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All posts tagged "theft"


Monday, June 7, 2010

SquareTrade Updates Their Warranty Program

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/06/04...rranty-program/

"SquareTrade, a popular electronics warranty company offering coverage for a wide array of devices including the iPhone and iPad, has rolled out a revamped iPhone warranty program temporarily priced at $99 for two years of coverage, with a regular price of $124."

AT&T's version of this, as compared above, is quite a bit more expensive, but it also covers loss or theft of your iPhone. I guess it all boils down to what you think you will be most susceptible to, damage or theft, when you make your decision for coverage. Oh that and the big difference in deductibles and total cost!


Thursday, May 27, 2010

Gunfire at Gresham AT&T Store Over iPhone Theft

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad" @ 03:00 AM

http://www.kptv.com/news/23680215/detail.html

"A man arrested on suspicion of opening fire on two suspected iPhone thieves said he was just trying to do the right thing."

You can see our "hero" is not very happy right now. I'm thinking that is probably because he was arrested and charged with the following:

  • Unlawful Use of a Weapon bail $5000.00
  • Reckless Endangerment bail $2500.00
  • Disorderly Conduct II bail $1500.00
  • Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm bail $2500.00

I'm all for the 2nd Amendment and the right to carry, but you do need to understand the laws and proper use of a deadly weapon, especially the circumstance in which deadly force is appropriate, and this isn't the case here. The basics are he chased a couple of iPhone thieves out of a Gresham AT&T store, and thought he was doing the right thing by trying to shoot out the tires on the getaway vehicle. He also had his gun and concealed handgun license seized, which isn't a bad thing.


Friday, April 16, 2010

Orbicule Releases Undercover Version 4

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple Software (OS X)" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.macnn.com/articles/10/04....web.interface/

"Orbicule has released an update to its theft-recovery software for Macs, Undercover. Version 4 now allows users to remotely monitor a stolen Mac using the company's UndercoverCenter.com web interface."

You can now follow your device in real time using their website in a variety of ways including iSight, screen shots or Google Earth. They even have remote lock feature. The mobile version uses the same web interface so you can track not only your laptop but iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads. It is universal binary also so PowerPC owners aren't out of luck. Single user licenses are $49.00 USD or 5 license family pack for $59.00 USD. You can read more about it at the Undercover website.


Thursday, March 11, 2010

iPhone Bandit Nabbed by Deputy With Another iPhone

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone & iPod Touch" @ 07:00 AM

http://web12.clackamas.us/alfresco/...neRecovery.html

"On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, Certified Public Accountant Stephanie Davies, age 39, was at her place of business, the Financial Services Group, located on SW Miley Road in Wilsonville. Ms. Davies reports she was approached at the front counter of her business shortly after 9 a.m. by a young male subject seeking directions to a local motel. The male asked that these directions be written on a piece of paper, and Davies complied with his request. During this moment of distraction, the male suspect grabbed Stephanie Davies' iPhone from the counter and fled the area in a motor vehicle."

Ah but little did he know she had purchased a tracking program for her iPhone. Once the deputy arrived to talk to her, he logged into the victim account and then used his own iPhone to track it down. The funny thing is, this happened at our agency, so I was the dispatcher for the event. Another successful recovery, and according to the deputy, the thief was quite surprised. I don't know which program she used (initially I thought it was MobileMe) but as soon as I find out, I'll let you know.

UPDATE: Turns out she was using the AT&T Family Locator service, $9.99 USD per month for up to two phones, or $14.99 USD per month for up to five phones. You can find more about the service here.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Are You Being Followed?

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple News" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...a_burglars.html

"More than 100 burglary victims near Los Angeles, Calif., are said to have been spotted and followed by criminals after they visited Apple retail stores. According to the Los Angeles Times, a group of thieves in the metropolitan area conducted more than 100 "follow away" burglaries over the past year."

Image Credit: ApartmentWiz

So far, it has only been reported as happening in Los Angeles, but it is a good reminder to be aware of what is happening around you. And remember that leaving items inside a car is just a bad idea.


Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Good Luck Getting Your Lost or Stolen iPhone Back

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple News" @ 08:00 AM

http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/01/...etting-it-back/

"Traveling around with your Apple gear makes you a prime target for thieves of all kind, but this is kind of obvious. On the other hand, what you may not know is that if your stolen gear gets sent to Apple for repair, it doesn't mean you're getting it back."

In reading the comments to this post, which originally came from The Consumerist, I was really annoyed at how many hoops the person had to go through and all for naught. And adding to the annoyance it brought back the memory of a stolen iPhone a year or so ago that I was dealing with. In my case, it was one of the original iPhones, a police report was filed and I was given a case number. I then thought to myself, "Self, why not call Apple and they can flag this iPhone in case someone tries to get it serviced?" Well they wouldn't do it and told me nothing they could do about it, sorry! Seemed silly they couldn't flag it, but then on the other hand it might be too much trouble especially if the iPhone were recovered, I forgot to tell Apple, and then I needed service and couldn't get it. And on Apple's end, keeping track of all of it plus making sure they have valid documentation...oh it would be a nightmare for Apple.

The folks over at TUAW updated their story today. It appears Apple is working with law enforcement to get the iPhone back, but it took the victim sending an email to Steve Jobs to get the ball rolling. Here is the link to that story.


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

iPhone Thievery!

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone & iPod Touch" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/11/10-0...pa-apple-store/

"Apple Stores continue to be sizable targets for theft, it seems -- the local paper in Lancaster, PA reports that four young men stole 17 iPhones from the displays at an Apple Store recently, resulting in almost $10,000 worth of losses. The robbery took place during the day; at around 1:30pm, the young men just started grabbing, and walked out of the store with as many iPhones as they could carry."

Big loss like this and I'm sure they will do some followup, and not just write it off. The iPhones didn't have SIM cards and are supposedly entered in a crime database so be careful if you are in PA and someone offers to sell you an iPhone cheap!


Friday, April 3, 2009

Lose Your iPhone? Security May Be in Future iPhones

Posted by Jeff Campbell in "Apple iPhone & iPod Touch" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.iphonealley.com/news/pat...me-when-stolen?

"A patent application shows that Apple is considering adding a security mechanism to the iPhone that would cause it to automatically phone a security agency after being stolen. Upon detecting a force exceeding a predetermined threshold, the device would enter a prevention mode, causing it to send a security transmission in the form of a telephone call or email containing it's GPS coordinates."

In the patent application, it discusses how this would be activated such as sudden movements beyond a certain vibration threshold, pre-determined standby time, etc. Seems to me it should be a lot simpler than that, like logging into a website that you have registered with previously and activating it that way. Or perhaps by calling your phone and punching in a code. I just think this sounds too complicated, but I'm glad they are at least trying to come up with something like this since I've been the victim of an iPhone theft previously and this would have been handy!


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