Suspects sought in computer theft

Police are soliciting the general public’s assist in monitoring down two guys suspected of stealing a computer from a neighborhood electronics store. The Colonial Heights Police Department said the 2 men entered the Best Buy within the seven-hundred block of Southpark Boulevard on Aug. 29. One man, dressed in a blue polo shirt and chino pants, picked up an Apple iMac computer.

While a 2d guy, sporting a plaid blouse, mild-colored pants, and glasses, distracted a store employee, the primary guy carried the computer out of doors without paying for it. The two men got into a dark SUV and left the region. Anyone who can become aware of the suspects or has extra records is requested to call Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660 or send a tip thru the p3 app at p3tips.Com/699. Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Preventing Laptop Computer Theft.

When Irwin Jacobs, leader of government and founder of Qualcomm Inc., Had his laptop stolen from a journalism convention in September 2000, it shed light on a growing hassle. Other recent occasions have targeted countrywide interest at the computer protection problem, keep in mind the following:

o In July 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation stated that 184 laptops were stolen or misplaced. At least one and, in all likelihood, as many as four contained categorized statistics.

In April 2001, the British Defense Ministry said 205 laptops were lacking because 1997, maximum of which contained labeled materials. In February 2000, a laptop pc with “rather labeled” information disappeared from the U.S. State Department. Then, in May 2000, extra laptops had been said lacking from the U.S. State Department. While generation has made laptops smaller, less difficult to keep and transport, it has also made them less complicated to conceal and thieve.

It’s a convenience that has made the laptop so famous and the information automobile of desire for enterprise human beings for the duration of the world. The pc itself is a treasured asset and one that needs to be blanketed, but it may get replaced, but the facts saved on it in many cases isn’t replaceable and of more value to competitors if compromised. A thief can get a few thousand greenbacks for a pinnacle of the road pc, but he can get an entire lot extra for a employer’s an advertising and marketing plans.

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High-Risk Locations

A excessive percentage of laptops are stolen from the workplace. FBI officers estimate as many as 75 percent of laptop thefts are committed through insiders, folks that are anticipated to be on the premises. For instance, employees, transport people, and janitors all have access to the grounds and homes and have a possibility to thieve unprotected laptops. In one case, Canadian authorities apprehended a man believed to have stolen 20 to 30 laptops from a workplace building over a span of a few weeks. The suspect could input the construction dressed as a maintenance employee, load computer systems onto a dolly, and exit the building. He did this ordinary so often that constructing employees believed he was honestly a member of the renovation body of workers.

According to a USA Today article, heightened airport protection due to the September 11 terrorist attack has brought on a boom in the number of lost laptops at airport checkpoints. . The troubles stem from new procedures that require passengers to put off their laptops from their instances and positioned them thru x-ray machines. They both overlook to pick them up or snatch a stranger’s laptop using a twist of fate. It becomes extra difficult for travelers who’re singled out for magnetic wand searches and may be separated from their valuables at the conveyor belt for extended durations of time. Business travelers need to also pay near attention to their laptops when at the following places:

*Hotels

*Train Stations

*Bus terminals

*Car rental agencies

*Conference Centers

*Restaurants

*Restrooms

*Payphones

Always recall, computer theft can show up anywhere, at any time.

Laptop Theft Prevention Tips

Employees

Carry your pc in a regular piece of luggage, satchel, or another inconspicuous bag. o, Disguise your laptop. By carrying your pc in a case designed for computer systems, you alert the thieves you’ve got a laptop.,

O Record the pc serial number, make and model information. Keep these statistics for your purse or pockets so if your laptop is stolen, the information might be without problems available whilst you document a policy document.

O Never leave your computer unattended in a public vicinity.

O Use pc-locking cables to comfy the pc to a table or table.

o Never region a laptop in checked baggage.

If a computer needs to be left in the car, keep it within the automobile’s trunk previous to arriving on the final vacation spot.

O Identify your carrying case in a few uncommon ways to make it stand proud of all other bags. An uncommon color, colored tape or yarn, or exceptionally massive or brightly colored tags attached to the bag will assist you right away in discovering the bag and give police probable motive to prevent and question the carrier.

O Also recollect taping colored paper or setting a huge tag at the front of your pc to keep away from unintentional blend-u.S. The x-ray device.

O Regularly again up facts and save it one by one in case your computer is stolen.

Employers

o All laptops need to be permanently marked or engraved with inventory or serial numbers if you want to the useful resource in recuperation if determined through the police. Check with the manufacturer regarding suitable marking locations and warranty criteria previous to marking.

O Conduct scheduled inventories of laptops periodically.

O Proper documentation ought to be maintained for all laptops. Records should encompass system identifiers consisting of make, version, and inventory or serial numbers, a device project date, and the employee answerable for the computer.

O Some corporations make use of electronic asset monitoring technology. Employers can tag laptops with a small digital transponder if an employee attempts to depart the building with the pc, the system facts the time, date, and exit used. Some structures can also give security to the ID of the worker taking the gadget.

O Access to the region where laptops are stored while no longer assigned should be limited to a pick-out few people.

O The confined access garage area needs to be located away from high visitors areas.

O Access ought to be managed to areas consisting of places of work in which employees utilize laptops. This can also be carried out via the use of ID card systems.

Some groups have hooked up guidelines making employees chargeable for the loss of a computer if they do not observe company coverage for safeguarding it. Communicate the coverage in writing and get a signed statement of acknowledgment.

O Employers have also been acknowledged to require employees to purchase their laptops, reasoning that personnel will care more for them.

O Provide employees with loss prevention and safety awareness training. E-mails, brown bag luncheons, new rent orientations, safety focus literature/posters, and video presentations are all exceptional automobiles for getting the word out.

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