ONTARIO WESTERN ONTARIO UNIVERSITY DISCUSSES COMPUTER THEFT ON CAMPUSCommunications and Public AffairsDec 22nd, 2005
Protect your laptops from would-be thieves

Over the past 12 months there have been 58 reported cases of laptop and computer thefts at Western. In almost half the cases, 25 to be exact, it was the result of leaving the equipment unattended in a place accessible to the public.

Computer theft on campus is an ongoing problem but there are recognizable peak periods of activity. April, which was during final exam period, saw the greatest activity with 12 of the 17 reported thefts occurring in libraries, primarily Weldon and Taylor. In all those cases, the owners of the laptops left their computer unattended while they went to another part of the library.

Of the 22 computers stolen in September and October, 18 were private property and most of the thefts occurred from academic space and residences. Only one was taken from a library during these two months.

However, these losses were preventable. Never leave your computer unattended in an area accessible to the public. Always lock your office or residence door. Always record critical information about your computer such as make, model, and serial number, and always back up your data and store it separately from the computer.

Should you be heading home for the holidays, to take your computer with you - desktop personal computers as well. Of the 58 computers stolen this year, 30 were laptops and 28 were desktop personal computers.

While 16 were owned by the university, the remaining 42 belonged to staff, students or faculty. The largest concentration of losses occurred in academic buildings, followed by student residences and libraries.

Here are some quick facts to help prevent computer theft:

*Physically locking your equipment to a fixed object in your office or room makes it difficult to steal. Purchase equipment that can be physically secured, or has the capability to be secured;

*Thefts of opportunity happen in less than 30 seconds. Never leave your room or office without locking the door;

*Empty cartons and old equipment left in the hallway or on the loading dock advertise new equipment on site. Do not leave packaging or equipment where it is visible. Discard all waste packaging by breaking it down and taking it to a recycling area;

*Equipment that can be traced is not attractive to thieves. All equipment should be permanently marked with an identification number that can be traced by police. If the equipment is Western property, it should be marked with Operation Provident Number OP5067011. Private property should be marked with a unique number that can be traced to the owner, for example, a driver's license number. Contact Campus Police (661-3300) for further information;

*If a theft of equipment does occur, police will need detailed information about the make, model, and serial number (and any other distinctive markings). This information is put on a central database in Ottawa which all police services in North America have access to. Store this information in a safe and secure location separate from the equipment;

*Many laptops and handheld devices (PDAs) are stolen from vehicles. If you must leave equipment in an unattended vehicle, lock it out of view in the trunk before you reach your destination;

*The university does not cover losses of private property. Check your personal insurance coverage to see if your dorm or vehicle is insured;

*The data on your computer is more valuable than the hardware itself. Personal and confidential information, research, and expensive software are now in the hands of the thieves. Prevent others from accessing the information by password protecting your computer or PDA;

*So that you can resume your work as soon as possible, make sure that you back up your important data regularly. Test your backups to make sure they can be recovered and store them in a different secure location, not with your computer; and

*Contact campus police to report the theft and if you have Western passwords saved on your laptop, contact ITS to change them immediately. Also contact your bank if you have credit card information saved on your computer.

For more information, visit:

http://www.wellness.uwo.ca