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Apollo21

macrumors member
Feb 6, 2009
94
0
Pennsylvania, USA
You don't have to pretend to be him. It's your Mac Mini. You paid for it, so it's your serial number now. He's stolen it from you. Apple is harbouring a felon by not revealing the name of the man who now has your stolen Mac Mini in his possession.

You need to make that very clear to Apple that the name and address they have listed for this serial number is for the man who stole it from you. Also report the serial number as stolen to the police. Don't bother with the 'con job' angle. It was straight out theft. Just tell them he swiped it from you while you were at the gas station, which is the truth. Let him argue differently after they arrest/charge him.

Edit. I personally don't see any difference between him swiping it by switching it when you weren't looking, or simply swiping it from the back seat of your car when you weren't looking. Same thing. He swiped it. Theft is theft and is a crime, not a 'civil matter'. He is in possession of stolen property.

I thought this was a good idea at first. But there's a problem. Apple's records would show the mini as registered to that guy for months--which wouldn't be the case if he just stole it and then called to switch the address. So in court it would just look like the OP claimed 'his' Mini was stolen (I assume he doesn't have any record of paying for it), while the scammer would say Apple can verify it's always been his and the OP is lying.
 

DesignerOnMac

macrumors 6502a
Jul 23, 2007
827
65
well it was strictly email communication he explained his phone was broken and it happens so he responded by email. and we set up meeting point.

Can you go to craigslist on a different computer and use a different email addy and contact him?

Just a thought...
 

350zman

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 6, 2008
47
0
the mini he showed me then switched was his personal mini it was litterally bought a month ago the serial said warrent expires in 3/10 and he told me it was 1 month old then when he swapped it with the "fake" one but the one thats 1 month old is def his personal computer.
 

Mariusz1977

macrumors member
Nov 21, 2008
43
0
Get some internet justice!

Watch for his craigslist ad again when he tries to pull the same scam. Try to get his phone #. Setup a new email address (like a new yahoo account) and arrange a meeting with him @ the same place. Don't let him know it's you, let him beleive it's a new mark. Be there with a camera. Take his picture, his car's picture, the license plate too. Get in his face, get some good pictures. Get a friend also to come along with a video camera or video device to record the whole thing.

Post them all here and then send an email with this thread's url and he can see us trashing him.

If you can get his car's license plate, you can also go to DMV and pay a small fee to get his name, address and phone #. Then start a blogger account and post all the info and enlist the internet community to make his life hell. Post the video on Youtube with his name, home phone & address in the comment section.

Give him the $300 worth of PAIN that he just bought himself. It's only fair.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

If you need inspiration, read these:
http://www.419eater.com/html/letters.htm
 

CalZephyr

macrumors member
Mar 3, 2009
43
7
How did you memorize a serial number that fast?

I wonder what he'd have done if you had refused to let him "re-pack it" for you...

Have your friend go through the whole bit, but refuse to let him re-pack it. Take out an envelope with the money in it. Show the guy the money and put it back into the envelope. Then ask the guy to go ahead and grab the box for you while you get your trunk open. When he turns to get the box, you slip the cash envelope into your pocket quickly and withdraw a second identical envelope with an equal thickness/weight of paper inside - play money, scan some real bills and print them out (just kidding ATF), or whatever. If you can do the move smoothly, lick the envelope and seal it up. Put the box in the trunk, close it up, hand him the envelope and get out of there like your pants are on fire. Classic misdirection switch.

If you want to try a different misdirection, sew a pocket inside a coat big enough to hold the mini, put the phony weighted mini in the pocket and after trying out the working one, before he can take it back, find an opportunity to make your own switch. Tell him you changed your mind and don't want it after all and then get out of there.

Have a friend with nerves of steel to attempt either of these. Have any burly magician friends? :D
 

350zman

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 6, 2008
47
0
i know i kept thinking about if i never let him repack it what he would say. I actually wrote down the serial # really fast. but i already signed up for a new gmail account and emailed him about the ad again.
 

CalZephyr

macrumors member
Mar 3, 2009
43
7
Post them all here and then send an email with this thread's url and he can see us trashing him.

That's assuming he's not already on here. He's a mac guy, and he's on the net... could be here as well.

There are scumbags everywhere. It's too bad.
:(
 

magamo

macrumors 6502
Apr 6, 2009
438
61
He's a mac guy, and he's on the net... could be here as well.

My thought exactly. The OP should be careful not to be fooled by a ridiculous idea posted by a newbie who just registered or someone who has "mini" on his signature.
 

gianly1985

macrumors 6502a
May 30, 2008
798
0
I thought stuff like that only happened here in Italy.....
It is a very common scam in Naples....and in the box you find....ACTUAL BRICKS!
At least you have got a fake Mini...
 

TwoBytes

macrumors 68040
Jun 2, 2008
3,086
2,032
from reading this thread it all seems long in the tooth, you might get it you might not, etc, etc, he won't pay court claims even if you win,etc ...this whole situation is all unfair for you and costs you so much time which you can't get back.

why not go down the baseball bat route? Somone that plays dirty deserves the bat methodology.
 

pilotError

macrumors 68020
Apr 12, 2006
2,237
4
Long Island
You got scammed. I've seen this same scam with speakers out of the back of a van, stereo's and computers.

