If possible, don't let him know you've gone to the police. That info will make him want to get rid of the evidence (sell it). If the police investigate, then you'll probably be notiified. Maybe you should call the police back a day or two after the initial call - ask them to be notified if/when they investigate. It may help this issue from getting overlooked, forgotten or shelved by them. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
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My Powerbook was stolen
- Thread starter jer2eydevil88
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Calling me an easy target could be a very fatal mistake.
Let me elaborate on this whole situation so you understand the whole picture.
I am renting a house two blocks from campus with 6 other people living in it. I have lived there for nearly two years with only 2 other roommates being steady. We put a biometric lock on the upstairs floors to prevent people from sharing keys with friends since we always have other people in the house and theft was always a concern.
Wee normally feel safe enough in this house that myself and another roommate own .22 caliber rifles that we keep locked away just for weekend sport.
Though we do have expensive stuff in some places (mostly upstairs) we have never had a problem with anything big being stolen. There is always someone there at the house and most of us are in fraternities so we always have a crew of people around us.
Some people on this thread are asking why I didn't go to the police sooner, my feelings are then and still now that I go to school in a ghetto. The police care about shootings, rapes (sometimes) and stabbings, everything else they couldn't care less about. Group living provides safety from the outside elements but obviously we have encountered our own problem from within.
The roommate who brought this element into our house is new, he replaced a long time roommate just this past October simply because the old roommate wanted to move in with his g/f.
The new roommate is likely to be expelled from our house even if we incur higher rent because now no one feels safe when he brings people into the house. Most of my roommates are wary about even letting him bring people over at all.
I go to University of Cincinnati, I am in my 4th year of school in the Computer Engineering program now and a brother of Sigma Nu. I am a pretty big guy who has no problem with throwing down if thats what it comes to, the problem is that the night everything happened on I was drinking. I do not remember what the guy looks like, I have never met him before nor do I expect he will ever want to meet me again.
My friends have been able to procure a few key items that might assist me in regaining my property. Some of his friends are even helping me by working on convincing him that debts owed by him will be forgiven if the laptop is simply returned. He has hasn't just hurt me in this he has violated the trust of his friends as well.
I have been told to raise an army and go knock on his door, but lets be serious this is a civilized country and brute force only spells trouble to me. I certainly don't intend on letting this go, be it today, tomorrow or next week I will get my property back from this clown.
If you doubt any part of this story or my location I am happy to offer up the following websites.
My well establish digg profile - http://digg.com/users/jer2eydevil88/profile
My personal website - http://www.zigzap.com
Please note that I am still looking for tips on what can be done to secure a Mac to prevent the hard drive from being accessed in case of a future theft. I also am obtaining renters insurance for my house to protect me from future costly losses like this.
Let me elaborate on this whole situation so you understand the whole picture.
I am renting a house two blocks from campus with 6 other people living in it. I have lived there for nearly two years with only 2 other roommates being steady. We put a biometric lock on the upstairs floors to prevent people from sharing keys with friends since we always have other people in the house and theft was always a concern.
Wee normally feel safe enough in this house that myself and another roommate own .22 caliber rifles that we keep locked away just for weekend sport.
Though we do have expensive stuff in some places (mostly upstairs) we have never had a problem with anything big being stolen. There is always someone there at the house and most of us are in fraternities so we always have a crew of people around us.
Some people on this thread are asking why I didn't go to the police sooner, my feelings are then and still now that I go to school in a ghetto. The police care about shootings, rapes (sometimes) and stabbings, everything else they couldn't care less about. Group living provides safety from the outside elements but obviously we have encountered our own problem from within.
The roommate who brought this element into our house is new, he replaced a long time roommate just this past October simply because the old roommate wanted to move in with his g/f.
The new roommate is likely to be expelled from our house even if we incur higher rent because now no one feels safe when he brings people into the house. Most of my roommates are wary about even letting him bring people over at all.
I go to University of Cincinnati, I am in my 4th year of school in the Computer Engineering program now and a brother of Sigma Nu. I am a pretty big guy who has no problem with throwing down if thats what it comes to, the problem is that the night everything happened on I was drinking. I do not remember what the guy looks like, I have never met him before nor do I expect he will ever want to meet me again.
