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Gadget Security

Services are available to find, retrieve stolen gizmos
10:25 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 4, 2005

By JOHANNA JAINCHILL / New York Times News Service
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As electronic products shrink in size, they grow in allure, not only to consumers but also to thieves. Lightweight and easy to conceal hand-helds, laptops and music players are sleek, valuable and often carried around as casually as a set of keys.

Because they can just as easily wind up in the wrong hands, a growing number of tracking-and-recovery services and other forms of coverage are available to help protect the gadget owner.

Only Wednesday, the New York City police reported that a recent increase in subway crime was primarily attributable to thefts of portable devices, largely music players. The phenomenon is not limited to the subway and is not always reflected in crime statistics.

Antonio Dominguez, 25, a construction project manager in New York whose iPod was stolen at his gym, was so upset that he joined a different gym -- where a sign in the locker room said that a member's iPod had been stolen there too. Like many victims, Dominguez did not think of reporting the theft.

"I wouldn't even know where to start," he said.

About 6.7 percent of owners recovered stolen hand-held computers, laptops or smart phones (cell phone organizers that often are connected to the Internet), according to a 2004 study by Brigadoon Software, which makes programs that help track and recover stolen devices. FBI statistics indicate that 3 percent of stolen laptops are recovered.

Homeowners and renters' insurance usually covers these items, but the deductibles -- typically $500 to $1,000, according to the Insurance Information Institute -- are generally more than the cost of the gadgets. There is also Safeware ( www.safeware.com), a company offering theft and damage insurance for computers and smaller gadgets.

A good option for cell phones and smart phones is coverage from the carriers, for about $5 a month on top of the service fee. Customers without insurance who need new phones often are surprised at what they cost. To sell service contracts, carriers offer phones at a sizable discount, but replacing them can cost hundreds of dollars.

According to the Computer Security Institute and the annual Computer Crime and Security Survey conducted by the FBI, laptop theft losses increased to more than $6.7 million in 2004. The survey looks at corporations, which are hit the hardest by computer device theft.

Trust Digital, which sells mobile security software to corporations, and similar companies produce software that protects information on laptops and devices like smart phones by encrypting the data, locking the device or remotely wiping out everything on it. For companies whose employees carry sensitive digital information, the gadget itself is relatively disposable. It is the information that needs protection.

If a gadget is lost or stolen and then discarded, services exist to help find the owner should a Good Samaritan come upon it and seek to return it. Companies like StuffBak, Trackitback and SmartProtec register the electronic items and tag them with labels and serial numbers to help people return them and to deter thieves. These services vary in the reward offered and the costs to the owner


These are among the "track and recover" services that can help retrieve a lost or stolen computer:

COMPUTRACE

( www.computrace.com)

The computer reports its location to the service every time it is connected to the Internet. The company guarantees that if it does not recover your lost computer within 30 days, it will reimburse up to $1,000 of its cost. Price: $49.99 a year for a personal computer.

STEALTH SIGNAL
( www.stealthsignal.com)

The software can find lost computers around the world and delete files remotely. The system cannot be detected by antivirus programs and can bypass 90 percent of all corporate and personal firewalls. Price: $49 a year for a personal computer, discounts for additional years or computers.

CYBERANGEL
( www.thecyberangel.com)

If a user enters the wrong password a few times, the software sends a signal once it is connected to the Internet. It blocks access to your remote network server or online accounts and forbids data transfer from that computer to another device. Price: $59.95 a year for a PC, discounts for additional years or computers.

PC PHONEHOME

( www.pcphonehome.com)

If stolen, the computer sends a message to a predetermined e-mail address. The owner notifies the police and PC PhoneHome's tracking service provides tracking and recovery support. Price: $29.95 for the life of the computer. MacPhoneHome is a comparable program for Macintosh computers.

SYNET

( www.synet.biz)

From SyNet, nTracker software sends a message with the computer's location to an e-mail address set by its owner. The user then must enlist law enforcement to help track it down. Price: $49.99, for a license to use the software in one computer.