How Not to Steal a Sidekick 424
timmit was one of many readers to point out the story of a stolen Sidekick, writing with this excerpt from the site: ""When my friend realized that she had left the Sidekick in the taxi she asked me to immediately send a message to the phone saying that we would give a reward for the phone. There was no response. After a day of waiting, she had to go to the store and spend over $300 on a new Sidekick. When she put her SIM card in, she saw that the person(s) that had taken the phone had not only signed on to AOL leaving their name and password in the phone, but they had taken pictures of themselves." I can sympathize, after someone with the address Rmluckyguy@aol.com tried to sell me back the Visor Deluxe stolen from my car last year in Philadelphia. I hope Evan has better luck.
Wait, so stupidity is news? (Score:2, Funny)
Oh, wait.....
Your stupidity is certainly not news. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wait, so stupidity is news? (Score:4, Funny)
Subscribers? (Score:5, Funny)
How not to get revenge... (Score:2, Funny)
D'oh (Score:5, Funny)
Re:D'oh (Score:3, Funny)
~X~
heh heh (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:heh heh (Score:2)
Security risk? (Score:3, Informative)
UPDATE #2: Some people are asking how we have their pics and AOL name. The way a Sidekick works, is that when you use it, all the data on it get's uploaded automatically to the T-Mobile server. So pictures you have taken, AOL names and passwords u have used, etc are all on the server. So when my friend turned on her new Sidekick and put her new SIM card in, all the data downloaded on to her phone. And that's how we have everything.
Now, that's a great thing so you really don't lose anything....but with alot of information been getting, um, lost lately in the media news, I dont know if I like things like that located centrally somewhere. If I lose something like that, I perfer it to all be lost and I have to start from scratch. Just like a hacked server. You don't just do backup restores, you reload from scratch.
Conflict resolution (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Conflict resolution (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Conflict resolution (Score:3, Funny)
That guy is really gutsy for being short a teste.
Re:Conflict resolution (Score:5, Funny)
Clearly not happy fun ball.
Re:Conflict resolution (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Conflict resolution (Score:3, Funny)
ask and you shall receive...
Wear it with pride!
Idiots (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Idiots (Score:2, Funny)
Thank you for sparing me the shock of that "a" in jackass, though. That was a nice touch.
Not the brightest people on the planet (Score:5, Interesting)
Ok, let's give the alleged thieves the benefit of the doubt. No matter what their story (and isn't it interesting to see how their stories change), it should be quite clear to them now that the Sidekick does not belong to them, and whether purchased from someone or found, they now have an object that has been reported stolen, making them accessories, no matter how you cut it. IANAL, but it doesn't take a shark to smell blood.
What makes this truly outrageous is that it doesn't occur to them that they've been found out. Thanks to Evan's website, everyone and his uncle knows about this:
From the web site:Update #12: June 7th, 7:00 p.m. eastern Sorry for the lack of updates...I answered emails till 1 p.m. and then had to leave to work...But I made it a short day so I could come back and give everyone an update..Wasn't that nice of me :-) Anyways.... I see that I have over 900 emails since 1 p.m. I will try and answer as many as I can. I will also add all the links you sent me to the ones below...I quickly scrolled though and must have counted at least 100-200 new links. I also have received emails from people offering me ISP hosting...As of right now, I should be good. I have unlimited bandwidth with this company...and so far I have not gotten the "digg" effect.(almost 3,200 at least count!). I have also talked to some radio stations. New York's 1010 WINS being one of them. Interviews are being scheduled for this week.
They might have been able to save face once they were "caught," but now it's going to be impossible. What's worse, they're stupid enough to keep using the thing, compounding their trouble!
It goes to show the power of the Internet though; once something is out there, the information is global in minutes. And there are pictures! These folks are not going to be able to hide for a long time... unless they wind up in a penitentiary somewhere.
Re:Not the brightest people on the planet (Score:2)
myspace visibility (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:myspace visibility (Score:4, Funny)
Police? (Score:2)
Re:Police? (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe not, but posession of stolen property is a felony. They know that it's stolen property. There's a police report filed regarding the stolen property. T-Mobile is apparently going to shut off the service, which means they're convinced it's stolen property.
If this guy really is an MP then he's putting his military career in jeopardy. This is the sort of thing that could get him booted out of the military, possibly after a trip to the brig, and undoubtedly with a dishonorable discharge.
Re:Police? (Score:4, Informative)
TITLE J
OFFENSES INVOLVING THEFT
ARTICLE 155
LARCENY
S 155.00 Larceny; definitions of terms.
