Equipment: Lost or Stolen University-Owned Device

If a university device (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet (iPad), smartphone (iPhone) or other material technology asset) is lost or suspected as stolen, follow the procedures below. The "asset holder" is the person assigned to the custodianship of the asset.

Reporting Requirements

Lost assets should be reported immediately; you should not "wait to see if it will show up" for any length of time. The institution has statutory requirements to report lost devices which can be retracted should it show up after the report is made. Since the non-material information-related value of a technology asset may be far more valuable then the asset itself, DoTS treats this as an "information security incident" and will work with the individual assigned to the asset to manage the situation.

Process for Handling Lost/Stolen Devices

1. Contact the Division of Technology Services (DoTS) either in person or via phone. Declare an "emergency" related to a lost or stolen IT device.
   1. The DoTS service center team will escalate the situation to the Service Center manager and to the DoTS divisional management team.
   2. DoTS will take lead in managing the information security incident according to the incident response plan.
2. DoTS can provide you with information about your asset including serial number, model and manufacturer for the police report.
   1. The asset holder reports the lost device to UW-River Falls Police.
   2. The asset holder reports the lost device to local jurisdiction police.