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Laptop was stolen - What should I do now?
TetraNitroCubane
Not Angry...Just VERY Disappointed...Registered User regular
Not Angry...Just VERY Disappointed...Registered User regular
Yesterday, a particularly audacious thief managed to get away with stealing my laptop. I work in the basement of a research building, and the lab I occupy is pretty high traffic. From what I can tell, at around 2:15 pm I got up to get a glass of water and check my mailbox. Inside of 5-10 minutes, the thief walked into the lab, somehow evaded being seen by my coworkers, clipped the security cable on my laptop, and walked off without being seen. There was only the barest description of a suspicious guy leaving the building from one of my coworkers.
I've since filed a police report and tried my best to secure myself against potential identity theft that could result from my laptop being lost, but I'm not sure that I'm taking the right steps. I had my debit and credit cards reissued, and I changed just about every password that I could online (I never stored them, but I don't know what's possible and what's not when it comes to that kind of thing). The laptop was password protected, but I know that means nothing and is really easy to get around. Thus, I know this thief now has access to sensitive information including my entire email history that was saved locally, which means he has my home address and online purchase receipts.
This makes me worry he'll hit my home next. He obviously was casing me in particular, since when he stole my laptop he had about six to choose from, but went after mine (which was the smallest of the bunch, oddly). He had to know who I was, and wait for me to leave to access that narrow window when I got up, so I know he had some way of watching me. The fact that he was casing me means he knows when I'm at work, and when I'm not. I work about 13 hours out of the day, so that leave my home exceptionally vulnerable.
To put it in short, can anyone give advice as to what steps should I take to secure myself against the information that was lost, which at this point is probably my home address and contact information that might be used to socially engineer my bank account/etc.? And also, does anyone have any home security advice for when I'm not around? If this guy had the guts to steal my laptop, which was secured, in broad daylight and a crowed lab, I'm guessing he has no qualms about smashing a window after he sees that I've made recent purchases he can pinch.
Thanks for any advice and help. I appreciate it.
I've since filed a police report and tried my best to secure myself against potential identity theft that could result from my laptop being lost, but I'm not sure that I'm taking the right steps. I had my debit and credit cards reissued, and I changed just about every password that I could online (I never stored them, but I don't know what's possible and what's not when it comes to that kind of thing). The laptop was password protected, but I know that means nothing and is really easy to get around. Thus, I know this thief now has access to sensitive information including my entire email history that was saved locally, which means he has my home address and online purchase receipts.
This makes me worry he'll hit my home next. He obviously was casing me in particular, since when he stole my laptop he had about six to choose from, but went after mine (which was the smallest of the bunch, oddly). He had to know who I was, and wait for me to leave to access that narrow window when I got up, so I know he had some way of watching me. The fact that he was casing me means he knows when I'm at work, and when I'm not. I work about 13 hours out of the day, so that leave my home exceptionally vulnerable.
To put it in short, can anyone give advice as to what steps should I take to secure myself against the information that was lost, which at this point is probably my home address and contact information that might be used to socially engineer my bank account/etc.? And also, does anyone have any home security advice for when I'm not around? If this guy had the guts to steal my laptop, which was secured, in broad daylight and a crowed lab, I'm guessing he has no qualms about smashing a window after he sees that I've made recent purchases he can pinch.
Thanks for any advice and help. I appreciate it.
TetraNitroCubane on
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I suppose if you are particularily paranoid about it, you could contact your bank and ask them to keep an eye on your accounts for the next 30 days or so and call you if they notice any larger transfers or purchases on credit cards.
Also whenever I get a new piece of expensive tech (eg $200+) I write the serial number down and save it in my Gmail account (which uses a different, never cached, password).
I got that from my parents, who keep a list of serial numbers in their Safe Deposit Box.
I think you're over reacting.
Luckily I did manage to get the serial number of the laptop. I've given it to the police, but apparently that's the first thing that gets scratched off.
I guess I'll just talk to the bank and keep an eye open for now. I just can't help feeling paranoid about it, though, given the broad-daylight nature of the theft. Nothing really feels safe.
Thanks for the advice!
Probably, I guess. But I'd rather be safe. If there was any way any of my accounts could be compromised to log into amazon, newegg, or other online vendors, then it's possible stored CC info could be used. Amazon does have my informations stored. I've changed all my passwords, but it's not hard to crack most 'security questions' or call the tech support guys up and get a password reissued.
But I concede that I'm probably overreacting.
Not to get you worried, but there are some incredibly easy ways to get around this too. Programs such as "admin password reset" allow you to change the passwords and remove them from any user accounts on a windows system.
Not sure if it works on a Mac or not, but it takes 30 seconds.
OP: You're doing all the right steps. If you're really curious you can always check out the local pawn shops to see if someone dropped off a laptop recently. And, as someone said before, finding someone's address is incredibly easy nowadays.
Most likely he had a pair of clippers that he knew could do the job, walked into the office and hung out trying to look like he was supposed to be there, saw you get up and walk out, and did the deed before anyone could realize how audacious it was.
A ballsy gambit, but probably relying entirely on quick reflexes and not targeted. Sounds to me like you're pretty much covered, except for being short one laptop.
You usually have to pay for this (it's basically LoJack for your computer). It is not standard on the Macbooks, for example, and you only get a trial with most Windows laptops.
OP, do you have insurance that might cover this?
EDIT: I should add that this is incredibly common at universities. Rice (where I go) had a huge increase in laptop thefts during the past year. I know one guy had his Macbook stolen within the first two weeks of ownership. My point is that I doubt they were "casing" you, it was just bad luck. FWIW, I lock my laptop in my desk, and we have a standard policy of shutting the door even if we're taking two steps outside the office to get a cup of coffee.
Also, on a mac your keychain is password protected with the password of the account that created it. Even if you reset the account password you can't access the keychain without knowing the original password. So unless you've got a word doc with all your passwords in or something like that it's unlikely that he/she has your password
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I seriously doubt he will bother finding your address. Likely the laptop is already formatted and now on ebay.
bastards etc.
To clarify what I was worried about, I work in the basement of a building, and our offices are joined with the labs. There's no way to 'hang out' without sticking out like a sore thumb. Our computers and 'office' are literally three steps away from where we do research, so if you're not wearing safety goggles and you're not a familiar face, you're obviously someone who doesn't belong there. This is pretty much why I think the guy was casing the lab. He had to see me moving around the building somehow, or else he'd never have risked it. Also, my macbook wasn't the only one he could have grabbed. He also had other laptops in close proximity to mine, and better, bigger Pro Macbooks at that. In terms of espionage, the research I do is way to fundamental, plus it's academic. It's a kick to my nuts, though, because I just lost a ton of results
Just clarifying the things about the theft that make me feel like the guy knew what he was doing, rather than just opportunistically strolling by. He hit a narrow window of time just perfect. Then again, maybe he was just lucky, and I am overthinking things as people have said. I'm not sure, and I guess it doesn't much matter.
Anyhow, I guess there's very little in the way of anything that can be done at this point in addition to what I have. In the future, though, what are the best methods of securing a laptop? The Kensignton lock and cable that I was using are pretty much useless, obviously, but I'm not sure what more can be done if security cables can be clipped so easily.
And thanks again to everyone.
The odds of it getting nicked again are pretty low, but you are understandably paranoid now.
undercover helps you track your mac after it's stolen; taking pictures of the thief and everything. They even give you your money back if your 'top gets stolen and isn't found.
Theft sensor is perfect for situations like yours, where you want to leave your laptop alone for a minute while you go do something else. works like a car alarm: someone moves the laptop and it starts making noise.