Stolen MBP

agrajag42 · Aug 8, 2009

Just had my MBP stolen in Boston.

If anyone should come across a 15" (purchased last summer) matching these specs and would like to make someone else very, very happy, please reply or send me a PM.

Thanks,
Ethan

MacBookPro 15", 2.5Ghz, 250GB (7200RPM) HD, 4GB RAM
Part Number: MB488LL/A
Serial Number: W882109D1XW

pigoo3 · Aug 8, 2009

agrajag42 said:
Just had my MBP stolen in Boston.

If anyone should come across a 15" (purchased last summer) matching these specs and would like to make someone else very, very happy, please reply or send me a PM.

Thanks,
Ethan

MacBookPro 15", 2.5Ghz, 250GB (7200RPM) HD, 4GB RAM
Part Number: MB488LL/A
Serial Number: W882109D1XW

Sorry to hear about your loss. I hope something positive comes out of this.

Keep your eye on E-Bay & your local Craig's list...and if you see something that is very similar to your's...make some anonymous inquiries.

- Nick

05GT · Aug 8, 2009

How was it stolen?

NICKST3R · Aug 8, 2009

pigoo3 said:
Sorry to hear about your loss. I hope something positive comes out of this.

Keep your eye on E-Bay & your local Craig's list...and if you see something that is very similar to your's...make some anonymous inquiries.

- Nick

Yes definitely keep an eye on ebay/craigs list. when u see an item that seems awfully similar to yours look at the seller's location. Don't send him a message, just contact the police.

pigoo3 · Aug 8, 2009

NICKST3R said:
Don't send him a message, just contact the police.

While I don't 100% disagree with this approach...the MBP configuration in question is not that uncommon...and thus there could be plenty of MBP's on the Boston Craig's list that match.

We can't be sending the police to everyone's house & investigating everyone...and harassing them!

Think about it...if there were 10 MBP's on the Boston Craig's List with the same specifications in the next few days...and we sent the police to all 10...at least 9 (if not all 10)...will be false alarms!!!

Now put yourself in the position of an honest seller posting on Craig's List in Boston. You just posted your MBP on CL...you're enjoying your Saturday watching TV, playing on the computer, taking a nap...all of a sudden your doorbell rings...and it's the police.

Your heart starts racing...what did I do, I didn't do anything...you open the door & the police officer (in a deep-stern voice) says...excuse me sir, do you have a MBP for sale on CL? Yes you say. He says can we verify the serial number? You comply.

Of course it's not a match...this is just some honest guy posting on CL. A totally unnecessary hassle to put this poor guy and other folks through.

And that's even if the police will investigate!

- Nick

JohnCL · Aug 8, 2009

pigoo3 said:
And that's even if the police will investigate!

- Nick

You hit the nail on the head with that statement. LEO's are not going to go around knocking on doors looking for a MBP.

pigoo3 · Aug 8, 2009

JohnCL said:
You hit the nail on the head with that statement. LEO's are not going to go around knocking on doors looking for a MBP.

Yes...they have much much better things to do!

- Nick

agrajag42 · Aug 8, 2009

Agreed

While I've reported it to the police and am now in their system, there is no way they're going to find it. I think the only way I'd see it again is if the guy who stole it was really stupid and posted the serial number, or if they (or whoever bought it) took it in to be serviced, and Apple ran the serial number and it came up as stolen.

I had to go to a dinner after work - buried it under a bunch of stuff in the back seat of my car. It was on Newbury Street, before midnight, on a Friday night. Locked, with the alarm armed. Tinted windows, though you couldn't see the case anyway. I didn't come straight from work, nobody knew it was there, and I didn't open the back doors when I got out of the car. Someone broke the back window, moved the stuff covering it out of the way, and took the bag. I was foolish, and very unlucky; about a $4000 mistake, all told.

akai0sixx · Aug 8, 2009

While I know its a bit late... I suggest people that travel with their MacBooks invest in LoJack. It saved mine..

pigoo3 · Aug 9, 2009

agrajag42 said:
While I've reported it to the police and am now in their system, there is no way they're going to find it. I think the only way I'd see it again is if the guy who stole it was really stupid and posted the serial number, or if they (or whoever bought it) took it in to be serviced, and Apple ran the serial number and it came up as stolen.

I had to go to a dinner after work - buried it under a bunch of stuff in the back seat of my car. It was on Newbury Street, before midnight, on a Friday night. Locked, with the alarm armed. Tinted windows, though you couldn't see the case anyway. I didn't come straight from work, nobody knew it was there, and I didn't open the back doors when I got out of the car. Someone broke the back window, moved the stuff covering it out of the way, and took the bag. I was foolish, and very unlucky; about a $4000 mistake, all told.

Sorry again to hear about the loss. It really really sucks!

I think sometimes we get a little "mentally lazy" about the value of our computers as we carry them with us everyday.

Think about it...we go to & from work with them...whip them out at the airport, Starbuck's, the Mall, etc. and don't give it a 2nd thought. These things are worth $1000 to $3000 bucks!!!

