Lost Your Laptop? Here’s a Checklist of Things to Do

Many people these days own an electronic device for leisure and work. The common ones are laptops and tablets.
Knowing how expensive these devices are, it is susceptible to theft. According to news organizations and institutions, laptop theft occurs more often than people think.

The Ponemon Institute conducted a survey of 275 European organizations regarding their latest lost laptop report. Data indicated that more than 72,000 laptops in 12 months were lost, affecting the economy by roughly $1.79 billion.
Additionally, each laptop loss impacted organizations by an estimate of $6.85 million. The “The Billion Euro Lost Laptop Problem” reported this in April 2010.

A laptop is not just a tool that people use daily. These devices are valuable, especially company-owned ones.
The following section discusses what people can do in case they lose their laptops.

Checklist for Lost Laptops

Losing any device is nerve-racking and stressful. This is especially true for expensive devices like tablets, phones, and laptops. This unfortunate circumstance can happen to anyone, but the worse thing you can do when you realize your laptop is lost is panic.

People need to realize they need to act quickly to protect their data, accounts, and history. Below is a list of what you can do if you lose your laptop.

1. Change account passwords and add two-factor authentication

Naturally, people will be signed into their accounts on their laptops. Social media and work accounts typically stay logged on a personal laptop, so if it is stolen or missing, the first step is to change the passwords for all accounts immediately.

You can do this on another device, such as a phone. After changing passwords, adding two-factor authentication is vital to protect all accounts.

Additionally, many two-factor authentication methods will include backup codes to save. It is best to keep these for future purposes since these are alternatives to logging into accounts.

2. Clear autofill

Autofill is a useful feature that allows you to save information on specific browsers and websites. This is one of the things that you need to remove right away since thieves can simply open the browser and login into your accounts.
The simplest way is to go to the same browser on another device and turn off all automatic sign-in options. This action deletes all saved passwords and data on the browser.

Another step you can take is to clear browsing data to prevent thieves from signing into other websites. This is crucial, especially if the laptop is synced with a Google account.

3. Deauthorize account and device

Some people have authorized laptops to sync with other devices. It is crucial to deauthorize the account and device by logging out of any device. Browsers have an option that lets owners sign out remotely, so it is best to do this immediately.

Additionally, it would be wise to turn off auto-sync on all accounts since it may have synced with the stolen laptop. Leaving it on could allow the thieves to sign in to any account, exposing private data and information.

4. Use a computer tracking software

Having a computer tracking software helps you monitor the device’s movement. Aside from location, this software can also provide information about the laptop’s status, running programs, and active connections.

For Apple users, some may have asked if there is an option to “find my device” or “find my Mac”. Well, each Apple device has the “Find My” app. It is a built-in app that allows the user to track the device’s activity and location.
Some of its features include seeing the location, playing a sound to find the device, and locking the lost device.
A unique feature is the Lost Mode, which allows users to display a message on the device’s lock screen. This provides people with the contact information to contact the owner immediately.

5. Contact the bank

Calling the bank after securing the accounts, data, and two-factor authentication is the next essential step to take.
If you’re a frequent online shopper, you’ve input your bank and personal details to make transactions. Calling the bank to let them know about the lost device can allow them to freeze any activity on the card right away.

This is vital, especially if the card details are saved on the websites. After contacting the bank, they should be able to provide a replacement card.

6. Notify your employer if it is a company laptop

If the lost laptop is from an employer, it is vital to contact them right away. Company laptops are their property, so they may have particular protocols to follow.

The laptop may have sensitive information about the business, its employees, and the clients, so it is essential to let HR or the manager know.

If any company accounts such as finances are logged on to the device, it is also necessary to contact the bank and your employer to know the proper steps to keep your work accounts safe. That way, the company and bank can coordinate to create a new account.

7. Try to recover data through backup or the cloud

There may be a chance to retrieve data from the stolen laptop. Some files and documents may have been backed up by cloud storage, such as iCloud for Apple users.

People can attempt to retrieve them and transfer the data to a new device. This is extremely useful for company laptops since, most likely, there are projects or other works that are not completed yet.

Stay Calm and Act Immediately

It is normal to panic when losing a valuable device like a laptop. Personal data and business information are two primary factors to worry about, so it is necessary to act right away.

Staying calm allows anyone to think clearly and rationally, such simple things like changing passwords, activating two-factor authentication, and contacting HR are some of the steps anyone can do immediately.
It is best to focus on the next steps to secure data and information to prevent leaks. Act swiftly, but do not panic.
Panicking is one of the worst things anyone can do since it delays response time. Take time to absorb what happened, then act immediately.