All iPads Recovered iPad Air 2 that was stolen two months ago! I'm so happy

[Soulweaponry]

I made a little video just to kinda thank the guy that returned it here, but if you don't wanna watch that's cool. I'll write down what happened just for people like you http://youtu.be/VnYhAOK87I4

Black Friday morning I just got off work (late November) and I noticed I got broken into and my stuff stolen. It was pretty much a smash and grab. I actually had more valuables laying around they didn't take because I guess they were in such a hurry. Most of the stuff they took was petty crap that I was surprised they even bothered to take. But the main thing that really got me was they took my brand new week old iPad Air 2 128 gig! Oh god. I had one good week with it before my beloved iPad was...iPad-napped?

So the police come and take my report and even someone from forensics comes out and takes pictures of the scene and fingerprints and all that. But really, the cop was honest with me that although they try to do what they can, it's pretty rare for stolen property like this to be returned. These things can pawned off or sold so fast that recovery can be difficult. So basically, don't get your hopes up on ever getting your stuff back.
Great. So now I'm out of a brand new iPad, have to replace expensive windows and get to carry around a newfound paranoia that I never had before that people are out to get me. I just felt so violated and so...unsafe. I didn't even want to buy another iPad for fear of it getting stolen. I was that panic stricken after all this happened. So I gave up hope for getting my stuff back, tried to be a lot more cautious and just went on with my life.

And then a couple nights ago I got a voicemail from this guy (the voicemail plays in the video I put up) saying he just bought an iPad off Craigslist and when he hooked it up to his computer my information popped up saying it was either lost or stolen so he wants to get in touch with me to give me my iPad back! I swear...I've never been so shocked and happy at the same time as when I heard that voicemail. I immediately called him back and we talked for a couple minutes and made plans to meet up. Apparently, he bought it from some guy on Craigslist for $200 and knew something was fishy when he got home with it. That's when he found my information and contacted both me and the police station asking to speak with detectives working this case. I felt really bad for him. He offered to return it to me and just eat the loss and I don't know. I felt like he was just as much a victim as I was, so I erased my old iPad mini and brought it with me to go meet him and let him have it, so at least he got something for his lost $200 and all the trouble this has caused.

I still haven't recovered my other stuff. The detectives are getting back to me soon on that. We have all the info on the guy that knowingly sold this stolen property from his name to Facebook to home address, so the police are very interested in what he has to say about all this. I'm just glad that I was able to get my stuff back. And so glad I put a password on that sucker and set it to wipe after 10 failed password attempts!

 

[madrich]

Good for you. I am glad you recovered it.

 

[Kendo]

Tagging this story. I want to know what happens.

Also, great that he was willing to eat $200 and that you gave him something in return.

 

[oneMadRssn]

This is a great story, but it should also serve as a warning to others: INSURANCE. A low-deductible personal property policy isn't so expensive, especially if you bundle it on top of your existing homeowners/renters policy. Plus it sort of obviates the need for AppleCare and other extended warranty plans.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Congrats on getting your iPad Air back. And kudos to you for the kind gesture towards the gentleman who contacted you. Well done, sir.

 

[RUGERMAN]

Find my phone??

This is a great story, but it should also serve as a warning to others: INSURANCE. A low-deductible personal property policy isn't so expensive, especially if you bundle it on top of your existing homeowners/renters policy. Plus it sort of obviates the need for AppleCare and other extended warranty plans.

You didn't have any way of activating "find my iphone"? that way you could have at least erased the device remotely and maybe even found it that way.

 

[thmshale]

This is a great story, but it should also serve as a warning to others: INSURANCE. A low-deductible personal property policy isn't so expensive, especially if you bundle it on top of your existing homeowners/renters policy. Plus it sort of obviates the need for AppleCare and other extended warranty plans.

I second this. I've never been burgled but it's great having the peace of mind. I'm not sure if it obviates the need for AppleCare, though. I suppose that the insurance would cover the iPad in the event of fire or water damage to my apartment but its much more likely that some part of the iPad simply fails or gets damaged during its first two years.

 

[Soulweaponry]

You didn't have any way of activating "find my iphone"? that way you could have at least erased the device remotely and maybe even found it that way.

