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Dealer-Installed GPS Tracker Leads To Kidnapper's Arrest in Maryland
New submitter FarnsworthG writes A news story about the capture of a kidnapper mentioned that he was caught because a car dealer had secretly installed a GPS device on his car. Apparently this is becoming common for "buy-here-pay-here" dealers. The devices are sold by Spireon, among many others. Raises interesting privacy questions. FarnsworthG also points to this Jalopnik article condemning the practice, when it's done without disclosure. The kidnapping itself, of Philadelphia nursing assistant Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, was captured by a surveillance camera.
They will eventually, when the state and insurance companies mandate the trackers.
There are only so many places where always-on 12V power could be tapped into
Why always-on? The GPS devices only to squawk their location info periodically, and it's not likely to change if they vehicle is turned off. Usually though, you'll an obdii port splitter used, which means the unit is tucked under the dash somewhere on the drivers side.
There are only so many places where always-on 12V power could be tapped into, and it wouldn't be that difficult for an electronics nerd to figure out what circuit the draw is on by doing a DC amperage test at the fuse panel(s), or to check the few places that could tap into the wiring harness before the fuse panel. If I didn't find something starting there, I'd pull the front kick-panels, the glove compartment liner, and the lower dash knee bolster on the driver's side, and look for things that don't seem right. Since there are only so many ways to tap into a wire quickly and cheaply, they'd probably use quickconnects of some kind and those would stand out relative to factory wiring. Behind the A-pillars, I'd check the wiring for the trunk light. Just about everything else is switched. On a really modern vehicle it's even worse in some ways (for the person hiding an accessory) because just about everything, both switches and devices, runs back to the body control module, so one can't really tap off of any of that stuff and must go back to the fuse panel.
So, tell me something, after you've disabled the smoke alarm and lit up your cigarette, how do you plan on leaving the smoke-filled bathroom to get back to your plane seat unnoticed?
Point here is just about anyone is smart enough to find a GPS tracking device and disable it. The hard part here is explaining to the company you signed a legal document with why you disabled it.
Of course, that would be after they repo their "malfunctioning unit" back.
Good luck.