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iPad mini Sold iPad and got counterfeit money, how should I take action?

D

dndandrea

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 10, 2010
265
0
Already filed police report, which obviously won't help me.

Is there anything I can extract from iTunes or backup files such as the serial number to report stolen? Then could reporting it as stolen send a signal out when the iPad is turned on?

Just happened tonight, i'm out $400. Lesson learned, but would like to take action and attempt to get my money back or justice.

edit: I found the serial number, but I just realized Apple does not offer to help in situations like these. Does anyone have any suggestions or is there nothing I can do?
 
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You are a very lucky fellow. One of our employees sold a MBP and received a counterfeit cashiers check. The bank notified the police. They thumped and banged on his door and he caved and opened it. They hauled him away and he was later convicted of possession of a counterfeit payment instrument, a felony. His pleas that he had no prior knowledge that the check was bad went unheard. He was convicted based on the fact that he was in mere possession of something illegal. Mens Rea no longer protects Americans.

I realize that laws vary from state to state but I wanted you to know how lucky you are that the police didn't take you away.
 
When is america going to get real money like Australia and Canada, which are much harder to confer-fit and extremely obvious in nearly all cases when it is counterfeited?
 
Wow, that bites.

How did you find that you received counterfeit money?

I don't think there's anything you can do at this stage :(
 
That sure sucks. Not much you can do. You were being honest and some dirt bag stung you. If you factory reset it and sold it thinking all things were straight up, it is long gone. Feel for you. Hope the police get them, because passing counterfeit a lot more serious than stealing your iPad.
 
Hate to say this but I would have just spent it here and there and rid myself of the fake cash. Why should you get screwed? Play dumb. It's not like you counterfeited it. You didn't know.... It's as simple as that.
 
I thought the whole process was fishy and my skeptical self decided to take a look at the bills after they left. I didn't see the watermark on the right side where the you can see the president under light. I compared it with my roommate and then it became obvious that it was counterfeit. The bills even felt different, but any random person probably wouldn't realize it.

Called the cops as soon as I realized it, and I knew i'd be out $400 plus my iPad.

The only thing I can think of doing is calling every pawn shop in a 2 hour radius and observing any iPad sold on craigslist/ebay. If anyone has anything better please let me know!
 
are you in the US?

While it is a small amount - the secret service generally handles any cases involving counterfeit US dollars. May be worth looking into filing a report there, assuming you are US-based.

Hate to say it but some police departments are fairly clueless about how to handle these cases. A few years back someone was passing fake bills in my area - and the police didn't do anything for weeks. Sure enough the secret service heard about it via the news and was here the next day after the broadcast, with the FBI, checking with retailers (including one I worked at)
 
Wow, the same thing happened to me about a week ago, I got over it fast cause I keep thinking it could have been worse (like he could shoot me or something like that) but I miss my iPad very much and can't get a new one knowing that the iPad Air 2 is just around the corner. It was a great lesson (learned the hard way though)
 
jeremysteele said:
are you in the US?

While it is a small amount - the secret service generally handles any cases involving counterfeit US dollars. May be worth looking into filing a report there, assuming you are US-based.

Hate to say it but some police departments are fairly clueless about how to handle these cases. A few years back someone was passing fake bills in my area - and the police didn't do anything for weeks. Sure enough the secret service heard about it via the news and was here the next day after the broadcast, with the FBI, checking with retailers (including one I worked at)
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Yea, but I already gave the money to the local police department :(.

kevin4 said:
Wow, the same thing happened to me about a week ago, I got over it fast cause I keep thinking it could have been worse (like he could shoot me or something like that) but I miss my iPad very much and can't get a new one knowing that the iPad Air 2 is just around the corner. It was a great lesson (learned the hard way though)
Click to expand...
Very true, and that's what was going through my mind all night last night. I have to get over it quickly because there's important stuff I have to focus on all this week. I'm trying not to let it distract me, but I feel like I should call all the pawn shops, keep checking craigslist, keep checking ebay, etc... Like you said though, lesson learned the hard way.
 
Plutonius said:
It was probably printed on one side :).

