Laptops stolen from Apple Store

Apple software has a reputation for being hard to hack. But apparently the Apple Store at University Village is another matter, as burglars who gained entry through the ceiling found out this week.

Seattle police, who arrived at the store about 8 a.m. Monday, said there was a large hole in the ceiling of a technicians' room. A store employee said all laptops that had completed servicing were missing, according to a police report.

At least one was packed with personal information, and the burglary might leave other customers at risk.

"An unknown stock" of refurbished iPhones waiting to be restocked also were missing, according to the report.

University Village security initially checked the room before police, who found about 20 empty cubicles where laptops had been stored before and after repair, according to the report. A store employee also showed police a cut cable lock that had been attached to a high-end laptop used by the technical staff.

"The entire office looked in disarray," an officer wrote on the report.

Apple Store employees called customers Monday, but refused to talk to the Seattle P-I.

"It's a security matter, and I don't have any information to offer," said Apple spokeswoman Amy Barney, refusing to elaborate on the incident or store security from her Cupertino, Calif., office.

Seattle police were first called to the Apple Store Monday at 4:44 a.m. after an alarm identified rear entry or motion, according to the report. All store doors were secure, and "nothing appeared to be out of place on the inside," the report said.

Burglary detectives might contact those who had their laptops stolen in the ongoing investigation, a spokesman said.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN

You can place a fraud alert on your credit report for 90 days. To get a fraud alert, call one of the three credit-reporting agencies who will report it to the other two: Equifax at 1-800-685-1111, www.equifax.com; Experian at 1-888-397-3742, www.experian.com; Trans Union at 1-800-916-8800, www.transunion.com

Review your credit report. All consumers can get one free credit report every 12 months. Call 1-877-322-8228 or www.annualcreditreport.com.

For more information: http://www.atg.wa.gov/ConsumerIssues/ID-Privacy/SecurityFreeze.aspx#fraud

-- Phuong Le