What Would You Do If Your Laptop or Phone Were Stolen?

Have you ever thought about what you would do if your laptop or smart phone was stolen?  Have you thought about the data and information the thief would have access to?  Many people don’t think about the consequences of what would actually happen if someone did steal their laptop or their phone, until it happens.

Sure, you've got text messages and contact information for the people closest to you, but you also potentially have important data files, that may or may not belong to you.  With BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) becoming more and more popular, the files on your laptop or attached to your emails may very well be sensitive and private information.  If any of this information gets into the hands of the wrong person, imagine all of the possibilities of things that could take place.

I’ve got a better idea.  Let’s not spend time worrying about what if, and make sure that if this did happen, you will know exactly what to do and exactly how to handle the situation.  Your first instinct may be to call the police, but without any specific information or evidence, it will be hard for the authorities to take your theft report serious.

That’s where Prey comes into play.  Prey is a free, open source application that you install onto your laptop, MAC, Android, or iPhone.  Prey runs silently in the background, utilizing very little system resources; waiting for your commands.

This installed software is directly connected to Prey’s website, and the web interface allows you to monitor and send specific commands to your stolen device.

First, you need to visit their website, create an account, and then start installing the clients on your devices.  The free version will allow each user to monitor up to 3 devices!  Once you have logged into Prey’s website, and installed the clients on your devices, you are now prepared.

By utilizing the commands on the web interface, users are quickly able to perform many actions which may assist you with locating and even retrieving your stolen device.  Let’s take a look at what we can do.

When you realize that your device has been stolen, you will need to login to the web interface of the prey website.  Once logged in, you will need to mark your device as stolen.  Once the device is marked as stolen, your device will begin sending reports to the Prey website, provided the device has an internet connection.  If the device is 3G or 4G capable, the reports should start to come in almost immediately.  If the device can only connect to the internet via WIFI, then you will need to wait until the crook connects your device to an internet source.  Once connected, Prey starts doing its magic.

While logged into the web interface you can perform several on demand actions.  These actions include sending a custom message to the main screen of the device.  This message can and will let the crook know that the device is being monitored and you are onto him.  The Prey software will also utilize the front facing web camera, and take a picture.  If the crook is sitting in front of the device, this will prove as solid evidence for finding the thief.  Prey will also detect the location of the device using WIFI and GPS technologies.  Once Prey is able to collect the data, a report is sent from the device to the Prey website.  Here, you can print out the report and take it with you when you make a claim that your equipment was stolen. 

The information that can be presented to the authorities when you report the theft will be a key factor in helping them find the perpetrator.  Prey’s website offers several testimonies of real life scenarios and what they did to recover their stolen phone or laptop. 

My advice is to install this software on all of the devices that you own.  While the free account will only allow you to monitor up to three devices, they offer paid accounts which allow you to monitor every device in your house.

Not only will Prey assist you in locating a stolen device, if Prey is installed on your kids cell phones, you can use the Prey web interface to locate your child.  If a child is kidnapped and they have a device with Prey installed, the reports gathered from the utility may also be a big help when trying to locate your loved one.

I use Prey.  I have tested several functions and features of Prey and I have found it to be exactly as advertised.  This software provides great peace of mind, not just for the device, but for my family members that have a device with Prey installed on it.

Want to learn more about Prey?  Visit http://preyproject.com and create your free account today!