A mother of twins recently got an affirmation of the old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Her wallet was stolen from her car. But thanks to the tracker she had inside, she was able to locate it the next day—with a little help from the cops.
Ashley (@ashleyyyyywith5ys) shared her story on TikTok over the weekend.
“Whoever broke into my car and stole my wallet didn’t realize there’s a tracker in there,” she says in the first TikTok.
Some may use GPS trackers like an AirTag to potentially recover stolen goods. But for Ashley, it served a more everyday purpose.
“I put that little tracker in my wallet because I’m always losing my wallet. Always,” she says. “Like there’s not a day where I know where my wallet is at.”
Ashley made the post while waiting for the cops outside the apartment where the tracker said her wallet was located. She believes this is at least one of the thieves’ residences.
After the police arrived, she gave a statement, then says they went to get a warrant. While she waited, she checked her city’s Facebook page.
Turns out she may have just been one of many people whose car was broken into the night before.
“People are saying 35-plus cars were hit last night and those are just the ones that were reported,” Ashley says, adding that she didn’t report the break-in to her vehicle.
After a thorough search and taking Ashley’s phone inside the apartment, the police still couldn’t find it.
She captions the TikTok, “I just want my food stamp card back.”
Her post has over 852,000 views as of this writing.
GPS trackers and the law
People put small GPS trackers like the one Ashley used on or in things they don’t want to lose. They’re extremely useful for recovering stolen or lost items.
But the law concerning these GPS trackers is still developing. And there are some grave concerns concerning their use.
A class action lawsuit against Apple, maker of AirTags, claims that stalkers have used them to track victims. It also alleges that “at least two reported murders have occurred in which the murderer used an AirTag to track the victim.”
Apple has sought to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims based on multiple grounds. It’s argued that victims were harmed by their stalkers and the police, not Apple. The company has also cited its licensing agreement and safety features it’s added to prevent AirTags’ misuse.
For example, if the tracker is separated from the device it’s paired to for a certain amount of time, the Apple user it’s following will receive a notification informing them that an AirTag is moving with them. In this case, the devices also play a sound every time they move.
There are also questions about whether it’s legal to use a tracker on a close family member, like a spouse or child. Tracking a young child prone to wandering off is one thing; tracking a teen in the process of seeking emancipation from an abusive parent is another.
Similarly, tracking a spouse in a shared vehicle and/or with their consent may be perfectly legal. Tracking a spouse in their personal vehicle without their knowledge could easily run afoul of the law, experts warn.
A happy ending?
Ashley used her tracker exactly the way they were intended to be used. And ultimately it led to her stolen wallet.
“It took them five hours to find my wallet,” she says in an update. “Even with the location they were struggling to find it.”
She adds that she wouldn’t be able to get the wallet back until a day or two later.
Viewers were relieved that she thwarted the thieves and potentially helped recover others’ stolen items, which she has said includes a “pew pew.”
“Honestly, it’s such a flex that you were the reason everyone’s stuff was recovered,” wrote one.
Said another, “Girlllll you solved a crime.”
That may be true, but as of Tuesday morning, Ashley has still not been reunited with her property.
Via direct message, Ashley told the Mary Sue she’s “still waiting for police to let me know I can pick up my wallet.”
@ashleyyyyywith5ys I just want my food stamp card back ? #fyp ♬ original sound – Ashleyyyyy
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