm an idiot but they are the one's who can't find their car. Coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences.
PI's understand why you'd use an airtag to track your spouse
However, it isn't a good idea and for a couple of reasons. First off, Apple noticed this right out of the gate and now the Apple airtags or the phones themselves will alert you after an airtag has been with you for a short period of time. Apple recently updated their software so that if it senses an airtage it should alert you in approx 15 minutes. The notification pops up on your phone and even shows you a map of where your phone is and where the airtags location was. The monitored cheating husband is now notified and he'll then have the advantage of changing his story and or the cheating wife will then get alerted and she'll know to stop in her tracks and cancel the meeting.
The second reason as to why you should use an airtag is for legalities. If you think things are going poorly between you and your suspected cheating boyfriend, you will only blow the situation up to proportions you might not be ready for; end up in court! I'm not kidding, the last thing you want is to put an airtag on a cheating girlfriends car and she gets alerted. Chances are she'll figure out it was you and she will then get a restraining order on you for electronic stalking and or harassment.
Legalities of tracking someone in California
The short of it is, in California you have to be very careful of how you track someone electronically weather it is with GPS device or something makeshift; cell phone or airtag. You can only plant the device on your car period. You can not track your cheating boyfriend with a GPS because you suspect he's cheating. You can't put an airtag on your girlfriends vespa because you want to see where she goes and who she's meeting with. The law is clear. However, a lot of private investigators will tell you it is OK to track your cars even if they aren't registered in your name. They will argue it's community property.
Banks and leasees are able to track the vehicles if they are on the registration. And we take full advantage of this when we have high end bank repossessions or private party auto repossessions. We'll sneak in when possible, plant the tracker and take possession of the car when we feel it's safe!
Tracking your spouse reality check
You have to consider your actions and outcome if you get caught. With regards to tracking someone you are dating, do not do it. You could and will likely find yourself getting a restraining order or worse against you. When it comes to a marriage falling apart. You have to think about the fuel you would be dousing onto the fire. If you place a tacker on your husbands car to find out if he's cheating and get caught, would he use this against you in court? I promise you, his attorneys will use it against you to leverage a better outcome for him and vise versa.
Frequently Asked Questions about tracking devices
Q: How can I instal or place a GPS tracker on my partners vehicle?
A: Todays gps trackers come with small magnetic boxes and placement is easy. I would recommend doing this in the middle of the night or early morning. Use a beach towel and slide under the rear of the car. You an use your cell phone screen to give yourself a little bit of light without alerting the neighborhood your under the car. You then look for a place where it won't be obvious and gently slide the tracker into position out of view. The next time you do this it will take 1/3 of the time because you already know a great hiding place. So long as. you didn't forget where that space is.
Q: What can I do if I feel someone is using a GPS or airtag to track me?
A: As a PI, I would ask you if anyone has access to the inside of your car. If the answer is no, then take the car to a small oil change location and get your car serviced. While it is being serviced, I'd ask the mechanic if they seen anything thats off. I'd keep it low key and easy and say, my girfriend or boyfriend thinks I'm cheating and I think they're tracking me. If you are too dramatic or emotional, they will likely want to “stay out of it.”
Q: What can I do if I find a GPS tracker on my car?
A: It all depends on your desired outcome. I would suggest you not touch it and leave it in position. Now that you know you are being tracked, I'd keep my eye out to catch the person following me. If you are not up to that, you can take your car to the police and point it out. Let them retrieve the tracker and give you a police report. At this point, you can file a lawsuit against “Joe Doe” and issue subpoenas to the manufacturer and or the service provider. They should give you the account holders information; name, address, phone, payment method etc. If this identifies a party, you then amend your complaint and sue the person as an individual.
