Stolen iPhone... Did I forget anything?

Did you steal it or someone took it from you?

Ha ha! No, it was stolen from me. I don’t usually refer to myself as Mr. A-hole, but maybe it’ll become a trend.

Did you remember to turn off the iron when you left the house?

I thought you might be in need of some humor during this difficult time.

Well, I was lucky. The reason I left it in the car was because my hands were full with my laptop and peripherals. So, that could have been swiped as well. (Thanks for the chuckle.)

Do you have 3.0? Why don’t you just do a remote wipe?

You have to subscribe via Mobile Me to utilize that “service.”

At least, that’s what the Apple store guy told me.

Damn that sucks orange juice, sorry dude

In that case…

Did you change your YouTube password (or is it the same as google?)
Did you disable texting from various services that send automatic texts (i.e. Twitter)?

I’m glad to see you did the most important thing… change your Fluther password!

Did it have the password thingy that when you don’t get the password right it erases everything from it when you type in your password incorrect after the 15 or 20th time?

@kevbo- My condolences. That really sucks.

did you have mobile banking? I pay my credit cards off of my iTouch…. i’d be screwed if someone lifted it from me.

I would not have canceled the account. If you were ever to have any chance of finding – and dealing with the thief – you need to see where who he calls. That would show on your account. It still might if they made any calls to friends before it was cut off.

Banking, and work info? Do you need to notify any contacts?
Do your passwords have a theme? Can he figure out others?
Most likely Ahole is going to sell it for crack and the person who buys it is just as guilty. What a waste…

You just convinced me of 3 things.
1) I should write an app that will direct short the Li Ion battery causing it to overheat, swell and destroy the unit upon receiving the correct 10 digit password.
2) This antitheft app should be on every phone
3) I really don’t need one.

You have my sympathy.

I just spoke with my security specialist.
Most likely your data is safe. Ahole is just going to flip it quickly for $100–150 on Craigslist. He wants to get rid of the stolen property and get the cash. He will not spend time trying to figure out what you have stored. The buyer will never register it and will have to wipe it clean so he can use it with his wifi.
Maybe this will help you sleep a little easier. Good luck.
Check Craigslist. Ahole is not the sharpest tool in the drawer.

I’m sorry for your loss!

Thanks all.

Okay… detective time.

Three calls were placed after the phone was stolen. I have the number and paid $5 for an Intelius.com report on that phone number. The report has yet to be delivered.

An ad for an unlocked phone nearly fitting my description popped up on Craigslist last night. I contacted the seller using a phony e-mail and have a dialog going with him today. He’s a freshman at the university which is within walking distance from where the break in occurred. He’s into skateboarding and there were a bunch of skateboarders standing around and hanging out at a video game den that’s in the same strip as where my car was parked.

I haven’t been able to immediately reach a live person with the police who can do anything to help me.

Any ideas on how to proceed without spooking the guy?

It could be Mrs. A-Hole…

Whatever happens you have a good excuse to get a 3GS now.

Every cloud etc.

I’d pass on the info you have gathered and pass it onto the police. I’d back off from it after that. Move on.

@kevbo Well done and not unexpected. Call campus security now and tell them the situation. Ahole is most likely not a student there, by the way. Also the seller is not likely the one who took it. They are friends. That is ok. He is still in possession of stolen property. The school is committed to stopping misrepresntation and bad behaviour on the part of its students. They will jump at the chance.
Now, a couple of questions. 1) Was your unit marked in any way distinctive? 2)Do you have the serial number of the device on your person? Make sure you do.
Ahole told you he upgraded to 3GS and didn’t need this one, right? I can assure you this is not the first smash and grab he’s ever done. If you get him you solve a lot.
Try to set up the meeting in the same jurisdiction as where it was stolen so there are no extra law enforcement complications. Now call the police (make sure it is the right jurisdiction). Explain that you will be meeting him and need support “in case things turn violent”. (That is the flag.) It will help if you have two other friends a reasonable distance away taking pictures for you.
You will have to work quickly because there are a lot of Bholes willing to buy.
You and I don’t always agree, but this time, I’m with you 200%. Go get him.

Wow. Okay, so assuming the guy who placed the ad has my iPhone, he’s actually holding it for me until Monday (because I’m a mother who is buying it for her son), which is when the po-po first become available to intercede on my behalf. How crazy would it be if my phone came back to me?

I’m also learning what a good and manipulative liar I’ve become. Interesting and a little scary.

The only down side so far is that I lost a day and a half so far obsessing on this. Almost makes me wish I didn’t see the ad.

@kevbo- I hope this guy has it. If not, the poor guy is going to be out a couple of days when he could have possibly made a sale.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Oh and tell him your “son” has like a few months to live, and getting the iPhone was one of his many wishes that had to be completed. Then knock him out

@AstroChuck, well he’s selling a scratched up phone without a charger for $300, so I’m pretty confident it’s not on the level.

I also have his facebook profile with all his friends, so I’m relishing the opportunity to do a shame campaign once the smoke clears on the police front.

@kevbo Street value should be $150. OK, $200 tops. I you dicker to make it seem real. Did he have a reason for not having the charger? Something like “I’m keeping the charger I got for my 2G ‘cause it will work with the 3GS.” vs. “I lost it.”
Make sure to carry paperwork with you. Good luck.

Yeah, the cops have all the paperwork, so they’re going to take care of it assuming they have the resources available. I think he’s selling it for so much because it’s jailbroken and unlocked and he’s a greedy little fuck.

Great! You pushed the right buttons. It will be interesting to see if Ahole is the “Smash and Grab“er. Usually the SAGer has a friend (more tech savvy) who sells it. Let’s call him C-hole. He will have a perfect alibi about where he was at the exact time your car was broken into – and he will repeat very quickly. “What’s you name, son.” “Not me man. I wasn’t at the Corner of 3rd and Main at 4:00 PM on Thursday. I was studying for my finals with Moe, Larry, and Curly.” The prick has been practicing for years and the cops have reports on this area, too. I’m sure you are not the first.
The police will want to end it right there because you have your stuff back. You will be tired. But, press charges anyway! He was/is in possession of stolen property. Look at the pain and inconvenience he and his buddies caused you and the next, and the next, The crime is a lot bigger than the broken window and that 4oz piece of plastic. You are in a perfect position to make a difference. Stay as mad as you are now.
Good Luck. I wish I could help you.

@kevbo- Well?

Yeah, it wasn’t my phone after all. Got the 3GS. The End.

Sorry to hear that. At least now you’ve got a kick ass iPhone.

:(

@astro & (auggie), thanks. The insurance co paid for it amazingly. Now I can fit my entire music collection with gigabytes to spare.

:D

I do have the number that was called after it was stolen. I’m thinking of telling the guy thanks for doing me the favor, now I have the 3GS, and someday when he or his buddy realize what a shit thing that was to do that they should buy Christmas presents for some disadvantaged kids or something. I think it would be sweet if 20 or more Flutherers all called and gave him the same message. I’ll post when I’m ready.

Sorry to hear that. At the very least, you got some guy thinking about not selling hot stuff on Craigslist.

GA @jfos, I was just thinking that myself.

Sorry to hear about your iPhone.
When I was at a restaurant at dinner the other night my iPhone too was stolen. I was literally gone for less than a minute!
I reported the iPhone stolen with the serial number here:
http://www.stolen-property.com/report-stolen-iPhone.php
It’s an international data base for stolen property so I’m really hoping that the thief gets caught.