
This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air - amartinezfonts
http://www.ahryunmoon.com/blog/blog/2014/04/05/girl-macbook-air/
======
oneeyedpigeon
I don't know what the general environment is like there in SF, but in London,
UK there is _no way_ I would ever leave an expensive shiny laptop unattended
in a public place like that. At the _very least_ I would always ask someone
else to keep an eye on it. Sorry, I know that's not very productive - good
luck in your attempts to salvage whatever you can.

~~~
asveikau
I happen to live in SF, but I don't care if you're in SF, London, Podunk or
Peoria, the protocol for going to the bathroom in a coffee shop or other
public space is to pack up your stuff and take it with you. You may lose your
seat but it's much better to keep your stuff.

Asking someone to watch it - if it's not someone you know well and trust then
what good does that do? What if this woman had asked the one in the striped
shirt to watch her stuff?

~~~
stokedmartin
In some cases, going to the bathroom with your stuff is almost like leaving
your place vacant for any one else to take. In crowded cafés, this may not be
optimal. I wonder if cafés provide customers with pamphlets to put on the
table saying `Occupied` while they are gone to the bathroom with their stuff
would be helpful.

~~~
sk5t
At least in US bars, you can leave your glass on the bar with a napkin over
the top to indicate that the seat is taken and the drink should not be tossed.
I don't know if cafe patrons might honor this convention?

~~~
dredmorbius
Depending on your gender and/or the bar's orientation, or other factors, this
may not be entirely safe either. Drugged drinks are not unheard of.

~~~
akerl_
I wasn't aware that date rape drugs could tell the gender of the drinker.

~~~
dredmorbius
Date-rape drugs are likely more often delivered to women than men. It's not
the drugs, but the drugger, who is doing the discrimination.

~~~
dredmorbius
Date-rape drugs are likely more often delivered to women than men. It's not
the drugs, but the drugger, who is doing the discrimination.

It's also not unheard of for same-sex drug- or alcohol-based assaults to
occur.

------
ansdkfus13
I'm the girl whose computer got stolen in the video. Thanks to all warm-
hearted people out there who cared to share my story, my blog is down. Please
check out my new blog post on Tumblr.

[http://butterflyinyou.tumblr.com/](http://butterflyinyou.tumblr.com/)

~~~
jamhan
Change "pray" to "prey"

------
afhsfsfdsss88
I'm 35 years old and can never remember the world being different that 'if you
leave something out, it will get stolen'.

But still, somehow, there is a subset of commentators in this thread that
aren't aware that it only takes ONE dishonest person to jack your shit.

In a coffee shop with 20 people that is 5% of the population. Almost 3% of
this country's population is under correctional supervision at any given time.
The odds are not in your favor. Carry a backpack for your stuff and take it
with you to the bathroom. If you lose your seat it is a small price to pay for
something that doesn't belong to you anyway.

------
jrs99
youtube:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UbrzO...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UbrzOLh8Eb4)

the basic story is the girl in the striped shirt stole the laptop and phone.

~~~
jebus989
Steal happens at the end, from around 2 minutes in:
[http://youtu.be/UbrzOLh8Eb4?t=1m55s](http://youtu.be/UbrzOLh8Eb4?t=1m55s)

------
keerthiko
Is it inappropriate somehow that I feel incredibly happy that it's not some
20-something dude of African American descent who lifted the goods? At least
innocent folks walking along the street won't get harassed by the cops...

I had my laptop and backpack stolen from our office in the Mission 2 years
ago, it was broken into on a Saturday while I went out for dinner with the
team before coming back to grab my backpack. That time, against my hopes, it
really was a pair of African Americans. I was pretty mad because they'd taken
my passport with it, which I had brought into the office to take copies of.
The stuff was never tracked down and I don't think those guys were caught
either. I just hope innocent people weren't harassed by the cops in the
process =/

~~~
dfc
I can't tell if you are asking if it is bad that you:

    
    
      (A) expected it to be a black person 
      
      or
     
      (B) were delighted that the outcome was not what you expected

~~~
omonra
I think it's both.

------
quaffapint
Take it to the local news. Most have a segment for stuff like this.

On the side note - Even though I do see people leave their laptops unguarded
in my relatively safe area, I still use a cable to lock my $300 laptop up when
I have to go to the bathroom. Couldn't fathom leaving a $1000+ laptop just
sitting there.

------
arjn
Just looked at the video - the thief paid for her drink with cash so no chance
of tracing via credit/debit-card. The best bet is to try and get a good face
shot of her and spread the word around. Unfortunately the video quality does
not appear good in the Youtube posting.

If there is tracking software installed on the stolen device(s) then of course
that's the best avenue for getting it back.

