An All Too Familar Pain

Lost & Found for the 21st Century

In today's hectic world more and more people are turning to those handy gadgets and mobile products that can be taken with them anywhere they go. The more things consumers own, the more they're prone to lose them. This in mind we actually went out and tested a new service on the UK market from Want it Bak. Lets see what Londoners are really made of.

We left a Palm m130 PDA on the Jubilee Line of the London Underground, a Sony Ericcson Mobile on the number 15 bus route, a Blackberry "email on the move" gizmo down in a local pub in South West London and a rucksack sitting in Starbucks Chancery Lane area. Lastly we left a digital camera sitting out in the open in Hyde park. Not the easiest thing leaving items lying about in this highly security conscious world we live in these days.

Here in the 21st century our lives have become more and more reliant on mobile items. As we go through our days, keeping a mental log of everything we have and where we have it becomes more and more difficult. It is inevitable that some things get lost. In fact as stated in a recent research "Around 62,000 mobile phones were left in London taxis during the last six months. That's an average three phones per taxi, according to a survey of licensed London cabbies by the Taxi Newspaper and Pointsec Mobile Technologies. Absent minded and drunken travellers also forgot 4,000 laptops and 5,000 PDA's when exiting cabs".

So what can we do to have give us some reassurance that we have at least a chance of getting our valuable or even sentimental items back.

In steps lost and found for the 21st century in the form of Want it Bak. The service is based around the belief that most people are actually honest and will do the right thing if a method is offered to them. This feel good factor is enhanced by the added incentive of a reward for doing the right thing.

Anything you can imagine, mobile phones, keys, cameras, PDA's, laptops, binoculars, backpacks, passports, briefcases, wallets and purses, golf clubs, power tools, textbooks, credit cards, cheque books... you get the picture, it can all be protected using their simple system.

How does Want it Bak work? Simple. You purchase a range of security tags each with their own unique id number. You register them with Want it Bak and that's it. If you ever lose the item and someone finds it they contact Want it Bak directly using their website or their 0800 number and they arrange a courier to pick it up and return it to the owner for a small admin charge.

One of the best things about this service is the confidential nature of it. The "Finder" never knows who the owner is and vice versa. Reassuring for owners of expensive items, they can now safely retrieve their possessions.

"It's a great incentive for people to do the right thing", says Chris Cameron from Want it Bak, "Our research shows that most people are actually honest and the biggest barrier they have to returning items is the hassle of finding out who it belongs to, arranging delivery or pick up, getting the time to drop the item off at the local police station. Now they don't have to do anything except ring us or visit our website, and they get a Reward for their troubles".

The "Finders" themselves are offered a basic reward of ?10 gift pack of Want it Bak Labels. Additionally the finders may also receive gift vouchers, shop discounts, trial packs and much more. Customers may also offer an optional CASH reward to Finders as a thank you to the person for taking the time to contact Want it Bak.

Want it Bak organises Couriers to pick up and delivery directly to you your lost item. As a customer of Want it Bak you are only charged if an item is lost. No ongoing monthly subscriptions or fees. Just a basic Administration charge when an item is found of ?25 which includes next day courier delivery UK wide. A small price to pay for the return of your personal items.

"This service is invaluable" say Russell Lewis of Chelsea, an actual benefactor having signed up from the start. "A few weeks back while travelling home in a Black Cab I left my portfolio containing vital customer information and demonstration CD-ROMs. It would of taken me weeks, if ever at all, to redo everything. Before the end of the day Want it Bak had taken a call and I had arranged for it to be sent straight back to me. This is an amazing service, it was all so easy."

So how did we go with our test? Well Want it Bak claim an 80% return rate, which works out to about 5 out of 6 items. It seems Londoners are more honest that we thought. The camera was found by someone in Hyde Park and within the hour Want it Bak had taken the call and arranged return. When originally registering this item we had offered ?50 cash reward to the finder.

The "finder" Sam, an office worker was very impressed "I was out walking at lunch time and came across the camera just sitting there. Having personally lost my camera while holidaying in Greece earlier in the year I knew how annoyed the owner would be. The Want it Bak labels were visible enough and probably prompted me more to the right thing than if they hadn't been there. The whole process only took me a couple of minutes when I got back to the office. Want it Bak arranged a time for the courier to come and they picked it up from me at work. Few days later my reward and ?50 cheque turned up in the mail. Fantastic."

The PDA & Blackberry were also found by good Samaritans and returned. In fact the only thing still outstanding was the rucksack left in a Starbucks, strangely enough the least expensive of the 5 items. No doubt the cause of a police call out during these troubled times. The mobile phone turned up a couple of days later. No bad 4 out 5. Well done London.

Like most things these days there are no guarantees of course, but just the knowledge that for a small price you can have an additional type of insurance that works when you need it to.

www.wantitbak.com for more information.

Airbnb cleaning service Glenview ..

In The News:

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

An All Too Familar Pain

Personal Technology