Normally, they...Sitting in the airport, looking for a laptop to steal
I had a coffee and an on-loan Apple iPhone, and I had settled into a chair at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, early for a flight to Vancouver. I was heading west to moderate a roundtable debate at one of two events…
I had a coffee and an on-loan Apple iPhone, and I had settled into a chair at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, early for a flight to Vancouver. I was heading west to moderate a roundtable debate at one of two events run by Backbone and KPMG in support of our recent PICK 20 roundup of Canada’s best Web 2.0 companies.
This was an ideal time to review the agenda and my questions. Twenty minutes later my work was still unreviewed but it looked like my brand new Facebook account was ticking along nicely. Feeling I deserved a break I glanced around the gate area and noticed a rather well-dressed woman across from me. We were both sitting at the ends of our respective rows and she had placed an expensive laptop bag on the floor beside her. At the end of the row. Out of her direct sight. And she was reading a novel.
It occurred to me how easy it would be to steal the bag. She wasn’t looking, and if I stood up and coolly snagged it as I walked past, no one would notice. And I remembered a cop I had once met who did just that. He would hang out at airports and steal computers, and then stand around with other cops to see how long it would take for the owner to notice. Sometimes it took a long time. I decided to stroll around and see how many laptops I thought I could safely snatch. I spotted at least three.
That cop had a lot of good advice on thwarting thieves, and based on my airport stroll the most important one is really simple: if you put a bag on the floor, put it down in front of you, or between your feet, or loop the shoulder strap over the back of your chair. Do anything, in fact, that will get a crook to choose an easier target than you.
I could have grabbed three bags in a few minutes, and after a quick trip to a bathroom stall to transfer the valuables and dump the bags I’d be on the plane or out of the airport with a nice haul of both notebooks and the sensitive data stored on them.
I didn’t do that, but apparently lots of people do. The Poneman Institute estimates that last year up to 12,000 laptops were lost or stolen in American airports every single week.
Let’s hope the woman across from me didn’t end up adding to that stat after I wandered off.
Peter Wolchak
Backbone magazine
Filed Under: Portable Devices
On "Sitting in the airport, looking for a laptop to steal."
Sad but true. I am an observant people watcher and have been
aware many times (not just in airports) of the carelessness
many of us display when it comes to our personal belongs/selves etc. If I wasn't so honest I could have walked off or drove off in my power chair with a bit of loot myself. Since I have been the robbed I now have no
qualms when I see someone that may quickly find themselves
on the losing end too, I with little or no hesitation point
out what I've noticed. Women often to me seem to not be too careful with their bags/purses. More then once I've
been thanked for my honest interruption.
Thanks for the reminder. LIVE IN THE MOMENT
Give Jolene a hug from me, her mom.
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Some crazy amount of laptops are left in cabs as well. While it won't bring back your PC, at least Vista Bitlocker will keep your personal data safe. Windows Mobile has a cool feature where you can call your phone, should you lose it, and wipe it clear of data.
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Peter,
What do you mean "Let’s hope the woman across from me didn’t end up adding to that stat after I wandered off"? Didn't you tell her to be more careful? I know it may be difficult for some people to approach a perfect stranger but I am sure she would have appreciated a friendly 'head's up' on the matter. Remember, we are our brother's keeper. It's a good article and you give great advice. Next time, and this goes for everyone, say something to make sure that person you don't know doesn't become a statistic. Just my 2 cents worth…
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Why didn't you inform the lady that someone may try to steal her laptop? You missed an opportunity to prove you can do more than think like a thief.
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Sadly, many of the thefts in foreign airports are actually STAFF!, as a friend of ours recently discovered to his nauseation and disgust. He had his ipod and cellphone stolen from INSIDE his CHECKED luggage. One simple rule when you travel – don't bring anything you can't afford to lose!!!
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Thanks.
I'm going there and see what I can find. Looking to get my hands on a Mac and hopefully there are no surveilance cameras around.
