Laptop Loss League Awards reveal year's strangest computer thefts
Absolute Software, a leading provider of computer theft recovery and data protection solutions have had a pretty busy year, returning around 100 laptops every week that had been reported stolen by thier users around the world. While it’s a headache for those involved, it can also lead to some pretty fantastic, and fantastically funny stories to go along with the recovery.
They’ve established the “Laptop Loss League Awards”, and have picked the top tales behind some of this year’s many thefts. You can read them all below.
1 – The long arm of the law: After buying a laptop on the Internet, the new owner was very keen to connect to the web and he rushed to his friend’s house, who also happened to be a policeman, to go online. Following a tip off from Absolute Software, the policeman was alerted to a theft by colleagues, which revealed that the laptop in use was stolen. The laptop was quickly returned to its rightful owner.
2 – Dealing with stealing: A laptop was reported stolen from a college in Cornwall and the Absolute Software team worked with the local police to investigate. The device was traced back to a part-time lecturer from the college. Once the laptop had been recovered, the situation was handled internally and the college by confronted the individual. The laptop was returned to the college undamaged.
3 – Being too hot to handle: A laptop taken in a burglary was recovered just a few hours later using information the Absolute Software team gathered from the laptop to locate the thief’s home address. When the police swooped, the device was eventually found hidden in the tumble dryer which fortunately hadn’t been switched on.
4 – The longest journey home: One laptop turned up almost two years after being stolen from an airbase in Kuwait after it started transmitting signals from Arkansas in the USA, more than 7,300 miles away from its original location. Forensic tools helped to identify the user who handed over the device to his local Sherriff’s office so that it could be returned to the original owner.
5 – Popping out for a byte: One laptop stolen in the Czech Republic was identified after the thief started using the machine to plan menus and place bulk orders for food. The Absolute Software team deduced it was being used in a restaurant and a simple search of local eateries soon found the device.
