Spotted a stolen suitcase via AirTag? You won’t get it back anywhere

Providing your suitcase with an AirTag is an excellent way not to lose it. But what if your suitcase is stolen? Is the AirTag sufficient to get your suitcase back?

Stolen suitcase spotted via AirTag

It’s a smart idea if you have an AirTag hidden in objects you hold dear. For example, many people put an AirTag in their (electric) bicycle and sometimes in their suitcase during holidays.

By putting an AirTag in your suitcase, you won’t lose it at the airport, for example. And if your suitcase is stolen, you immediately know where the police have to go to get it back. But abroad, despite the AirTag, the police cannot always help you immediately.

Stolen motorcycle in Chicago

So has one motorcyclist in Chicago an AirTag hidden under the seat of his motorcycle. That motorcycle was recently stolen and thanks to the AirTag, the owner was able to show the police exactly where the motorcycle was via the Find My app.

But the police can apparently only take action there when the motorcycle is seen in public. If the motorcycle is in a locked garage, the police are not allowed to take any action. If your suitcase with AirTag is in someone’s house, it will not be any different.

Suitcase with AirTag

A suitcase with AirTag is of course not a motorcycle with AirTag. But apparently, at least in Chicago, an AirTag isn’t a reason for police to raid a house. That is something to take into account when you go abroad.

Fortunately, things are different in the Netherlands, witness one police message from the end of March. The police raided a house in The Hague because the owner of an electric bicycle with AirTag showed that this bicycle had been stolen and was in the house in question. The police immediately found more stolen bicycles there.

The best AirTag deals

In the Netherlands, an AirTag can certainly help to recover stolen items. If you don’t have a suitcase with AirTag yet, get started right away with the following deals:

• Spotted a stolen suitcase via AirTag? You won’t get it back anywhere

• Are you going on vacation? Then buy an AirTag (here’s why)

• AirTag sharing: in iOS 17 you can finally do it (and here’s how it works)

• Set up AirTags: this is how you mark different locations as safe

• Too bad: new VanMoof bikes no longer work with ‘Find My’