Apple AirTags: Love Island star says device used to stalk her

Former Love islander Montana Brown found the AirTag in her bag at an airport

Montana Brown was in LA when she got a notification on her phone telling her an AirTag was tracking her location.

The problem was, it wasn't hers.

She emptied her bag in the airport toilets, found the AirTag - a small Apple device which typically pairs with a phone and tracks items like keys - and flushed it.

The former Love Islander, 27, says she didn't think much of it at the time.

"It was only really when I came back home and I told a few of my friends... I realised that's so creepy," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

"My friends were like: 'you should absolutely be making more of a big deal out of this because this could happen to anybody'."

'Penny dropped'

Montana was on her way to an awards show on 4 March when she found the AirTag.

She posted about her experience on her socials, and says "the sheer amount of comments and messages" since has made her realise "this is clearly something that happens quite often".

"And this is obviously a method that people are using to track people, and maybe track women who are travelling on their own.

"So that was kind of a penny drop. I was just thankful that I found it and was able to get rid of it."

Shortly after AirTags were launched, reports of people using them to track ex-partners emerged.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust - a charity which runs The National Stalking Helpline - told Newsbeat it's seen an increase in calls involving AirTags and similar devices.

Apple says it condemns malicious use of its products in "the strongest possible terms", and has rolled out updates to combat stalking.

But Montana says she was "really surprised... I'd actually not heard of it happening to people".

AirTags are small devices that typically pair with a phone to help users find keys, wallets and other items prone to going missing

Montana didn't report finding the AirTag to the police - by the time she realised it was an option she'd got rid of the evidence.

That's why she feels there needs to be more awareness of what to do when someone thinks they're being tracked.

"Because in these situations none of us know what to do. If you see an accident, you know to call 999," she says.

Tallulah Belassie-Page, from The Suzy Lamplugh Trust says the charity's getting more calls about device tracking.

"We have had several reports of AirTags being used to track victims, often with victims as young as school age receiving these alerts that an AirTag is on their person.

"They were produced by Apple to help you track things such as your keys and wallet, but we do know that in the hands of the wrong perpetrator they can be used for stalking."

What to do if you find a suspect device

On an Apple iPhone, a notification will pop up if your device detects an unknown AirTag nearby

Tallulah says you should always report it to the police, keep the device as evidence and take screenshots of any alerts.

She also advises: "don't go to your home address.

"If you receive these alerts, we would encourage you to get in contact with the National Stalking Helpline".

Even if you haven't had a notification, you can look through your linked devices on your phone, so you can see if any AirTags have been connected to your device.

If you have an Android phone, apps such as Tracker Detect can help to check for unwanted devices.

You can then remove them, so they don't track you.

• Apple sued by women over AirTag stalking

• Apple AirTags - 'A perfect tool for stalking'

• The side-effect of Love Island's social media ban

Apple says it's responded to concerns about stalking with a series of updates since launching AirTags.

This includes privacy warnings during setup reminding users that tracking people without consent is a crime in many countries.

It says it's also launched a Precision Finding feature, making it easier to locate AirTags, and added the ability to play a sound from the unknown device.

The company says other features have also been added or improved to make unwanted AirTags easier to find if they've been hidden - there's a detailed explanation on its website.

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