The following definitions are applicable to this title:
7-c. "Access device" means any telephone calling card number, credit
card number, account number, mobile identification number, electronic
serial number or personal identification number that can be used to
obtain telephone service.
S 155.05 Larceny; defined.
1. A person steals property and commits larceny when, with intent to
deprive another of property or to appropriate the same to himself or to
a third person, he wrongfully takes, obtains or withholds such property
from an owner thereof.
2. Larceny includes a wrongful taking, obtaining or withholding of
another`s property, with the intent prescribed in subdivision one of
this section, committed in any of the following ways:
(b) By acquiring lost property.
A person acquires lost property when he exercises control over
property of another which he knows to have been lost or mislaid, or to
have been delivered under a mistake as to the identity of the recipient
or the nature or amount of the property, without taking reasonable
measures to return such property to the owner;
S 155.30 Grand larceny in the fourth degree.
A person is guilty of grand larceny in the fourth degree when he
steals property and when:
1. The value of the property exceeds one thousand dollars; or
10. The property consists of an access device which the person intends
to use unlawfully to obtain telephone service.
Grand larceny in the fourth degree is a class E felony.
Not that sort of sidekick, then (Score:5, Funny)
Z.
Re:Not that sort of sidekick, then (Score:4, Funny)
OT But idiots are just plain stupid (Score:5, Funny)
This all came to an end with their last victim who they "shot" in full view of a police cruiser (which you actually see on the tape)
Man my jaw dropped. I was astounded at their level of stupidity.
Mind you the Dumb and Dumber bank robbers [thedenverchannel.com] in Denver made me laugh my ass off as well. Although not in this article, I do remember that they were caught with pictures of themselves in "gansta" poses hlding their "loot"
Re:OT But idiots are just plain stupid (Score:3, Informative)
With the adrenalin flowing you just feel impact, and then the wet dye, prompting you to think you had been just shot with a real gun.
Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:5, Insightful)
However, it looks to me like the young girl in the pictures may be somewhat innocent. Let's call them Mr. Army and Ms. Booty, just to make it easier (any similarity in naming between real life and the monikers is purely accidental... no really.) Mr. Army says, ostensibly, that a cabbie sold it to him. I doubt that's true. They also say that Mr. Army gave it to Ms. Booty as a present. That's probably what happened. And she got a SIM card and took some pictures and logged onto her AOL and now this guy takes her and shows her to the world as if she's a monster. The person who deserves the world's ire is the thief, Mr. Army.
He really needs to own up to the situation. If he bought it from a cabbie, he had to know it was stolen. And if he stole it himself, well... the best thing he can do now is take the phone back and apologize. Anything else is just prolonging the inevitable, and possibly getting him a larger sentence, should Mr. Shamer choose to press charges.
I feel like Ms. Booty is at least somewhat innocent. As it stands now, it would appear that she knows the phone is stolen, but obviously she's young, and judging by the fact that she has a child, probably none too bright, and easily swayed by Mr. Army's persuasion. This is a black mark on her life that will follow her around for many years to come. I'm sure she will have to endure some harsh judgement from her peers at school, and I'm not absolutely certain she deserves that.
And now that Mr. Shamer has rejected offers for free webhosting 'gone over his current provider's bandwidth cap' and put up a donation link, it amounts to little more than a cry for cash.
I feel sorry for everyone involved.
Re:Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:2)
Re:Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:3, Interesting)
It wasn't like she bought
Re:Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:5, Insightful)
She got the SIM card in the phone. Sorry but try this out. "Hey want to buy this phone? Yea it is legit don't worry about the pictures already on it. Oh and don't worry about paying for service I will throw that in for you." Yea right...
Followed by
Here is a cell phone babe. Don't worry about the pictures and the account...
Nope this is theft.
"This is a black mark on her life that will follow her around for many years to come. I'm sure she will have to endure some harsh judgement from her peers at school, and I'm not absolutely certain she deserves that."
Why not. Shouldn't one have to bear judgement based on ones own actions? This isn't because of her gender, race, or even nationality. She decided to keep a phone that was stolen. She picked this path. I feel sorry for her child more than anything else.
Re:Shame, and Shaming the Shamer (Score:3, Funny)
Useful infos (Score:3, Funny)
Very, very smart!
cyber vigilantism, digital photos, and humiliation (Score:2, Insightful)
My SO had her laptop stolen last year, while on a trip home (to a country far from the US, where we currently live).
