Tracking Service Helps Find Stolen GPS Units

By Aimee Norton

Published: February 28, 2008

GPS units—they’re popular gadgets that are caught up in a disappearing act.

“Now they are one of the most common things stolen out of vehicles,” said Arnold Culpepper, an electronics specialist at Best Buy in Lynchburg.

The Lynchburg Police Department crunched some numbers for us. During the last six months of 2007, eight I-pods and six GPS units were stolen, and that’s just what was reported to police.

With a hefty price tag, criminals are targeting them.  The units can range anywhere from $100 to $1,000.  Culpepper said he talks to a lot of people coming into Best Buy to replace their units.

But now there’s actually a way to track them. It’s called GadgetTrak.com. The service costs less than $15 a year. You download software, and if your device is stolen and then used, GadgetTrak tells you where it is.

“A customer you know coming in to replace their unit because their previous unit was stolen while they were on vacation or something like that.  If they have a service where they could have subscribed to it, to actually track it, it would save quite a few dollars.”

GadgetTrak can also be used for laptops and I-pods, just about any kind of portable device.  It’s a little insurance to make sure you reach your destination...and protect your investment.

The website will only tell you where the stolen property is. It doesn’t notify police.  Getting it back is up to you.