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More than 100 L.A. area Apple Store customers have been victims of a group of thieves who have been doing “follow away” burglaries. While authorities have captured a ring of thieves, it’s unclear if copycats aren’t hitting areas outside of L.A., as well.

It’s an interesting concept, to say the least. As Microsoft clearly showed in their Laptop Hunters ads, Macs are much more costly than Windows PCs, and thus would be a better choice if you were looking to “maximize your return” on a theft.

In December, the Orange County D.A.’s office charged three L.A. residents, Garzon Diaz, Louis Lopez and John Rodriguez, with burglary and grand theft. They were arrested in connection with 28 cases in which computers were stolen from vehicles after the owners had visited Apple retail stores.

At the same time, Manhattan Beach Police are continuing their investigation into 15 similar cases since September 2009. In those case, the thieves had a well-defined modus operandi:

They stake out an Apple store and choose their target. Then they follow their prospective victims when they drive to another shop or a parking spot near their home. If computers are left unattended inside the vehicle, the thieves strike.

Obviously, the smart move is to go straight home (or have a big dog in your car). A smarter move would be to buy your Macs from Amazon.com or some other sales tax-less online retailer.

Also, police believe that these arrest just cut off the hand of the operation. They believe the ring is much larger, and that it has taken more than 100 computers in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.

http://technologyexpert.blogspot.com/2010/01/follow-home-burglaries-spook-la-apple.html