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I got scammed :/

mox123 said:
Incidentally, how does one change the system profiler??? I too thought it couldn't be done :eek:
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You just edit:
Code: 
/System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/Resources/YOURLANGUAGE.lproj/AboutThisMac.strings

Instead of leaving in variables for System Profiler to detect the CPU and output that, you can just type in what you want.
 
AdrianK said:
You just edit:
Code: 
/System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/Resources/YOURLANGUAGE.lproj/AboutThisMac.strings

Instead of leaving in variables for System Profiler to detect the CPU and output that, you can just type in what you want.
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oh wow...thx for letting me know! You should something new every day...
 
I understand that the community feels bad for you, but as you can see some of the seasoned members says it best, although we and others feel bad false hope won't help you at these point. Like you said its a very expensive and gut wrenching lesson for you and others. I give you props for not taking a shot at CL.

I guess what happened was an oversight on your part when you actually handle the machine, first off yes you can say its a quad core even bestbuy on part of my town uses that monicker (intel HyperThreading) but only 2 physical cores (2 different things right?), secondly to offset the scratches and dings he knocked off $65 from the original $315 you guys agreed upon, and lastly you actually had time to inspect it thoroughly but for some reason you where in a bit of a rush..

The best to do now is make due of what you have, go to apple store and see as to what they can say about the machine (hopefully all is good..) hopefully you really have 8gb ram, as for the software I'm pretty sure its as shady as the seller you got your machine from...
 
If you still have the serial number to your AIR, call the Apple store and report it stolen. That way, when ever he brings it in, it will be flagged. :D
 
idk man i feel really bad for you but at the same time you just gotta be smart and take your time. It sounds like you were pretty impulsive on this and I understand what everyone is saying but as previously stated quad core is only 15-17. The thunderbolt port is in ALL 2011 mbps. And its not everyday that you find final cut pro in a (consumer mbp) Im really sorry and I feel awful but let it be a lesson to all. Im tagging this post just so i remember in future circumstances even though im about to buy my mbp brand new from apple :D
 
acedickson said:
Sorry things went poorly for you.

When I deal with people from Craigslist and expensive items I have started exchanging copies of driver's licenses so I have solid proof in the event something is misrepresented or ends up stolen. I got the idea from pawn shops.

I might still contact the police and ask what might be done. It could be possible to track him down through his IP address that he used to log into the, most likely phony, email account. That could lead to an address if he used it at home but I don't know how far the police would go. Call the RIAA, they like to track people down.
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Good point, again I hope its not stolen. If you report it to the police to find out if its stolen and it turns out it that it is stolen, then the police confiscate it at your loss. Unless you know you were buying stolen property then they confiscate you as well.
 
AdrianK said:
On the contrary, the seller new exactly what they were doing. Pretty damn hard to accidentally mess with system strings to make a Core2Duo show up an i7.
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As I said, a 2.7 ghz 13" quad core MBP does not exist. Who knows if he edited the system strings or not the point is the computer advertised does not exist. You would thing someone would at least look up the advertised system to have an idea of actual cost but maybe this is just me...
 
Vudoo said:
If you still have the serial number to your AIR, call the Apple store and report it stolen. That way, when ever he brings it in, it will be flagged. :D
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And then the OP would be guilty of fraud, and could even potentially be arrested. Not exactly good advice.

jW
 
OP, sorry man that sucks. Now I think most of the time those kind of people count on people either not realizing the got taken or not taking further action once they find out. So are u doing anything? I would try everything if anything to at least scare him from trying it again on somebody else. I once almost got taken from craigslist also but found a way out of it. I would say don't give up. Ever since then I take pics of their Lic plates, but I like the idea of exchanging drivers lic info that AceDickson had. Also, good to know that profile info can be edited. Thanks AdrianK.
 
Hey guys,

just an update. Got back from the apple store regarding that kernal panic issue. the genius said he feels for me. he said he'll send it to the repair depot so it'll be up and running like brand new for me. its def not a sandy bridge but i appreciate the genius's effort to make me feel better.

he advised that i report the macbook so it would get flagged if he every brought it in. but by reading one of your posts, i can get in trouble for doing that?

so if i go to the cops, say that he mislead me (yes, i missed the thunderbolt icon but than again, he messed with the system strings to mis represent his item. he also had his system info open right when you open the lid so that would be the first thing i see. so its obvious he tried to scam me from the start) and report that fraud happened regarding that laptop, is that good or bad?

the guy at the store said i had to file a report with the cops and than the cops would call apple and tell them to flag that serial number? any easier way? could i just call apple care directly or is the cops a necessary step? if it is, its no big deal. just trying to make this price as painless as possible.

again, thank you guys! :D
 
i am glad there is at least some good news!

you are in the us, right? i'd definitely report it to the police. this will become a necessary record for the insurance company. it will also be necessary if you want apple to get it back for you (assuming someone brings it in). also, you may be able to write it off for your taxes. no documentation and the guy gets away with it.

