Thief steals Eye-Fi-equipped camera, proceeds to give himself away

It was inevitable, really. We've seen quick-footed thieves swipe GPS units that eventually led to their arrest, a bank robber who didn't even bother to close his clamshell while holding up the joint and now, we've seen the Eye-Fi card really pay off. According to the outfit's PR firm Red Consultancy, one particular vacationer had her entire stash of camera gear (over $1,000 worth) stolen while taking a load off in Florida. Upon returning home and checking things out, she noticed that all of the snapshots taken prior to the theft were uploaded, and upon closer inspection, she even noticed a clear shot of the remarkably idiotic crook. After syncing up with the boys in blue, all of the gal's equipment was eventually returned, and some semblance of normalcy was finally returned. How's that for a feel good story, huh?

[Image courtesy of Al]

[creepinshadow @ Jun 5th 2008 6:02PM]

Damn, that thief is an epic fail!


funny story!

[Ace b @ Jun 5th 2008 6:23PM]

I think next time I go on a trip I'm gonna get me some of these cards.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 5th 2008 8:01PM]

THE BIGGER STORY HERE is that GPS and WiFi can be used to locate ANYBODY.

We don't need chips implanted in our body for the government to monitor us. We've got cellphones, PSP, DS, and Navigation radios.

[Sarig @ Jun 5th 2008 8:45PM]

Things which nobody is forcing you to use.

[Flashpoint @ Jun 5th 2008 10:53PM]

Sarig

where were you when the governments of North America started implanting RFID chips in Passports and then america passed the REAL ID ACT which demands you have an RFID REAL ID on you once they start being churned out?

MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T USE ENGADGET TILL YOU LEARN TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE OVERLORDS EVIL DOINGS.

[Ayman @ Jun 6th 2008 12:36AM]

I think he was "taking a load off in Florida"

[JLTate @ Jun 6th 2008 1:10AM]

It wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be...

[JLTate @ Jun 6th 2008 1:12AM]

Well, since I royally screwed that one up, nevermind! Damn you Engadget comment system.

[alexmueller @ Jun 6th 2008 12:07PM]

Are thieves getting dumber or are electronics just getting smarter? They might need to start a school for thieves to teach them about new technology.

[Ayman @ Jun 6th 2008 4:18PM]

My comment isnt supposed to be here
it was supposed to be at Sam Zebian @ Jun 5th 2008 6:53PM

what gives!!!!

[retro77 @ Jun 5th 2008 6:02PM]

So the theif took a picture of himself and uploaded it somewhere? I don't get it.

[Patrick @ Jun 5th 2008 6:06PM]

EyeFi cards upload automatically

[retro77 @ Jun 5th 2008 6:08PM]

Oh nice...I gotta read up on these. Thats a cool feature.

[k4ffy @ Jun 5th 2008 6:48PM]

@Patrick:
only in hotspots that you've associated with the card. i dont see how the photos managed to get uploaded unless the thief went to a hotspot that the owner had previously configured and associated with her eye-fi.

[retro77 @ Jun 5th 2008 6:56PM]

Maybe the hotel she was staying in?!

[ldrn @ Jun 5th 2008 7:03PM]

Maybe "linksys" or "netgear".

[k4ffy @ Jun 5th 2008 7:05PM]

possible, but it reeks of a PR stunt.

[James @ Jun 5th 2008 6:04PM]

Any link to the news article, PR report, blog entry, ANYTHING to back up this news story?

[Gavin @ Jun 5th 2008 6:08PM]

I had a quick look around on a couple of news sites, nothing doing.
You've peaked my interest, is this a fake story because it's a slow news day or is it genuine.
Anyone else able to find this info let me know.
If it's fake I'll be p***ed off.

[robopony @ Jun 5th 2008 6:12PM]

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINN0534545220080605?rpc=44

[mark @ Jun 5th 2008 6:33PM]

This sounds way too much like publicity stunt. Don't believe it for one second

[Joe @ Jun 5th 2008 6:56PM]

I agree. Even the "news" reports read like a thinly disguised ad.

[Dualboot @ Jun 5th 2008 7:19PM]

Per the Reuters article posted above:

"Luckily, the culprits passed by an unsecured network, whose factory-installed setting matched that of DeLauzon's home system, and the Eye-Fi automatically shipped the photos: first baby pictures, then the snap-happy scoundrels."

This would probably mean that DeLauzon's home wireless net is also unsecured, so please add this to your Hot Spot list :-)

[foo.bar @ Jun 5th 2008 10:31PM]

"I opened up the Eye-Fi manager on the computer and, lo and behold, there are the guys that stole our cameras," said DeLauzon, a native of New York's Long Island suburb. "Not only is it the guy who stole our camera ... but the guy took a picture of (his accomplice) holding our other camera."

Normal human beings do not say things like this. Now they might say "I opened up the software" -- but "I opened up the Eye-Fi manager?" That *is* something that someone in Eye-Fi marketing/PR might say. The reality is that companies do seed the media with stories like this and that sometimes lazy reporters pick them up.

