Det. Sgt. Luke Wilke caught me in the hall the other day. He’s responsible for coordinating follow-up investigation on residential burglaries, and is getting a little frustrated at the frequency with which Playstations, Xboxes, and Wiis are being ripped off, but the victim has no serial number. I found 39 cases since the first of the year where one of these game systems was lifted in a burglary or theft. We have the serial number in only 17 of those cases. Those with serial numbers are posted on the stolen property listing on our public website.
Several times each year, we will locate a load of goods that we just know are stolen, but we are unable to match up the goods with a corresponding crime report. Often the property ends up with unidentified ownership, and eventually is disposed of at public auction.
So, do this for me: get your Xbox right now, flip it around, and jot down the serial number on a Post-it note. Take that over to your bookshelf, open the dictionary to the word “hermetic,” and stick the note on that page for future reference. Might as well do the same with your other CRAVED products while you’re at it. Thanks.
That's great advice, Chief. Just how many XBox, Playstation and Wii owners do you imagine actually own a dictionary?
ReplyDeleteMy wii is easy to identify. It would be a sad day at my house if it got stolen.
ReplyDeleteI always tell victims to write down the serial numbers in their address book under Sony, or Game Machine or Stereo, anything. This only works if you tell them while your taking the report and they are feeling unlucky for having lost something. Generally if you tell them at some crime prevention meeting, they feel in like nothing will ever happen to them.
ReplyDeleteSome of the older game systems used to have the serial number on the box they came in, but that does not seem to be the case for Xboxes. If they ever used Xbox live they may be able to get the serial number from there, or if they ever used it on Xume to download music. These web site track you by your serial number.
I wonder if we could ever get sites like this to flag serial numbers and report the IP address if they ever try to connect?
Chief:
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many people understand the significance of filing the Post-it note under "hermetic" in the dictionary. You never cease to amaze me!
WOLF< WOLF< WOLF....just joking.
ReplyDeleteThe EMA needs to sound the sound ot the eminant danger signal only when needed. This is getting really stupid.
Steve-
ReplyDeleteWas it Dave Letterman's top 10 list that used to be hermetically sealed in a mayonaisse jar? Never quite the same, IMHO, since the old pull-board gave way to computer graphics. Some things are just better analog.
Chief:
ReplyDeleteI think your memory might be just a bit rusty. I seem to recall Johnny Carson's sidekick Ed as the one who retrieved the mayonaise jar with the answers to Carnac the Magnificent's questions.
Since 85% of all xbox owners most likely have sent their box in for repairs or have connected to xbox live - their serial number is a phone call away. If the morons who stole it try to fire it up and connect to xbox live then Microsoft will capture the IP address. Yes I play xbox and Wii and I own many dictionaries.
ReplyDeleteI think Johnny Carson used the hermetically sealed mayo jar.
ReplyDeleteRusty, indeed. Must have been in the mayonnaise jar too long.
ReplyDeleteHermetic. Hilarious. I love this place.
ReplyDeleteTom, fire up those xboxs and look for the gamer profile names created on it. For the Wii, it's the "Mii" avatar name. Ask John Victim what his profile name was and see if you have a match. It's not 100% reliable since the thief may have deleted/changed the profiles, but it's a shot (just another angle of describing the stolen property...). I think the risk of fraud of one victim claiming another victim's machine is virtually nil.
ReplyDelete