Burlingame Auto Thefts

Crime Briefs from the Daily Journal - Burlingame police warn of auto break-ins

Restaurant patrons who leave valuables such as purses, briefcases, laptop bags or electronic items are increasingly becoming the victims of crimes, the Burlingame Police Department warned yesterday. During the past several months, police are reporting that the number of auto burglaries is on the rise in the city and other areas of San Mateo County. The criminals often walk between vehicles in parking lots and smash window to grab something inside or in the trunk, police reported. The crimes usually occur during busy lunch and dinner hours. Anyone with any information about these crimes is asked to call Inspector Kevin Kashiwahara of the Burlingame Police Department's Investigation Unit

Last week the window of our new car parked on Primrose was smashed and a laptop gently removed. Perhaps it is now on Ebay?!

- Written by Fiona

Comments

[Anne]

Sorry to hear about the laptop theft. I know you guys are aware of the precautions below, but for the sake of other residents who might have this same experience.

Make sure you think about the data you had on the stolen laptop. Sometimes the data is worth far more than the price someone could get for the laptop.

People often forget that information is a type of currency and can assist people in identity theft. Your emails, browser bookmarks and browser cache all provide clues about you. Depending on the type of thief, they may try to make connections between items on your notebook and possible passwords. The reason is too many people use common items link important dates, kids names, pet names and so on for passwords. They also tend to use the same password for multiple sites.

Another concern is whether emails are stored so people could see receipts or other confidential info? Many people also use the conveniences of browser auto-login or auto-complete, but forget they also work for anyone using the laptop.

Again, this can be a help to people who steal laptops as they will get access to shoppings sites where you have an account and have stored your info. In some cases, the sites make it easier for consumers by having your email account be your account name.

The thief will change the "ship to" address, change your email address (so you don't get the email confirmations and shipping notifications), and go shopping. You don't know what happened till the credit card statement shows.

Best bet after a theft of this nature is to change all passwords and watch your credit report. I might also be inclined to change my email address.

Thanks for the tips. My car was broken into not long ago, (only it wasn't really broken into., I had unwittingly left the doors unlocked, again). Someone had shuffled through my maps, CDs, water bottles, and garbage, looking for ?. The only things missing were several quarters I keep on hand for our pricey meters. At least they didn' have to smash my windows!