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How to Stop a Laptop Thief

Laptop theft puts your data at risk. Here are your defensive options.

Companies should know that the number-one reason why laptops are not recovered is that the laptop's serial number exists only on the laptop. Gartner's Fiering says that many companies have tried to use asset tags to counter this problem. But these are easy to remove, so that doesn't work. She recommends asset management software for keeping the serial number separate from the notebook.Meet Your PerpThink a Daniel Robinson could never walk into your office? The SFPD's Leon has repeatedly watched perps wander around offices unchallenged. Leon says companies should have surveillance cameras monitoring their floor space, but agrees that's obviously not enough. In seven years of battling laptop theft, Leon's got shelves of surveillance video stored in SFPD's evidence library, filled with scenes of perps probing office spaces and walking off with laptops. Occasionally, a company will watch in shock as an employee caught on tape commits the crime. Usually, however, the perp is an outsider. And he or she is not likely to get caught except by chance.

Leon says laptop thieves typically do not operate alone, but in small groups or rings. They case office buildings to see when they can slip past security guards and to figure out when reception desks are unoccupied. They pretend to have job interviews or simply ask to fill out an application for employment. If the receptionist leaves the area, the perp will slip in, swipe a notebook and then duck out. The perp can be observed on surveillance video, popping in and out of offices, and then becoming just another cube dweller casually carrying a laptop, seemingly en route to his next meeting.

Leon says laptops are the number-one item stolen in San Francisco, surpassing even bicycles. Such statistics likely hold true for most major cities, as both items are easy to transport and resell. Leon doesn't have any hard numbers, but estimates that SFPD gets at least 100 calls per month about stolen laptops. He says even though the machines have dropped in price, high-quality laptops will still draw at least $500 on the black market. The outlets are numerous: Stolen laptops pop up on eBay and Craigslist, at flea markets and pawn shops. Sometimes they're just hustled on the streets, like watches or necklaces.

Stealing a laptop is typically a felony. But for a first offense, the perpetrator is probably going to get off with probation, making it a crime without stiff consequences. The exception to that rule (at least in San Francisco) is if the computer is taken from a hotel, which falls under stricter burglary codes.