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According to research, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds - but how prepared are you for what comes next?
Last Tuesday after work, I headed to a bar in Kings Cross with a couple of colleagues, slung my rucksack on the table next to us, and spent a pleasant hour brainstorming feature ideas. When I
got up to leave, the rucksack was gone - complete with my laptop, notebook and a copy of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole that I was only three quarters of the way through
I didn't see my laptop being taken and I was not confronted or assaulted by the thieves - but it was a shocking intrusion. I felt vulnerable and stupid, and for a few days, it ate away at my sense of control and security. What really got to me were the little things. I'd just downloaded a bunch of photos of our family Christmas, and there were emails I'd saved from friends and relatives, some of whom are no longer with us. There were sound files of incredible interviews, there was a document full of things I'd learned and studied about autism; things to help me with my son.
Just the stuff of everyday life.
I now have a new Macbook Air, and thanks to a (slightly out of date) Time Machine back-up, I've restored my old desktop rather than starting again from scratch - the familiarity of my recklessly organised files, folders and stickie notes was bizarrely comforting
In the days that followed the theft, I leared a lot of things. I learned that, as soon as you can, you should call a friend and let them know what's happened. Ask someone to come and be with you. However minor the crime (and my experience was extremely minor - I'm aware of that), it's still upsetting and confusing
I also found that certain people will delight in telling you what you should have done and all the security measure that they have in place. This is natural and these people think they're helping - they don't mean to make things worse, but that's exactly what they're doing
With this in mind, if someone you know is a victim of crime, don't lecture them. Just give your friend a hug and tell them everything will be OK. In the hours after my laptop was stolen, I discovered that this is what I needed most
On a more practical level, here's what you need to know if it ever happens to you
Police and thieves
Gadget theft is very common and thieves are very quick
You won't believe how quick thieves are. I left my bag on the table close to me and my colleagues, but for a few brief seconds we were all distracted. CCTV footage from the bar shows two men approaching the bag, one guarding it from view and the other ready to grab it. Then they were gone.
According to the technology research firm Gartner, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds; Figures from the Metropolitan Police suggest a vast majority of these are stolen from bars or public transport. "The reality is that there is a burgeoning market for stolen laptops," says Raj Samani, European CTO for Intel Security. The goods go to pawn shops or unsuspecting people purchasing electronics from the internet in the majority of cases. It's much less common for a thief to be specifically interested in your data."
Preventing the snatch and run approach is your first line of defence. Ensure your laptop is in sight at all times, or use a purpose built laptop lock to secure it to the table or yourself. It's also possible to buy proximity alarms like hipkey or the Kensington Proximo which emit a loud noise if your bag is moved beyond a certain range.
Always call the police and your insurer - but don't expect much
When you know your laptop is missing, call the police using the non-emergency number 101. They'll take an initial report and later give you a crime number. The Metropolitan Police also sent me a letter five days after the theft, predictibly advising me that they would not be pursuing the case, but providing me with extra information and contacts. It's unlikely a stolen gadget will ever be recovered, but you can register it with a service like Immobilise so if it later turns up as part of another police investigation, it may be returned to you.
You should also call your insurance company as your laptop may be covered under your buildings and contents policy - although probably not if - like me - you sometimes use it for work. Indeed, I'd phone your insurance company right now and check if your gadgets are covered for street theft, and if there are any caveats to that coverage. It's a cliche, but when I called my insurer, the conversation seemed laser-targeted on avoiding payout
Check the local area
a few police officers I spoke to said that thieves may well have checked the bag for valuables then dumped the rest in a bin near the pub. I wouldn't have found my laptop of course, but I could perhaps have retrieved my notebook filled with feature ideas and daft observations
What to do next
Remotely log out of all sessions
As soon as you get on to another computer, it's worth logging out of any online sessions you may have accidentally left running on your stolen device. You can log out of Google via the Gmail window (click on "Details" in the bottom right-hand corner, then on "sign out of all other web sessions"), then de-authorise your missing laptop. You can also remotely log out of Facebook, but it seems you need to change your password to remotely log out of web-based Twitter sessions.
