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College laptop thieves

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  • 13-03-2015 7:57pm
    #1
    Kermit.de.frog
    Registered Users Posts: 23,551 ✭✭✭✭


    Friend of mine had her laptop stolen in a college in Dublin a couple of days a go when the students were milling around on break in the atrium of the building.

    After she discovered her bag (not a laptop bag) was gone she reported it to security who checked CCTV and reported it to the gardai.

    Basically a randomer dressed as any student would be dressed simply walked in, put down the bag he had and picked up her bag when she was not looking and walked out. All done within 2 minutes.

    From what I gathered the individual appears to be unknown to the gardai.

    This is not the first time I have heard of this. It happened twice to someone else only a couple of months a go in UCD.

    Obviously planned thefts. When I was in college things were stolen but only outside the college grounds.

    Easy to see why students are targeted for laptops but if you are in college in Dublin city center in particular you might want to be a little more watchful of your bags and laptops just in case a planned thievery ring is operating.


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    #2
    Gran Hermano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,330 ✭✭✭Gran Hermano


    If your belongings are valuable or important don't leave them unattended.


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    #3
    Mesrine65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,969 ✭✭✭Mesrine65


    Most theft is opportunism at work unfortunately.


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    #4
    ancapailldorcha
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 37,538 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    I always ask a friend to watch my bag if I've to use the gents or whatever.

    We sat again for an hour and a half discussing maps and figures and always getting back to that most damnable creation of the perverted ingenuity of man - the County of Tyrone.

    H. H. Asquith



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    #5
    C.K Dexter Haven
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,711 ✭✭✭C.K Dexter Haven


    Gran Hermano wrote: »
    If your belongings are valuable or important don't leave them unattended.

    ^^^ what he said- unfortunately Students these days are carrying around thousands of euro of equipment but probably feel safe because they're on campus and just don't think about the "value" that some non-student may place on such items. It's a sad reflection of the times but unfortunately you have to be wary even in college.


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    #6
    Arsemageddon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,129 ✭✭✭Arsemageddon


    ancapailldorcha wrote: »
    I always ask a friend to watch my bag if I've to use the gents or whatever.

    ....your ball bag?!


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    #7
    LeinsterDub
    Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭LeinsterDub


    Kermit.de.frog wrote: »
    Easy to see why students are targeted for laptops but if you are in college in any city .

    FYP


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    #8
    dmc17
    Registered Users Posts: 3,729 ✭✭✭dmc17


    ancapailldorcha wrote: »
    I always ask a friend to watch my bag if I've to use the gents or whatever.

    Would you not get stage fright with them watching your bag?


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    #9
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    Never leave anything unattended. I know everyone in my college library never leaves their laptop unattended. They always take it out when they go out for a smoke or to the toilets. You wont leave your bike unlocked. Why would you leave your laptop unsupervised?


    Most laptops can be locked to something
    https://www.google.ie/search?q=macbook+locks&es_sm=91&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QT8DVaXTOfSP7AaDlYH4Aw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=911


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    #10
    Kermit.de.frog
    Registered Users Posts: 23,551 ✭✭✭✭Kermit.de.frog


    It's more difficult for fellow students to steal from rooms due to the swipe cards some (most?) colleges now have - we had them anyway - so it is recorded that they entered a room and what time and CCTV too.

    Regardless though I never left my laptop anywhere accept on my back or right beside me.


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    #11
    LostBoy101
    Registered Users Posts: 2,369 ✭✭✭LostBoy101


    Kermit.de.frog wrote: »
    It's more difficult for fellow students to steal from rooms due to the swipe cards some (most?) colleges now have - we had them anyway - so it is recorded that they entered a room and what time and CCTV too.

    Regardless though I never left my laptop anywhere accept on my back or right beside me.
    It may be more difficult but what happens if you have a group of students entering a room and one of them could be a thief. Never trust any other students either to be honest.


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    #12
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    Might make them some actually do some research instead of plagiarising Wikipedia for essays, in fairness.


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    #13
    MarkAnthony
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,934 ✭✭✭MarkAnthony




    Thanks for the warning though OP.


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    #14
    shruikan2553
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,113 ✭✭✭shruikan2553


    hfallada wrote: »
    Never leave anything unattended. I know everyone in my college library never leaves their laptop unattended. They always take it out when they go out for a smoke or to the toilets. You wont leave your bike unlocked. Why would you leave your laptop unsupervised?


    Most laptops can be locked to something
    https://www.google.ie/search?q=macbook+locks&es_sm=91&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QT8DVaXTOfSP7AaDlYH4Aw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=911

    You dont go to my college anyway. People will happily put their laptop down on a desk, **** off for hours and then come back to take it home. A friend of mine once asked me to get his laptop for him, it lead to me wandering around the library, picking up an unattended laptop to get a better look and then walking out with it. I was surprised how easy it was.


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    #15
    qt3.14
    Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭qt3.14


    shruikan2553 wrote: »
    You dont go to my college anyway. People will happily put their laptop down on a desk, **** off for hours and then come back to take it home. A friend of mine once asked me to get his laptop for him, it lead to me wandering around the library, picking up an unattended laptop to get a better look and then walking out with it. I was surprised how easy it was.

    And uh... what college do you go to out of curiosity? :o


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    #16
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,324 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

    Basically a randomer dressed as any student would be

    This has to be the funniest line yet.

    Do students have a particular dress code ? Do randomers have their own dress code ?


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    #17
    IamNotNumber
    Closed Accounts Posts: 450 ✭✭IamNotNumber


    ted1 wrote: »
    This has to be the funniest line yet.

    Do students have a particular dress code ? Do randomers have their own dress code ?

    Students dress more or less the same as everyone else.They don't walk around in gowns and hats as far as I know .
    But Fair point Kermit watch your personal belonging ye dopes!


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    #18
    bb1234567
    Registered Users Posts: 5,495 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    ted1 wrote: »
    This has to be the funniest line yet.

    Do students have a particular dress code ? Do randomers have their own dress code ?

    lol made me laugh
    he probably means 'looks' like a student. i.e.. just young late teens/early twenties, dressed casually, not scruffy tracksuit or whatever


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    #19
    conorh91
    Registered Users Posts: 3,328 ✭✭✭conorh91


    Kermit.de.frog wrote: »
    Basically a randomer dressed as any student would be dressed simply walked in, put down the bag he had and picked up her bag when she was not looking and walked out. All done within 2 minutes.

    This is not the first time I have heard of this. It happened twice to someone else only a couple of months a go in UCD.
    Look I'm as intolerant of these thieves as you are, but there is absolutely no difference between a thief in UCD or TCD and a thief in Busáras. Thieves do not wear black-and-white striped costumes. An opportunist is an opportunist. I have seen well-off professionals prosecuted for shoplifting.

    The fact that your friend thought theft was unthinkable in middle-class UCD possibly says more about your friend than anything else.


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    #20
    Kermit.de.frog
    Registered Users Posts: 23,551 ✭✭✭✭Kermit.de.frog


    ted1 wrote: »
    This has to be the funniest line yet.

    Do students have a particular dress code ? Do randomers have their own dress code ?

    Depends on the randomers I suppose - are we talking the pyjama, middle of the day, fashion; the tracksuit scummer or junkie uniform fashion or the student fashion? They are all different and easily identifiable.


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    #21
    MarkAnthony
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,934 ✭✭✭MarkAnthony


    To be fair if you wander around the UCD campus the undergraduates all dress exactly the same. It used to be Abercrombie and Fitch then I think it was Hollister, I'm not sure what it is now I've not been up there for a while.

    I've never seen a more homologous group of people all dressed the same outside of the KKK.


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