I live in a country where theft is common
I am also a careless and stupid person so ...
2 months ago my phone was stolen while on vacation. After 6 weeks of work and two return trips to the location and lots of my own primitive detective work, I was able to recover the phone about a week ago and more importantly thousands of lost priceless pictures, with the local police's help.
Just 6 days later, I was walking down a street here with my laptop in a bag in my hand. A motorcycle with two men on it zipped past me from behind, and snatched the bag away at high speed.
To add insult to injury, all the pictures I had recovered from my phone were stored on that laptop, along with thousands MORE from the months before. I also had the 32gb flash card from my DSLR camera inside of the laptop (filled with more pictures, yes). All my work, seemingly wasted.
It was dark, motorcycle tags are tiny, and they had no license plate light. I failed to get a description of the riders or the motorcycle (but I have been pursuing CCTV evidence with little success so far). I reported the theft to the police, though they are little help without any evidence, because I figured i might need their assistance should I acquire any leads.
I have prey installed on the laptop (preyproject.com), but after 3 days it seems they have not connected it to the internet yet. To make matters worse, some reporter printed a news story in the national paper about my theft, where he enlightens the entire populace about the anti-theft software on the laptop. I was not interviewed or informed that I would be in the paper (apparently the reporter interviewed a police officer). Thanks so much!
Anyways, I am trying to pursue other means of catching the thieves and recovering my goods and memories. The area where the theft happened is apparently a prime spot for this kind of thievery (I wish I had known that beforehand). If they did this once, they will probably do it again. Aside from scouring the CCTV data, I had another idea to basically conduct a stakeout and take note of suspicious motorcycles circling the area. But that would be terribly time consuming and inconclusive.
Then i had a better idea. Setup my own sting operation. I just need some bait (walk the streets at night with a laptop bag again) and then some kind of follow-through. Here is where I am hoping some collective thoughts from AT might help perfect my idea. Assuming the thieves fall for the bait, what then?
Options:
1. A friend is nearby in a car or motorcycle and gives pursuit long enough to get a description and license plate number? This could be potentially dangerous for the friend and unreliable: what if he doesn't see the theft and react in time? What if he isn't able to see the plate? Most problematic: where can I find a friend with a vehicle willing to potentially spend hours on the street as my backup? Only I have the motivation and interest to invest the time necessary for this plan to work ...
2. Some kind of tracking device? Can I pick up a cheap phone with GPS and 3G internet and a really long-lasting battery, sew it to the inside of the bag, and then track the thieves to their den? This seems like the least dangerous idea as I can simply bring the police in after I've located their criminal HQ and it is also the easiest as I don't need a partner. But after using GPS on many of my own phones, I know it is sometimes only reliable down to a block, though my newer iPhone5 seems to be more accurate than older phones. But how much do I want to spend on a tracking device that might be forever lost? I'd also have to include some kind of real laptop with this idea, or the thieves would just toss the "empty" bag...
3. Some kind of stunning device? This is probably the least realistic option. But I'd love to have some kind of "bomb" in the bag that would stun the riders long enough for them to be aprehended. I wouldn't want to permanently injure them, and it would need some kind of remote detonator, so ... this is probably a little too Hollywood to actually work.
If you want to convince me not to try this: don't bother. I'm aware it could end up being very dangerous. But these memories are worth the risk and effort to me. I plan to inform the police of my plan if and when it is ready, and to have some direct contact with the inspector in case I need backup. Maybe they will even offer to help with my idea, though I doubt it. What I need is your help to make my plan better and as safe as possible!
Ideally my plan would have redundancy (like option 1 and 2 together). Can anyone recommend a good tracking solution (small and easily hidden, long-battery life, accurate, and cheap?)
Thanks.
I am also a careless and stupid person so ...
2 months ago my phone was stolen while on vacation. After 6 weeks of work and two return trips to the location and lots of my own primitive detective work, I was able to recover the phone about a week ago and more importantly thousands of lost priceless pictures, with the local police's help.
Just 6 days later, I was walking down a street here with my laptop in a bag in my hand. A motorcycle with two men on it zipped past me from behind, and snatched the bag away at high speed.
To add insult to injury, all the pictures I had recovered from my phone were stored on that laptop, along with thousands MORE from the months before. I also had the 32gb flash card from my DSLR camera inside of the laptop (filled with more pictures, yes). All my work, seemingly wasted.
It was dark, motorcycle tags are tiny, and they had no license plate light. I failed to get a description of the riders or the motorcycle (but I have been pursuing CCTV evidence with little success so far). I reported the theft to the police, though they are little help without any evidence, because I figured i might need their assistance should I acquire any leads.
I have prey installed on the laptop (preyproject.com), but after 3 days it seems they have not connected it to the internet yet. To make matters worse, some reporter printed a news story in the national paper about my theft, where he enlightens the entire populace about the anti-theft software on the laptop. I was not interviewed or informed that I would be in the paper (apparently the reporter interviewed a police officer). Thanks so much!
Anyways, I am trying to pursue other means of catching the thieves and recovering my goods and memories. The area where the theft happened is apparently a prime spot for this kind of thievery (I wish I had known that beforehand). If they did this once, they will probably do it again. Aside from scouring the CCTV data, I had another idea to basically conduct a stakeout and take note of suspicious motorcycles circling the area. But that would be terribly time consuming and inconclusive.
Then i had a better idea. Setup my own sting operation. I just need some bait (walk the streets at night with a laptop bag again) and then some kind of follow-through. Here is where I am hoping some collective thoughts from AT might help perfect my idea. Assuming the thieves fall for the bait, what then?
Options:
1. A friend is nearby in a car or motorcycle and gives pursuit long enough to get a description and license plate number? This could be potentially dangerous for the friend and unreliable: what if he doesn't see the theft and react in time? What if he isn't able to see the plate? Most problematic: where can I find a friend with a vehicle willing to potentially spend hours on the street as my backup? Only I have the motivation and interest to invest the time necessary for this plan to work ...
2. Some kind of tracking device? Can I pick up a cheap phone with GPS and 3G internet and a really long-lasting battery, sew it to the inside of the bag, and then track the thieves to their den? This seems like the least dangerous idea as I can simply bring the police in after I've located their criminal HQ and it is also the easiest as I don't need a partner. But after using GPS on many of my own phones, I know it is sometimes only reliable down to a block, though my newer iPhone5 seems to be more accurate than older phones. But how much do I want to spend on a tracking device that might be forever lost? I'd also have to include some kind of real laptop with this idea, or the thieves would just toss the "empty" bag...
3. Some kind of stunning device? This is probably the least realistic option. But I'd love to have some kind of "bomb" in the bag that would stun the riders long enough for them to be aprehended. I wouldn't want to permanently injure them, and it would need some kind of remote detonator, so ... this is probably a little too Hollywood to actually work.
If you want to convince me not to try this: don't bother. I'm aware it could end up being very dangerous. But these memories are worth the risk and effort to me. I plan to inform the police of my plan if and when it is ready, and to have some direct contact with the inspector in case I need backup. Maybe they will even offer to help with my idea, though I doubt it. What I need is your help to make my plan better and as safe as possible!
Ideally my plan would have redundancy (like option 1 and 2 together). Can anyone recommend a good tracking solution (small and easily hidden, long-battery life, accurate, and cheap?)
Thanks.
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