January 24, 2023
3 Min Read
New years bring plenty of change, but one unfortunate constant we can count on is more laptop theft. Data shows that one in 10 laptops will be lost or stolen from an organization.
When it comes to stolen laptops, Absolute customers have an important resource to lean on. The Absolute Investigations Team consists of former law enforcement officials who are trained to help navigate the circumstances of stolen property and recover stolen laptops. They rely on Absolute’s firmware-embedded Persistence® technology, enabling a permanent digital tether that intelligently and dynamically applies visibility, control, and self-healing capabilities to endpoints, applications, and network connections. No matter where it’s located, it is possible to swiftly lock, freeze, or remotely wipe a device if it falls into the wrong hands.
Here are a few of the investigator’s recent global recovery highlights:
An employee of a Canadian pharmaceutical company was the victim of a vehicle burglary and one of the items stolen during the break-in was a company laptop. Absolute investigators were put on alert and soon thereafter, the device became active. It quickly became clear the new user was conducting fraudulent activity on the laptop including the purchase of stolen credit card information and then using the stolen data to make purchases that were then sent to an address in Ontario, Canada. Despite there being a lot of names, addresses, and phone numbers on the device, Absolute investigators were able to determine who was actually using the laptop when the individual was forced to enter identifying information for a virtual courtroom appearance. Investigators prepared an investigative summary for local authorities, including both the theft circumstances and the illegal activity currently happening on the machine. Using forensic tools, investigators could see the address where all the stolen merchandise was being sent so authorities secured a search warrant. The user was arrested, and authorities cited Absolute investigators for discovering the address.
When devices went missing from a healthcare customer in California, they immediately reached out to Absolute investigators. Using forensic tools, investigators determined 35 laptops in all were missing. Local authorities were called and, working together with detectives and the healthcare organization’s IT department, it was determined employees had stolen the devices. Executing a search warrant on the home of one employee in particular, Absolute investigators helped them definitively determine one of the devices found was in fact one that had been stolen and it was seized. The most recent return was number 22 out of the 35 reported stolen and the healthcare provider is very happy with both Absolute’s embedded technology and investigators’ ability to support local law enforcement.
A total of 6 laptops were stolen from a conference room in a New Jersey social services agency. Absolute investigators were called in to investigate and the new user was soon identified as a student in Connecticut with New Jersey ties. Local police were advised of the situation and they agreed implementing a device freeze was the best approach. Soon thereafter, the student’s father contacted Absolute and was told the device he purchased had been stolen. The father explained he had purchased two devices from a local reseller that day. After looking into it, Absolute investigators determined the second device had also been stolen but the Absolute customer was not yet aware. Both devices were returned safely to the social services agency and the hunt continues for the remaining stolen devices.
For more than 15 years, Absolute Investigations have helped organizations recover their stolen devices. Made up of former law enforcement professionals and other experts, Absolute Investigations uses forensics tools and techniques to locate devices at large and once found, they connect with local law enforcement to orchestrate their safe return. Learn more here.
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