Smile! You’re on hidden camera. When one laptop owner found his computer missing, he activated remote monitoring software to snap a picture of the thief which ultimately led to the criminal’s capture.
After alerting police of his stolen laptop, owner Joshua Kaufman activated software called Hidden that he had previously installed on a whim, just in case.
The software tracks the computer’s whereabouts and is capable of capturing an image of the suspect’s face while using the computer.
Oh, so busted!
Upon capturing an image of the thief’s face, Kaufman handed it over to the Oakland PD along with the laptop’s location.
Case closed, right? Wrong.
Even with a snapshot of the thief’s face and details of the computer’s exact whereabouts, the police informed Kaufman that limited resources would prevent them from arresting the brazen thief.
As such, Kaufman took the opportunity to name-and-shame the suspect on his blog in a post called “This Guy Has My MacBook.” Word of the story spread like wildfire on the Internet, forcing the Oakland police to finally take action.
Whipping out the fake moustaches and prop glasses, undercover officers had the suspect, Muthanna Aldebash, pick them up in his taxi for a ride. When investigators came face-to-face with Aldebash, they promptly arrested him and found the laptop within his home.
“It shows that when the system works, it works great,” said police spokeswoman Holly Joshi. “The diligence of Mr. Kaufman is exactly what we need – people who are engaged and are making an effort to reduce crime.”
She predicts the case will prompt more users to use technology like Hidden software or other programs such as LoJack for laptop.
“If they bring us solid leads that makes it easier on us to investigate, we hope they use that technology,” said Joshi.
In a final note, Kaufman excitedly posted on his blog, “An Oakland police officer just called me to let me know that they arrested the guy in my photos! BOOYA!”
(Via SF Gate)
