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I Accidentally Bought a Stolen iPhone; Help Needed

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Achillias said:
Just think about it, corruption is something which always will excist.nTheir are 0 countries in the world where corruption doesn't happen.
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So, no sources, no research then? Just a blanket (and likely false) claim? That's what I figured. 😉
 
You wont get your money back :[ and the phone will not legally be yours.

What I did was take it to the AT&T store, and they managed to track the purchaser based on the serial number. AT&T cant give any of that information, but what they did do was call the owner of the iPhone so we could meet up.

Now, again legally the phone is theirs, what we ended up doing is calling the police to write out a report and press charges on the guy that sold it to me. The cops made me give them the phone, as they had to pay for the replacement. But the guy's grandmother told me, if they can call AT&T and get the replacement cost waved, they would unlock the phone and give it to me to keep.

Luckily AT&T waved the fee, and they gave me the phone to keep. And I bought them drinks as a thank you.

It will solely depend on the original owner and what they want to do.
 
You can use one of the popular unlock providers. They now have an unlocking service that will bypass the icloud lock. If no one claims it and you made all that effort, it seems fair that you have it, assuming you do the last step and bring it to the police.
 
TWO2SEVEN said:
So, no sources, no research then? Just a blanket (and likely false) claim? That's what I figured. 😉
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Basic reasoning would tell you there are police officers who would risk their jobs over something as small as petty theft to corruption on a larger scale. That person was probably making a blanket statement, but the fact of the matter is, it most likely does happen. Just because they are trusted to uphold the law, doesn't mean they always do.
 
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bpeeps said:
Basic reasoning would tell you there are police officers who would risk their jobs over something as small as petty theft to corruption on a larger scale. That person was probably making a blanket statement, but the fact of the matter is, it most likely does happen. Just because they are trusted to uphold the law, doesn't mean they always do.
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It was not a blanket statement but based on facts.
 
TWO2SEVEN said:
Please show me where I said that corruption doesn't EXIST.
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Read what I wrote. I stated that minor thefts to large scale corruption is something that happens. I never stated what you disagreed with, I stated my opinion on the matter. Reasoning based on the number of police officers in existence would substantiate that there's a smaller subset of them likely to commit a crime. I'm replying to your comment, not putting words into your mouth.

Here's a list of cops accused of stealing iPhone's from their owners. I didn't take the time to read through the articles thoroughly, because who has the time. But it looks like a quite a few have resigned after they were accused of theft. One police officer was even accused of stealing a phone from a car wreck.
 
TWO2SEVEN said:
Please show me where I said that corruption doesn't EXIST.

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A fact is generally something that can be proven.
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You made the assumption that a police officer wouldn't risk his career by stealing objects while being in duty. An assumption which you can't backup or proof to be truth. Also a fact is not something that generally can be proven. A fact is knowledge or information based on real occurrences. Which cam records are. Also http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16380862
 
deeddawg said:
So nobody should ever turn in stolen property to the police because of a few bad apples?
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That's also not what I said. Again, read what I wrote. I'm only providing a previous member with a list of cops accused of stealing iPhones after they asked for sources and proof.

Members are so quick to jump to conclusions here. A little reading comprehension would go a long way.
 
Achillias said:
You made the assumption that a police officer wouldn't risk his career by stealing objects while being in duty. An assumption which you can't backup or proof to be truth. Also a fact is not something that generally can be proven. A fact is knowledge or information based on real occurrences. Which cam records are. Also http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16380862
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You're hilarious. Have a good day!
 
bpeeps said:
That's also not what I said.
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I asked a question to see if that is what you were suggesting. Note the lack of quoting and the use of a question mark.

If that isn't, as you claim, then what do you suggest for the OP? I'd say he should still turn in stolen property but take good notes of who he gave it to and get a written receipt for it just in case. What do you say?
 
Sorry OP, you're out of luck.

I know you're a Poor college student, but if you can't buy something from the store, you either risk it on Craigslist or you just simply go without.
 
Folks, before you buy always check to see if the phone is stolen. It's simple to contact the carrier and check if the IMEI number was blacklisted.

If you need to check for activation lock, you need to use this tool: https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

Think it through, before you buy. Always assume the seller doesn't have your best interests at heart.
 
urda said:
It's simple to contact the carrier and check if the IMEI number was blacklisted.
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Since you mention this, let me ask a question. I'm genuinely curious, not trying to stir something up. 🙂 I've not craigslisted any phones in a couple years.

Will the carriers also validate that there's no remaining installment plan on the device (Next/Jump/Edge/whatever)? If not how to protect against a seller who doesn't pay the balance off and the phone gets blacklisted weeks after you bought it?

Or what about a seller who later files a fraudulent lost-phone insurance claim and disavows any knowledge of having sold you the phone?
 
urda said:
Folks, before you buy always check to see if the phone is stolen. It's simple to contact the carrier and check if the IMEI number was blacklisted.

If you need to check for activation lock, you need to use this tool: https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

Think it through, before you buy. Always assume the seller doesn't have your best interests at heart.
Click to expand...

Just using common sense can prevent this. How can you buy a phone and not test that everything is working?
 
deeddawg said:
Since you mention this, let me ask a question. I'm genuinely curious, not trying to stir something up. 🙂 I've not craigslisted any phones in a couple years.

Will the carriers also validate that there's no remaining installment plan on the device (Next/Jump/Edge/whatever)? If not how to protect against a seller who doesn't pay the balance off and the phone gets blacklisted weeks after you bought it?

Or what about a seller who later files a fraudulent lost-phone insurance claim and disavows any knowledge of having sold you the phone?
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Based on my experience:

1. TMobile's IMEI Check will tell you (1) if the phone is on a contract or existing account, (2) if the phone is currently being financed, or (3) if the IMEI is blacklisted and cannot be used with TMobile. Although it doesnt sound like it, #1 is the best case scenario, partly because TMobile doesnt really have contracts anymore. So it just shows its tied to an account.

2. There's absolutely nothing you can do about someone who sells you a phone and then later reports it stolen. Example: I have a phone which I paid off or paid cash for, I own it. I also have handset insurance on it. I sell it to you. Its not activation locked and any IMEI check you do on it will come up clean (of course it will, I havent reported it stolen yet). I meet up with you at Starbucks, hell, even the Police Station. We exchange cash for phone. I call the insurance company when I get home and tell them I lost my phone. When the insurance company gets around to it, the IMEI will get blacklisted.
 
I applaud you for taking your own time to track down the rightful owner, more people need to think like you.

Now, some people aren't going to like this suggestion I'm about to tell you, but it only seems fair. I would put this phone on Craigslist and make it clear that it has an iCloud lock on it. Try to sell it at a lower value than you paid so you can somewhat recoup what you paid into the phone. Most people won't be interested, but someone will probably buy it thinking they can unlock it, more power to them.

I would never suggest this normally, but it sounds to me like you have done everything possible to make the situation right and then some. Good luck, you deserve it.
 
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