# How can you track a stolen MAC



## Blood_Lust

so How could an individual track their stolen MAC item. Like an iBook, Powerbook, iMac G5 or a Dual G5? 

any story that your MAC has been retrieved? a thief has been jailed stealing MAC? 

Can I include my system with my insurace against theft? or is it just a plain expensive toy that everybody can have..


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## Flipstar

Check this out.. pretty cool if you ask me









Track Your Mac


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## Blood_Lust

so without any help of this softwar, I wont be able to track my MAC? 

Can Apple help me with this kind of issue? or they don't care about it at all?


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## kent

There are two places where a stolen Mac might end up: Ebay or a pawn shop. Pawn shops are required to report the serial numbers of new items they receive to police - the police then cross-reference their database of serials (reported stolen items) against the pawn serials. I've gotten lucky this way before. Chances are, big-ticket items like PowerBooks are sold out the back door and thus their serials never reported. Your Mac should be covered under your homeowners/renters insurance policy - check with your insurance company.


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## simon

So you got an expensive Mac and you are worried ... well there are couple of things you should do - first one is, are you using this computer for a home-based business or for your employment at home? If you are and it is stolen your insurance may NOT cover this with the basic home owner policy. You have to inform them and have a rider added to the coverage. I have a $60K rider for all my equipment (extra $10 a month). Insurance companies will use whatever loophole they can to avoid payouts, and the fact that you have used or even might have used this computer for any type of business gives them an excuse NOT to cover the computer and you will be SOL if it is stolen.

The tacking software is a good idea but only will work if the computer is plugged into the internet after it stolen and the drive has NOT been wiped clean after the unsuspecting buyer gets it (see more below).

As for the Pawnshops selling them out the back door, I doubt it. - most of them are reputable businesses and they make more money selling them at the front. (Taking and selling hot property, especially easily identified hot property, will put them out of business fast - the cops don't give them back the money they paid for the stolen item) They have their place for quick and easy short term loans with your item as collateral, not for selling something at 10% on the dollar.

As for eBay - this is where it will be sold by the smart crook - s/he's going to get maximum value for your item, the buyer is unsuspecting 99% of the time and this is a faceless place ... a buyer beware type of attitude. I have bought a few systems on eBay over the years (never new - always older) but there is one thingI always do after I buy any system (eBay or not) is that I wipe the drive with a low-level format or I install one of my own drives and do a fresh install of the OS, this way I guaranteed I don't inherit somebody elses issues (this also defeats the software tracking software installed - not my intent, but if 50% of buyers are like me, that's not going to work).

Well, now that some myths have been exposed ... a couple of more things. First thing to do is to stop worrying, unless you have a big sign over your front door that says "Expensive Toys Inside" ... or you have been the previous victim of a B n' E ... or you live in a high crime area ... I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Keep you receipts, get a small business rider attached to your insurance policy (and make sure it has an immediate replacement clause otherwise it can be drawn out for months on end before replacement is received) and lastly don't go around advertising (bragging) "hey, look what I just got!" - if they don't know it's there, why would they bother to try to find it.


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## Bilbo

You might want to check out:

http://www.pcphonehome.com 

If I recall they have several testimonials from people who have successfully prosecuted thieves. MacPhoneHome has NO YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION FEES like competing products.

While I am sure that nothing is 100% effective, I really like their approach. If you follow their instructions, it is nearly impossible to detect.

I have a rider on my home insurance to cover my computer stuff and my insurance company offers no discounts for using this software. 

B

[ November 29, 2004, 09:05 AM: Message edited by: Bilbo ]


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## gordguide

PCPhoneHome and MacPhoneHome have worked for others according to news reports.

This software installs on a hidden area on your disk (somewhere in the partition map) and is difficult to remove; in fact the company claims it's impossible to remove without a specially crafted uninstallation program only available to registered users; Brigadoon Software claims a reformat will not remove it.

However I personally would not install it; I am not comfortable with invisible programs that install on areas of the disk that violate Apple's guidelines on application behaviour; contain an eMail application; sends information about your system to parties unknown, and is made by a company, Brigadoon Software, that is private (no public records available) and has been linked to certain secretive US Government agencies.

You could do the same things yourself with a more conventional program. Although this won't fool a sophisticated thief, the truth is most thieves won't reformat the drive since the applications and OS would be removed; a big part of selling the stolen good.


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## Bilbo

gordguide brings up some good points. I guess this could really be considered "spyware", but it's good spyware in my opinion.

I suppose that you could set up something with the folks at no-ip that would report the ip address of your computer each time it logs on. Of course you still may have a privacy issue with them as well. Their software is easy to spot and disable though.

http://www.no-ip.com/ 

Personally, I use MachPhoneHome. I have no concerns about them knowing where I am logging on to the net. I am at home 90% of the time anyway. Why would they even care? I have insurance to protect my hardware, I have a back-up to protect my data but nothing would warm my heart more than if some a-hole who ripped me off got busted.

Just my opinion, I have been wrong before... just ask my ex-wife. 

Cheers all,
B


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## gordguide

It's not spyware if it installs openly with disclosure to the user and they tell you exactly what the product does up front, not buried in an obscure software license. I wouldn't consider PhoneHome spyware.


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## gordguide

From our old friend Steve Wozniak, another solution to prevent unauthorized use of a Mac.
Woz

Not (yet) available, but promising technology from someone I trust more than Brigadoon Software, maker of PCPhoneHome. No idea yet of price.


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