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Good article. I hope it causes people aware of their possessions, and make themselves less of a target.
Now if only we could get some folks to pay more attention to their kids!
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I steal laptops at airports.
It is as easy as they say…
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Perhaps that woman at the airport was looking to steal YOUR laptop. How much easier would it be for a well-dressed, computer-carrying person to fly under even a vigilant person's radar? There is no dress-code for thieves.
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Now I know how to get rid of hazardous waste! Just buy a cheap laptop bag and head for the airport!
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Pete and Cheryl, you are absolutely correct. I should have warned her. Part of it was a reluctance to approach people I don't know, especially in airports. Also, I did walk around and before I was done my flight was being called, and so I did not return to my seat.
But it did occur to me just after that warning her would have been the right thing to do.
Thanks for calling me on it.
Peter
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Even without having my laptop with me I always loop the strap of my bag over my knee, or during my commute when I am apt to doze off I have my arm through the strp of my bag. Ensuring that I would be awakened should my bag be disturded.
It is amazing how many people don't seem to take such precautions while out and about.
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You also need to watch out for the scam at the security checkpoint. They work in pairs on this one – one person on the other side and one person on your side before you go through. You set your computer/blackberry/cell phone in the plastic tray on the belt and send it on through the x-ray machine when the one guy walks through the security and sets it off – while they deal with him with you standing there waiting to go through, your computer pops out on the belt on the other side and his partner walks off with it. Don't send your stuff through until you are able to go through yourself.
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Wow, this article deserves some kind of award.
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didnt it occur to you to share this info with the chic? or the other two door knobs?
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Interesting how the authority imported with the word "cop" seems to be enough to forgive what is otherwise an criminal code offence – theft under (or over) $5,000. You would do a an even greater service to community if you make a police report with respect to your buddy the cop.
Theft
322. (1) Every one commits theft who fraudulently and without colour of right takes, or fraudulently and without colour of right converts to his use or to the use of another person, anything, whether animate or inanimate, with intent
(a) to deprive, temporarily or absolutely, the owner of it, or a person who has a special property or interest in it, of the thing or of his property or interest in it
Time when theft completed
(2) A person commits theft when, with intent to steal anything, he moves it or causes it to move or to be moved, or begins to cause it to become movable.
Purpose of taking
(4) For the purposes of this Act, the question whether anything that is converted is taken for the purpose of conversion, or whether it is, at the time it is converted, in the lawful possession of the person who converts it is not material.
Punishment for theft
334. Except where otherwise provided by law, every one who commits theft
(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, where the property stolen is a testamentary instrument or the value of what is stolen exceeds five thousand dollars; or
(b) is guilty
(i) of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or
(ii) of an offence punishable on summary conviction,
where the value of what is stolen does not exceed five thousand dollars.
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great u just created at least 100 new criminals ……………..y is this news
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It's all very interesting about stealing laptops and all but the important question is: why is Kansas pronounced "can-zas" but Arkansas is pronounced "are-can-saw"?
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If I understand Gleb correctly, he is objecting to the fact that this police officer stole laptops. If it wasn't clear from my statement that he would stand around with other cops and wait to see how long it took the owner to notice, I'll just state the following now: his actions were a) undertaken as a public service, in the same way that police will sometimes pull drivers over in order to issue a warning about their driving, and b) conducted with the full knowledge of and approval by his superiors.
If by quoting the criminal code you are suggested that he acted unlawfully, that is simply incorrect. Perhaps I should have added: "Of course, he and the other police officers did not keep the property, but instead returned it to the owners and explained how they could safeguard their property in the future."
Peter
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Dear Peter,
If you read the criminal code carefully, you will note that the thief's intetion does not matter much, so long as you intend to take property from a lawful owner, even if temporarily. If they teach us something at law school, it is how to interpret statutes. Your analogies, while compelling to common sense, are without much merit at law. Sorry for the late reply,
Best,
Glen
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