Help me figure out the ethics of buying stolen bikes (or other stolen things). [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 24, 2009 - 58 answers

What is the probability that the worst will happen? My girlfriend lost her keys. What are the odds that someone will find all the right places to use these keys? [more inside]
posted by AlliKat75 on Oct 20, 2009 - 16 answers

Left my phone at the restaurant/bar after dinner, went back and was told they had it but the waitress had misplaced it. Is there anything I can do? [more inside]
posted by shopefowler on Oct 10, 2009 - 60 answers

Is this computer hot? [more inside]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker on Oct 10, 2009 - 12 answers

Iphone cached data question: How much of my Mail data is cached on the iphone, and how much is fetched each time i connect to the mail app? My phone was stolen so am very concerned about the data that might be left on it, even though the phone itself has been cancelled. [more inside]
posted by kev23f on Oct 7, 2009 - 10 answers

Quick! I right at this fleeting moment have remote access to a stolen laptop of mine that had logmein installed. what files can i copy over from it that might hold any type of identifying information? i can see that the thief uses firefox, so are there firefox logfiles that would track what websites he's visited, even his online email account or something along those lines? any other useful files anyone can think of that can help me track this guy down? [more inside]
posted by grammalvsu on Aug 24, 2009 - 22 answers

What should I do to report a lost or stolen birth certificate of a minor? [more inside]
posted by magnoliasouth on Aug 13, 2009 - 7 answers

A friend of mine's indoor/outdoor cat, chipped and registered keeps getting stolen by some crazy girl. Seattle PD says they won't handle an indoor/outdoor cat case. [more inside]
posted by crasspastor on Jul 18, 2009 - 49 answers

Yet another sad bike story in Chicago. Can you help me find a new wheel or a new bike? [more inside]
posted by smeater44 on May 22, 2009 - 10 answers

My car stereo just got stolen - while my car was in my driveway. Should I report it to my insurance company? [more inside]
posted by agentmunroe on May 10, 2009 - 11 answers

Somebody stole and is reproducing artwork that I never copyrighted or trademarked. What can I do? Details inside... [more inside]
posted by maalsa on Apr 16, 2009 - 18 answers

Do signs that say "We Are Not Responsible for Lost or Stolen Valuables" actually provide any legal protection? [more inside]
posted by hamsterdam on Apr 1, 2009 - 7 answers

Laptop stolen, and I have the IP address. What should I do with it? [more inside]
posted by miniminimarket on Mar 30, 2009 - 9 answers

How can I avoid having my car broken into -- again? I've had a GPS and an iPod stolen out of my car twice in the past three months. Assuming I buy replacements for one or both, how do I avoid going through this yet again in another three months? What have others found to be effective or ineffective, and are there any relevant stats or studies on any of this? My current best plan is to simply remove both from my car every time I get out (except in my garage); that'll be a PITA, but manageable. Are thieves going to see the mounts and break in anyway? If I leave them locked in the glove compartment instead, are they significantly less safe than on my person? If I simply mounted the GPS somewhere other than the windshield, as suggested by the office taking the report the second time, is that enough to make a difference? [more inside]
posted by SeanCier on Mar 2, 2009 - 38 answers

Someone took my keys at party, crashed my car, and abandoned it. I found out who did it. Now what? [more inside]
posted by ad4pt on Jan 22, 2009 - 26 answers

A question about someone impersonating my uncle to steal money from his checking account, and how to guard against future attacks. [more inside]
posted by blueberry on Nov 12, 2008 - 5 answers

What is the eventual disposition of GPS navigation units that get stolen from cars in the United States? Specifically, what about GPS units that are locked with PINs? Details and more specifics inside. [more inside]
posted by Juffo-Wup on Oct 5, 2008 - 6 answers

Another roommate gone bad situation. She walked out on a lease, left utilities bills behind, cleaned out the apartment and took a TV and DVR that didn't belong to her. Ugh. [more inside]
posted by queue_strategy on Sep 24, 2008 - 13 answers

How do I know if the MacBook I'm buying is stolen and what happens if it is? [more inside]
posted by Thrillhouse on Jul 29, 2008 - 9 answers

My Macbook Pro was stolen. Just about the only non-shitty thing about it is that I keep my huge iTunes library on an external drive. All the music files are on the drive, but the data files (library.xml) were on the stolen Mac. I have another Macbook. What's the simplest way I can rebuild my library on it? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on May 8, 2008 - 13 answers

My friend's computer was recently stolen.... help me get it back! [more inside]
posted by peewinkle on May 6, 2008 - 4 answers

Broken car window, stolen iPod. Yep, I'm a careless idiot. Looking for info on renter's insurance (too little, too late?), potential new generations of iPods, dealing with emotional anxiety after being robbed. [more inside]
posted by booknerd on Apr 30, 2008 - 21 answers

My friend is a server at a privately-owned restaurant, and she received a big tip from a patron ($40 on a $100 bill). However, it turns out days later that the card used was stolen, and now the restaurant owners have asked for her to return the tip money. Do they have any legal ground to do so? [more inside]
posted by Mach3avelli on Jan 7, 2008 - 33 answers

Any recourse for bungled MacBook FedEx delivery? No one saw the package, and no one will help... [more inside]
posted by quarterframer on Aug 7, 2007 - 21 answers

Stolen ibook, email from Apple about recent call to Apple Support...think I have a chance? [more inside]
posted by thisisnotkatrina on Jul 21, 2007 - 7 answers

Can people access information on Geni.com to steal an identity? [more inside]
posted by GeneticFreek on Jul 19, 2007 - 2 answers

