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Across the US, Popular Video Doorbells Are Recording their Own Thefts (digitaltrends.com)
There has been an uptick in reports of video doorbells getting stolen, according to local news reports. A story adds: According to the reports, residents are waking up in the morning or coming home at night only to find their video doorbell devices stolen. Typically the devices are screwed into place on the outside of a house, often with mounts or braces to hold them in place. While they are wired into the wall, thieves don't seem to care too much about that. In most cases, residents appear to report the devices have been pried off the side of their home. In some cases, the cameras are able to capture an image of the perpetrator as they are stealing the device. Those images are usually available through mobile apps connected to the doorbell, which might help police track down the person responsible for the theft. However, there's no guarantee that officers will be able to find the thieves, especially if they steal the device while keeping their face and other identifying features covered while on camera. Police are suggesting that people keep track of the serial number on their devices in order to keep track of them and watch in case the devices appear on Craigslist, eBay, or other online marketplaces.
Unless the perpetrator kills someone in the process, are the police going to do anything even if they know who did it?
I'm NaN, I'm a free variable.
What to do if Your Ring Device is Stolen
Question: My Ring device was stolen! What should I do and is there anything that Ring can do to help me?
Answer: Yes. Ring has a procedure and policy in place that will help you get a free replacement Ring device as quickly as possible after your Ring device has been stolen. The remainder of this article contains the steps you should follow.
Immediately report the theft to the police. Before you do anything else regarding your stolen Ring device, you should report the theft to the police. Follow their instructions regarding what you should do until an officer arrives to take your report. They may tell you not to enter your home just in case the theft of the Ring is part of a larger break-in.
Take pictures of the damage but do not touch the scene before the police arrive. You should take care not to remove or touch any damaged components that remain behind or disturb the ground around the location. By doing so you may disturb potential evidence such as finger or shoe prints.
Request a copy of the theft report as soon as possible. You will need the police report in order for Ring to provide you with a free replacement device.
Once you acquire a police report, report the theft to Ring by using the email address Theft@Ring.com. Note that all communications from Ring regarding a reported theft will emanate from this email address. You will need to provide a copy of the police report to begin the free replacement process.
Once the police report is verified, Ring will gladly provide a free replacement within 7-10 business days.
Important notes concerning the Ring theft replacement policy:
The replacement of stolen Ring units is a courtesy service provided by Ring. Ring reserves the right to deny this service at any time due to suspected fraud, malfeasance, or any other cause.
Notifications of device theft sent to theft@Ring.com must be received within six months of the date printed on the police report concerning the theft of the device. Honoring the stolen item replacement policy subsequent to six months after the theft of a Ring device is solely at the discretion of Ring.
Replacement devices offered under this policy are offered on a "like for like" basis. The replacement device will be the same make and model as the original stolen device.
Get Rolls Royce to build one.
Have gnu, will travel.
I assume they then blacklist the serial number of the stolen camera rendering it useless. This is what all electronics companies should do. Make it absolutely clear that any stolen device with a serial number that needs to talk to home base to operate becomes useless once stolen.
Ideally, if you try to configure a stolen device, a big flag comes up on the phone/tablet/computer you're using to do the setup informing you the thing you are setting up has been stolen and is a useless piece of junk. Even better, QR code on every device you can scan with their app and see if it's been recorded stolen or not.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
Criminals are, for the most part, not the brightest bulbs on the tree, which is mostly why they're only an inconvenience in the grand scheme of things and not a tremendous threat to civilization. It's certainly not the cops (at least not those around here) who protect us from petty crime.
I had some idiot break into my truck, in my driveway and in plain view of three different security cameras, and steal a variety of rather worthless items - prescription glasses, my old radio scanner, and (worst) my half-broken 3-year-old cell phone (cracked screen, 802.11 radio no longer worked, etc. but I was still using it). Called the cops, gave them the videos that showed the guy's face, and told them the phone was still on so I could get its location. The phone was getting good coverage (gps was reporting +/- 20ft error), and given its presence in a wooded ravine about a mile away known to be a homeless hangout, I suspected it was still with the thief. Literally all the deputy would have had to do was drive over and I'd call it. Bust the guy, haul him in. Nope. We'll take a report, call your insurance company, we don't plan to do anything. Yet later that day, on my way to replace my sunglasses, they had plenty of time to pull me over for 7 over the speed limit.