Several months later, we hear from the police to say a) that the burglar is in prison awaiting trial and b) they have her laptop. Her sister picked it up, and discovered that it was full of home made pr0n, and we briefly thought of posting some of the highlights on the web. However, the burglar was sitting in prison (and remains there to this day), and we couldn't be bothered humiliating him
AOL Users (Score:5, Funny)
Re:AOL Users (Score:5, Funny)
How to get free money (Score:5, Funny)
2. Create a story about how they are ethically challenged.
3. Crow about how you had to buy another one and these people are bad.
4. Reluctantly put up a Paypal account to collect money for "incurred costs".
5. wait for the naive techno fans to queue up to "help the cause".
6. Profit!!!
Assuming 2000 people give her $1 and 6 other people involved, now everybody has free sidekicks!
Hey, that's better than most mid 90's internet startups!
Ya beat me to it (Score:2)
I smell a phony
Re:How to get free money (Score:2)
Re:MOD PARENT DOWN (Score:3, Informative)
Re:MOD PARENT DOWN (Score:3, Funny)
Can't live more than a day without a gadget (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyway, how is stealing a sidekick different from stealing anything else and why does it deserve a story ? The phones of several of my friends have been stolen of the years. I had my car CD player stolen a couple of years ago, but you don't see me bitching about it on Slashdot (oops, now you do).
Re:Can't live more than a day without a gadget (Score:5, Insightful)
If that gadget were her only phone number (which is increasingly the case with people it seems), I can definitely understand.
IT BURNS! (Score:4, Informative)
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=u
The goggles they do nothing etc. Worst site I have seen in a while.
More seriously, it erodes your belief in the basic goodness of people, and hardens your attitude to certain classes of people, when you see such poor specimens of human beings as these.
In Capitalist America, thieves sue YOU! (Score:2, Funny)
Uh... so you're not sure if the stuff people are sending you is legal, but you're posting it anyway [reference.com]?
That's definitely not legal in the
Beginning to wonder if this is a fake (Score:5, Interesting)
Hear me out
The guy continually writes that he's not looking for fame and fortune, but goes on to list all the people who have pointed this out and what news outlets are looking to interview him. Bemoans the fact that he isn't on TV yet, and says he's not looking for fame in the same breath. Hmmm...
He then goes on to state over and over that he's not looking for money. That people suggested putting up a donation link, but he won't do it.... yet he doesn't hesitate to supply information regarding what everything costs over and over. Now, finally, that the number of people viewing has grown large enough he springs the 'Okay, you can donate, but only if you can afford it.'
Maybe I'm too cynical, but what's to stop someone living in corona (maybe it's the girl in the pics!) from pulling something like this? Set up a few phony myspace accounts and boom, good to go. You can make thousands off of the internet donation effect... why not?
Re:Beginning to wonder if this is a fake (Score:3, Insightful)
Cynical perhaps... Maybe NASA never did land on the moon... it was all directed by Spielberg!
Re:Beginning to wonder if this is a fake (Score:3, Interesting)
I was born in 1975 in Manhattan and raised in Greenwich, CT. I left home at the early age of 14 and moved to NY. I lived in Brooklyn, Queens, Switzerland, England, and Israel...though not in that particular order. At the age of 19-20 I moved to Battery Park City in Manhattan and started working in Wall St. I lived there for the next 7 years designing the market data and trading technologies for places like CIBC Oppenheim
Re:Beginning to wonder if this is a fake (Score:3, Insightful)
The details are too perfect. Like the conflicting stories, multiple myspace accounts some of which have been deactivated. Unless a person cons for a living they wouldn't think of human nature stuff like that. Some o
Re:Beginning to wonder if this is a fake (Score:3, Insightful)
evanwashere.com:
Evan [last name removed]
68 [Street removed] Hill Rd
[city removed], CT [zip removed]
+1.917[number removed]
[email removed]
I wondered also if this was legitimate but it seems like a lot of effort and risk to take for a few donations. I currently believe it's legitimate -
Army dude is toast if he is reported to his CO (Score:5, Insightful)
"listen you dumb mother fucker my sister bought that phone from some cab driver so what the fuck do you want . shes not going to return it if she bought it, and am military police so dont give me that bullshit about you going to the cops over a lost phone the nypd has better things to do then to worry about your friend losing her phone. you better stop harrasing my sister or you'll have to deal with me and you dont want that"
Shows a lack of impulse control, immaturity, and absence of sound judgement: given the mutlple recent international incidents our military has been involved in, I truly hope they take away his weapon privileges, and soon.
I am not a JAG, but, there are about a dozen things they can charge him with there, from 'conduct unbecoming', to making a threat, conspiracy, etc. Not good.
They should turn him over to the grammar and spelling Nazis too....
Re:Army dude is toast if he is reported to his CO (Score:3, Funny)
I shall heretofore cease my references to "$BEHAVIOR Nazis." From this day forth, I shall only refer to "$BEHAVIOR JAGs."