[DavidR @ Jun 5th 2008 11:18PM]

@foo.bar
Yes, real people DO talk like this. All the time. I do agree that this might be a PR stunt because it just sounds too fortunate, but it probably is legitimate. Reuters is a very trustworthy source.

[waddaya @ Jun 5th 2008 6:04PM]

Now she can continue making armature porn.

[Rogue_Genius @ Jun 5th 2008 6:05PM]

'armature' ?

You, sir, FAIL.

[andres @ Jun 5th 2008 6:09PM]

better than stator porn?

[waddaya @ Jun 5th 2008 6:19PM]

@ Rouge_Genius, thanks for pointing that out amateur now I will change my name to: armature_stator. Had to copy and paste both words.

[Rogue_Genius @ Jun 11th 2008 3:23PM]

You're welcome. The funniest part is that you misspelled my name in your reply. Granted, that loud whooshing noise above your head probably will continue for the rest of your life, but because the whole thing started with a mis-spelling (read waddaya's attempt @ a witticism), I can't decide whether to high-rank you for the folly or low-rank you for the intended diss. LMAO!!!

[Gavin @ Jun 5th 2008 6:04PM]

Not the most unlucky criminal in the world, just not very up on technology.
Someone should send him a link to engadget.com

If anybody could ever be bothered!

[Sun @ Jun 5th 2008 6:11PM]

I have my EYE on you.

[Jake @ Jun 5th 2008 7:09PM]

"Don't even think about it, lunchpail"

-bender

[Ryan G @ Jun 5th 2008 6:11PM]

Here is an article, http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=lost-cameras-phone-home-t

Thanks to HardForum

[CraigJ @ Jun 5th 2008 6:11PM]

Moral of the story: If you use your camera to take pictures of your significant other (or yourself I suppose) without clothes, do not use a EyeFi card. Unless you roll that way of course... or you GF is hot.

[Sam Zebian @ Jun 5th 2008 6:53PM]

"stolen while taking a load off in Florida"

So she was in the crapper when this happened??

[Zak @ Jun 5th 2008 7:48PM]

Ooh, big fat FAIL for not knowing what the phrase "take a load off" means.

[Sarig @ Jun 5th 2008 8:47PM]

I actually have no idea what that means :/

[andres @ Jun 5th 2008 9:51PM]

disconnecting a power circuit?

[ScOObyDoo @ Jun 5th 2008 7:03PM]

I'm calling shenanigans. I just checked my eye-fi manager page, and I can't setup things to connect to a random wifi AP. So unless the perp had an AP with the same name and password as the victim, I say it's BS.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jun 5th 2008 7:08PM]

I should have read the article first:

Luckily, the culprits passed by an unsecured network, whose factory-installed setting matched that of DeLauzon's home system, and the Eye-Fi automatically shipped the photos: first baby pictures, then the snap-happy scoundrels.

In other words, she's just another dumb user with "linksys" as her AP and no wireless security.

[SeanR @ Jun 5th 2008 7:08PM]

"Luckily, the culprits passed by an unsecured network, whose factory-installed setting matched that of DeLauzon's home system, and the Eye-Fi automatically shipped the photos: first baby pictures, then the snap-happy scoundrels."
It was dumb luck.

[Seanross @ Jun 6th 2008 2:54AM]

Saw SeanR and had to comment.. i was wondering who else registered under that nick since it was taken lol.

[Matt Bateman @ Jun 5th 2008 7:06PM]

Here's a fun little fact I found from Eye-Fi's website:


"Is the Eye-Fi Card available?

Eye-Fi Home, Eye-Fi Share and the Eye-Fi Explore Cards will be available for sale online and at selected retail locations beginning June 6, 2008. The original Eye-Fi Card is currently available for sale online and at selected retail locations."

Would you look at that! They just happen to be relaunching the entire line of cards tomorrow - just a day after this story broke. What a wonderful coincidence.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jun 5th 2008 7:11PM]

It's all one big coincidence. The perp walked up to an AP with the exact same settings as the victim AND the press release comes out the day before their newest product release.

[phanbouy @ Jun 5th 2008 11:34PM]

good thing they didn't upload my donkey porn and spoil their big coming out party

[Darion.Lunis @ Jun 6th 2008 3:31AM]

I have one at home already. I got it off their website last month.
But I wont be home till next month....

*Being stuck in Iraq sucks big ones*

[k4ffy @ Jun 5th 2008 7:07PM]

"Luckily, the culprits passed by an unsecured network, whose factory-installed setting matched that of DeLauzon's home system, and the Eye-Fi automatically shipped the photos: first baby pictures, then the snap-happy scoundrels."

yeah, right

[7on @ Jun 5th 2008 7:45PM]

My guess is the SSID was "linksys" and the password was ""

Do I win a prize?

[Dave @ Jun 5th 2008 7:11PM]

So I take it from the sciam article that her home WiFi was left as default, like "linksys" with no security, (so bright), and the idiot thief passed by ANOTHER WiFi ignoramus who also didn't configure his/her WiFi.

One time I stayed in a hotel in Victoria, BC and I noticed that the free WiFi graciously provided for guests had an SSID of "linksys", so I typed in
192.168.1.1, and then admin, admin, and there I was, configuring their router. I played nice.