What Do Thieves Do With Stolen Laptops? Guide+Precautions

Do you know What Do Thieves Do With Stolen Laptops? There is no such thing as a protected spot for laptop theft. Portable devices are used for a wide range of purposes, from taking notes in school (or surfing the web during a boring lecture) to storing critical files, music, and memories.

There is always a danger that our laptops will be stolen, no matter how much effort or money we put into securing them, and these odds might vary significantly based on our lifestyles. Unless there is a theft or markings with some wealth you run over, it is not essential in many situations if they have gotten. However, the ways for an individual or courteous disclosure.

What Do Thieves Do With Stolen Laptops?

Once they’ve taken your laptop, the thieves will try to dispose of it as soon as possible. They can offer to sell the suspiciously inexpensive notebook to anyone willing to pay for it—both financially and risk-wise.

Why Do Thieves Take Laptops?

Laptops have replaced cameras as the most common item stolen from tourists in the last decade, followed by camcorders five years ago and cameras ten years ago. Laptops are seen as a worthwhile investment by criminals.

A high-quality laptop might cost as much as $5,000. Thieves can sell their stolen laptops for as little as half of their actual value to an unwitting secondhand computer store or pawn shop and walk away with cash.

When compared to the amount of money a criminal could have stolen from your wallet, that’s a bargain. Is $60.00 a reasonable amount of money to expect from them? You can see why a thief might want to steal your laptop. Aside from the apparent monetary gain, taking someone’s property has a legal advantage over stealing money.

Most seasoned criminals know that crimes against property (such as theft) have lighter sentences than crimes against people (such as robbery), even if they commit the same crimes. To summarize, computers are more valuable than cash, yet stealing one carries a minor penalty.

What Do Thieves Do With Their Stolen Laptops?

Thieves can sell their stolen laptops for a quick profit on the street. Alternatively, a thief with guts enough to do so would sell it to a fence, who might then take it to one of those weekend computer swap meets.

When I handled a pawnshop case, the thief would stroll in and say that his sister had died in an accident, and he had no use for the laptop. The thief will then present a bogus driver’s license or another form of identity, making it impossible to track down the pawn. Many people believe that serial numbers on computers can be tracked down as stolen property.

An illusion of security has been manufactured. There have only been a handful of stolen laptops that I’ve been able to get back in the real world. Less than 10% of the victims of stolen property have their serial numbers documented for reporting purposes, according to my experience as a police detective.

Computer Repair Shops Or Used Computer Stores

As a follow-up question, if you purchased your laptop, where did you get it from? It likely came from a considerable computer retailer or store. Mega-stores like Best Buy and Walmart also sell old and reconditioned products.

In addition, used equipment can be purchased from independent repair shops. For the most part, there is a sizable market for secondhand, high-priced, rapidly changing goods like computers. This market is served by everyone from retailers to thieves.

The Highest Bidder Makes An Immediate Purchase

Wrongdoers who have their laptops confiscated by the police swear they bought them from someone in the city and only have to deal with charges of possession of stolen property rather than robbery. But there’s an excellent chance that laptops can be saved in this way.

Cheaters will need to get rid of your laptop as quickly as possible if it is taken. Anybody prepared to pay cash and take on the risk of a strangely tiny laptop computer may be able to buy it from them in the city. You can even get a report with a photograph of someone you know if they do it just around the corner from your house.

When situations like these happen, they should be prepared and take advantage of the opportunity to catch prey for free. If you’ve ever stolen a laptop from someone who wasn’t a typical criminal, you’ll have a hard time understanding this.

Here Are Six Things You Should Do Immediately To Avoid Further Losses

GPS Location

Check your device’s built-in tracking system right away to see where it is if you haven’t already. Search for the other on whatever device you haven’t lost, or ask a friend or family member whose trust you have for a laptop if you’re without one.

You can at least investigate the area if you think you accidentally left it behind. Of course, if your valuables have been stolen, don’t try to take matters into your own hands to protect yourself.

The built-in tracking systems usually have three options: Sound, Lock, and Erase. The following choices are available once you have used GPS to track your device. Clicking on any of them will perform the desired action. Use your laptop or phone’s sound to assist you in locating it if you’re near an area where it might be audible.

A “Lock” feature is helpful if you have invested in a more advanced tracking system, such as LoJack for Laptops or a more advanced security gadget. To increase your prospects of a successful recovery, track your information using tracking software and then contact the firm to begin the search. This method has a high success rate.

Wipe Your Data

If you don’t think you’ll be able to recover your computer, the best course of action is to immediately use the “Erase” option to remove all of the data on it. Even if you retrieve your laptop, some experts urge this drastic measure even if the virus was planted on your machine that would still permit someone to access your information remotely just in case. Using LoJack for Laptops, you can remove specific, private documents from your computer. Unfortunately, there is no way to get these back.

Call Your Banks

Frozen credit and debit cards should be the first thing you do when you learn that your laptop or phone has been stolen. Even if the individual who stole your computer doesn’t have access to your internet accounts, you don’t want to make any changes to your investments or money.

On top of that, you can have your credit card details saved and auto-filled in your favorite online buying destinations. It’s possible that your bank account could be depleted if that is the case. Your banks will likely be more than happy to assist you with obtaining new cards and keeping track of your accounts.

Change Your Passwords

An intruder who knows or cracks your computer’s default password will now have entrance to the websites where the most personal information about you is stored if you use autofill on your computer’s passwords.

When your computer is inaccessible, you should immediately log in to your account on a protected device and reset the most sensitive passwords (obviously without upgrading autofill on all of your devices). Some examples are as follows:

• monetary institutions’ websites
• big online retailers with which you have an account (such as Amazon)
• Other websites could reveal personal information about you or allow a thief to use your data to make large purchases.

Alert The Authorities

As long as you have proof of the theft, such as a serial number or IMEI (if you recorded them before the gadget was stolen), authorities can use this information to return stolen property to its rightful owner.

Carry Out Additional Research

It would be good if you kept an eye on your credit report if your laptop is stolen so that any unusual activity can be investigated. Another option is to watch local pawn shops and classified ads such as those on craigslist for devices that seem similar to yours. If you don’t have a serial number, you won’t prove anything; therefore, do anything you can to find it.

How Often Are Stolen Laptops Recovered?

The FBI estimates that 2 million laptops are stolen annually. Even worse, recovery rates are barely 2%. This might become very tricky depending on the data saved on the computer.

Are Stolen Laptops Traceable?

GPS tracking is effective in finding lost laptops as well. Like a mobile device, you can use a stolen computer’s built-in tracking device to see it as long as you use it to browse the internet.

Conclusion

Now, it’s time to conclude What Do Thieves Do With Stolen Laptops? Laptops generally end up with their drug dealers if they’re addicted to heavy narcotics like meth, heroin, or cocaine. A trusted but drug-addicted techie unlocks the devices, and the drug traffickers decide whether or not they would give them to loved ones as gifts or retain them for themselves as a form of self-indulgence. As long as they’re not caught, the officers collect and return the items to their rightful owners if they were reported stolen.

Frequently Asked Questions