She said the device followed her for ‘5 hours to every location’
A Sports Illustrated model has revealed she was followed around by a stranger for “hours” after they secretly put an Apple Airtag in her coat pocket, labelling it the “scariest moment” of her life.
Brooks Nader was at a bar in the Tribeca district of New York when she believes a stranger sneakily added a tracking device to her clothes. The Apple AirTag allows users to track and monitor see the location of Apple devices in proximity to the tag.
She shared the story of what happened online.
“Stupidly, I was walking home alone because I live in the neighborhood around 11:30 pm. Once I was already on my way home—halfway home—I got a notification,” Nader said.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYaQiOFFHzq/?utm_source=ig_embed
But it was only as she walked home that she discovered someone had been following her, when she received a notification on her phone alerting her that an ‘unknown accessory’ had been ‘moving with her for a while’ and that the ‘owner can see its location.’
Alongside a screenshot of the notification she received, she asked her followers on Instagram: “I never share stuff like this but what the f*** does this mean? This ‘device’ followed me for the last 5 hours to every location and was no one in my ‘network’.”
Nader confirmed the AirTag didn’t belong to anyone she had been with that evening, telling MailOnline: “Basically, my coat was on the barstool at the Odeon in Tribeca, which was my first location. I went to the bathroom [and] left my coat on the chair and that’s when I think someone slipped it in.
“They then followed me for five hours all the way home.”
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Once she had worked out what the device was, the Sports Illustrated model called out Apple for the product, asking the company if they “take into consideration the danger and potentially fatal consequences this device has?”
Nader implored her followers to “check you bag, coat, pockets and surrounding” adding that “disturbed isn’t even the word.”
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Nader highlighted the danger of the product (credit: Instagram/@brooksnader)
On Apple’s website, the brand shared that the purpose of the device is as a “supereasy way to keep track of your stuff.”
The description reads: “Attach one to your keys, slip another in your backpack. And just like that, they’re on your radar in the Find My app, where you can also track down your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family.”
The company adds that the device is “designed to discourage unwanted tracking,” explaining: “If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s traveling with you and send you an alert. After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there.”