My friends have been able to procure a few key items that might assist me in regaining my property. Some of his friends are even helping me by working on convincing him that debts owed by him will be forgiven if the laptop is simply returned. He has hasn't just hurt me in this he has violated the trust of his friends as well.
I have been told to raise an army and go knock on his door, but lets be serious this is a civilized country and brute force only spells trouble to me. I certainly don't intend on letting this go, be it today, tomorrow or next week I will get my property back from this clown.
If you doubt any part of this story or my location I am happy to offer up the following websites.
My well establish digg profile - http://digg.com/users/jer2eydevil88/profile
My personal website - http://www.zigzap.com
Please note that I am still looking for tips on what can be done to secure a Mac to prevent the hard drive from being accessed in case of a future theft. I also am obtaining renters insurance for my house to protect me from future costly losses like this.
glad to hear you're still on it. i hope you don't offense to the posts. we're just fellow mac geeks trying to help you out (althought, fisticuffs suggestions aren't really helpful
i hope you get it back. i really do. i also find it sad that the cops won't do anything. i watched a guy steal a bike back in university years ago. grabbed the guy downstairs (whose bike it was), we called the cops...took a shortcut where we figure the guy would go...got him...cops were there in 10 mins.
anyhoo, keep us posted if you can. good call on not going after him while drunk....might not have been good.
good luck,
keebler
Thanks to everyone for the support I have gotten on here.
I have decided that on the two week anniversary of the theft (Monday the 26th) I am going to throw up a website with everything I have documenting this case.
That includes badge numbers of police I have spoken to, the first name of the person who took my property and written testimony from people who have seen the laptop with him.
I will then submit the entire site to http://www.digg.com to get some media attention on the situation. I don't think its unreasonable to ask the police to actually arrest someone who has committed a crime!
I will link back to this post when I do this.
I have decided that on the two week anniversary of the theft (Monday the 26th) I am going to throw up a website with everything I have documenting this case.
That includes badge numbers of police I have spoken to, the first name of the person who took my property and written testimony from people who have seen the laptop with him.
I will then submit the entire site to http://www.digg.com to get some media attention on the situation. I don't think its unreasonable to ask the police to actually arrest someone who has committed a crime!
I will link back to this post when I do this.
WTF!!!! You know who stole it and where it is and you posting on the forums!!
If I was you and my $2000 laptop got stolen by someone and I knew who and where it was. I would go over there and bust his friggen nose and take my laptop back.
Now hopefully you can prove it's yours by the serial number.
If I was you and my $2000 laptop got stolen by someone and I knew who and where it was. I would go over there and bust his friggen nose and take my laptop back.
Now hopefully you can prove it's yours by the serial number.
Strange country where you live ...
I'm sure that over here the police should just go to the thief with you and ask him to hand you over the stolen goods if this should have happened around here.
especially when you are sure who the thief is.
Also, a solved case looks good in their statistics ...
I'm sure that over here the police should just go to the thief with you and ask him to hand you over the stolen goods if this should have happened around here.
especially when you are sure who the thief is.
Also, a solved case looks good in their statistics ...
Renter's Insurance
Your parents can get a renter's addendum for your apartment. Or, you can get your own policy for $20 a month or so. It's really inexpensive.
Your contents may also be eligible for coverage under your parents' homeowner's policy.
BTW I hope the thief doesn't sell the PB before you can get it back!
Your parents can get a renter's addendum for your apartment. Or, you can get your own policy for $20 a month or so. It's really inexpensive.
Your contents may also be eligible for coverage under your parents' homeowner's policy.
BTW I hope the thief doesn't sell the PB before you can get it back!
guy, why wait for the 2 week anniversary? they (police) haven't helped you yet and he (thief) hasn't given it back and it's been a week and a half. the longer you wait, the longer the thief might sell it?
i think you're idea is fantastic, but i wouldn't wait another second. i'd have it up right now. if the cops get ticked, you tell 'em "hey..then you should have done something."
as we canadians say, " Just give 'er eh!"
But he doesn't want to get violent, so basically the thief is going to laugh his ass off all the way the bank.
And getting a look at the serial number might be a royal PIA if the guy says -- bite me.
