Released this past April, Apple Air Tags seemed to be an easy solution to the everyday conundrum of misplacing your wallet, car keys and other items.
Measuring barely two inches in diameter, Air Tags are miniature devices meant to be placed on the above-mentioned items, allowing them to be tracked through the "Find My" app.
But their miniscule size also allows them to be easily slipped into a stranger's bag or vehicle without them even noticing.
Which is apparently exactly what happened to TikToker @angel.edge95, also known as "Biker Baddy".
She shared her curious and unsettling experience in a video which has now received over 18.6 million views.
@angel.edge95 #greenscreen ⚠️share this with your loved ones ⚠️ #ASOSChaoticToCalm #traffickingawarenes #airtag
Warning viewers to "share this with your loved ones in the video's caption, @angel.edge95 began the video by telling viewers she thought she was being tracked, with another word of caution in the video's overlay:
"I think I'm being tracked: women beware."Acknowledging she heard this was happening to others as well, @angel.edge95 explained upon landing at Boston's Logan airport from Texas, en route to Maine, she received a notification on her phone telling her there was an "unknown accessory detected near her."
"It basically said an unknown accessory is detected near me, and that it was first seen with me at 8:45 in the morning, when I was in Texas at Walmart on the other side of the country."
While @angel.edge95 revealed there was an option to remove the device, she cut to a screenshot showing what happened when she attempted to do so, telling her the "Find My '' app was unavailable.
She also pointed to some fine print at the bottom of the screen, barely visible to viewers, which warned anyone who felt their "safety was at risk" owing to the device in question should contact their local law enforcement.
She revealed in order for them to disconnect the device, they would need its serial number.
@angel.edge95 then cut to another screenshot of yet another, equally disturbing alert she received shortly thereafter, warning her the owner of the device tracking her could see her location.
The video then quickly cut to another screen shot, which showed a map pointing out every time the user in question seemed to check her location.
"At this point I searched all of my belongings, everything I traveled with was in my vehicle at the time when I was in Texas, and I can't find a tracker."
@angel.edge95 admitted she had heard of similar instances with Airpods, problem was, she did not have her Airpods on her any time she received a notification.
This prompted @angel.edge95 to shut off her location and bluetooth services, hoping it would mark the end to this mysterious and unsettling saga.
But then the video cut to another screenshot, with yet another notification the owner of the device could see her current location, prompting @angel.edge95 to ask her TikTok Followers whether she should contact Apple or the police regarding this.
@angel.edge95 then gave a small update at the end of the video, revealing after she posted some elements to this saga on her Instagram page, a friend of hers told her his younger sister had the exact same experience.
The sister of the friend would later discover the cause of these notifications apparently stemmed from an Apple Air Tag, found under her license plate.
This prompted her to give a stern warning to all her viewers at the video's conclusion.
"I don't know if this is the new sex- trafficking method, but please look out for your loved ones, be extra careful and search your belongings if you get these notifications."
Viewers of the video were simply horrified by @angel.edge95's story, with several begging for Apple to recall Air Tags.
@angel.edge95/TikTok
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@angel.edge95 also revealed in the video's comments section she had contacted the police and would provide an update when she could.
@angel.edge95/TikTok
She lived up to her promise, posting an update the very next day.
@angel.edge95 Reply to @shoelover99 stay safe everybody! #airtag #traffickingawarenes #CowboyBebop
@angel.edge95 thanked everyone for their concern at the beginning of the 55-second video, and revealed the police had taken and examined one of her bags and were keeping one for further examination.
It was her belief the police keeping one of her bags meant they had found something, in spite of them telling her to "carry on as normal."
As an extra precaution, she also told viewers she was at a Walmart in Austin, Texas when this whole frightening saga began.
@angel.edge95 posted a second update a few days later.
@angel.edge95 Reply to @ashroberts48 you can download ‘AirGuard’ for these notifications! #staysafe #MyAncestryStory #airtag
@angel.edge95 revealed the police did indeed find an Air Tag taped to the inside of her duffle bag and she hadn't received any further notifications since the Air tag was removed.
@angel.edge95 also took the update as an opportunity to educate Android users, who wouldn't receive the same notifications, how to mitigate this risk, by downloading an app called Air Guard.
She also recommended iPhone users should first try disconnecting their Air Pods, to see if they may be the cause of the problem, but if the notifications continue after doing so, they should start looking for Air Tags.
@angel.edge95 also revealed multiple women, as well as a number of men, had come forward expressing they went through the exact same thing.
Seeing how shockingly common an occurrence this is leaves one to wonder how much longer Apple Air Tags will be available for purchase.
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