Re:Army dude is toast if he is reported to his CO (Score:3, Interesting)
Depends on that particular chain of command, really. I've seen CO's not do a damn thing if they figure it won't come back to bite them. The guy definitely doesn't sound like an officer, so a wise move above and beyond reporting the incident(s) to his CO would be a few well-placed phone calls to his First Sergeant and Sergeant Major (this is all if you can find out what unit he's in, of course) to help get the ball rolling.
One of my chaplains once said in a new soldier orientation: "In a world of good th
Re:Army dude is toast if he is reported to his CO (Score:3, Informative)
Bring it on Sista! (Score:2, Funny)
OH! You De-dnt! (two snaps and a circle) You and your boi-frieeeend with rough neck gangsta wannabe outfit like "oh i'm finally out of my grandma's basement" with his raggidity looking pimp squad can kiss my black ass of sweetness.
Bring it oun, bitch!!11!1! I'll squash you whore like a spanish fly and sting your stank whore ass like Queen bee.
New trend? (Score:4, Insightful)
It seems like a new trend to get things like this "public" in order to get back to the offenders, using the open and more and more community-like nature of the internet.
I wouldn't be surpriced if in a while these you-are-a-criminal-bitch! webpages start popping up plentyful as people seem to feel they "can do something" and hunting the offenders down, having direct result as it exposes them in their own social network (blog/myspace/...) having a bigger impact (a "most in my direct environment and social network dissaproved" vs. "some stupid cop 'caught me'") or perhaps, for some, it's way to be able to mock someone. It's fascinating to see it resembling an old custom where criminals were publically humiliated and displayed on the townsquare for everyone to enjoy.
The guy with the laptop distressed me and I felt relief him getting exposed in his questionable activities. It really looked like the guy explicitely intended to sell some broken laptop and profit off of it. Judging from the pictures though, this girl seems to be rather young and lower class, just wanting to get in on the whole technology gadgets-train and saw an opportunity. I don't approve of it, and think she just should've given the sideKick back without going all racist and intimidating over it. But it seems less of a threat. Although, it appeared she felt "untouchable" by the way she communicated back. I suppose being critisized by a wold-audience personally adressed to you will do more then a criminal record which means in certain circles how "tough" and "gansta" you are.
I do wonder what the long term damage will be as many companies track your name on the internet before hiring...
Theives taking photos of themselves! (Score:5, Interesting)
committing other crimes.
One of them was caught a few days later, with my camera. The police returned my camera, and when I checked the memory card, I found that it contained a number of pictures of the two guys who had taken pictures of each other, breaking into cars and houses, all very clear and recognizable. It was obvious that the police had not inspected the camera memory.
The guy that was caught, had tried to claim that the camera was his, and when they pressed him with the evidence they had, he eventually admitted to one car break-in, and insisted he was alone. The date-stamped images on my camera told a different story. It was actually very satisfying to show this stuff to the detective. But, he made it clear to me that thieves doing stupid things is not at all unusual.
Probably a stupid question, but it's bothering me. (Score:3, Interesting)
Isn't posting these pictures without permission strictly speaking a copyright violation? I mean, they're not his photos ...
Although fair use, I guess, could be argued, and damages (if any) would be minimal. Plus, of course, the guy could cross-sue with all sorts of neat stuff ...
But even so, technically ... isn't this arguably a violation?
Re:Probably a stupid question, but it's bothering (Score:3, Interesting)
To extend that out, does a music recording made with a stolen guitar become the players, or the owners?
In this case, though, since the photos are uploaded as part of a service (T-Mobile) and that service belongs to the legal owner, I would think the EULA an
Re:Probably a stupid question, but it's bothering (Score:3, Informative)
they're not his photos
In what way are they not his? They were taken with his camera, uploaded to his account via his subscription. There's an old saying that possession is 9/10ths of the law, and at no point were these photos not in his possession. The camera was not in his possession, though it still belonged to him. But at no point were the photos, which are not physical objects, taken by or stored in any device not owned by him. They are his.
I, ANAL
Where's the service provider in all this? (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh wait...this way they get to sell another phone. Question answered.
Google Group (Score:5, Informative)
http://groups.google.com/group/stolensidekick [google.com]
Please mod up so people will become aware of this. I've already sent Evan an e-mail.
I had my Verizon Razr V3C stolen last week... (Score:5, Interesting)
Here's how it went down. A week ago I was at a gas station talking with my fiancee in the car while the tank was filling up. My phone was on the sidepocket of the door (the armrest thing on the door) and the door was open. I know, stupid move. But I had been really paranoid about losing it cause I had just bought it so I was checking on it every 30 seconds ago so I figured it was safe enough. The tank finally finished filling so I exited the car and that's when I noticed that my phone was missing.
