Help! Stolen iPad 2 in school!

[jkavi]

The entire story is in my blog: http://jkavenido.blogspot.com/2011/11/campus-thievery.html

Basically, can I call Apple customer service to have the serial number traced down?

Thanks so much!

 

[miles01110]

can I call Apple customer service to have the serial number traced down?

No. Apple has zero involvement in taking an active role in getting your iPad back.

 

[jkavi]

No. Apple has zero involvement in taking an active role in getting your iPad back.

What about just putting it up on their system as stolen?

 

[NameUndecided]

This is kind of what the Find My iPhone app/feature is for. Kids -- take advantage of this!

I'm speaking halfway blind though. I've no idea how easy, if at all, it is for thieves to disable this feature.

And I am sorry if this hindsight advice is more annoying than useful. I can imagine that this situation is rather sucky, and I hope that you get it resolved soon and happily enough.

 

[jkavi]

This is kind of what the Find My iPhone app/feature is for. Kids -- take advantage of this!

I'm speaking halfway blind though. I've no idea how easy, if at all, it is for thieves to disable this feature.

And I am sorry if this hindsight advice is more annoying than useful. I can imagine that this situation is rather sucky, and I hope that you get it resolved soon and happily enough.

I did use Find My iPhone, but the thief was quick enough to wipe it before I could put a lock on it.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Next time ask someone nearby to watch your stuff. Otherwise, just take it with you.

 

[lilkangster]

You can report it to apple but they will not help you track it and find it. However they will log it into their system and if someone ever takes this device to the genius bar they will know its stolen and you will be notified. However, they will never track the device for you even though they are fully capable of doing so.

 

[IllIllIll]

However they will log it into their system and if someone ever takes this device to the genius bar they will know its stolen and you will be notified. However, they will never track the device for you even though they are fully capable of doing so.

Did you just make this up? No they won't. Apple is not a law enforcement agency and as such has no interest in keeping a database of stolen Apple devices that may or may not be legitimate:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2526

Apple does not have a process to track or flag lost or stolen product.

And from https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3504113?start=0&tstart=0 :

If I understand correctly what you're asking, you report it stolen by contacting your local police (Apple does not track stolen hardware), and you lock the iPad by using Find My iPad, if you set up MobileMe or iCloud on the iPad and enabled that feature BEFORE it was stolen.

Why do so many people falsely believe that Apple will help track a stolen product? It's not their job to do so. Do auto manufacturers keep lists of VIN numbers of stolen cars and deny service to any cars on the list, or notify the owner? No.

 

[Yr Blues]

Dude, in university … that backpack is glued to you or else. Lesson learned.

 

[Shasta McNasty]

Next time ask someone nearby to watch your stuff. Otherwise, just take it with you.

The problem is the person "nearby" was the thief!

 

[mhdena]

Maybe in the Phillapines you can leave your valuables unattended, maybe you should have picked a school there

 

[jkavi]

Maybe in the Phillapines you can leave your valuables unattended, maybe you should have picked a school there

Sucks being an international student D:

----------

Dude, in university … that backpack is glued to you or else. Lesson learned.

Lesson learned, too late

 

[Yr Blues]

Sucks being an international student D:

----------



Lesson learned, too late

Seriously, it's only $. I've been scammed online for about that much once. Once bitten twice shy. You'll never do it again.

 

[heyloo]

Dude, in university … that backpack is glued to you or else. Lesson learned.

Very true indeed. I'm sorry to hear about your loss, OP. While in college I worked in the IT department and they do have logs of the IP Addresses/login information associated with the Mac Address. If your IT dept. runs on a similar system, all students in my college were required to register their devices in order to have access to school's intranet. They should be able to locate the MAC address for your iPad from there. Yes, there are IT regulations however if you speak to the supervisors in the IT dept, I wonder if they could be of better help. Taking your professor with you might help as well. The supervisor could contact the network admin who has access to your information, and you guys could probably locate the last known location of where the MAC address popped up on school's network. That is...if the thief still has it around campus... Seeing how your iPad was wiped out immediately tells me that the thief either is relatively tech-savvy and/or has done this before.

Regardless, unfortunately the chances of you finding your iPad again looks pretty slim at the moment. This is the one thing that I don't like about Find my iPhone - you can't find it if the device is wiped out...

Well best of luck and don't lose hope just yet as miracles do happen!

 

[kulimer]

starting looking on craigslist and get the cops ready for you. lol.

 

[Yr Blues]

starting looking on craigslist and get the cops ready for you. lol.

Maybe if he got it engraved from Apple.

Are serial numbers useless? How would you go about asking eBay sellers?

 

[NameUndecided]

Do auto manufacturers keep lists of VIN numbers of stolen cars and deny service to any cars on the list, or notify the owner? No.

That's actually something that would make sense to do, particularly for more upscale manufacturers like BMW or Audi and similar.

Apple stores do keep record of who's name is attached to a product's serial number. I've taken a pre-owned iPad to the Genius Bar before and the previous owner's name was still listed in their database when they pulled it up. They went ahead and changed that accompanying name to my own, but the idea of being able to report that model stolen so that they can put that in their system and have it flagged does make sense. They might not do that, but the idea doesn't seem so far fetched to me.

 

[kulimer]

Maybe if he got it engraved from Apple.

Are serial numbers useless? How would you go about asking eBay sellers?

I thought serial numbers are for cars, and Apple only engrave itouch.

 

[Zincous]

I thought serial numbers are for cars, and Apple only engrave itouch.

VIN are for cars and No

 

[macking104]

Does the library have any security cameras? They would have caught the thief at the table and at the counter...

 

[Yr Blues]

Does the library have any security cameras? They would have caught the thief at the table and at the counter...

that's a good idea
He knows the exact hour at least.

 

[miamialley]

From the OP's blog posted in the OP:

"My precious iPad 2 was stolen in school yesterday, and it was the most devastating loss I have ever had."

Doesn't this sentence put things into perspective? Sorry it was stolen, but try to replace it and move on.

 

[IllIllIll]

That's actually something that would make sense to do, particularly for more upscale manufacturers like BMW or Audi and similar.

Apple stores do keep record of who's name is attached to a product's serial number. I've taken a pre-owned iPad to the Genius Bar before and the previous owner's name was still listed in their database when they pulled it up. They went ahead and changed that accompanying name to my own, but the idea of being able to report that model stolen so that they can put that in their system and have it flagged does make sense. They might not do that, but the idea doesn't seem so far fetched to me.

Sure it makes sense and doesn't sound far fetched at all. The problem is that Apple and any other manufacturer would be opening themselves up to a lot of potential legal problems if they started doing this. It wouldn't be difficult for some troublemaker or prankster to start randomly registering various devices as stolen. Even in cars equipped with LoJack systems, the owners must involve local law enforcement before they can track their car. Totally not worth it from the manufacturer's standpoint.

 

[Pressure]

From the OP's blog posted in the OP:

"My precious iPad 2 was stolen in school yesterday, and it was the most devastating loss I have ever had."

Doesn't this sentence put things into perspective? Sorry it was stolen, but try to replace it and move on.

He is in for a rough ride

 

[bufffilm]

Next time ask someone nearby to watch your stuff.

you mean trust a complete stranger to watch your stuff. riiiiight...genius.