What to do? Seemingly stolen Macbook is locked and unregistered

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Level 1

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What to do? Seemingly stolen Macbook is locked and unregistered

Hi all,

My wife and I bought a Macbook Pro Retina off of craigslist a few weeks ago (first mistake, I know). I checked the serial number before buying and everything seemed legit, but it looks like I was wrong. Out of nowhere today, the computer was remotely locked, I'm assuming through icloud, with a message announcing that the computer was stolen. I contacted the seller who "knew nothing about it," and then called the police. They say that since no one has reported it stolen, there is nothing that they can do and that I should bring it to the apple store to see if they will unlock it for me. If I bring it in, will apple be able to contact the original owner? Any advice?

MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted on Nov 4, 2013 9:34 PM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,891 points

Nov 4, 2013 11:47 PM in response to nwbanjo

Almost certainly, it's stolen property and the money you paid for it has also been stolen. You can take it to an Apple Store to be unlocked. Apple is not a law enforcement agency and it doesn't track stolen goods. However, you may be asked to provide proof that you're the rightful owner.

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Answer 2

Nov 4, 2013 9:56 PM in response to nwbanjo

Hello!

First, your MacBook Pro's most possible is the STEALER sold the STOLEN Macbook Pro to you. Another possible solution is the seller had his Apple ID logged in to the MacBook Pro and locked your mac using Find my iPhone. You should not buy apple computers through ebay or online sellers. You should buy your MacBook Pro through Official Apple Store but not other companies and websites. They might sell stolen macbook pro or other bad problems to you.

Jimmy Wong

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Answer 3

nwbanjo Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 4, 2013 10:02 PM in response to jimmywong1111

Thanks, Jimmy, I've definitely learned my lesson. At this point the question is, what do I do with this locked computer? The police aren't interested. Throw it away? Drop it off at the apple store? It makes sense that the original owner would lock the computer (I would), but why not report it as stolen so that they can get it back?

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