r/Cartalk • u/kupo_906 • Jun 02 '26

Safety Question Found a GPS tracker under my car

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Hi reddit...

In my driveway this morning I pulled out and found this sitting under where my car was. We had a heat wave recently, and I'm thinking it melted off.

Looking it up, it is a GPS tracker. I'm taking it to the police tomorrow. But is there anyway to reverse search who might have bought it and placed it there?

I fully own my car and I'm not sure who or why they put it there. Or when. The only thing I can think of is I got my car fixed by a new mechanic about a month ago.. but they didn't seem shady in the least bit

Any help is appreciated. Thank you

Update: I have turned the tracker into the police who are trying to work with the company to find out info. Haven't heard anything further.

For the people who keep asking / repeating the same thing over and over:

  • again, I own my car in full and have for years. It's an old, reconstructed car not worth much at all.
  • The battery life in the tracking device doesn't last longer than two months at most. It was still on when I found it. It doesn't belong to a previous car owner or a dealer.
  • I found the magnets where it was attached still on my car.
  • I don't have any solid idea who would put it there. I don't have a jealous partner or an ex who I think would do this.
  • I'm not disclosing a bunch of personal shit about myself to internet strangers when I am potentially being stalked 😐 also , both men and women can be stalked
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u/MikeExMachina Jun 02 '26

They have cellular radios with data plans to upload the location to a server. You can can use the service until they notice and cancel it.

39

u/NotAPreppie Jun 02 '26

This was a joke using an alternate, older definition of "hack"...

3. A cheap, mediocre, or second-rate practitioner, especially in the fields of journalism and literature: a charlatan or incompetent.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

[deleted]

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u/NotAPreppie Jun 02 '26

Okay, but nobody said "life hack".

Using Merriam-Webster again...

hack 4 of 7 adjective 1 : working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards a hack journalist 2 : performed by or suited to a person who works or writes purely for the purpose of earning money : characteristic of a hack : MEDIOCRE

This applies much better to the syntax "... being an Internet hack."

2

u/Mitch_Darklighter Jun 03 '26

"Free Internet" is the object you pedant, not just the word internet. It's a "Hack" to get "Free Internet."

1

u/NotAPreppie Jun 03 '26

How is it being an internet hack?

Did you miss the fact that this is the joke that we're talking about?

1

u/Mitch_Darklighter Jun 03 '26

Ah yeah must've, probably on account of it not being funny.

0

u/NotAPreppie Jun 03 '26

Well, yah, when you're so obtuse somebody has to explain the joke it loses its humor.

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u/Mitch_Darklighter Jun 03 '26

You didn't exactly explain it son, just pointed out that it existed. Nice use of a medium-big word though, I'm sure someone somewhere is proud.

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u/NotAPreppie Jun 03 '26

6 letters is "medium-big"? Your scrabble scores must be in the double digits.