What to Do if Your Cellphone or Laptop Gets Lost or Stolen

Losing your cellphone or laptop can be as bad as losing your wallet. In some cases, it?s worse.

If someone has your cellphone they can access your apps, which may hold your bank account information, plus your communications via email, text and voicemail. Your laptop probably contains equally personal information ? tax forms, emails, accounts you can automatically sign into. These are frustrating scenarios. Luckily, there are a number of apps and software programs that can track your stolen or lost devices, and in some cases offer a kill switch-type feature for your data.

Find My iPhone and Android Lost are two popular apps that help you locate your phone and let you erase all data remotely once you?ve decided searching for it is a lost cause.

SEE ALSO: How Do the Experts Recover Stolen Laptops?

But, really, finding your cellphone also depends on the whether or not local police can assist in your search. Having tracking software installed on your laptop or smartphone increases the chances that law enforcement will have a strong enough lead to intervene and also be successful in finding it.

On Sept. 14, Derrick Doba, from Mesa, Ariz., had a laptop stolen from his office during business hours. Doba filed a police report but, Doba says, local law enforcement said there was nothing they could do to help. Doba discovered that he could play detective by using the Carbonite software on his laptop to track the location of the computer. He found out where the alleged thief had used the laptop (Yuma, Arizona), and officers were able to intervene. The laptop was retrieved and returned to Doba and the suspect is now facing charges.

Sgt. Tony Landato of the Mesa Police Department tells Mashable that the PD will help find lost cellphones and laptops if the case is in their jurisdiction and ?especially if there was a workable lead.?

?The main battle with cases of this nature would be the reliability and accuracy of the app on the device,? he writes in an email message. ?Laws that govern search and seizure are very stringent and this is new technology that has yet to be argued in court. Specifically, how exact of a location can the app provide? How reliable is that? Does it rise to the level of probable cause to enter someone?s home or property? I have seen cases of this nature that lead to an apartment complex, but cannot distinguish exactly which apartment. These are the main factors investigators have to deal with as they proceed with a case wherein only this lead exists.?

Having said that, Landato also said that having tracking software has ?opened doors? in some cases.

SEE ALSO: Where and When Do Most People Lose Their Phones? [INFOGRAPHIC]

But would the same police response occur in larger cities? A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department tells Mashable that they have numerous cases of cellphones being successfully retrieved by the PD after being stolen.

Officer Gordon Shyy, media relations unit of the San Francisco Police Department, tells Mashable when a victim reports a cellphone or laptop stolen, they ask if it has tracking capabilities.

?If the suspects that stole the electronic device turns it off, then we cannot track the device,? he said. ?If the device is on, and the victim is able to show the officer where the device is going, we will send officers to the area and attempt to locate the suspect and device.?

In the most recent case, a man was mugged at gunpoint for his cellphone, wallet and backpack in the Diamond Heights area of San Francisco. The thief then jumped into a waiting van. The victim had previously installed a tracking app on his phone and police were able to use it to track the criminals, still sitting inside their van, to another location in the city. The cellphone was retrieved and the suspects were both charged with second degree felonies.

SEE ALSO: If Your Android Phone Is Stolen, This App Photographs the Thief

So, it seems installing tracking software on your smartphone or laptop can give police a lead, and perhaps help to find your device.

Additional tracking software and apps:

• Prey ? For Android smartphones and tablets, and Mac and Windows PCs. Once your laptop goes missing, mark it as ?missing? on the site and you can monitor where it is with Wi-Fi geolocation. It?ll also take a screenshot, in case it was stolen, so you can possibly catch a glimpse of the thief?s activity. If you lost your phone, use the SMS service to send a message to your phone with your email address so the phone can be returned if it?s found. The software is free, but you have to upgrade if you want to track more than one device and unlock other features.
• LoJack for Laptops ? This software for Macs and PCs resists deletion ? a smart idea if your laptop gets stolen. It also sends forensic information to the police and the company?s theft department to help you to locate your laptop should it be stolen. And, if your computer is stolen and wiped clean, you can still get all your data from it.
• LockItTight ? This software for Android and PCs will grab a screen shot of the thief?s activity. The basic service, which includes geo-tracking, is free, but if you want to use other features, you can upgrade to one of the three versions.
• StealthGenie ? This potentially creepy software for Androids, iPhone and Blackberries, lives on your phone and operates in secret. It collects data about calls, texts and other activities, and sends that information to a secure web account. It also has real time geo-tracking and location history. The software costs $99.99 for the basic 12-month package. The ?gold? subscription costs $129.99 and lets you delete all sensitive information remotely and notify you if there?s been a SIM change.

Has your smartphone or laptop ever been lost or stolen? Did you recover it? If so, tell us how you did it in the comments.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/10/19/retrieve-cellphone-lose/

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