Last night my car was broken into, for the first time in over a decade. My wallet was stolen (though the thief discarded about $200 in Canadian money on the floor), but so was my purple 16GB iPod nano. Unfortunately,we hear about the theft of iPods, iPhones, iPads and Macs on a regular basis. Here’s what you can do to prepare for this, catch the thief, and maybe even get your gear back.
Before Your Device Is Stolen
Record the serial number or all your devices. Email this number to yourself and store it on your email server (MobileMe, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) and also consider writing it down and filing it away.
To get a serial number on a Mac, click About this Mac (under the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen) and then click “More Info…” The serial number will be at the top of the list of information. Your Mac’s serial number is also etched inside the battery compartment on MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and on the back of the case on iMacs.
Click here for an article from Apple about locating an iPhone’s serial number.
Click here for a great article from Apple about locating the serial number of almost every Apple product.
Also, Small Dog Electronics keeps a record of serial numbers for all Macs, iPods, and iPads that we sell. If you haven’t recorded your machine’s serial number and you need it, email or call us and we should be able to provide this to you.
Keep a good backup of the data on your device! Your device was expensive, but the data on it is invaluable. Sync your iPad / iPhone / iPod often, and then backup your Mac often. Just another reason to keep constant backups.
Always assign a password to your Mac. You can assign a password in System Preferences > Accounts. You might already have a password on your Mac – it’s the one you enter when you update System Software. Don’t forget this password!
For better security, disable automatic login in System Preferences > Security. If someone steals your Mac, they won’t be able to start it up or wake it from sleep without the password. Likewise, make sure your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad all have passwords that are required for access. Also consider using MobileMe to find and even disable these devices (as mentioned in last week’s issue of Kibbles and Bytes and posted here on our blog.
Give all your devices unique names. The police mentioned to me that if they are suspicious about the history of an item, they will start their investigation with the product name. For example, my iPod nano was named “Grape Ape”. If someone suspicious is caught with a purple iPod nano in Burlington, the police will ask about the name and then use that to begin a more extensive investigation.
Some people recommend adding your contact information to your login screen. Here is a tip on how to do this. Ugly looking, but could be useful.
Use a laptop lock. This is ideal in a dorm or office setting, but not practical if the machine is hidden in a locked car. Here are some computer locks we recommend.
After Your Device Is Stolen
Call the police and report the theft immediately. They will request the serial number of the stolen device.
Trawl the local listings on Ebay and especially on Craigslist. Most thieves don’t want your device — they want to sell it ASAP for money. Many devices are posted to Craigslist the day after they are stolen. Thieves may be bold but rarely are bright. Your serial number will prove ownership.
If you have a MobileMe account and use Back to My Mac, you might be able to use this feature to track the thief and disable the machine. Here are a couple of stories about people who have done this:
Back to My Mac Leads to Recovery of Stolen Mac and
An incredible stolen Mac story without a final chapter
Again (as mentioned above), if your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is stolen and you have MobileMe, you can remotely to find and even disable these devices (see an article about this posted here on our blog.
There are also third-party software tools available to help you trace a stolen Mac. Examples include LoJack for Laptops, Undercover, and Prey.
Submit your serial number to an online registry of stolen computers. For example, Stolen Macs I doubt that these are effective, but they are worth considering.