As many people happily enjoy electronics received as gifts over the holidays, they are activating features that can be used to track those devices with GPS if they get lost or stolen.
But, as one set of Winnipeg roommates found out, just because you can tell police exactly where to find your stolen property, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to get it back for you.
Thieves broke into Seth Kamabu and Spencer Lowes’ apartment while they slept in the early hours of New Year’s Day. They made off with two laptops, an Xbox 360, and a brand new Xbox One that was a Christmas gift.
"It went from panic, fear that someone was in our apartment, and then just frustration and anger,” said Lowes about the experience.
Fortunately, both computers have software installed that allows their location to be tracked when someone connects them to the Internet.
"This device is my phone, which basically allows us to see our location, and then this is the device that's been taken,” said Kamabu as he pointed to a map on his iPhone.
The GPS in Kamabu’s stolen laptop led the roommates to an address near the intersection of Arlington and Magnus Avenue in Winnipeg’s North End.
On Friday, the pair sat outside the suspected house for an hour contemplating their next move.
“We had a few friends in another car so there was probably about nine of us at that point,” said Kamabu.
"If I actually went in there, I don't know what could have happened, and the police just told us they advised against us going in,” added Lowes.
Police told the pair officers would go to the house and ask about the stolen electronics but if the people inside denied being involved there would be little that could be done.
"If the only evidence provided is the GPS signal showing that the stolen item is within a residence, there is not enough grounds to obtain a search warrant," the Winnipeg Police Service said in a statement to CTV News.
Cybersecurity expert Michael Legary says the law hasn’t kept pace with technology, but he says services that locate and remotely access missing electronics can still be useful.
"You could actually delete the data on your laptop to prevent people from getting access to it, preventing your credit card information from being stolen or used,” said Legary.
“So, it does a lot to protect you, even if you don't get that device back."
Lowes and Kamabu have wiped the data from their devices but are still hopeful they’ll get them back.
They don’t yet know if police had a chance to visit the home where they think the stolen electronics are being kept.
