Archive for the ‘Recovery Stories’ Category

User Who Should Have Known Better: Lawyer/Auxiliary Sherriff

Date Stolen: May 27, 2009
Date Recovered: August 17, 2009
Location: Texas
Scenario: The Absolute Theft Recovery Team performed forensics on a stolen machine, gathering evidence that suggested its unauthorized user was in the legal profession. When police met up with the identified individual to recover the computer, it was confirmed that he was not only a lawyer, but also an auxiliary Sherriff. The user claimed to have purchased the laptop from “some guy on the street”. Shouldn’t he have recognized – and avoided – a suspicious situation?  

Most Recoveries Made by One Investigator: 16

Date Recovered: August 14, 2009
Location: Oklahoma
Scenario: Marking his 16th individual laptop recovery facilitated by Computrace technology and the Absolute Theft Recovery Team, an Oklahoma Officer recently recovered a computer after it was heisted in a home burglary.

Most Exotic Recovery Location: Peru

Date Stolen: May 14, 2009
Date Recovered: August 16th, 2009
Location: Peru
Scenario: While dining on vacation in Peru, a couple was distracted by a suspicious group of passers-by. With in minutes, both the group of people – and the couple’s laptop –had disappeared. Absolute was able to trace the laptop to Lima, and working with local police, successfully recovered the machine.

A University of Maryland student decided to purchase a little peace of mind when purchasing his laptop online. He had Computrace LoJack for Laptops installed to protect his new machine.

Sure enough, the ‘unthinkable’ happened just three months later: the student’s laptop, as well as those belonging to his two roommates, disappeared from their dorm room. Although all three laptops were tethered to desks with security cables, the cables were simply ripped from the laptops and left behind. Campus police were not optimistic about the chances for recovery when informed about the heist.

The student contacted the Absolute Theft Recovery Team within minutes of theft and was told that there was a good chance of recovering a laptop that contacted the Monitoring Center post-theft.

A few weeks later, the LoJack for Laptops software on the stolen laptop silently contacted the Absolute Theft Recovery Team with its location information. The Team logged the details and immediately notified campus police, who were provided with everything he would need to obtain a search warrant, including an IP address that located the stolen laptop in a dorm room – just two floors from where the laptops had been stolen.

Police served a warrant, and the suspect was arrested just one day after the laptop was located by the Recovery Team. The suspect –a fellow student – claimed to have ‘found’ the computer on a floor within the dorm, although admitted he knew it was stolen. He was arrested and the laptop recovered. Various charges were laid.

Biggest Bust: $10,400 in collateral recovered

Date Stolen: August 4, 2009
Date Recovered: August 12, 2009
Location: Texas

Scenario: Laptop stolen in a vehicle burglary. Absolute identified the user, who had purchased the machine from an online seller. The original seller was tracked down and visited by police. In a home which police said resembled a “small electronic store”, an additional 5 stolen laptops and 10 GPS units were recovered. 

Quickest Recovery: 8 Days

Date Stolen: August 3, 2009
Date Recovered: August 11, 2009
Location: Massachusetts

Scenario: Laptop and other electronics stolen from residence during party.

Most Laptops Recovered at Once: 12

Date Stolen: June 15, 2009
Date Recovered: August 12, 2009
Location: Texas

Scenario: Three Computrace-equipped laptops were stolen in an initial office burglary; less than one week later, another batch was stolen from the same locale.  Absolute’s investigation revealed that the hard drives and operating systems of several of the laptops were swapped out post-theft, although Computrace remained persistent and continued to provide tracking information. This information revealed that the two burglaries were connected, and could be traced to a single individual. A police visit to the individual’s residence revealed all 10 stolen Computrace-equipped machines, along with 2 additional computers. Several other stolen electronics were also seized. Charges will be laid.

Learn more about the Absolute Theft Recovery process

As Absolute continues to expand globally, so too do its recovery operations. A recent recovery required our Theft Recovery Team to liaise with authorities in South Africa – where an interesting scam was uncovered. 

The Absolute Theft Recovery Team began tracking a laptop weeks after it was stolen from a customer’s South African home. Initially, it proved difficult to determine the laptop’s new, unauthorized user; a variety of aliases were gleaned from the machine. As the investigation continued, however, Absolute pieced together the scenario.

It appeared that the laptop was being used in an intricate online scam. Posing as a female, the unauthorized male user created false accounts on several dating websites, under a variety of aliases. He contacted men in various countries, working to develop an online relationship. Once this rapport was established, he crafted a series of ‘sob stories’ to highlight ‘her’ vulnerability and request that the online love interests send money to help. It appears that ‘her’ story was convincing, as several sympathetic men sent substantial amounts of cash.

The Recovery Team was able to determine the laptop’s location, and, by compiling details with local police, positively identify the unauthorized user. Using this information, police tracked down the man and successfully recovered the machine. The investigation continues.

Driving home for Spring Break, a North Dakota student left his laptop in the backseat while he stopped for a quick coffee. When he returned to his vehicle, the back door was ajar, and his laptop – along with several other belongings –was missing. The student contacted police, who collected eye-witness accounts from the scene. The student then reported the theft to Absolute, who began to trace the laptop’s whereabouts.

Four days later, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team had pinpointed the location of the laptop– which had since made its way south to Georgia. The team was also able to identify the laptop’s user – a man that eye-witnesses had earlier identified as a prime suspect in the case. This information was passed over to Georgia police.