Would any of us whip out $3000 bucks cash (in $20 dollars bills) right in the middle of a busy Starbucks, placing all of the bills on the tabletop as we were counting the money???...no way!!!

Well that's what criminals see when we whip out our laptops.

Original poster (agrajag42)...consider this. Maybe the person that stole your laptop & bag...was watching you walking to your car (with the computer if you were walking)...or saw you burying the laptop in your backseat before locking the car.

They may have broken into your car 5 minutes after you left it...because they were actually targeting you...not just some sort of random act!

I know that this seems like a pretty unnerving thought...but very possible.

Some criminals are smarter & more devious than you think!

Sorry again!

- Nick

pigoo3 · Aug 9, 2009

akai0sixx said:
While I know its a bit late... I suggest people that travel with their MacBooks invest in LoJack. It saved mine..

The Lojack for computers is an interesting idea. I checked it out after I saw you post about it. I guess the down-side to it is you have to pay some sort of annual subscription.

Which of course is still cheaper than the replacement cost of the laptop.

My one question about the Lojack...since it is software based...what happens if someone erases & reformats your hard drive after they steal your computer?

- Nick

Eric559 · Aug 9, 2009

pigoo3 said:
The Lojack for computers is an interesting idea. I checked it out after I saw you post about it. I guess the down-side to it is you have to pay some sort of annual subscription.

Which of course is still cheaper than the replacement cost of the laptop.

My one question about the Lojack...since it is software based...what happens if someone erases & reformats your hard drive after they steal your computer?

- Nick

I believe it's rooted into BIOs or something during start up.

pigoo3 · Aug 9, 2009

Eric559 said:
I believe it's rooted into BIOs or something during start up.

Thanks! That would seem much more secure.

Sponsi · Aug 9, 2009

I looked into LoJack for my own laptop. Unfortunately, Mac's do not have a BIOS. A simple HD swap will deem LoJack useless.

Absolute Software - BIOS Compatibility

pigoo3 · Aug 9, 2009

Sponsi said:
I looked into LoJack for my own laptop. Unfortunately, Mac's do not have a BIOS. A simple HD swap will deem LoJack useless.

Absolute Software - BIOS Compatibility

Ok...now I'm not sure what to believe!

Eric559 · Aug 9, 2009

If stolen most people will not swap the hard drive. They might restore it (but how if they dont have your restore disks), use it and look for personal information, keep it for themselves or simply sale it like it is.

What lojack and Undercover do is when its turned on and connected it sends signals back home and lets you know location and what not.

Your only really screwed if the person NEVER turns on the computer but why would they not turn it on?

NICKST3R · Aug 9, 2009

pigoo3 said:
While I don't 100% disagree with this approach...the MBP configuration in question is not that uncommon...and thus there could be plenty of MBP's on the Boston Craig's list that match.

We can't be sending the police to everyone's house & investigating everyone...and harassing them!

Think about it...if there were 10 MBP's on the Boston Craig's List with the same specifications in the next few days...and we sent the police to all 10...at least 9 (if not all 10)...will be false alarms!!!

Now put yourself in the position of an honest seller posting on Craig's List in Boston. You just posted your MBP on CL...you're enjoying your Saturday watching TV, playing on the computer, taking a nap...all of a sudden your doorbell rings...and it's the police.

Your heart starts racing...what did I do, I didn't do anything...you open the door & the police officer (in a deep-stern voice) says...excuse me sir, do you have a MBP for sale on CL? Yes you say. He says can we verify the serial number? You comply.

Of course it's not a match...this is just some honest guy posting on CL. A totally unnecessary hassle to put this poor guy and other folks through.

And that's even if the police will investigate!

- Nick

Well how would you go about getting it back? If u ask the guy that stole it for a serial # he'll know its ur laptop and just give u a bogus one. I suggest iAlertu as a free option...

Eric559 · Aug 9, 2009

NICKST3R said:
Well how would you go about getting it back? If u ask the guy that stole it for a serial # he'll know its ur laptop and just give u a bogus one. I suggest iAlertu as a free option...

How will that program help in this situation? It was in his car. He's not going to hear the alarm from where he was at. If he was in a library or something near his computer then that could possibly work.

pigoo3 · Aug 9, 2009

NICKST3R said:
Well how would you go about getting it back? If u ask the guy that stole it for a serial # he'll know its ur laptop and just give u a bogus one. I suggest iAlertu as a free option...

It's a very difficult situation...and being "stealthy" would be very important.

You could:

- ask him for the serial number to check on warranty status (he may or may not be willing)...if it's a match, say you want to buy it & bring the police with you!

- skip asking for the serial #, and just say that you're interested in buying it...meet with him (at a neutral location like Starbuck's), and at that point check for the serial number. If it's a match...keep the laptop & call the police! If he really stole it...he's not going to hang around very long!!!

How's that for a plan!!! ;D

- Nick

Stolen MBP

agrajag42

pigoo3

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05GT

NICKST3R

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JohnCL

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agrajag42

akai0sixx

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Eric559

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Sponsi

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Eric559

NICKST3R

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