Don't Trust Anyone - My Stolen Laptop

by Jenn
(Vermont)

I was at school and I left my computer open and running. I asked my study partner to watch it while I went to the bathroom and got some coffee- not 15 minutes. Well, she got distracted, and even though it was right next to her, someone got on there and walked off with the machine, including the notes we had for two classes and a paper I was working on.

I recovered the notes from her, but the weeks of hard work on the paper were gone, as well as all of the personal information on the paper.

If I had just locked my laptop before I left, and not depended on my study partner, I would have had my information safe. She was less than 10 feet away, in a public place. It is hard to imagine someone could have stolen it and she didn't notice, but it happened.

*Webmaster note:
Jenn - sorry to hear about the stolen laptop, but I appreciate your sharing your story as a warning to other students. Laptop computer security is no joke. College is your home, but there are a lot of people there - and you just can't tell what anyone will do. Good luck to you.
Guy