Scanning for the MAC address is always an option when the guy uses wireless -- since the machine freely announces its identity.
k
great so we live in a soceity that does'nt want to get violent and can take a 2000$ hit with a pinch of salt ????
and police that do ...........
thats right **** all
wtf dude ,serious you need to get cartman on his ass
RESPECT MY AUTHORITEHHHHeeyyy
great so we live in a soceity that does'nt want to get violent and can take a 2000$ hit with a pinch of salt ????
and police that do ...........
thats right **** all
wtf dude ,serious you need to get cartman on his ass
RESPECT MY AUTHORITEHHHHeeyyy
i'm really sorry to hear that your powerbook was stolen. i think you did the right thing by reporting it to the police, and i'm surprised and disappointed that they aren't doing anything when you know who took and it where it is. i think you should escalate this with the police department to let them know that this is not acceptable.
at the same time, i'm dumbfounded as to how you are not taking direct action with the person who stole it (putting up a website about it and playing your own private version of blues clues to solve this "mystery" do NOT count). you know who has it. man up and go get it, for the love of god.
at the same time, i'm dumbfounded as to how you are not taking direct action with the person who stole it (putting up a website about it and playing your own private version of blues clues to solve this "mystery" do NOT count). you know who has it. man up and go get it, for the love of god.
I can't believe the police aren't doing anything about this either. Just phone them and say, "Listen, I know who stole it, so lets go over and bust his ass."
On the other hand, I really think it's too late to get it back now, and this is entirely your fault. Say the police go over to his place. What do you do? He doesn't have the laptop, and all you can say is "He stole it. Please believe me!" If you went there the day after he stole it, there's a good chance he'd still have it.
Your passive-ness cost you any chance of getting the laptop back. You knew who the thief was, you could have gotten his address, and you still didn't get your laptop back. Chump. You may be a victim, but you certainly aren't a smart one.
And how nice of you to get another laptop. Maybe the thief needs a faster laptop than the one he took from you already. It's not like you're going to do anything about it. What are you going to do.....start another website? Bah!
On the other hand, I really think it's too late to get it back now, and this is entirely your fault. Say the police go over to his place. What do you do? He doesn't have the laptop, and all you can say is "He stole it. Please believe me!" If you went there the day after he stole it, there's a good chance he'd still have it.
Your passive-ness cost you any chance of getting the laptop back. You knew who the thief was, you could have gotten his address, and you still didn't get your laptop back. Chump. You may be a victim, but you certainly aren't a smart one.
And how nice of you to get another laptop. Maybe the thief needs a faster laptop than the one he took from you already. It's not like you're going to do anything about it. What are you going to do.....start another website? Bah!
Actually would be a good time for the thief to swap machines, always a good idea to trade up and make the victim look bad to the police.
Expensive lesson to learn though, having nice stuff is great. But the scumbags see sheep covered in cash.
Typically, a small dollar item isn't worth a police investigation.
But you will get a report and an item entered into their database. And you'll get it back whenever they trip over it.
I think you should take the kid who stole it to court. I was just reading my law book and saw something that may be of interest:
"Conversion is the defendant's intentional exercise of dominion or control over the plaintiff's personal property without the plaintiff's consent...(1) acquisition of the plaintiff's property (e.g. theft, fraud, and even the purchase of stolen property)...if there is a serious interference and conversion, the defendant is liable for the full value of the property."
So since you have built up a case and collected evidence on this guy, assuming the evidence is strong and can prove he stole it from you, you should be able to receive damages and get a new Macbook Pro
This is my first law class so I'm no expert, but if I were you, I'd sue this guy.
"Conversion is the defendant's intentional exercise of dominion or control over the plaintiff's personal property without the plaintiff's consent...(1) acquisition of the plaintiff's property (e.g. theft, fraud, and even the purchase of stolen property)...if there is a serious interference and conversion, the defendant is liable for the full value of the property."
So since you have built up a case and collected evidence on this guy, assuming the evidence is strong and can prove he stole it from you, you should be able to receive damages and get a new Macbook Pro
This is my first law class so I'm no expert, but if I were you, I'd sue this guy.
Grow a pair.
