Stolen camera being removed from my account

[obiwansfist]

I’m getting emails after a theft about cameras being removed from my account, even though I am not removing them the thieves are by resetting I presume.

according to a Google response here this shouldn’t be possible, so how is it possible if I never removed them from my account, if I’m reading the below answer correctly they shouldn’t be able to link it their acoxunt? there seems is a huge loophole to allow thieves to just steal cameras and use them for themselves then. This part should be impossible for them but I got notified it was removed trommmy account so it IS possible: “If your Nest Camera is still present in your app and they tried to reset it to the factory default they won't be able to set it up or link to their own account.”

These serial numbers were reported in the police report, I don’t care about getting replacements within 30 days as that has passed. These S/Ns should be black listed from the Nest network though and it seems at the moment there is no mechanism to ban legitimately stolen cameras and this seems like a massive flaw in the ecosystem

Quoting from past post: 

EmersonB

Community Specialist

In response to David_K

‎07-06-2023 03:34 PM

Hi everyone,

@Brennihelvete, thanks for reaching out here in the Community and we appreciate you sharing here your thoughts and ideas. We're sorry to hear about what happened to your Nest Camera. While we don't have the means to remotely deactivate your Nest Camera, the thieves won't be able to use it or access your events history. The reason why is because they need you to remove it from your account. If your Nest Camera is still present in your app and they tried to reset it to the factory default they won't be able to set it up or link to their own account. Let us know if you have more questions in mind.

[pereztzum]

Hi @obiwansfist,

I apologize to hear that your Nest cameras were stolen and subsequently removed from your account. I understand your frustration, and this situation is definitely not ideal.

Let me clarify how Nest cameras are designed to work in case of theft:

Reset Does Not Grant Access: A thief resetting a stolen camera to factory settings should not be able to link it to their own account. Our system is designed to recognize the serial number associated with your account.

Removal Notification: However, it appears there might be a discrepancy in this specific case.

Here are some additional tips:

• Report Suspicious Activity: If you notice any unusual activity with your remaining cameras, contact support immediately.
• Security Measures: Consider implementing anti-theft mounts for your remaining cameras to make them more difficult to steal.

Next Step:

To assist you better, we'll need some additional information. I'm sending you a secure form where you can provide all the necessary details  and also please fill out all the information required.

Here's the contact us form

Once you've completed the form, please let me know. This will allow us to investigate the issue further and find a solution.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Your experience helps us identify areas for improvement and strengthen Nest's security protocols.

Best Regards,

Brandon.

[obiwansfist]

Thank you Brandon I’ll get the relevant information and send in the form. 

Some background: My entire storage unit was robbed so they got the disconnected cameras and my nest wired doorbell that were in a box (among everything else I owned) and now I’ve received two emails notifying of the doorbell and a camera being removed from my account and they are now gone from my nest app. I’ll send S/N and info for the form but it doesn’t seem as my account itself has been compromised to allow access or I should’ve known from Google/nest alerts about suspicious account activity. 

I’ll send the form in as soon as I can thank you for the reply on a weekend!