Lately, criminals have started using technology to track the victims. In one such case, a Florida man is accused of using iPhone as a tracking device to locate his victim’s car. The suspect allegedly planted his iPhone on the victim’s car by using a bunch of magnets. Then he robbed the man while fatally shooting another person.

The suspect had bought the iPhone with a stolen ID card. He zeroed in on a person with bags from Gucci and Louis Vuitton at The Mall in Orlondo. Soon enough, he shadowed the victim’s Silver Lexus in his car.

At some point, the man stopped at a 7-Eleven. That’s when, according to a chain of events described in an arrest affidavit, Herlong and an accomplice took an extraordinary step to ensure they didn’t lose him: They attached a homemade tracking device — an iPhone rigged with magnets — to the bottom of the man’s car.

Minutes later, the pair cornered the man as he entered a gathering at a nearby apartment, robbing him at gunpoint, stealing his car, and fatally shooting another man, 32-year-old Javaris Rozier, according to police.

The suspect has pleaded not guilty to the charges of grand theft, murder, home invasion, and carjacking. As per the arrest warrant, the suspect had planned the theft weeks. He is also said to have stolen a purse and wallet from a Restaurant worker late at night. Then he used the identification to buy the iPhone at a Metro PCS store.

The investigators unearthed a nylon bag hanging from the Lexus underbody. Furthermore, the bag was attached with two magnets, and they also recovered an iPhone set to ‘do not disturb’ mode enclosed in a Ziploc.

Our Take

Typically Apple’s Find My App helps track down thieves and other criminals. However, in this case, the criminal turned an iPhone into a tracking device. It also raises serious concerns on how iPhone can be used as a tracker device by criminals. Despite assurances from Apple, the new AirTag could be used by criminals to trick their victims.