My apartment was recently broken into while my housemates and I were asleep. I live very close to downtown and in a noisy student neighborhood, so I thought nothing of being awoken to noise and the inevitable “might as well use the bathroom since I’m awake” sleepy logic. I opened the bedroom door and turned into my dark living room. I immediately turned around and shut the bedroom door loudly behind me, pressing my body against it. Suddenly there was more noise, making me keenly aware that a stranger was definitely in our apartment.
My girlfriend began to wake up as we heard running outside and saw a flashlight dart chaotically in our driveway. I returned to the living room and roused our roommate. We took stock of our possessions, realizing that only my laptop was missing.
We called the police, who arrived within ten minutes and immediately began a search around our neighborhood. The corporal in charge couldn’t hide his skepticism about seeing my laptop ever again, until I mentioned that I’d installed tracking software that, if working, would transmit photos of the suspect, what he/she is doing, and attempt to triangulate the computer’s location on a map. At that point he softened and gave me a business card, asking me to inform him the moment the software began to work.
After two days of stressing, my inbox was suddenly a-flurry with automated emails from the tracking software I’d installed on my laptop. Within the first twenty minutes, I received photos of the suspect and of the YouTube videos he was showing off to everyone around him. The next two days were silent, but while taking a hike on Sunday, my inbox began its incessant chirping indicative of the tracking software sending updates.
I discovered that the suspect was in a hotel of some kind. That night I started sifting through the screenshots and found exactly what I needed: the Internet splash page for the hotel he was staying at. Not only did the site display the address and phone number for the hotel, it also gave the room number!
The next morning I went to the police station and briefly presented what I had found using the tracking software, including photos of the suspect, where he had been with my computer, as well as my proof of purchase for the machine along with its serial number.
The officer looked floored, “Do you know where he is now?” I pulled out a printout of the hotel’s Internet splash page and pointed to the room number. I checked my phone and told the officer he was still there as of three minutes ago. “I’m going to get right on this, it may be a little while, but I will be in touch,” he said as I offered him the entire file.
Hours passed while I waited to hear the outcome. If they had caught him, I hoped that the suspect had gone without incident and without injury to anyone involved. My computer, after all, is just a thing and certainly not worth anyone getting hurt over.
About an hour later, the officer called me back and informed me that the suspect was in custody and I could pick up my laptop later that day. The machine was still operational despite some damage, which thankfully my insurance company assured me would be covered.
*Lessons Learned:*
* Your stuff is never worth more than people. Ever.
* Install anti-theft software on all your machines. I use “*Undercover by Orbicule.*”:http://www.orbicule.com/undercover/index.html “*LoJack*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=lojack is another great option for Macs and available in “*1-year*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/77280/at_kb or “*3-year subscription*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73734/at_kb options.
* Set up a firmware password on your Mac by clicking here. (If you have a PC, “*click here*”:http://www.lockdown.co.uk/?pg=biospsw to set up a BIOS/CMOS password in addition to your standard computer password.) This makes it very difficult to remove the anti-theft software you’ve installed or to wipe the machine clean for re-sale. It does however, not protect the integrity of your files from prying screwdrivers.
* Create a guest account (with no password) to decrease the chances and incentive for the thief to immediately attempt to wipe your machine.
* Treat police, staff, and others that help you along the way with the upmost respect. They deserve it.
* Document everything. Keep a physical folder with hard and electronic copies of relevant information. Write down every call you make and who you are speaking to and get cards from the officers and detectives involved.
* Back up your data on a regular basis. I use “*Time Capsule*,”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=time+capsule&refinecat=Apple|Time_Capsule and the night my laptop was stolen I had left my laptop importing photos from my recent trip. Time Machine was literally backing up my photos as the computer imported them, assuring complete recovery of my data from the moment the laptop was stolen. It was awesome.
* Consider physically securing your machine. Kensington makes a wide variety of “*locks, anchors, and cables for laptops*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Security/For_Notebooks/ as well as an “*anchor for machines without a security slot*.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Security/For_Desktops/
* DON’T MESS WITH NERDS.
