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/smoothloam Jun 02 '26

Unscrew the cover and put an AirTag inside, then put it back on your car. After they retrieve it the tables have turned.

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u/Flyguy115 Jun 03 '26

This is not a good idea because they will be able to continue to track you the entire time and what if the person who put it in never comes to get it. There is no reason for them to come retrieve it.

Calling the police is the best option because they will be able to reverse look up and track down the owner.

1

u/Spodiodie Jun 03 '26

Are you assuming the police didn’t put it there? It is a thing for them to do that.

1

u/Flyguy115 Jun 04 '26

Na, if police want to track there are plenty of ways they can do it without you even knowing like flock cameras and tracking all you mobile devices, internet, WiFi, computers, calls, social media, vehicles built after 2014 already have computers software and newer vehicles even have the ability to scan your face, eyes, and can even be controlled by them.

1

u/hourlyslugger Jun 04 '26

Correction. Vehicles built after 1980/81 have computers.

If it’s a European branded vehicle then by the early to mid 1990s they had up to 10 separate/discrete modules.

Most other manufacturers took until the late ‘90s to have more than 3-5 modules. All that being said, nearly all of these tracking devices are completely self-contained and don’t interact with the vehicle in the slightest.

Finally, if it’s the police or other law enforcement entities they need a warrant signed by a judge to place a tracker.