I tried that. That was actually one of the first things the cop suggested when he took my report. But I have a wifi only iPad and it had a password on it. I sent the command to lock and erase the iPad from iCloud but I guess they did the 10 failed password attempts before it erased. After that I guess it was stop with my info on it and nobody else could activate it. That's how the buyer found me

 

[noobinator]

Great ending but the guy that bought it wasn't too bright.

He said he knew as soon as he got home that something didn't seem right yet he still bought it? lol

 

[oneMadRssn]

I second this. I've never been burgled but it's great having the peace of mind. I'm not sure if it obviates the need for AppleCare, though. I suppose that the insurance would cover the iPad in the event of fire or water damage to my apartment but its much more likely that some part of the iPad simply fails or gets damaged during its first two years.

I've never done it with an iPad, but I had a Macbook Air SSD go bad about 18 months after purchase. I did not have extended AppleCare. Apple replaced the SSD, the logic board, and a couple of internal wires for about $700 if I remember correctly. Of course I had to front for the cost, but my insurance company reimbursed me that amount, less a $100 deductible, because the personal property coverage covered damage of any kind - even defects.

 

[Mivo]

Great ending but the guy that bought it wasn't too bright. He said he knew as soon as he got home that something didn't seem right yet he still bought it? lol

I don't think it's a matter of intelligence. He knew that the device was too cheap to be true, but he couldn't resist the opportunity. Many people jump on good deals, even if they know that they (at least) take advantage of someone's error or predicament. It's easy enough to rationalize something like this: "They probably needed the cash quickly.", "Maybe they didn't realize how much worth it is and they got it as a gift.", etc.

Then, when the message about it being lost or stolen popped up, there was no way to deny the real reason for the low price. I think he deserves credit for following his moral compass and having the courage to return it. Feeling bad is one thing, but dealing with the discomfort of calling the cops (making himself a suspect or expose himself to being questioned) and returning the iPad without asking anything in return, that is remarkable and worthy of respect.

In my eyes, anyway.

 

[Soulweaponry]

Just an update on my recovered iPad situation for those interested

Just a little update on my situation: I just got a call from police detectives telling me what's going on. They went to the guy that sold my iPad Air on Craigslist and questioned him about it and he said that he routinely sells stuff on Craigslist all the time and didn't know it was stolen. Despite it being sold to him for super cheap, having a password on it with someone else's information on it and then he sold it for only $200. An iPad Air 2 128 gig. For $200. If that was a legit non stolen iPad, why wouldn't he have sold it for way more than that? That's the most current generation with the max storage! And as we could see from his craigslist ad, he was trying to get it sold quick like he was nervous he was gonna get caught.*And he knew enough about it to list it for what it was just by looking at it. iPad Air 2 128 gig. If he knew that much, doesn't that suggest he's not totally ignorant? He also didn't say anything about there being a password on it in the Craigslist ad

I'm at a loss for words. I pointed this out to the detective and he said "well I don't know maybe he was ignorant about it and how much it's worth". What?! And the password part he rationalized as "he could've figured that someone sold their iPad but forgot to take the password off". Oh god...

I also asked if the guy that bought my stolen iPad was gonna get his $200 back. The cop said "that's for the civil courts to decide and it's such a lengthy process so it probably wouldn't be worth the trouble". Couldn't he have just asked the seller to return the money because what he sold wasn't his to sell in the first place?

I'm upset. I know I shouldn't be because I got my iPad back and that's amazing in itself. I just don't feel like any justice was done. Makes me even more glad I gave the Good Samaritan my old iPad. At least he got something out of it. Il just chalked this up as an expensive lesson to be more cautious and to buy renter's insurance.*

 

[sanke1]

Good story bro. Giving away your old ipad to the dude was nice touch to it.

 

[Mivo]

I'm upset. I know I shouldn't be because I got my iPad back and that's amazing in itself. I just don't feel like any justice was done.

On the bright side, his name is now in the system. If he's a fence, he'll come to the authority's attention again, and then this situation may well come back to bite him. It's unlikely that he'll change his ways, if he's guilty.

 

[MaulRx]

Giving him your iPad mini was mighty fine of you. This story is a good advertisement for renters\homeowners insurance.