A Notorious Burglar Who Targeted Silicon Valley Startups Has Been Found Using Tinder

Jiyan Wei/BuildZoomThis known burglar has been found using Tinder.

A notorious burglar who targets Silicon Valley startups has been found - using Tinder.

The co-founders of a startup called BuildZoom created a Tinder profile for the female intruder after recording footage on hidden cameras of her rifling through the company's office equipment. 

The Tinder profile shows a snapshot of the footage and comes with the tagline: "I rob offices in SF. $5,000 reward for identifying me." 

The woman seems to have a habit of breaking into startups in the Bay Area. 

BuildZoom's Tinder plan was preceded by months of searching, all fruitless. The company posted photos and information on its blog and used more traditional methods to track her down. It led to widespread coverage but no solid leads. 

But it only took a few days to snag a lead using the smartphone dating app.

The BuildZoom team came up with the idea of using Tinder this month and created a fake profile on Dec. 16. Business Insider previously reported that the woman had been named "Lauren" and imagined as 28 years-old. Four days later, on Dec. 18, BuildZoom co-founder David Peterson tell us that the burglar has been caught. 

"We caught her - and it was a result of Tinder! It is pretty funny that Tinder actually worked, although I had a feeling it would. After all, a ton of people use it!" Peterson explains.

As of Thursday, Peterson and his colleagues are waiting for the police to make a formal arrest. He says the authorities have both a name and a photo.

He adds: "I'm 100% sure it is her. I don't like making absolute statements like that unless I am sure. I am, though. It's her."

We'll update this post if the police make an arrest.