What to do if You Find a GPS Tracker Hidden in Your Vehicle

Key Takeaways:

1. Immediate Safety: Prioritize your safety by contacting the police or a lawyer if you suspect danger.
2. Legal Considerations: It's illegal to place a GPS tracker on someone else's vehicle without consent.
3. Vehicle Sweep: Conduct visual and electronic sweeps to locate potential GPS trackers.
4. Professional Help: Seek professional assistance if unable to find the device.
5. Disable and Report: Disable the device and report to authorities if necessary.

GPS tracking devices have many uses, from enabling employers to keep tabs on their company vehicles to allowing parents to monitor their teen drivers, but it is also possible for GPS trackers to be used illegally. If you suspect that someone is using a GPS tracker to monitor your whereabouts without your consent, or if you have found a hidden GPS tracker in your vehicle, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your safety.

Before You Do Anything Else, Protect Yourself

Your safety should be your top priority as you consider what to do in this situation. Our first recommendation will always be to talk with the police or a lawyer if you suspect that you’re being stalked or are in danger. Taking matters into your own hands can be dangerous and protecting yourself should be your first consideration.

Legal Concerns

If you know or suspect there is a GPS tracking device on your vehicle that may be tracking your movements, here are a few things to consider:

First, does the vehicle you are driving belong to you or someone else? GPS trackers can be placed in a vehicle by the owner, but it is illegal to install a GPS tracker into someone else’s vehicle without their consent.

Second, consider who may have placed the tracker in the vehicle. If you find one in the car, it may not be actively tracking or may have belonged to the former owner of your vehicle.

Third, we recommend involving the police before you deactivate or remove the GPS tracker if you believe that you are in danger. The removal or deactivation of a tracker will alert the person who placed it to your discovery, which could put you in more danger. It's better to ensure that you have protection on your side. 

We recommend a glance at our popular article about GPS Tracking Laws so you can determine whether the situation you are in constitutes a breach of privacy. In most cases, the law is on your side if you are being stalked by someone else. 

We highly recommend a conversation with your lawyer for any other legal questions. We can help point you to the information, but we do not provide legal advice to customers.

How to do a sweep of your vehicle to look for a GPS tracker

If you suspect that there is an unauthorized tracker in your vehicle, but you have not yet found it, doing a quick sweep of the vehicle can help you to confirm your suspicions. There are a few different types of sweeps you can do to find the device.

Step 1: Visual Sweep

Doing a visual sweep is the first step as there are only a handful of places a GPS tracker is likely to be placed in a vehicle. Some common places where a tracking device might be:

Plugged into the diagnostic port under the dashboard: Many GPS trackers derive power from the vehicle and will be plugged into the car directly. These are the easiest to disable as they can simply be unplugged to be disabled.

Under bumpers or in wheel wells: Because these areas are accessible to anyone standing outside the vehicle, these are likely spots for someone to place a GPS tracker if they do not have direct access to the interior of the vehicle. Do a visual check of these areas.

Under the vehicle: There are many places under the vehicle where a magnetic GPS tracking case could be mounted discreetly. This visual sweep may be a little more difficult to do as it often requires the vehicle to be lifted. You may need professional help with this kind of sweep.

Inside the vehicle: There are many possible hiding places in the interior of a vehicle. We recommend doing a visual check under seats, in the glove box and console, inside of seat cushions or seat back pockets, and inside speaker compartments. You may want a professional to help you perform this sweep as well because there are many possible hidden places where a GPS tracker could be stashed out of sight.

Educate yourself on GPS tracker placement and use. Explore our article about how to find a hidden GPS tracker or where to place a GPS tracker for more information.

Is There an App for This?

At this time, phone apps are not the best resource for detecting and locating GPS trackers. We highly recommend professional counter-surveillance GPS detection tools that are specifically designed for this purpose.

Final Words

Try not to worry: The most important thing to do in this situation is to protect yourself, so we recommend getting support from police or a lawyer. 

In many cases, the situation is easily resolvable. If you have any additional questions about your concern, you can also contact our customer support team to find out more about finding, disabling, and removing unwanted trackers from your vehicle.