Laptops Are Lifted From Irvine Hotels at Steady Clip
When Qualcomm CEO Irwin Jacobs had his laptop computer stolen at an Irvine conference last weekend, he joined a growing number of business people victimized by thieves of the high-priced, high-tech machines.
“We’re definitely seeing an increase,” said Dave Wills, an Irvine Police Department detective who investigates commercial theft. In a typical month, Wills said, three to five laptop computers are reported missing.
“It’s been pretty steady for the last two years,” he said. “With so many people using laptops, they’re leaving them unattended and going to lunch.”
The crime is especially common in Irvine, Wills said, because of the city’s large number of hotels--many of them hosting frequent business conferences--and the relatively high density of high-tech companies. In nearby Anaheim, by contrast, officials said that computer theft is almost unheard of, even though that city, too, has many hotels. A major difference is that Anaheim caters to vacationers rather than business travelers.
“I can’t recall a single instance of a laptop being stolen,” said Rick Martinez, a spokesman for the Anaheim Police Department. “We have not had a problem with anything like that.”
The problem is on the rise nationally, however. One indication is the dozens of Web sites devoted to computer theft and its prevention. Also, several companies have sprung up to provide security devices, including software, to protect laptop computers from thieves.
Because laptops are small and lightweight, they can be taken quickly and hidden easily. Qualcomm’s Jacobs, whose company is a national leader in wireless technology, was standing just a few feet from his laptop when it disappeared from a podium at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where he addressed the Society of American Business Editors and Writers Sept. 16.
Company officials later said that the IBM ThinkPad computer, worth about $4,000, contained corporate secrets potentially valuable to foreign governments. As a result, the FBI has joined the investigation of the case, though local police say they are treating it as a routine theft.
Most of the laptops stolen in Irvine are taken from hotels during business conferences similar to the one Jacobs was attending, authorities said. Detective Wills said they are taken for their resale value, rather than for corporate espionage.
“Most of the people we’re catching don’t even know how to use them,” he said. “They’re just turning around and selling them. Anybody will buy a laptop at half price if they can.”
With new laptops selling at retail for $2,000 to $5,000, the temptation is great. Although Irvine police arrest an average of two laptop-theft suspects a year, Wills said, many more incidents may not be reported. Investigators think thieves may routinely prowl local hotels, especially during lunch hours and business conferences, searching for unattended computers.
“The people we arrest are usually wearing business suits to fit in with the crowd,” Wills said.
Short of purchasing security devices--which generally sell for less than $100 and range from computer programs to lock intruders out to cables that secure the machine to a desk--Wills’ best advice, he said, is to keep close watch on your machine.
“Pack it up, take it with you to lunch, or secure it in your car or hotel,” he said.
If at all possible, Wills said, never leave a laptop unattended in a hotel. “The best measure is to keep your eye on it and have it with you at all times,” he said.