by the way, reporting a stolen item is a painless process. i've had to do it once before (wallet stolen from locked locker at the pool).
 
palpatine said:
i am glad there is at least some good news!

you are in the us, right? i'd definitely report it to the police. this will become a necessary record for the insurance company. it will also be necessary if you want apple to get it back for you (assuming someone brings it in). also, you may be able to write it off for your taxes. no documentation and the guy gets away with it.

by the way, reporting a stolen item is a painless process. i've had to do it once before (wallet stolen from locked locker at the pool).
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haha yeah, its a little but its good news none the less. i won't get a new casing but at least its gonna be thoroughly checked out.

unfortunately he also modified the strings on the system ram. it was actually 4 instead of 8 :( oh well.
 
in that case file a police report, im pretty sure he is gonna take it to apple sometime...
 
ipodlover77 said:
...he advised that i report the macbook so it would get flagged if he every brought it in. but by reading one of your posts, i can get in trouble for doing that?
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I don't see why you would get in trouble. You aren't saying you definitely received a stolen laptop (knowledge of receipt of an expensive stolen item =/= good), but simply that this other guy materially misrepresented what he was offering and took significant steps to do the misleading. Personally, I would get a police report so Apple can flag yours as stolen. I probably wouldn't have the MBP around when they filed the report though.
 
If I were you I'd be worried that he installed something like Prey on the machine before trading with you and now has access to all your private info (assuming you've logged into websites from the new machine).

What I'd look for is for him to 'upgrade' the machine you traded to him and flip it again on CL to another buyer. Keep your eyes out for possible matches. If you think you see it listed, contact him with a new email and phone number and see if you can find him. If you do, take his photo and hand him a letter saying you'll be giving the photo and all info you have to the police unless he corrects the fraud to your satisfaction.

That's what I'd do anyway.
 
Editing the strings is such a dick move. I would never think someone would pull that. At least the Genius was sympathetic (I would be also), and hopefully you'll at least end up with a functional MBP.
 
As someone else said here you have nothing to fear by going to the police. If you think the laptop you bought may be stolen and it was reported the worst thing that will happen is they will take it away from you and ask you a bunch of questions.

ipodlover77 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Just wanted to get my story out. Just got scammed on craigslist a few minutes ago.

Found a deal to trade my 2010 base air + 315 for a 2011 MacBook 13" with i7 and 8gb ram.
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As for your laptop that you traded they may not be able to do much for you there. As for the cash you exchanged, it looks like you didn't have a receipt or some kind of signed agreement so its all word of mouth. Hard to prove someone stole money from you without documentation, and he didn't mug you either.

It gave me iffy feelings but again my greed got to me. DAMN MAN. SO BLOWN.
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Lesson learned I guess.
 
ipodlover77 said:
i figured theres no point. he said he lived in PA so we met half way in baltimore at towson mcdonalds. so only towson mcdonalds would maybe have a video of him. he seemed to use his go phone or a fake phone for his number and gave me a fake email. i never emailed him back with the "wtf man" cause of my pride and cause he'll probably take joy in the fact that he suckered me.

i paid 1250 for a 2010 macbook pro with 250 gigs of ram. hahaha. go me. i thought about selling (after maybe getting it checked out at apple) but realized i dont have the money to put more into a computer. i would be lucky to sell this for 800, after that i would have to put in 250 more for the microcenter deal. at the end of the day, i would have spent 650 dollars out of pocket.

i guess this is a lesson. an expensive lesson.
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I would ring them anyway, if there is any chance of them finding him you'll get your computer back and prevent him from scamming anyone in the future (Atleast for abit).
 
Hey man, sorry to hear about your situation. I would definitely report it to the police for sure and flag it on Apple's side. Another thing that I might try is to try calling the guy back again either by *67ing or calling with another number, hoping that he will pick up and reason with him to getting your computer back. Another thing you could probably try is setting up a sting operation by calling the guy back with the method I said earlier, arranging another pick up, and have you and a cop meet up and confront him that way. Either way hopefully something works out for ya. Another thing to keep in mind: karma is a bitch and hopefully he'll get his due soon.
 
ipodlover77 said:
he advised that i report the macbook so it would get flagged if he every brought it in. but by reading one of your posts, i can get in trouble for doing that?

so if i go to the cops, say that he mislead me (yes, i missed the thunderbolt icon but than again, he messed with the system strings to mis represent his item. he also had his system info open right when you open the lid so that would be the first thing i see. so its obvious he tried to scam me from the start) and report that fraud happened regarding that laptop, is that good or bad?
Click to expand...

Reporting the MacBook as stolen could indeed be fraud. Reporting that you got scammed would not be. Definitely go talk to the police, and they'll help you sort it out. I could even be wrong about the reporting it stolen part, if you didn't receive what you were told you were receiving, but It just wouldn't sit right to report the machine stolen first. Let the police advise you on how to approach it, not us.

jW
 
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