I hope I don't come off as harsh, but seriously. Its obvious theres either more to the story then you're letting onto, or you know exactly who this guy is. If its the latter, head on over (bring some friends if you're feeling feminine) and kick his ass.
Don't tattle to the police and waste their time on something you can handle yourself. If you really don't have the stones to deal with it yourself, then take him to small claims court. You can claim up to $5000 and you're already located in the same state, so its basically guaranteed to recover your money. No lawyer or real time required.
I hope I don't come off as harsh, but seriously. Its obvious theres either more to the story then you're letting onto, or you know exactly who this guy is. If its the latter, head on over (bring some friends if you're feeling feminine) and kick his ass.
Don't tattle to the police and waste their time on something you can handle yourself. If you really don't have the stones to deal with it yourself, then take him to small claims court. You can claim up to $5000 and you're already located in the same state, so its basically guaranteed to recover your money. No lawyer or real time required.
I ordered a Macbook Pro last night, I need one to work over the next week/weekend so I am out of time.
My current plans include buying Undercover, putting a password on the firmware of the hard drive, a password on the firmware of the motherboard, and finding out if truecrypt supports HFS+, then I'll reinstall OS X on the encrypted partition and turn filevault on afterwards I will install Undercover.
My roommate is not a good friend of mine, but he is still trying to convince the thief to give it back.
I will not escalate this to violence, I would try and steal it back should the opportunity ever present itself but he didn't physically attack anyone to take it.
I called the law enforcement for my campus but they won't help because I live two blocks down the street so its officially under city jurisdiction.
I can't believe you're roommate actually knows the thief, are they friends or something?
It really is unfortunate that Apple does not have a Stolen computer database. Most companies that sell high end tech equipment do.
When you contact the police in most cases they will have the serial number on file. I know that around my area pawn shops and other places that sell used equipment are required by law to run the serial number to verify it. Some places even take your picture if you are selling anything.
Sadly though since this guy invested in a power supply for it, it soulds unlikely that he plans to sell it any time soon.
When you contact the police in most cases they will have the serial number on file. I know that around my area pawn shops and other places that sell used equipment are required by law to run the serial number to verify it. Some places even take your picture if you are selling anything.
Sadly though since this guy invested in a power supply for it, it soulds unlikely that he plans to sell it any time soon.
I'm sorry I haven't been updating this.
I finally got my Macbook Pro and now I have a means to keep this updated regularly.
I am in contact with a Police detective and we are working on gathering evidence against the person responsible.
Thank you for your support but until I have something more to add I will just leave this as is.
To every person on here that keeps telling me to get violent, please take this as a positive reminder to shut the FU** up! I don't need people advocating committing a crime to right this wrong, since the laptop is valued at over $1300 it is considered a felony with a minimum 5 year sentence.
Think about how much more satisfying it will be to know this dirtbag is in a 5x5 cell in an orange jumpsuit for five years than simply bloodied up. Being bloodied up is something you get over in a week, being raped in the shower should last this dirtbag a lifetime!
I finally got my Macbook Pro and now I have a means to keep this updated regularly.
I am in contact with a Police detective and we are working on gathering evidence against the person responsible.
Thank you for your support but until I have something more to add I will just leave this as is.
To every person on here that keeps telling me to get violent, please take this as a positive reminder to shut the FU** up! I don't need people advocating committing a crime to right this wrong, since the laptop is valued at over $1300 it is considered a felony with a minimum 5 year sentence.
Think about how much more satisfying it will be to know this dirtbag is in a 5x5 cell in an orange jumpsuit for five years than simply bloodied up. Being bloodied up is something you get over in a week, being raped in the shower should last this dirtbag a lifetime!
Gathering evidence? Don't you have enough to just go to his door with the Police Detective...Your friend already told you that his friend took it.
Don't get violent, but I'm sure this could have ALL been resolved a lot sooner..
Or maybe you don't want your PowerBook back..hence you already got your NEW MacBook PRO......Technically if the PowerBook comes back you wouldn't need the MBP...
If i was you since you live near campus and you know where the guy lives that has the powerbook. go to the weekly football practice or a frat house that has decent size members knock on the door or ask a football player a guy stole my laptop ill give 150$ if you come help me get it back. violence doesnt have to occur just if he see's a 6 or 7 foot guy there he might just pony up