My friend lost his cell phone last week at Great Adventure. He didn't listen to me and didn't report it to T-Mobile. Now he has a $700 bill due to someone making calls with his cell to the UK everyday. Is he screwed? [more inside]
posted by pinksoftsoap on Jul 5, 2007 - 11 answers

I was told a story once, about an American stealing Non-obese Diabetic (NOD) mice from a Japanese lab, and smuggling them back to the States. But I can't find the story anywhere on the web. [more inside]
posted by kisch mokusch on May 25, 2007 - 4 answers

How can I catch the villain who stole my laptop? [more inside]
posted by unSane on Apr 23, 2007 - 29 answers

The RSS feed from my blog is being copied in full (pictures and all, hot linking no less) to someone else's blog. The blog is is clearly a spam blog, harvesting hundreds of feeds and republishing them in full. The whois for this site is not helpful, what if anything should I do? [more inside]
posted by stilgar on Mar 19, 2007 - 34 answers

Most interesting poetry which makes use found or appropriated language? [more inside]
posted by sleevener on Jan 5, 2007 - 15 answers

Stolen Hardware: Why is it so hard to check for? [more inside]
posted by SirStan on Nov 25, 2006 - 14 answers

Recently my bike and some other trivial stuff has been stolen off my porch. My bike was locked. :( I want to bait this thief with another bike (my broken one) and see who this jerk is. I have a mac and want to use a wireless webcam. Infrared is key since I believe he strikes at night. Is there an app for OS X and a compatible webcam for this situation? Ideally, it would not capture footage unless their is activity. -thanks
posted by bloodniece on Nov 13, 2006 - 14 answers

My scooter was stolen. Filed insurance, called police. Is there anything else I should do? [more inside]
posted by dog food sugar on Aug 27, 2006 - 13 answers

Playing detective after a stolen cell phone. [more inside]
posted by weaponsgradecarp on Jul 23, 2006 - 10 answers

Where is my girlfriend's diamond ring? We think it got stolen.... [more inside]
posted by Gankmore on Jul 21, 2006 - 7 answers

Is there anything else that I can do about my gf's stolen purse? [more inside]
posted by geonags on Jun 9, 2006 - 5 answers

I discovered over the weekend that someone has taken a photograph and an article of mine and published it in a book on cafe press without my permission or acknowledgement, what can I do? [more inside]
posted by [insert clever name here] on May 3, 2006 - 15 answers

Can a stolen computer be identified and maybe located over the internet from its network adapter MAC address? [more inside]
posted by anadem on Feb 24, 2006 - 12 answers

The unthinkable has happened. My primary laptop was stolen (along with my PDA, numerous key cards, my checkbook, and a prescription pad -- oh yes, some seattle crack head scored tonight). Aside from the obvious closing of bank and credit accounts, changing sensitive passwords, what else could a savvy scumbag come back to hurt me with? [more inside]
posted by Slarty Bartfast on Jan 25, 2006 - 10 answers

My mp3 player was stolen from my locker, and I need to find the serial number to show it's mine. I registered it on the creative website when I got it. Is there some way to find whatever information about my player that I gave them? (I didn't write it down) [more inside]
posted by martinX's bellbottoms on Jan 22, 2006 - 8 answers

Does the amount you paid for your car in a private sale affect the write off value? [more inside]
posted by miles1972 on Nov 8, 2005 - 6 answers

What do people really do with the CDs they steal? [more inside]
posted by FortyT-wo on Oct 22, 2005 - 23 answers

I understand that there is a new cell phone with an embedded chip that can assist parents locate their children. The cell phone works with GPS, an ID Chip, and a Microsoft program. The cell phone costs approximately $100.00. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9135838/site/newsweek/ Is there an inexpensive locator device (other than LoJak which is rather pricey) that can locate a car if stolen?
posted by Mckoan1 on Sep 1, 2005 - 3 answers

How embarrassing - I actually got password spoofed and my account stolen. How can I get my Yahoo account back? [more inside]
posted by -harlequin- on Aug 12, 2005 - 15 answers

Unpacking from a recent flight back to the U.S. from abroad, I just noticed that a few things were missing from my checked baggage (a pair of high-quality outdoor jackets). I'm wondering which avenue of renumeration would be the best to pursue - the airline (Continental), my renter's insurance policy, even the TSA - and how? [more inside]
posted by gottabefunky on Dec 17, 2004 - 7 answers

Here's an interesting one: a few weeks ago, my apartment was broken into and my laptop, my girlfriends laptop, a stereo and a few other pieces of electronics were stolen. My renters insurance covered most all of it (USAA is the best, if you don't already have it get renters insurance now) so I'm not too worried about getting the actual hardware back. But today I get a call from Apple corporate security telling me that my laptop has turned up. I got in touch with a woman who bought it off eBay. I don't really need to get the machine back from this woman as she would then be out the $1100 that she paid and all I really need are the files. It appears the whoever sold the computer to her did a complete reinstall and the machine appears to be blank. So first question: Can someone suggest some software that can recover my deleted files? I'm mostly hurt that I lost ~3 years of digital photographs. And the second and more interesting question: what can we do to track down the criminals? I have the ebay sellers ID: j.a.z.california and the original auction for my stolen powerbook here. This guy seems to be selling a lot of used electronics which fits exactly with the type of stuff that was stolen from my apartment. Anyone interested in scamming the scammers a la this previous post on the blue?

on spellcheck: not in dictionary: j.a.z.callifornia, change to: rapscallion how great is that?
posted by garethspor on Jun 3, 2004 - 18 answers