(BOSTON, Mass. - Nov. 16, 2006 - IDTheftSecurity.com) November has witnessed a spate of laptop computer thefts in the United States and elsewhere affecting college and high school students. Many of these machines have themselves belonged to teaching institutions. Robert Siciliano, a personal security and identity theft expert, underscored that young people are a prime target of identity thieves and encouraged educators to equip portable computers with affordable safeguards such as GPS tracking technology and systems for remote retrieval and deletion of data.
“Identity thieves will steal anyone’s identity,” said Siciliano. “They especially like to prey on young people, whose credit records are still clean and useful for new car loans, mortgages, and more under fake auspices. With so much theft of laptop computers storing Social Security numbers and all sorts of other information on students everywhere, GPS tracking and other safeguards for these machines must become educators’ priority.”
Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, provides consumer education solutions to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. The Privacy Learning Institute has featured him on its Web site. This year, Siciliano has discussed identity theft on CNBC’s “On the Money” multiple times, on NBC’s “Today Show,” and on FOX News. He is author of “The Safety Minute: 01.”
Siciliano pointed to MyLaptopGPS. An Oklahoma-based firm, MyLaptopGPS offers a product of the same name that uses GPS to track the whereabouts of misplaced and stolen laptops. MyLaptopGPS™ employs Internet-based GPS, a system characterized by affordability and user-friendliness. Going a step further, MyLaptopGPS™ also installs software that encrypts and remotely removes and retrieves files from lost laptops—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen machine.
“MyLaptopGPS does what it’s designed to do remotely, covertly, and inexpensively,” said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS (www.MyLaptopGPS.com). “That brings enormous piece of mind to any organization, especially one with perhaps limited financial resources, such as an educational institution. MyLaptopGPS allows responsible and conscientious educators and administrators to track stolen laptops—and protect their students’ wellbeing.”
Numerous laptop computer thefts over the past month have possibly affected college and high school students:
• The Associated Press reported on Nov. 14 that a laptop computer recovered from a student at Connors State College, a school near Oklahoma City. According to the article, the student allegedly stole the machine, which contained Social Security numbers and other identifying information on thousands of students at the school.
• As reported by the Dailyrecord.com on Nov. 13, a K-8 school in Boston Township, N.J., lost four laptop computers to theft on Nov. 6.
• On Nov. 9, cbs11tv.com reported on the theft of 24 laptop computers from a Fort Worth, Texas high school.
• According to a Nov. 7 article in diamondbackonline, the University of Maryland’s student newspaper, laptop thefts at the school have tripled since last year.
• The Associated Press reported on Nov. 2 that a laptop computer in Philadelphia had been stolen from an insurance brokerage firm to compromise the Social Security numbers and related, identifying information on 1,200 Villanova University students.
• On Nov. 1, the Dailypress.com reported that a laptop computer containing sensitive, identifying information on 4,600 high school senior ROTC scholarship candidates had been stolen from the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Fort Monroe, Virginia headquarters.
• Also on Nov. 1, the Cambridge Times, a U.K. publication, reported that a Fenland, England school that lost to burglars over the past six months ¢20,000 in equipment had since installed tracking technology on all its computers, including laptops.
According to Gartner Group research, just one laptop lost to theft can result in costs that exceed $6,000. “Laptop theft a potentially catastrophic expense for educators,” Siciliano concluded. “Anticipating worst-case scenarios, smart educational administrators are turning to GPS technology so that they’ll be able to track laptop computers once these devices are stolen. And, as we have seen with the rash of laptop computer thefts affecting students this past month alone, a laptop computer is easy to lose.”
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About IDTheftSecurity.com
Identity theft affects us all, which is why Robert Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, “The Suze Orman Show,” “ABC News with Sam Donaldson,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” and “The Howard Stern Show.”
The media may reach Siciliano at 1 (888) SICILIANO (742-4542). Visit his Web site, www.IDTheftSecurity.com, or his blog, www.IDTheftSecurity.blogspot.com.
About MyLaptopGPS
Since 1984, the minds behind AIT Solutions, LLC (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) have specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been servicing leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems. With MyLaptopGPS™, AIT Solutions, LLC brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services.
The media are encouraged to get in touch with the following individuals:
Robert Siciliano
Personal Security Expert
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com
John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com
The media may also contact:
Brent Skinner, President
STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
E-MAIL: BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
www.STETrevisions.biz
