Strange pictures in my trash can

A while ago, I looked in the trash can of my macbook pro and discovered that there were tons of pictures in there of a woman I've never seen before on vacation. I have no idea how they got there and it really freaked me out. Can anyone offer a possible explanation?

Does anyone else have access to your computer?
Do you have an external drive or USB stick belonging to someone else plugged in?

Thanks for replying. No one else has access to my laptop, and I didn't have any USB sticks plugged in. Could someone have remote access to my computer, do you think?

countryliving12 said:

A while ago, I looked in the trash can of my macbook pro and discovered that there were tons of pictures in there of a woman I've never seen before on vacation. I have no idea how they got there and it really freaked me out. Can anyone offer a possible explanation?

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countryliving12 said:

No one else has access to my laptop, and I didn't have any USB sticks plugged in. Could someone have remote access to my computer, do you think?

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Depending on how often you check or empty your trash can…those photos could have been in there a long time. Depending on how long you have had this computer…and depending on how mobile you are with the computer…someone may have been using your computer without you knowing it (even for a few minutes).

It's hard to have 100% security on a mobile MacBook Pro…especially working in an office or as a student….when you are away from home for many hours each day.

- Nick

The computer was pretty new at the time of this occurrence, so I hadn't put much on it, and I definitely had never seen these pictures before in my life. There were probably at least 2 dozen of these pictures in the trash. I also never take the computer anywhere, it's always at home, and it's password protected. I am 100% sure no one put the pictures on my macbook in person, so I'm wondering how else they could have gotten on there.

Where did you purchase the computer from? Was it new or a refurbished model? Certain stores that sell computers (That includes Macs) will put a returned computer back out for sale but neglect to wipe it and maybe not even notify the customer that it was a return.

I bought it from my local Apple store. Do you think it's possible they sold me a refurbished model by mistake?

No, not from an Apple Store unless it was specifically designated as refurbished. But if your Mac was new and no one else had access to it, and you don't recognize the photos in the Trash, it has to make you wonder? Because they had to get there from somewhere.

Yeah, I've wondered about it a lot. It was pretty disconcerting. I've searched, and I haven't been able to find anybody with a similar experience. I wonder if it was a virus or if I was hacked, but I didn't notice anything else being different, just all those pictures in the trash can. Totally bizarre.

I think maybe (for the moment)...just emptying the trash (get rid of those photos)…then keeping a close eye on things to see if it happens again is the way to go.

- Nick

A mix-up with iCloud accounts perhaps?

Particularly, if you have a refurbished iOS device, or sold off your old one and didn't de-register or cancel Photostream, etc?

BTW, what are your settings for AirDrop and/or Bonjour?

Also, check the images in Get Info or even MediaInfo - if an image is downloaded from online source, the URL might still show up - might give you a clue as to where these came from.

+1. Great suggestions from David. Maybe the mystery isn't so mysterious after all?