Mobile Gadgets Makes Public Vulnerable To Crime

By Ahmad Shukran Saharudin KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- Personal hi-tech gadgets such as handphones, iPhones, and notebooks, among others, have brought convenience at our finger tips and has enriched our lives. These gizmos very much dictate our lives today. We communicate voice and information through them, complete tasks, and even store our confidential information in them. Yet they also have a downside. Apart from limiting face to face interaction, they also compromise our personal safety. Imagine when you lose these devices, you not only lose the gadget but personal information such as pin numbers, addresses, compromising pictures and other personal data stored in them. Thus, the owner is now vulnerable to criminal elements. With an owner's personal information available to criminals, thieves could not only withdraw money from bank accounts or hold them for ransom, they can even show up at an owner's doorstep. EASY TO LOSE THESE GADGETS These mobile handheld gadgets can easily fall into the wrong hands due to the owner’s negligence or in the event they are stolen. Today Wifi is available in public places, including restaurants, that offer Internet service to lure more customers. Thus, youngsters can be seen patronising these places until late hours with their notebooks and other gadgets. These groups mostly consists of students and undergraduates, who stay up late to finish assignments or for the sake of amusement, without knowing the hidden dangers lurking there. The bold robbery at a well known 24/7 mamak outlet (food establishment which serves mamak food) in Shah Alam, Selangor late at night last year, and the CCTV recording of the incident that went viral over the social websites, clearly indicate how patrons using these gadgets in public places are vulnerable to criminals. In that incident, some patrons were robbed of their gadgets, as well. This is one of the easiest places to lose your personal gadgets. POOR SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS Not only that, many patrons take for granted the safety of their belongings at restaurants and hotels and leave their belongings unattended, such as their handphones and handbags, on tables and seats creating opportunities for thieves to strike. A project manager, Syahrul Izwan Abdul Wahab, recalled how the handphone that his friend left on a table was stolen right in front of their eyes during the robbery at the eatery in Shah Alam. "A man appeared from no where and greeted my friend and grabbed the handphone on the table, and there was nothing much that we could do. "Since that incident, I avoid taking these gadgets outside my office of home, except for the handphone that I keep in my pocket," he said. Parking lots, too, are vulnerable, yet vehicle owners are known to leave their devices, such as notebooks, in their vehicles, tempting opportunists to act. A friend of the writer had to spend hundreds of Malaysian Ringgit replacing the rear window of his car after a thief stole a file, thinking it contained valuable documents, though it only contained empty papers. Even if one is to leave their gadgets in the car, it should be hidden from view of passersby. GPS UNITS IN CAR SOUGHT AFTER BY THIEVES The writer once received an e-mail from a friend warning that GPS (global positioning system) units and the remote control to open the gates of the house should never be left in a car. If both are stolen, criminals can easily make their way to the victim's home and rob the victim again. Also, avoid storing passionate references, such as 'my love' and so on, in your handphones or other devices, because when they are lost criminals can text messages to the particular person requesting pin numbers and passwords to withdraw money. MANAGE RISKS, MANAGE YOUR VULNERABILITIES Crime Analyst Kamal Affendi Hashim noted that the public should avoid storing their personal information in these gadgets, as this would make them vulnerable to criminal elements when they are lost or stolen. "Who knows when you will end up as a victim, if your notebook computer or handphone is stolen. "Society, too, has to weigh in on the risks of storing confidential information in these gadgets, to avoid falling prey to criminals," said Kamal, who is also a member of the British Society of Criminology and America Society of Criminology. BE SUSPICIOUS OF CHEAP GADGETS Kamal, an Executive Member of the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation, noted that the public should let the police know if there were notebooks, computers and other gadgets sold at ridiculously low prices. This is a clear indication that they may be stolen items, and buying them means one would only encourage more thefts of such items. -- BERNAMA