~~~
LnxPrgr3
I managed to get the blog link to load, and there are halfway decent face
shots there: [http://www.ahryunmoon.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/04/la...](http://www.ahryunmoon.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/04/laptop-stolen-cover.jpg)

(Being a direct file link, hopefully people have better luck loading it under
load than a dynamic page!)

~~~
DanBC
So, what's that facebook trick that people use to get the name from a photo?

Also, wait til Reddit sees that she didn't leave a tip.

~~~
fnordfnordfnord
the randomish automatically generated filename for fb photos is unique, and
sometimes publicly accessible.

------
ggreer
I'm curious how thieves profit off the theft of these devices. The phone will
be tracked and can be remotely bricked. If the victim knows the laptop's
serial number or uses iCloud, it also has a decent chance of recovery. Even if
the thief wipes the machine, I'm guessing Apple will notice the serial number
if it's ever brought in for repair.

The only thing I can think of is trying to flip it on Craigslist. That would
require an odd arrangement where the buyer didn't meet the thief at their
home. I'd be very suspicious if a seller only wanted to meet at a coffee shop
and, once meeting there, didn't show me an ID or Apple receipt (or show me the
serial number in their iCloud account, etc).

With so many incentives against stealing these things, and such a tiny reward,
I'm honestly confused why people do it.

~~~
gizmo686
>I'd be very suspicious if a seller only wanted to meet at a coffee shop and,
once meeting there, didn't show me an ID or Apple receipt (or show me the
serial number in their iCloud account, etc).

I wouldn't be that suspicious. It is not unreasonable that someone would want
to do the trade in a public place, and not give out their personal address.
And I typically don't think to ID people who are selling me something.

~~~
ggreer
When it's something expensive and easily steal-able, I make a token effort to
ensure it's not stolen. That means either:

1\. Meeting at the seller's place.

2\. Seeing a receipt of original sale or some other evidence of ownership.

3\. Seeing an ID so, if it's stolen, I'll know who sold it to me.

4\. Checking against registries for stolen things. Not all stolen things are
registered as stolen, but the thief isn't willing to take the risk.

Refusing #1 and lacking #2 is completely understandable, but if they also
refuse #3 and #4, I'd be really suspicious. Fortunately, I've never had a
seller do that.

Oh, and when it comes to expensive stuff, I really don't feel comfortable
counting money in a coffee shop. It quickly attracts attention. It would be
quite plausible if someone noticed the money, followed the seller, and robbed
them (or just stole their bag).

Now I wonder why the idea didn't occur to me earlier: Meet at a bank. It's
safe, secure, and it might even be possible to avoid using cash. I'll
definitely consider it the next time I sell something on Craigslist.

~~~
pigscantfly
I would advise against meeting sellers at their homes (at least in high crime
areas). My father has represented several criminals who lured people to their
apartment complexes with fictitious Craigslist ads for iPhones and robbed them
at gunpoint. I always insist on meeting at a public place.

------
z0a
More info for anyone who could possibly help:

"The theft happened at a coffee shop close to Taylor and Post St. in downtown
San Francisco. The girl in the stripes who stole the laptop and phone stole
came from the west side (Tender Nob area) and left with the stolen goods
towards the east.﻿"

------
rdl
I leave my charger behind to mark my seat, and food items, but never leave my
laptop, phone, or bag behind. I might leave a jacket I don't care much about.
Carrying my laptop into the toilet sucks, but it really isn't an option.

I feel really torn in places like airport lounges. There I will leave a bag
containing a hidden laptop, but still not an exposed laptop. In a secure
coworking space, the yc office, someone else's office, I might leave a laptop
exposed, screenlocked, but not a phone or pile of cash.

I want my own office to be a place where $10k cash, $50k watches, etc can be
comfortably left unattended, but that is pretty high as a bar.

