# Hidden GPS Trackers on Cars—Is there an easy way to tell if you have one? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337 "2024-06-26T00:06:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/21 "2024-06-26T21:25:31Z")
So if someone attaches something to my car and I find and remove it, I can get charged with theft? Not if I am on the jury. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/22 "2024-06-26T21:29:41Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > So if someone attaches something to my car and I find and remove it, I can get charged with theft? If the car is still under a finance agreement then it’s not “your car” yet and the agreement likely includes a clause about the GPS tracking. So you’d be liable under the terms of the contract for breaking the conditions. If the car is paid off and it’s legitimately your car in title then you can tear it off and throw it in the lake from what I’ve read. I suppose there could be a clause requiring you to return the car for the unit’s removal but that seems pretty cumbersome for all involved (what if you moved out of state for instance or the car was totaled and insurance is paying off the remainder of the term?) ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/23 "2024-06-27T01:31:03Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > There have also been cases of 5-0 putting a tracker on a car for surveillance purposes, then the driver removed it and got a theft charge! And then the Indiana Supreme Court did the right thing and unanimously sided with the driver saying the initial warrants alleging the device was stolen were invalid. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/24 "2024-06-27T09:26:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > There have also been cases of 5-0 putting a tracker on a car for surveillance purposes, then the driver removed it and got a theft charge! > > [Police hid a tracking device on a suspect's car and then charged him with theft for removing it](https://www.heraldnews.com/story/news/2019/11/21/police-hid-tracking-device-on/2240011007/) As @zbuzz noted, the case was ultimately decided in favor of the car owner: > **[Removing a GPS tracking device from your car isn’t theft, court rules](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/02/removing-a-gps-tracking-device-from-your-car-isnt-theft-court-rules/)** > > Indiana high court: Removing a small unmarked device from your car isn't theft. Lessons learned: If you find a tracker, disconnect it (wear gloves so as to not leave prints) and wrap it in several layers of aluminum foil to make a **[Faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage)**; it won’t be able to receive GPS satellite signals, or transmit its location to anyone. After that, don’t keep it, because that could be evidence that you stole it (even if the charges get dismissed later). Immediately get rid of it, and not in your own garbage. Roast it in a campfire, put it in the trash can outside a McDonald’s far from your home, or toss it in a deep lake. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/25 "2024-06-27T11:31:06Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > If the car is still under a finance agreement then it’s not “your car” yet If it’s leased that is true, however if it’s financed, I believe legally you own it but they have a lien against it which can be exercised only in breach of the contract which allows them to take legal ownership of it. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/26 "2024-06-27T11:31:59Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > and wrap it in several layers of aluminum foil to make a **[Faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage)**; Wouldn’t that need to be grounded to work? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/27 "2024-06-27T11:56:28Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > they have a lien against it which can be exercised only in breach of the contract And the contract says they get to have a GPS tracker installed. It’s yours for most practical purposes but you’re not the sole decision maker based on “it’s my car”. The financier probably also has requirements in the contact regarding insurance, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/28 "2024-06-27T12:05:59Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Wouldn’t that need to be grounded to work? A Google search yields conflicting results on this, but it sounds like a small faraday shield with no penetrations doesn’t particularly need grounding in order to be effective, especially where whisper-faint GPS satellite signals are concerned. FWIW, consumer-grade GPS receivers (including those in cell phones) carried aboard commercial aircraft don’t work get good satellite reception unless you hold them near a window, which would suggest that the ungrounded fuselage is functioning as an effective Faraday cage. Tonight I’ll try wrapping my cell phone in foil and seeing if it can place/receive a call. If it can’t place a voice call, then it’s likely that it can’t send cellular data either. I’ll post the results here. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/29 "2024-06-27T12:13:57Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > If you find a tracker, disconnect it (wear gloves so as to not leave prints) and wrap it in several layers of aluminum foil to make a **[Faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage)** I like the idea of putting it on a truck headed to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/30 "2024-06-27T12:30:55Z")
An actual Faraday cage is very tough to make, but you can block useable radio signals with something well short of a full Faraday cage. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/31 "2024-06-27T13:40:34Z")
