Stolen Macbook Pro

Apple has no record because they do not maintain records of stolen computers. That information is found via your local police department's connection to the national hot list. Obviously, the local Apple store did not report the theft to anyone so if you must blame anyone blame the local store's management.

I'm not sure why you are so surprised. This is the risk you take buying in such a way. Furthermore, this is a user to user help forum. There's nothing we can do to help you and complaining here about the event won't help you since Apple does not monitor these forums.

I suspect you bought the computer because it was substantially less than a new or refurbished model. If something seems to good to be true it probably is, my guess is this is a rule you may have violated. Another action you probably didn't do is read the term of use of these forums, where it says:

Stay on topic. Apple Support Communities is here to help people use Apple products and technologies more effectively. Unless otherwise noted, do not add Submissions about nontechnical topics, including:

1. Speculations or rumors about unannounced products.
2. Discussions of Apple policies or procedures or speculation on Apple decisions.

Good luck on your situation.

You got any information on the guy you bought it from? Like his car license or driver's license number, phone number, address, etc? Did you take a picture of him? I would have asked for all this, and if he would have refused any of it, I would have walked.

I got burned selling a laptop on eBay using COD. UPS delivered the unit and I got a bank cashiers check from UPS. I went and deposited the check and a few day later I get a call from the bank that the check was a phony. I was shocked! Even the guy at the bank said they done a real good job counterfeiting it. I was out $1800.00.

I would give up using Craigslist. You tried saving a few hundred bucks and lost $1700.00. I doubt you are going to see a positive outcome of this.

Also, Apple is not in the business of tracking products they sell, other than for warranty purposes. The AppleCare rep you talked to had no clue it was stolen because it was never even registered. How can you blame them? It's buyer beware when you are dealing with eBay and Craigslist.

For only a $200 delta why didn't you buy a refurbished unit from the Apple Store? Much less risky, hindsight is 20/20 though isn't it?

I almost did this on craigslist myself. I got the serial number but when I asked for the receipt he gave me the run around. I called Apple support and they did say the computer was clean. I decided to stay away and ended up buying a brand new 15" MacBook pro and just used my student discount. I felt safer and even though I spent more $ I am happy. Good luck and hope it works out. Let's hope someone else can learn from this. Best wishes.

can you give me more details of how the craigslist ad looked like? im looking to buy a mbp from chicago's craigslist at the moment and i just want an idea of what to look out for so i can make sure i dont buy from the same seller as you did

rauyeu2 wrote:

can you give me more details of how the craigslist ad looked like? im looking to buy a mbp from chicago's craigslist at the moment and i just want an idea of what to look out for so i can make sure i dont buy from the same seller as you did

It doesn't matter. These con artists just list with another email address. You don't even need an account with CL to post.

This is an old thread but I thought I would comment on it since I have first hand experience with this kind of tragedy.

I too had been burned by purchasing a Macbook Pro 15" on Craigslist. The price looked fair and I felt I could avoid taxes save a few bucks by buying second hand rather than through apple. I had purchased items such as computers before on Craigslist and was certain that I would be able to do so again. I contacted the seller and scheduled a meeting.

When I met with the seller, (a Chinese girl with poor English) I checked the specs of the computer by starting it and going to the system profiler in "about this mac". Everything looked exactly as specified. This was my first mistake. I should have looked at the serial number on the bottom of the computer and ran it through apple's serial checker or comparable website. I then paid for the computer and returned home.

When I got home I wanted to re-install the operating system as I always do so that I can have a fresh start. To my horror the specs for the brand new computer that I had just purchased changed to that of last years model. I didn't even realize it was possible but apparently the scammers had written a script which spoofed the system specs.

I immediately went to the police station and told them of my plight. They didn't want anything to do with it. I even told them that the scammers are probably still doing it because there are a lot of craigslist ads just like the one I had purchased still on CL. Still they did not want anything to do with it.

After being talked down from vigilantism from my loved ones I decided to chalk it up as a loss. I don't purchase computers or other big ticket items that are not directly verifiable any more on craigslist. There just seems to be too many scammers out there. I feel your pain when you post this and I hope that you get something from this experience.

I may be in the same situation that you are in. My question is what did you do with the stolen product? Obviously you can't return it. Give it to the police for evidence? It is an interesting moral dilemma.

Hello Makow,

I am sorry that you had to go through this. It is a very painful experience. My advice is to go to the police department in the area where the transaction took place and file a police report. Don't let them take the computer as evidence as it's not necessary. They may try to push you off because it is just more paper work for them. Really make them file the report because, hopefully if enough people file reports and complain they will be forced to do something about it. It saddens me to hear that this is still happening.

In the meantime, try to enjoy your new computer as best you can as there is really not much you can do other than file the police report.

Good Luck.

What a terrible response. The fact that you troll forums just to naysay is a scathing indictment on your character.

Chuckie2.0 wrote:

What a terrible response. The fact that you troll forums just to naysay is a scathing indictment on your character.

You joined this user-to-user community today to insult the character of someone who posted over 5 years ago? By the way, the poster who's character you insulted provided a good response 5 years ago. In fact his response would still apply today.