~~~
DanBC
How much of that is dollar value of the device and how much is the frustration
of having to restore from backup and hoping the crypto is good enough that the
thief just formats and reinstalls?

~~~
rdl
Generally my machines are full-disk-crypto, locked firmware, etc., so if one
fell into random-criminal hands, it wouldn't be _that_ horrible from an
information-security perspective. Replacing a $3-4k laptop, $1-2k in random
accessories in the bag, etc especially while on a trip would actually be quite
painful, though. Single-round stolen laptop is probably survivable, just
expensive and inconvenient.

In international travel, the other thing I'm afraid of is surreptitious
physical tampering of the machine itself by someone like the MSS, with it
being returned to me for future use. i.e. someone adding a hw keylogger, or
other modifications. I'm not particularly concerned about MSS doing this to me
in the US, but if I were on a business trip in China, it would be top-of-mind,
and I'd never let non-tamper-evident hardware out of my direct control. I
don't leave laptops in hotel rooms in China; despite having some cool
technology to detect tampering, it's not foolproof, and I'd prefer defense-in-
depth. I also tend to use throwaway equipment (not my new rMBP) when going to
a place like China, and will decommission it afterward (pull the drive, put a
new drive in, eBay it).

It's more of a pain now that I'm doing hardware stuff with prototypes. I'm
working on secure bootloading as a feature, but even with that, I want to keep
the physical design safe before production. Luckily they're pocket-sized.

------
jetcom
Direct link to surveillance footage:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrzOLh8Eb4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrzOLh8Eb4)

Thief is the woman in the striped shirt

------
patmcguire
There's a crazy dynamic in the main Columbia University library that I don't
think exists anywhere else, and always shocks other people when I tell them
about it.

Columbia is super space constrained, and during heavy study times there simply
aren't enough chairs in the library for everyone who wants to study there to
do so. People get up early just to take their books and their laptop to set
them on a table or desk. You can walk through the library and though every
single spot is occupied with stuff piled up, you'll generally only see about
half of them with actual people there, sometimes way less.

And are you going to move someone's stuff and put your own down? What if they
just stepped out? What if they come back while you were doing it? You know
most people are being assholes about it, but clearly you shouldn't have to
pack up to get a drink of water. It's a bad bit of game theory.

And people leave laptops all the time, for days on end. You going to mess with
someone's laptop just to get a seat?

------
Imagenuity
Your server is overloaded. HNDOS. Can't help you if no one can see the site.
Post the images to imgur.com and link to it there.

~~~
oneeyedpigeon
Youtube video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrzOLh8Eb4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrzOLh8Eb4)

------
trhway
simple anti-theft for coffee shops - small program which upon laptop/phone
movement starts sound like car's anti-theft. Need to go to bathroom or to just
place the device on the table to reserve the spot - start the program and lock
the screen. If laptop battery is detached - small USB stick look alike battery
in USB slot.

~~~
euank
That sort of power through USB is unrealistic.

The other bit, motion detecting, would rely on closing the lid not sleeping
the computer (as a thief will generally close the lid before taking the
item)... Most people have that, but it can be disabled.

It would probably make more sense and be more feasible to have the USB stick
be the alarm, and have it sound if the computer is closed while it's in.

However, that sort of thing is so easy to fool that it would have to rely on
not getting big enough that thieves learn to work around it.

~~~
trhway
>The other bit, motion detecting, would rely on closing the lid not sleeping
the computer (as a thief will generally close the lid before taking the
item)... Most people have that, but it can be disabled.

the alarm program wouldn't let computer go to sleep (until battery is at
whatever "low" threshold). That is one of the reasons why it is a "program"
not a daemon - it would be expected to be started by user explicitly when
needed.

Battery detachment has always been a way to attack the anti-theft in cars.
With laptops it is an issue too. Not with phones though.

------
dav-
A friend of mine left his laptop unattended at a library in San Jose, and it
was stolen within minutes. Fortunately, the police somehow identified the
thief using CCTV footage and recovered the laptop. Last I heard, the dude was
in jail.

------
infruset
if her name is ever posted on the internet(and associated with the video),
this is going to follow her for her whole life.

~~~
justizin
right, the last time i dated or chose to work with anyone i definitely
searched on the internet for their name and 'stolen laptop video'.

just watch your shit, and it won't get took.

~~~
melling
When you apply for a job companies do background checks. Not many business
want to hire a thief. It tends to eat into the profits.

------
zethus
I've come to this cafe a few times. It's Joy's Place on Post St. in the
Tenderloin/Tendernob. I think I've also seen the victim of the theft there a
few times (working in XCode). Probably not the first time she's left her stuff
and used the bathroom; assuming she felt the cafe was a safe/trusted place to
leave items unattended.

In other thoughts: the thief pulls the ultimate scumbag move and asks for
someone to watch her purse whilst she uses the bathroom. Then steals from
someone else in the bathroom. Always keep your valuables attended!

------
fam
Did she try Find My iPhone/Mac?

[http://www.apple.com/support/icloud/find-my-
device/](http://www.apple.com/support/icloud/find-my-device/)

------
wdr1
I feel bad for her, but if you wouldn't leave $2,000 in cash on a table at a
coffee shop, you shouldn't leave it in electronics either.

------
skc
I'm almost certain the thief asks someone to watch her bag within earshot of
her victim as a subconscious way to let her victim know that she too (the
thief) believes that random strangers can be trusted.

I feel sorry for the victim but I found that bit an oddly impressive piece of
mind control.

------
blackdogie
Cache'd link anyone ? Google doesn't seem like it was fast enough to get a
copy of this one.

~~~
bingofuel
Here you go: [http://imgur.com/eXr5lzQ](http://imgur.com/eXr5lzQ)

Grabbed at 6:50PM PST

------
kalleboo
And now is when I noticed the MacBook Pro Retina doesn't have a hole for a
Kensington lock...

~~~
itafroma
> the MacBook Pro Retina doesn't have a hole for a Kensington lock...