Faraday cage doesn’t need a ground. Ground is something of a fiction in many cases. The conductive properties of the land or sea surface matter for some things, but the idea that there is a thing that is the “ground” that has some magical property when it comes to radio or electricity isn’t so. A Faraday cage depends upon an enveloping conductor, one with enough conductivity, that the electric field is essentially shorted out. Which is fine for stopping propagation of electromagnetic fields when the magnetic field has not had time or space to be meaningful. So higher frequencies. But RF behaves in unexpected ways, so even minor imperfections of just the right geometry can wreck things. People naively try to stop mains hum getting into audio systems via the magnetic field from nearby transformers by shielding the circuit to make a Faraday cage. Makes no useful difference. Does help with radio interference. For the magnetic stuff you need the equivalent of a Faraday cage made of a very high permeability metal. Usually known as Mu-metal. This stuff is expensive and requires no end of special care and handling to keep it happy. But done right it will hold the applied magnetic field within itself, and the field won’t leak into the enclosed volume. Done wrong and you have wasted your time and money. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/32 "2024-06-27T13:40:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > Don’t forget about battery life, too. Unless it’s hooked up to the car electrical system, which would make it easier to find. > > Here’s an article from four days ago: > > [Toyota GR Corolla Buyer Finds Dealer-Installed GPS Tracker Hidden In Car | Carscoops](https://www.carscoops.com/2024/06/toyota-gr-corolla-buyer-finds-dealer-installed-gps-tracker-hidden-in-car/) >      · >      · >      · > The articles said that Mr. Do discovered the device after letting his brand-new car sit for a while and the tracking device drained the car’s battery.   I believe my recent round of thinking on this started with @Seanette telling me about that very story. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/33 "2024-06-27T13:47:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I guess fitting cars with trackers when the arrive at the dealership is sensible for preventing theft from the lot. But why would a dealer care about the theft risk after it’s sold? That’s on the buyer and the buyer’s insurance; if the car gets stolen or crashed, the insurer cuts a check, and if the loan is still outstanding, then the dealer is first in line for payment.   The car itself is collateral for the loan.  If the buyer defaults on the loan, the creditor has the car repossessed.  If the car is gone, then there’s no more collateral.  I know that in the previous instances when @Seanette and I bought a car, in addition to requiring us to have full insurance on it, the creditor also required us to have _“gap insurance”_ to cover the difference between the amount of our debt on that car, and what our regular insurance would pay if it was stolen, destroyed, or otherwise lost. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/34 "2024-06-27T13:50:50Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > So if someone attaches something to my car and I find and remove it, I can get charged with theft? Not if I am on the jury.   If you were the one being charged with a crime, you wouldn’t be on the jury. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/35 "2024-06-27T13:52:00Z")
That’s obviously not what he meant. He said he wouldn’t convict if he were on the jury for someone else in that situation ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/36 "2024-06-27T13:56:06Z")
If I were on that jury, I’d wear my “ask me about jury nullification” t-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/37 "2024-06-27T13:57:42Z")
“We thank Mr. Kayaker for his time and he is excused” ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/38 "2024-06-27T13:58:33Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > [@kanicbird](#): > > > > > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > > > > If you find a tracker, disconnect it (wear gloves so as to not leave prints) and wrap it in several layers of aluminum foil to make a **[Faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage)**; it won’t be able to receive GPS satellite signals, or transmit its location to anyone. > > > > Wouldn’t that need to be grounded to work? > > Tonight I’ll try wrapping my cell phone in foil and seeing if it can place/receive a call. If it can’t place a voice call, then it’s likely that it can’t send cellular data either. I’ll post the results here.   @Seanette and I both have apps on our cell phones, that allow us to track one another.   One day, many years ago, I broke my cell phone, and replaced it.  I was perplexed to see that my tracking information showed me rapidly jumping back and forth between home and wherever I really was.  I felt kind of dumb when, after a fair amount of back and forth with the tech support for that app, we finally figured out that it was because my old cell phone was still running the app, and still feeding tracking data that showed me to be at home, mixed with the data that my new phone was sending, showing my correct location.  Shutting down the tracker on my old phone solved the problem.   Some years later, @Seanette broke her phone, much more badly than I had broken mine.  The screen was completely shattered, to the point that any control over the phone was impossible.  We couldn’t get it to shut down using the power button.  Unlike previous phones, this one was sealed, with a non-removable battery, so we didn’t even have removing the battery as a reasonable option to shut it down.   In that case, wrapping it in foil proved to be an effective way of stopping it from feeding bad tracking data. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/39 "2024-06-27T14:34:43Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > In that case, wrapping it in foil proved to be an effective way of stopping it from feeding bad tracking data. Do you recall whether this worked because: - The GPS receiver couldn’t pick up the satellite signals, or - The phone couldn’t upload position data to the cell network? ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337/40 "2024-06-27T14:50:54Z")
  I would assume that it blocked both.  Also, the Wi-Fi network which the phone would have been trying to use in our home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hidden-gps-trackers-on-cars-is-there-an-easy-way-to-tell-if-you-have-one/1003337.md?page=3)