Use a tracking app to delete all your data
Tracking services like Prey, LoJack and LockItTight all provide a range of features allowing you to trace gadgets and secure or delete data. It's also possible to discover the IP address of the thief if he or she tries to log in to various sites and services. If you have an up-to-date Apple Macbook, you can switch on the FInd My Mac option in the iCloud settings, then track it and delete the hard drive via your iPhone or another browser.
Whatever happens, do not try to retrieve the laptop yourself - you are not Batman. Provide the tracking information to the police
Protect yourself from identity theft
identity theft
provide the tracking information to the police
do not try to retrieve the laptop yourself
delete the hard drive via your iPhone
can switch on the Find My Mac option in the iCloud settings
an up-to-date Apple Macbook
tries to log in to various sites and services
provide a range of features allowing you to trace gadgets and secure or delete data
web-based Twitter sessions
de-authorise your missing laptop
sign out of all other web sessions
in the right-hand corner
can log out of Google via the Gmail window
is worth logging out of any online sessions you may have accidentally left running on your stolen device
as soon as you get on to another computer
remotely log out all sessions
have retrieved my notebook filled with feature ideas and daft observations
thieves may well have checked the bag for valuables then dumped the rest in a bin near the pub
the conversation seemed laser-targeted on avoiding payout
called my insurer
is a cliche
are any caveats to that coverage
check if your gadgets are covered for street theft
would phone your insurance company right now
may be covered under your buildings and contents policy
may be returned to you
it later turns up as part of another police investigation
can register it with a service like Immobilise
is unlikely a stolen gadget will ever be recovered
providing me with extra information and contacts
predictably advising me that they would not be pursuing the case.
the metropolitan police
will take an initial report and later give you a crime number
non-emergency number 101
call the police and your insurer
is moved beyond a certain range
emit a loud noise if your bag is moved beyond a certain range
proximity alarms
to buy proximity alarms like hipKey
use a purpose built laptop lock to secure it to the table or yourself
ensure your laptop is in sight at all times
your first line of defence
preventing the snatch and run approach
preventing the snatch and run approach is your first line of defence
is much less common for a theif to be specially interested in your data
purchasing electronics from the internet in the majority of cases
pawn shops
the goods go to pawn shops or unsuspecting people
is a burgeoning market for stolen laptops
a vast majority
figures from the Metropolitan Police suggest a vast majority of these are stolen from bars or public transport
one guarding it from view
shows two men approaching the bag
CCTV footage from the bar
for a few brief seconds we were all distracted
left my bag in the table close to me
if ever happens to you
on a more practical level
discovered that this is what I needed most
in the hours after my laptop was stolen
just give your friend a hug
don't lecture them
a victim of crime
with in mind
with this in mind
to make things worse
they are helping
in place
all the security measure that they have in place
will delight in telling you
certain people will delight in telling you what you should have done
is still upsetting and confusing
am aware of that
my experience was extremely minor
however minor the cirme
ask someone to come
as soon as you can
in the days that followed the theft
stickie notes was bizarrely comforting
the familiarity of my recklessly organised files
from scratch
have restored my old desktop rather than starting again from scratch
slightly out of date
was a document full of things I'd learned and studied about autism
were sound files of incredible interviews
some of whom are no longer with us
there were emails I'd saved from friends and relatives
a bunch of photos of our family Christmas
what really got to me were the little things
ate away at my sense of control and security
for a few days
felt vulnerable
was a shocking intrusion
I was not confronted or assaulted by the thieves
didn't see my laptop being taken
I was only three quarters of the way through
complete with my laptop, notebook
the rucksack was gone
spent a pleasant hour brainstorming feature ideas
slung my rucksack on the table next to us
headed to a bar in Kings Cross with a couple of colleagues
how prepared are you for what comes next?
Having your laptop stolen is traumatic