Tech

She has an AirTag in her lost luggage. It led the police to a baggage handler’s home.


Authorities say a traveler who placed a tracking device in his bag helped the Florida sheriff identify an airport employee who allegedly stole more than $16,000 in merchandise from his luggage. passengers, authorities said.

Giovanni De Luca, 19, a baggage handler at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, was arrested August 10 and charged with two felony counts of grand theft, the County Sheriff’s Office said. Okaloosa said. The sheriff’s office said Mr De Luca, who worked for a subcontractor at the airport, stole from two passengers.

On July 14, the first passenger flew on a Delta/Air France flight to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, but her luggage never arrived, according to an arrest report. Her bag contained $1,648 worth of clothing, makeup and other items, according to the arrest report.

The bag also includes an Apple AirTag, a Bluetooth-enabled tracking device that sends its location to the user to help them locate lost items. Put such tracking devices in luggage has become an attractive option for many travelers this summer as the chaos at the airport has resulted in more baggage is lost or delayed.

The passenger told investigators she was notified on July 31, two weeks after landing, that the device was operating on a street in Mary Esther, a town near the airport in the Florida Panhandle. . Deputies went through the addresses of airport employees and discovered that Mr. De Luca lived on the street, according to the arrest report.

Days later, on August 4, an employee for a Delta Air Lines subcontractor filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office that he saw Mr. De Luca go through another passenger’s check-in bag at the airport. pass the luggage, according to the arrest report.

Mr. De Luca was at work again on August 9, when a man flying in from Destin-Fort Walton Beach reported to the sheriff’s office that $15,000 in jewelry and sunglasses had been stolen in his luggage. his agent, according to the arrest report.

The next day, sheriff’s representatives confronted Mr. De Luca at his home, where they recovered lost jewelry and sunglasses, and arrested him, the sheriff’s office said. He also admitted to going through the woman’s missing bag since July 14 and destroying the AirTag when he found it, but her items were not recovered, the sheriff’s office said. said.

He was arrested in Okaloosa County on August 10 and released the next day, according to prison records. Mr De Luca could not be reached for comment and it was not clear if he had an attorney.

A Delta spokesperson said in a statement that the airline was “fully cooperating” with the investigation.

“Delta has zero tolerance for this alleged conduct by anyone affiliated with Delta, including those who work for contractors,” a spokesperson said.

Although AirTags and other tracking devices have been used to prevent theftprivacy groups are also available sound warnings about using them to aid surveillance or stalking people without their knowledge. Apple said in February that it will make changes to make it harder for people to use AirTags to track people without their knowledge, though critics say the steps haven’t gone far enough.



Source link

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button