When Daniel Scott landed in Los Angeles after a flight from Salt Lake City over Labor Day weekend, his suitcase never appeared on the carousel. Luckily, he had tucked an Apple AirTag inside. That decision turned an ordinary case of lost luggage into a real-life chase that ended at a boarded-up building near LAX. Inside, he found people wearing his clothes and discovered piles of other stolen bags.
Scott noticed the AirTag signal leaving the airport and moving toward the Uber lot, so he and his partner began tracking it. When it stopped at a suspicious building less than a mile away, police were called in. As officers shone lights into the windows, Scott spotted one of the suspects dressed head to toe in his outfit – pants, shoes, and even his shirt. It was as surreal as it was infuriating.
In total, five people were detained, with one arrested for grand theft and the rest cited for trespassing. Inside the building, Scott recovered about 90 percent of his belongings, which he estimated at a value of $15,000. But the bigger shock was seeing dozens of other pieces of luggage strewn around, clear evidence that this operation had targeted more than just him.
The case highlights how something as simple as an AirTag can change the outcome of a theft. Without it, Scott would have walked away with nothing but a lost-bag claim. Instead, he not only got most of his belongings back but also exposed what looked like a hotspot for stolen luggage. It also adds weight to why so many travelers are now slipping trackers into their bags as standard practice.
Airlines are starting to adapt as well. Carriers like Delta and United already allow passengers to share AirTag location data with staff to speed up retrieval. For travelers, that little bit of extra tech is fast becoming a must-have – especially when cases like Scott’s show how effective it can be in fighting back against theft.
What started as a nightmare ended with relief, but also a lesson: if your bag goes missing, technology might just be your best ally.