Teen Dies Fighting Off iPad Thief

There is nothing that I have, other than family members that I would risk my life for. Whether it is jewelry, money, a wallet, bag or expensive electronic item, I’m simply not going to offer resistance if some whacked-out mentally ill person wants to take it from me. The fact is, I’m too pretty to have a box cutter slashed across my face in exchange for any material item.

Although it’s a normal reaction to fight for what’s right (and what’s yours), it’s not necessarily the right decision when you fight over material items. I think we learn this as kids when we tussle with a sibling over toys. As we grow older, we become territorial when it comes to things like standing in line, driving and even land disputes.

But dying over a $400iPad simply ain’t worth it.

The Las Vegas Sun reports, “A teenager died after a man grabbed an iPad out of his hands and fled in an SUV that ran over the boy as he struggled to hold onto the tablet.”

Investigators determined the boy was walking with the iPad when a white vehicle stopped and a man exited the passenger side of the vehicle. The man attempted to steal the iPad and started to drag the teen, who was trying to hold onto the device, to the vehicle. Facing resistance, the suspect got back into the SUV with the teen still grasping at the tablet, but the vehicle then fled and the boy fell and was struck by the SUV.

Think about it like this:

About 12,000 laptops are lost each week in US airports alone, and 113 cell phones are lost or stolen every minute in the U.S. Now imagine if everyone was fighting over every device. Mind blowing, isn’t it? Instead of fighting over this replaceable item, simply:

#1 Let it go. It’s not worth fighting over.

#2 Activate a lost/locate/lock/wipe software that helps you recover, lock or wipe the data.

#3 Call the police and be happy you are OK.

#4 See if your homeowners insurance will cover lost or stolen devices.

#5 Make sure all your devices are password protected. Do it today. This way, the chances of your data being exposed are reduced.

Better to lose your device—even lose your data—than your life.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to Hotspot Shield VPN. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him discussing internet and wireless security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.