Threads like these make it even less likely that I would want to sell something to a stranger :(.
Click to expand...

yeah..either sell to coworker/friend or gift to family/friend. Its usually not worth the hassle...hence people doing iphone tradeins and such.
 
dndandrea said:
Very true, and that's what was going through my mind all night last night. I have to get over it quickly because there's important stuff I have to focus on all this week. I'm trying not to let it distract me, but I feel like I should call all the pawn shops, keep checking craigslist, keep checking ebay, etc... Like you said though, lesson learned the hard way.
Click to expand...

At least you are at that point. Far too many people these days have something negative happen and let it consume them (like those psychos who yell at Apple employees on youtube...).

Better off focusing on your main things (your job, partner, home, etc) since in the long run those will be far more impactful than a $400 loss. Just remember in the future: meet at an apple store/bank and only accept bank checks (or if cash: have a bank teller check it right then and there). If they refuse - they aren't worth it.
 
Selling to a stranger is fine...

1. Buy a money marker for determining if bills are counterfeit
2. meet in a very public place
3. No checks/money orders/cashier's checks. Cash only
4. Never give out your address
 
s2mikey said:
Hate to say this but I would have just spent it here and there and rid myself of the fake cash. Why should you get screwed? Play dumb. It's not like you counterfeited it. You didn't know.... It's as simple as that.
Click to expand...

So much better to screw someone else.


(Yes, high horse and all that!)
 
s2mikey said:
Hate to say this but I would have just spent it here and there and rid myself of the fake cash. Why should you get screwed? Play dumb. It's not like you counterfeited it. You didn't know.... It's as simple as that.
Click to expand...

lemme see, I get screwed and realize the money is no good so knowing it's bad I should go out and see if I can pass it off to someone else cause after all I didn't want to take bad money...hey I got a better idea, I could stick it in the church collection plate on Sunday. That way nobody but me and the big guy would know who put the bad money in the plate, I wouldn't actually be getting goods or services for the bad money and I would get a tax deduction for it. How's that for passing the buck.
Geez, your momma oughta be proud.
and did you consider what would the G-Men think of you passing money that you knew was bad, I think maybe that's called counterfeiting or something close to it.
 
s2mikey said:
Hate to say this but I would have just spent it here and there and rid myself of the fake cash. Why should you get screwed? Play dumb. It's not like you counterfeited it. You didn't know.... It's as simple as that.
Click to expand...

This is real brilliant. You are out an iPad and have $400 in bad money. When trying to pass off the money, what are the chances of getting caught? You go from an innocent victim to one knowingly passing off counterfeit money. Your lawyer will go through that $400 in no time not to mention some really fun interrogations from the Secret Service and others.
 
You can't do much at this point.
I wouldn't do anything that could land me in trouble :eek:

Sorry for the loss of your iPad and $400. :(
 
hpucker99 said:
This is real brilliant. You are out an iPad and have $400 in bad money. When trying to pass off the money, what are the chances of getting caught? You go from an innocent victim to one knowingly passing off counterfeit money. Your lawyer will go through that $400 in no time not to mention some really fun interrogations from the Secret Service and others.
Click to expand...

Nope. You didn't know it was counterfeit. Twenty here, twenty there. Couple of weeks worth of gas or whatever. Like most currency isn't counterfeit anyways, it isn't backed by anything and the Feds print it like toilet paper. :p

Enough with all the goody, goodys here...geesh.
 
s2mikey said:
Hate to say this but I would have just spent it here and there and rid myself of the fake cash. Why should you get screwed? Play dumb. It's not like you counterfeited it. You didn't know.... It's as simple as that.
Click to expand...

Of course, for all we know the buyer was doing just that. There's no way to know how many hands the fake cash has passed through. Who's to say the buyer even knew it was fake?
 
s2mikey said:
Nope. You didn't know it was counterfeit. Twenty here, twenty there. Couple of weeks worth of gas or whatever. Like most currency isn't counterfeit anyways, it isn't backed by anything and the Feds print it like toilet paper. :p

Enough with all the goody, goodys here...geesh.
Click to expand...

While I get what you are saying if this person were to get caught would they not get in serious trouble for passing off counterfeit money?
 
I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you. That sucks.
Usually when I sell something on craigslist I look at the bills that they hand me. If they feel like they're old like that they've been in circulation for a few years and are twenty dollar bills I'm fine. Anything over a $100 I always check for the watermark (unless they hand me the newer $100 bill).
 
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