iPod Theft: Dealing with Stolen iPods and other Gadgets
Friday, March 30, 2007
It is no surprise that iPod theft is on the rise. There have been more than 85 million iPods sold. If you factor in all of the other brands of MP3 players out there and other gadgets such as PSPs, digital cameras and USB flash drives that are so tiny and easy to steal, nobody should really be too shocked.
San Francisco has raised an alarm recently regarding the number of iPod thefts in the Bay Area. In 2004 there were only 4 reported iPod thefts, in 2005 this number jumped to 102, then in 2006 this number leaped to 193. This of course is only showing the number of actual reported thefts.
These statistics are not limited to San Francisco. The number of crimes involving iPods and other small gadgets are on the rise in every major city. Some of these crimes are violent, involving larger scale thefts, assault and even murder.
iPod Theft Under Reported
We know the actual theft number is much higher, as many do not see any reason to report the iPod theft as they feel there is nothing law enforcement can really do to get the device back. Which in part has been true, as all you can do is fill out a police report and hope that your device turns up, but the odds are against you.
Serial Number Registration Services Are Suspect
There are a number services out there which will ask you to pay a fee to register your iPod or device with them for a small fee. In return if a your device is stolen or missing and somebody goes to THEIR website and searches for the serial number of your iPod (that long number in tiny text on back) they will magically recover your device. This we feel is quite suspect, as the odds of this occurring are quite slim, especially if the device has been stolen.
Active Tracking Solution
GadgetTrak on the other had has a more active approach when it comes to returning your devices. The GadgetTrak service provides more aggressive electronic measures for returning your device. Our patent-pending system functions as a trap for ipod and gadget thieves. When these devices are accessed the agent software is activated and initializes communication with the GadgetTrak server. When this process occurs information is shared with the server regarding the system that it is currently plugged into, providing clues that can assist law enforcement in recovering the device.
Lifehacker did quite a comprehensive review of GadgetTrak, running their readers through how it works.
Christopher Null did a nice write up on 