Best you can do is report him, but unless the cops actually trip over him...
 

snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
5,503
91
An Island in the Salish Sea
Injecting a bit of humour while we wait to see how this ends up....

In NYC there was a fellow selling new, in the sealed box, stereo speakers out of the trunk of his car. It was all very "shady" - cash only, lots of looking over the shoulders, etc. Someone finally called the cops, who arrived - to find there was nothing illegal going on.

While everyone assumed they were getting a great deal on speakers that had "fallen off the back of the truck", in fact the seller was legitimately buying cheap speakers from a discount store, and selling them for double the price.

He was making a fortune, no overhead, virtually no operating costs, etc. He was actually paying his income taxes on the sales, and plugging the parking meter. All he was doing was taking advantage of gullible greedy buyers.

To the OP - quite honestly, I think your $300 is gone. Its fun to fantasize about how to get it or the Mini.... but keep in mind the outcome, if it escalates, could lead to violence. If you end up assaulting the scammer, the cops won't care about your story - it'll be your butt in jail, not his. That could be the better outcome, if he carries a gun.
 

nhcowboy1

macrumors 6502
Feb 5, 2008
294
2
NH
I don't know who you are or where you are, but I agree with previous posters who've said to escalate this with the police. Be calm, be credible, be convincing - and keep going up the line until you find someone who'll listen to you.

If you exhaust your resources at the police department, then go to your town council person, city supervisor, or whoever it is that the police chief answers to. Bottom line is that this was not simply a bad bargain or a lack of prudence on your part - it was an illegal confidence scam, and the guy who did it can be prosecuted.

If you have the serial number from his computer, that - along with your report - should be more than enough for the police to obtain a warrant to get the guy's name, etc. from Apple. You saw the guy and can describe him - if the guy the police come up with looks the same, then all's well. If it's not the same guy, well, then you're probably out of luck.
 

r.j.s

Moderator emeritus
Mar 7, 2007
15,026
52
Texas
Last minute thought...

Have you contacted Craigslist? They'll be interested in knowing one of their posters is scamming people. They may only revoke his account, but at least its a start.

I don't think CL has accounts, it's been a while since I used it, but I think you just post using an email address.
 

aaquib

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2007
1,496
1
Toronto, Canada
I don't think CL has accounts, it's been a while since I used it, but I think you just post using an email address.

You can opt to have an account as some postings require it, but for simply selling electronics, a user could verify the post by only his/her email.
 

Shuttleworth

macrumors regular
Dec 23, 2008
196
0
UK
There is a high probability that there are his fingerprints all over the inside of the Mini you got, especially on the sticky tape.
 

michael.lauden

macrumors 68020
Dec 25, 2008
2,326
1
You can opt to have an account as some postings require it, but for simply selling electronics, a user could verify the post by only his/her email.

yeah you just make an account so you don't have to verify each e-mail. the account also has a page where you can track all of your listings.. it makes a lot more sense than doing it individually and keeping track of e-mails...

in some things like weird sexual things you have to pay, or for job listings i think.


but yeah... again with the police thing... it's a 500$ computer.. that really sucks and all... but it's going to be a while before the police get to it (or atleast i remember that happening the 5+ my house was robbed down in Lake Worth, FL over the course of 2 years)
 

sn00pie

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2008
593
0
United States
Use some basic forensics and capture fingerprints from the Mini. Might come in handy sooner or later.

Edit: I would try the AppleCare technique someone pointed out on the last page. That will pretty much guarantee you an address.
 

snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
5,503
91
An Island in the Salish Sea
Use some basic forensics and capture fingerprints from the Mini. Might come in handy sooner or later.

Edit: I would try the AppleCare technique someone pointed out on the last page. That will pretty much guarantee you an address.

Nah, I don't think AppleCare would fall for that. The first thing they would do is ask for your old address. Though I suppose you could try the ole "Why don't you tell me and I'll tell you if you're right" trick. But Apple does try to hire people who are little bit smarter than that... else, how could they fix our systems over the phone? :D

Fingerprints? When did we turn this into a CSI thread? If the victim can get the police interested, then perhaps they might find fingerprints useful.... but the victim.. ? :)
 

sn00pie

macrumors 6502a
Jun 25, 2008
593
0
United States
Fingerprints? When did we turn this into a CSI thread? If the victim can get the police interested, then perhaps they might find fingerprints useful.... but the victim.. ? :)
Hehe...I love CSI.

I'd imagine that if the OP was able to get fingerprints off the Mini he was sold and he managed to meet up with the alleged perpetrator, then the police could connect the the fake Mini with the person being 'accused'? Or else they would never have sufficient evidence to let the 'case' fly. It's basically one mans word against another.

God I should stop watching CSI :D
 

foothead

macrumors regular
Apr 15, 2009
134
0
in a house
Try to find the IP from his email like this. http://www.johnru.com/active-whois/trace-email.html Generally, Craigslist will set the sales email to forward through your real email, or whatever email you used to verify the sale. If you can find his IP, you can do an IP whois and then contact the ISP, telling them that he scammed you, and they might tell you who he is. If not, give the IP to the police, and they can find it out.
 
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