How To Combat Growing Gadget Theft
from the anyone-want-to-buy-a-cheap-ipod dept
It used to be common knowledge to not wear flashy jewelry when walking around town, for fear of attracting muggers. After years of decreasing numbers of pickpockets and purse snatchings, muggings are back on the rise. Today, would-be muggers are clued in to valuable merchandise by laptop bags and the ubiquitous white headphones that urban dwellers adorn themselves with. It's trivial to leave the Rolex at home, but to walk about without your iPod and cellphone? Unthinkable! To combat the growing number of gadget thefts, new technologies are now available to track stolen products after they fall into the wrong hands. That said, recovering stolen gadgets is an uphill battle; only 6.7 percent of stolen gadgets are recovered. Most thefts are never reported, gadgets cost less than most insurance deductibles, and tracking methods depend on the good will of samaritans. This week, after his laptop was stolen, a Berkeley professor concocted a complicated tale in an attempt to scare the thief into returning the stolen goods -- to no avail. Perhaps the best way to combat gadget theft is to prevent it in the first place, gadget camouflage anyone?
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