Identity Theft Expert and MyLaptopGPS: Reports of Agreed-to Payout to Veterans Shows How Costly Laptop Theft Can Be
A widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert noted that multimillion dollar payouts to victims of laptop thefts are avoidable by simply using proper laptop tracking and data retrieval technology.

BOSTON, MA, February 02, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Recent reports indicated that the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department has agreed to pay $20 million in damages to the 26.5 million veterans and active-duty troops whose identifying information may have been on a laptop computer and external hard drive stolen from this government agency in 2006. Widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert Robert Siciliano noted that the news showed how costly laptop theft can be. He advised organizations of all kinds to invest in the far more affordable alternative: laptop tracking and data retrieval technology from MyLaptopGPS.

"Millions of lost data records can equal millions of dollars in damages," said Siciliano. "Contrast this with the fact that it costs very little to equip laptop computers with security technology -- simple, responsible measures designed to protect consumers' data and organizations' bottom line all of a sudden make lots of sense."

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report's editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients through presentations that explore security solutions for businesses and individuals. Author of "The Safety Minute: 01" and a longtime identity theft speaker, he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, NBC's "Today Show," FOX News Network, and elsewhere.

On Jan. 28, the Boston Globe reported on a multimillion-dollar agreement that the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department apparently made to recompense the many millions of veterans and active-duty troops whose identifying information may have been on a laptop computer and external hard drive stolen from this government agency in 2006. The lost data included names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers, thus placing an unknown number of these 26.5 million veterans and active-duty troops at risk of identity theft and fraud. Reports indicated that the laptop was later recovered.

"In this case and in so many others, the key is to install technology that acts as a laptop theft deterrent," said MyLaptopGPS' chief technology officer, Dan Yost, who invited readers to visit the MyLaptopGPS blog to discuss the VA laptop theft:

http://blog.mylaptopgps.com/2009/01/28/veterans-affairs-department-pa ... st-laptop/

"MyLaptopGPS deters thieves from stealing a mobile computing device in the first place," Yost continued. "In the event that a theft does occur, MyLaptopGPS' robust technology enables a laptop's owner to retrieve and delete data on the machine -- even while the computer is in the thief's possession."

The theft rate for laptop computers equipped with MyLaptopGPS is just 0.4 percent, or 32 times lower than the average. Additionally, Yost pointed to SafeRegistry , a comprehensive system from MyLaptopGPS for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers, as well as a full line of highly renowned SafeTags , which are police-traceable property tags designed to secure iPods , cell phones, BlackBerry devices and other mobile property.

Yost's expertise has been featured twice in CXO Europe:

http://www.cxo.eu.com/currentissue/article.asp?art=275926&issue=293

http://www.cxo.eu.com/currentissue/article.asp?art=275912&issue=293

Furthermore, in December of 2008, he and Siciliano co-delivered a presentation titled "Information in the Modern Age: Maintaining Privacy in an Era of Medical Record Identity Theft" at the 4th Annual World Healthcare Innovation & Technology Congress in Washington, D.C., where Former U.S. Congressman Newt Gingrich delivered the keynote address:

http://www.worldcongress.com/events/HL09010/index.cfm?confCode=HL09010

Readers who belong to LinkedIn are encouraged to join the MyLaptopGPS group there, Laptop Computer Security:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=1572907

Featured in Inc. Magazine and TechRepublic, MyLaptopGPS maintains the Realtime Estimated Damage Index (REDI ), a running tally of highly publicized laptop and desktop computer thefts and losses and these losses' associated costs:

http://mylaptopgps.com/redi.php

A log of these high-profile laptop thefts is available at MyLaptopGPS' website:

http://www.mylaptopgps.com/chronicle.php

Readers may download a demo of MyLaptopGPS:

http://www.mylaptopgps.com/demo

A white paper is also available:

http://mylaptopgps.com/whitepaper_sls.php

MyLaptopGPS combines Internet-based GPS tracking with other functionalities to secure mobile computing devices. A user launches MyLaptopGPS' features remotely, protecting data even while the machine is in a criminal's hands. Once connected to the Internet, the software silently retrieves and then deletes files from machines as it tracks the stolen or missing hardware -- at once returning the data to its rightful owner and removing it from the lost mobile computing device.

YouTube video shows Siciliano on a local FOX News affiliate discussing the importance of securing mobile computing devices on college campuses, where laptop theft can run rampant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-HvuoHtOrY&feature=channel_page

To learn more about identity theft, a major concern for anyone who's lost a laptop computer or other mobile computing device to thieves, readers may go to video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

http://www.videojug.com/interview/identity-theft-computers-and-laptops

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