It doesn't, but Maclocks makes a plate that you can screw to the bottom of
your MacBook Pro with Retina display to contains a locking mechanism:
[http://www.maclocks.com/mac-locks-macbook-pro-lock-
macbook-a...](http://www.maclocks.com/mac-locks-macbook-pro-lock-macbook-air-
lock-macbook-pro-retina-lock/macbook-pro-retina-bracket-lock.html)

------
Riseed
Unfortunately, it's too late for OP, but I hear Undercover works well for
recovering stolen Macs:

[http://orbicule.com/undercover/mac/](http://orbicule.com/undercover/mac/)

------
migidomingo
Not sure if somebody else posted this but do you have the serial numbers of
your devices? From what i know, if you report them to apple, apple can
remotely deactivate your devices.

------
baby
Good luck finding the thief! One thing I do, that is not always helpful (if
the thief formats the computer it's useless) is that I install prey on my
laptop. (preyproject.com)

------
shirro
I live in a small country town where a few decades ago people didn't lock
their doors. I pack up my laptop when I go to the bathroom.

If you think juggling your laptop and trying to keep a seat is a hassle,
imagine having 3 young kids including a baby in a pram, being half way through
a meal and one needs to go to the bathroom and needs help and you have a
laptop and ipads and the bathroom is down some stairs. And when you get back
the table has been cleared! BTW my takeaway from that is that adults or
children need to go to the toilet in advance when it is most convenient, not
when their bladder is bursting. Saves a lot of drama.

------
pbreit
That space used to house my pet boutique Cheeko B. Now it's "Joy's Place". Not
sure why victim did t mention the cafe name.

------
mekoka
what did the police say?

------
wallzz
as usual , website down after submitting it to hacker news!

~~~
ansdkfus13
new link:
[http://butterflyinyou.tumblr.com/](http://butterflyinyou.tumblr.com/)

------
leephillips
This is one reason I use a $200 Thinkpad (with Linux). I don't worry much when
I leave it on the table to go to the bathroom - it looks like a banged up
piece of plastic, but it's very functional.

~~~
camus2
Problem is the data,not really the computer. I know a mac is expensive but i
couldnt care less if mine was stolen, the data is what is the most
valuable.Same with the phone.

Thieves are selfish,sociopathic persons who will exploit everything they can
from their action,including the data on a laptop.

~~~
leephillips
The idea is not just that I'm only out $200 if it gets stolen; it's that,
since it has negligible resale value, the thieves won't bother with it - not
worth the risk. Also, I have a half dozen of these at home (on the home
ThinkPadNet), so I just have to pick up another one, pull from one of my
personal git repositories, and keep working. Also, before getting up to go to
the bathroom I unmount the ecryptfs volume that holds anything sensitive.

~~~
gress
A better solution still is just to keep your programs in your head. That you
wouldn't even be out the $200.

------
kvirani
Internal Server Error (Memory issues it seems like)

~~~
ansdkfus13
It's down. Please view this new Tumblr post
[http://butterflyinyou.tumblr.com/](http://butterflyinyou.tumblr.com/)

------
SCAQTony
Did they ever catch the B __ __?

------
conroe64
Well... yea.. I suppose shit happens

------
dntrkv
That's the Tenderloin for you.

~~~
justizin
that's pretty nonsense, since just about anywhere that is busy it's silly to
just leave some multi-thousand dollar device out amongst strangers. As many
have said, I'll leave a drink or some food out, but even beyond trusting
people, I think it's rude to ask anyone to watch over anything but your seat
or a beer / sandwich. I don't want to be responsible for your shit.

~~~
MrRecycle
It is not as exciting as being an anarchist, or marching in an occupy protest,
but helping out a fellow human being by watching their stuff with a smile
probably makes more of a positive impact in the world.

------
dansku
Time to get a better server! :)

------
masters3d
blog down

------
ludicast
The victim's website has on her about page

* slow to learn but quick to remember

* afraid of changes but change constantly

* shy and insecure but love taking risks

* dreamer and artist but grounded by analytics

Guessing #1 and #3 are very true.

------
itazula
"She" doesn't look like a girl or even female to me. "She" looks like a "he"
masquerading as a female.

~~~
itazula
Heh, somehow, I ended up with -3 points. Anyway, according to the victim's
blog, "The major twist to this story was the thief was actually a male."

------
mgkimsal
She's _wearing a prison uniform_! Why would you trust someone who's already
wearing a prison uniform? Maybe she left her sack with a dollar sign on it at
home, but the uniform should have been enough of a giveaway.

[http://www.ahryunmoon.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/04/la...](http://www.ahryunmoon.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/04/laptop-stolen-cover.jpg)

~~~
Buge
The pants don't look like a prison uniform.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrzOLh8Eb4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbrzOLh8Eb4)

