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Tracker Stalking: It’s Not Just a US Problem Anymore

Laura Hobson, Co-Founder & COO, YoursGlobal · · 5 min read

No consumer scan can guarantee that a space is free of surveillance devices. YourSweep supports a room check; combine app results with visual inspection and appropriate help when something seems wrong.

The data originally came from the United States: more than 40,000 AirTag-related stalking reports to Apple between 2021 and 2024. The UK followed with a 317% spike in GPS tracker stalking cases from 2018 to 2023.

But stalking is universal. Trackers are cheap, global, and easy to hide.

Why Trackers Matter for Travelers

When you are traveling alone, your phone may be your only connection to home. You are in unfamiliar territory and already spending attention on navigation. A Bluetooth tracker hidden in your backpack, car, or bag can reveal every café you visit, every hotel where you stay, and every time you leave your accommodation.

For solo travelers, especially women but not exclusively, this is a real threat. It is not theoretical or statistical padding.

How Trackers Hide

  • A tracker can be sewn into clothing or placed in a side pocket.
  • It can be hidden in checked luggage or under a car.
  • It may be small enough that a quick visual check misses it.
  • A notification is a reason to gather more information, not to confront someone immediately.

How YourSweep Helps You Check

Using Bluetooth scanning and compass navigation, YourSweep helps you check for unknown trackers in your vicinity. It can provide information about a device, its approximate proximity, and its direction.

You can sweep your room, car, or travel bag. If you find something, you can inform hotel security, contact local authorities, or ask a trusted person to help inspect your belongings. The psychological safety of knowing is different from the anxiety of not knowing.

The Normalization Angle

Checking for trackers used to sound paranoid. Now it is practical. Smart travelers do it because the check is quick, the risk is real, and knowing what is nearby makes it easier to decide what to do next.

Laura Hobson, Co-Founder & COO, YoursGlobal