Now armed with enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, Georgia authorities visited the user’s residence. The laptop was recovered from the home, along with a number of the victim’s missing possessions. The suspect was charged, and a relieved student reunited with his laptop and belongings.

A home burglary left a Computrace LoJack for Laptops customer without her laptop. Less than one week later, the stolen laptop connected to the internet, allowing the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to begin work on recovery.

Absolute Recovery Officers were able to glean a recurrent username from the machine, and traced the laptop’s location to a nearby suburb. This information was passed on to police, who used it to obtain a search warrant for the identified residence.

In a fruitful search, police recovered more than just the stolen computer – over $2,000 in narcotics, $5,000 in firearms, and $3,000 in criminal proceeds were also seized. And if over $10,000 in recovered collateral was not enough, an established cock fighting game operation was uncovered in the home’s basement. Further investigation revealed that the suspect had a history of charges relating to underground game fights. 

The officer was happy to add to this criminal record; the suspect now faces charges of Receiving Stolen Property and Possession of Narcotics. Further charges in relation to the other findings are pending.

This is the second Computrace-equipped laptop that the involved officer has recovered (although notably, his first recovery was less exciting!). He remarked to an Absolute Recovery Officer that Computrace LoJack for Laptops is “a very handy piece of equipment”.

Learn more about the Absolute Theft Recovery process

Please note that indictments and criminal complaints are merely unproven accusations and the accused in all cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

A few minutes was all it took: a New Jersey student set his belongings down outside of a study hall while he left to answer a call, returning to find that his laptop was missing.  Luckily, the student had installed Computrace LoJack for Laptops upon purchasing his computer and could do something about the theft. 

The student reported the theft to police and Absolute that day – spurring the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to deploy the forensic tools necessary to trace the computer. It quickly became clear that the laptop was still on campus, and being used by a female user. It was also determined that the user was a classmate of the victim…perhaps making for an awkward semester… 

In an apparent break and enter, an employee of a Computrace customer alleged his company laptop was stolen from his home. The company reported the theft to Absolute, who, within days, had identified the laptop’s new user. Using this identification, police probed the user for further details.

The user explained that he had purchased the laptop from “some guy” in the park over one month prior. When asked to describe Mr. “some guy”, the user painted a surprising – and rather familiar – picture. To reconfirm this familiarity, police presented the user with a photo line up of potential “some guys”. Just as police had begun to suspect, the user easily identified a picture of the ‘victim’ employee. The investigation shifted to the supposed victim, where additional details began to unfold.

In a flawed attempt to earn a few extra dollars, the employee had hastily sold his company computer. As the weeks passed, however, he became increasingly nervous of being discovered, and so staged a home burglary to account for the missing machine. Needless to say, neither police nor the company was impressed with the bogus break-in, and so charges – and a pink slip- followed.

The laptop has since been returned to the company.  

After overseeing thousands of computer theft recoveries, Absolute has learned that computer theft is but the tip of the iceberg for many cases. Indeed, as a result of Computrace technology, many criminals have been apprehended, from cat burglars, to ex-cons, to drug dealers, to frauders. A recent Absolute recovery managed to encompass all four.

A home burglary left a Computrace LoJack for Laptops customer without his laptop – although within two days of theft, the laptop made contact with the Absolute Monitoring Center. Upon receiving the customer’s theft report, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team was able to gather evidence on the computer’s unauthorized user and location, which they passed on to police. The user who Absolute had identified was well-known to authorities – to the extent that police executed a search warrant on his residence. The stolen laptop was recovered from the scene. False checks and currency, a large quantity of drugs, and drug paraphernalia were also confiscated; particularly incriminating evidence given the suspect was then on probation from previous drug charges. On account of the laptop, the user faced charges for breaking and entering, and possession of stolen property.  Topping off his list of crimes, he also faced new drug charges, fraud charges, and – of course – violation of probation.

The laptop has since been returned to its happy owner, and the multi-talented criminal remains behind bars.

Please note that indictments and criminal complaints are merely unproven accusations and the accused in all cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Learn more about the Absolute Theft Recovery Process.

In early June, Absolute received a theft report from a Computrace LoJack for Laptops customer after his laptop was stolen from the back seat of his car. Using a series of forensic tools, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team was able to quickly identify the laptop’s unauthorized user – an individual well known to police. Because of the user’s criminal past – which, of no surprise, included a number of petty thefts - police were swift to prepare a search warrant for his home address.

Yet the unauthorized user was not keen to open his door to authorities; after all, he claimed – the door was jammed. Skeptical officers attempted to force entry, although the door appeared to be bolted to the ground (almost as though our suspect has faced this situation before…). With police stuck outside, the standoff continued.  

In the meantime, a dense black smoke emerged from the house’s chimney. As police continued to coax the user into opening the door, the smoke thickened, and omitted the familiar smell of burning plastic. When the user finally relented and let police inside, this odor was explained. In a last ditch effort to destroy any evidence, the user had created a criminal bonfire of sorts. Stolen iPods, gaming systems, and home electronics burned in his fireplace as police looked on. Luckily – the customer’s laptop had been spared.

By mid-June, this laptop was returned to its rightful owner, unscathed. The pyrotechnic suspect has been arrested, and is currently cooling off in jail.

Please note that indictments and criminal complaints are merely unproven accusations and the accused in all cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Learn more about the Absolute Theft Recovery Process.