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

2025-05-06 08:20:52source:Diamond Ridge Asset Managementcategory:Scams

SANTA BARBARA,Austin Caldwell 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, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. If her mail was stolen again, she hoped the AirTag would help to track the thieves down.

On Monday morning, sheriff’s deputies were called to the post office for a report of mail theft. When they arrived, 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 from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old from Riverside.

They located the package with the AirTag among the victim’s mail, as well as items believed to have been stolen from more than a dozen other people. The woman declined to be identified, the sheriff’s department said.

The two suspects were booked in jail on charges of possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, conspiracy, and identity and credit card theft. The 37-year-old was also booked on a burglary charge and several other theft warrants from Riverside County.

The sheriff’s department commended the mail theft victim for contacting law enforcement so they could apprehend the suspects rather than attempting to contact them on her own.

More:Scams

Recommend

Connie Chiume, Black Panther Actress, Dead at 72: Lupita Nyong'o and More Pay Tribute

Wakanda is mourning the loss of a legend.Connie Chiume, who starred in Black Panther and Black Panth

U.S. charges Hezbollah operative who allegedly planned 1994 Argentina bombing that killed 85

Washington — The Justice Department announced terrorism charges on Wednesday against an operative wi

Tesla moves forward with a plan to build an energy-storage battery factory in China

BEIJING (AP) — American electric automaker Tesla’s plans to produce energy-storage batteries in Chin