Though the police won't launch a manhunt to track down the person who has your stolen laptop or phone, having a record of the theft and hopefully a serial number or IMEI (if you took it down before having the device stolen) will certainly help the police return any recovered property to the rightful owner.
Police track laptops through the installation of hardware or software that will help identify and locate the laptop if it is stolen. These components, which might include GPS tracking chips or monitoring software, are installed on the laptop before purchase.
The ISP issues a location-specific IP address when a computer accesses the Internet. If the owner of a stolen laptop discovers an IP address assigned to her computer since the theft, then the police can track its location.
Most laptops are stolen for resale. Some are sold on legitimate websites (which is very hard to offset), but many thieves are trying to move the item quickly, which leads them to a pawnshop.
How to recover a stolen laptop using software. The first thing you should know is that the best way to recover a laptop is through tracking software. This way, you will be able to locate it accurately and in a timely manner. If necessary, you can ask the authorities for help to recover your computer safely.
Over 97% of stolen laptops are never recovered.
Victims of laptop theft can lose hardware, software, and essential data that has not been backed up. Thieves also may have access to sensitive data and personal information.
Unfortunately no, if its not powered on set to automatically connect to a Wi-Fi network, even periodically, there is nothing you can do.
The 'Find My Device' tracking functionality in Windows 10, like all other tracking, does require that the device is connected to the Internet, because that functionality uses GPS and IP tracking to locate a stolen device . . .
Yes, it can be tracked after a factory reset.
However, this does not necessarily mean that your data can still be recovered; depending on the extent of the reset, some files may have been deleted permanently. If you are worried about the potential recovery of your data, you may want to consider encrypting it.
Ask for the device's serial number and track it
Serial numbers are like IDs for electronic devices. They are unique for each laptop. Consequently, they can be used to track and determine if a device has been reported as stolen. You can do that by contacting your local police or visiting the manufacturers' website.
Once a laptop is reported stolen, it is vital that you act quickly. Your mobile users typically have access to your servers and systems at head office, enabled by the configuration of their laptop – effectively a front door through which cybercriminals can enter your network and create an even larger data theft.
The websites you visit, the apps you use, and even your ISP collect your IP address along with other personal information. However, individual users can also easily trace your IP address.
Computers that are equipped with Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) capability have an IMEI number that is assigned to the wireless device.
Typically, you do not have any legal title to any found lost or misplaced or especially stolen property. You simply have possession of it. Typically you do have a better claim to it than anyone other than the its rightful owner, if it has one.
No, not all laptops have GPS (Global Positioning System) capabilities. While some modern laptops may have built-in GPS functionality, it is not a standard feature on all laptops. The presence of GPS on a laptop usually depends on the intended use case of the device.
MSI cannot track your equipment. Although it was computer hardware that was stolen, this is not at all a question suitable for SuperUser, and is very much off-topic. Short answer: Nope.
Monitoring in the workplace is legal in the U.S., Europe, Australia and many other countries. Employers have the right to monitor company-owned computers and employee productivity to protect business interests. Employee computer monitoring software is one of the most commonly used surveillance tools for this purpose.
Open your Google Account. In the "Security" section, find "Your devices." Select Manage devices. Select the lost phone, tablet, or Chromebook. You'll see the last time the device was used, and the last city it was in.
Can a phone be tracked if it's turned off? A phone that is turned off is difficult to track because it stops sending signals to cell towers. However, the service provider or internet provider can show the last location once it's switched back on.
Free/Public Wi-Fi areas
If you were a thief and wanted to steal a laptop or other wireless electronic devices, where would you head up to? Public Wi-Fi hotspots, of course! Most people don't realize how easy is to get robbed while on a public space.
The internet uses IP addresses to identify every device connected to the worldwide web. Cybercriminals can use your IP address to find out your location, track your every move online, and even intercept your online traffic. Keeping your IP address private is simple.
Computer manufacturers and people who buy computers do not register their MAC address with any sort of central administration. There isn't a way to find a stolen computer from the MAC address or to find the identity behind one of these addresses.
Police can serve a warrant to the ISP, who will provide the service address of a given IP address under their control. The ISP has this information but keeps the data private to protect their customers.
Unauthorized computer access, popularly referred to as hacking, describes a criminal action whereby someone uses a computer to knowingly gain access to data in a system without permission to access that data. Hacking is illegal under both California and federal law, and can result in heavy penalties.