What to do if your computer is stolen

Act Quickly 

Stolen computers typically disappear from the campus network forever a few hours after they are stolen. By acting quickly, you can improve your chances of recovering the computer.

Contact LTS 

LTS can track computers on the network to tell where they are and where they have been. If we find out yours has been stolen while it's still on campus, we can work with Public Safety to get it back. Even after it's gone, we may be able to determine where it was with enough precision to help Public Safety investigate.

If your computer is stolen, email security at brandeis dot edu as soon as possible. Be sure to include all of the following information:

• Your UNet username
• The last place you saw it, with as much detail as possible - building, room number, etc.
• The approximate time when you saw it last
• Whether you use the computer on the wired network, the wireless network, or both
• Your MAC address, if you know it

Contact Public Safety

The Office of Public Safety will need to compile a report about your stolen computer before they will be able to assist you in recovering it. You should report your stolen computer to their non-emergency line at (781) 736-5000.

Protect Your Private Information

Many programs let you save or "remember" passwords for things like web sites or email accounts. If there might have been any programs set up like that on your stolen computer, you should change those passwords as soon as possible.

If your computer might have had your credit card information on it, you should cancel that card and get a new one.

If your computer might had sensitive University data, contact LTS immediately at security at brandeis dot edu.

This page was last modified on: Feb 13, 2008