Love Island’s Montana Brown shares how a stranger 'tracked' her with an AirTag: 'It was alarming'

Love Island star Montana Brown has shared her "shocking" experience of seemingly being tracked by a stranger using an Apple Airtag.

The 27-year-old reality TV star claims she found the device, which she says did not belong to her, in her bag when she landed after a flight to see friends during a solo trip to Los Angeles in March.

She said she discovered the issue when a notification popped up on her iPhone saying an AirTag was travelling with her, and after speaking to her partner, he advised her to check her bags.

Speaking on Monday's Good Morning Britain about the experience Brown explains: "So as soon as I got through security, I was kind of brushing [it] off at this point: ‘Oh, it was probably nothing.’

"And it was only until I went to the toilet and kind of emptied everything out my bag that it was at the bottom of my bag so that was really alarming because I genuinely had no idea that somebody was even that close to me to be able to put it into my bag."

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Brown continues: "I kind of panicked and just flushed it down the toilet because I was in the toilet anyway and I just thought because I was so kind of spooked and I was really surprised that I actually found anything."

The former Love Island contestant claims her iPhone notification said that the AirTag started being read shortly before she got on her flight to the US.

"That’s the first time I’ve been on my own, really, and felt very unsafe and I just wanted to kind of get out of the airport as quickly as possible," the reality star, who is currently pregnant with her first child, adds.

"But it definitely was a shocking experience because you kind of like go down a rabbit hole of: ‘What would they then have done next, and what would they have tracked my location for?'"

Brown was unsure if immediately getting rid of the AirTag was the right thing to do, but security expert Will Geddes advises taking a photograph of the serial number before getting rid of the tag.

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He also suggests considering installing a Bluetooth tracker, or detector apps, which can be bought on Google Play or the App Store.

Geddes says it isn't just AirTags and other trackers people need to be aware of but also AirPods and other smart devices.

"The problem with all these kids of devices is that they are always transmitting information, so it can even come down to the apps that we have on our devices," he says.

"It could even go down to a smart watch. So if you have a smart watch and the smart watch is with you when someone has access to your account they could monitor you movements.

Watch: Woman claims Apple AirTag was used to spy on her

GMB noted that Apple say they take the concern of unwanted tracking seriously. The AirTag has been built with privacy in mind and Apple condemn any malicious use of any of their products.

Yahoo UK contacted Apple for comment and were pointed to a statement made last year on AirTag and unwanted tracking.

"Apple has been working closely with various safety groups and law enforcement agencies," the statement reads.

"Through our own evaluations and these discussions, we have identified even more ways we can update AirTag safety warnings and help guard against further unwanted tracking."

It isn't the first time Brown has discussed the experience having previously shared what happened on social media.

Wanting to raise awareness about the situation – particularly to women travelling alone – Brown said: "Keep your wits about you and maybe when you get to the airport, empty out your bag. I flushed the AirTag down the toilet because that’s the first thing that popped into my head.

"Please be safe and just make sure some creepy guy or girl isn’t following you."

Brown's followers were quick to share their concern about the subject: "Terrifying, glad you're safe and thank you for sharing," one wrote.

"The same thing happened to me when I was leaving an airport, super scary still have no idea how it happened," another added.

"This makes me so scared for anyone who might not have an iPhone as they wouldn’t have had the notification… Can’t wrap my head around it!," another user added.

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Brown isn't the only one to raise awareness about the issue with Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader also sharing her experiences after receiving an iPhone alert that an AirTag device had been tracking her location after leaving a New York bar.

Once home, she discovered someone had placed an AirTag in her coat pocket, without her consent or knowledge.

Shortly after the model's Instagram post went viral, Apple released a statement on AirTag and unwanted tracking, acknowledging "reports of bad actors attempting to misuse AirTag for malicious or criminal purposes."

The company committed to many updates to their unwanted tracking systems for AirTag and added built-in protections to discourage AirTags from being used for unintended purposes, including issuing new privacy warnings during the AirTag setup disclosing that using AirTags to track individuals without consent is a crime in many parts of the world.

Apple pointed out in an email to Yahoo UK that all of the updates they committed to are now live.

"We design our products to provide a great experience, but also with safety and privacy in mind," the statement explains. "Across Apple’s hardware, software and services teams, we’re committed to listening to feedback and innovating to make improvements that continue to guard against unwanted tracking."

The company also pointed out it condemns any malicious use of any of its products.

"We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we’ve received," the statement continues. "Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare.

"We will continue to listen to feedback and innovate. We’ve built a tunable system of deterrents which we are committed to making improvements to over time."

The Points Guy has put together some tips and advice for anyone who is concerned they may be being tracked by an unknown AirTag.

"If you are alerted of an unknown AirTag following you, search for the device within your belongings," a blog post on the subject advises. "If you locate it, disable it to prevent it from tracking you further.

"If you can’t locate the device and are travelling, be sure to warn any relevant parties of a potential tracking situation, such as the local police or the front desk at a hotel."

Apple has also put together some advice about what to do if you get an alert that an unknown AirTag is tracking you here.

Additional reporting PA.