According to an article in the Connecticut Post, there has not been a single case of identity theft linked to the August laptop theft from a state employee’s vehicle.

The laptop contained the names and Social Security numbers of more than 106,000 Connecticut residents, including many high profile state officials. After the theft, weeks of public incrimination and finger-pointing brought the crime into the public eye.

Public officials reassure that the information stored on the laptop has not been used, however they can’t promise that the computer still exists or that the information remains on the hard drive.

What sparks my interest is that a laptop under such public scrutiny would very likely fly under the radar for a long time. After all, if you think like a thief, and you’re wanting to use this information for identity theft, AND it’s likely that everyone affected by the theft has an at least temporary freeze on their credit, you’re not going to want to jump the gun too soon.

There’s a chance that the laptop was disassembled and sold for parts. But there’s an equally likely chance that the laptop is somewhere in the data cobwebs, lying in wait until the information can be used to its full potential.

Seriously, though. If we weren’t so busy pointing fingers, someone might have stumbled upon MyLaptopGPS. And then we wouldn’t be mumbling and grumbling 15 months after some obscure laptop theft, because the information could have been recovered immediately.