I did that whole thing where you check the ground and your pockets and begin to freak out. Then I remembered some dude had walked right by our car maybe 30 seconds before I saw it missing. I looked on the other side of our pump and there was this 40+ something Hispanic gangsta dude with tattoos all on his neck asking some people for money for his "Car that broke down."
In his breast pocket I could see what appeared to be the outline of my phone. He saw me looking at him and approached me and gave me some cockeyed story about how he ran out of gas and if I could only spare a dollar or so it would really help him. I told him I was busy at the moment if he would wait for me "over there" (out of earshot) I would be with him and maybe I could help him.
I looked at my fiancée and said, "Call my cellphone."
She asks what's going on.
I tell her just to do it.
So she calls my phone.
As I approach the guy I hear, clear as day, the techno ringtone coming from his breast pocket.
Damn I love how loud that thing is.
I get in his face and tell him to give me my phone back.
He looks confused.
I point at his pocket and say, "You stole my phone, give it now."
He pulls it out of his pocket, gives it to me, and says, "Oh no man, I found this over there." (points to the opposite side of the gas station).
"No you f*cking didn't. You stole that phone from me asshole. Don't play stupid fess up."
"No man, I don't know what you are talking about. Look, can you spare me some money or what?" [he's trying to avoid the discussion]
"You just f*cking stole my cell phone. You know how much that thing cost me? What, you think I'm rich or something?"
At this point everyone in the gas station is looking at us cause I'm berating this punk and getting ready for a showdown.
"Dude, if you don't want to help me that's fine."
He starts walking across the street to another gas station to evade me.
I look at my fiancée and say, "Call 911."
I chase after the guy and call 911 myself and explain to the dispatcher what is happening. I'm no more than 5 feet behind this guy at all times while he's trying to evade me and people are wondering what's going on. At one point he comes at me in a threatening manner saying, "Man- Who you on the phone with!?" I tell him I'm calling the police.
The dude runs back across the street and I run back after him weaving through traffic. He gets in a nice newer Nissan Maxima and I jump in front of the car and read off the plates to the dispatcher. The asshole tries to run me over with his f*cking car, peels out, and speeds away.
By this time everyone in the gas station is in total awe looking at what unfolded before them.
It takes forever to get the Sheriffs there but I'm pleased with the way they respond and handle the situation. They take a report from myself and witnesses. They later call me and tell me the license plate was registered to this guy's daughter. They went to her address and she told him to check at the ex-wife's. When they get there they find the dude. They discover heroin paraphernalia in his vehicle.
They book him with Theft, drug, and assault with a deadly weapon (his car).
What a day.
The dude picked the wrong guy to f*ck with. In two weeks I'll be in police academy.
Watch out for your stuff people. People are not always as they seem.
He called the right number - 911 (Score:3, Insightful)
911 is for "real time" situations. You should call well before it becomes a life-threatening emergency.
In my district, you're not only supposed to call 911 for a fleeing thief, you're supposed to call 911 before they become a thief and flee. I can tell you with certainty that my local police commander would have encouraged people at that gas station to call 911 with a suspicious person report before he stole anything. Think about it, does the guy's panhandling story make
Re:I had my Verizon Razr V3C stolen last week... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:5, Funny)
Did a subscriber get a look at the page [before it disappeared]?
That website was running on the stolen Sidekick, you insensitive clod!
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:5, Informative)
--
http://www.evanwashere.com/StolenSidekick/ [evanwashere.com]
June 6th, 2006: The people in the pictures below have my friend's T-Mobile Sidekick. Instead of doing the honorable thing when finding someone's phone in a taxi, they instead kept it.
I have found 8 cell phones in the last couple years in taxis. EVERY single one I have contacted the owner (by leaving a message on their voice mail or by answering their phone and telling their friends that I have the phone) and returned it promptly. When people have found my phone, they have also in turn returned it.
When my friend realized that she had left the Sidekick in the taxi she asked me to immediately send a message to the phone saying that we would give a reward for the phone. There was no response. After a day of waiting, she had to go to the store and spend over $300 on a new Sidekick. When she put her SIM card in, she saw that the person(s) that had taken the phone had not only signed on to AOL leaving their name and password in the phone, but they had taken pictures of themselves.
I immediately contacted the AOL name: Sashacristal8905 and requested that the Sidekick be returned. I was immediately told that my "white ass" didn't deserve it back. That she was not a "white bitch" (my friend who is a blonde white girl had pics on the phone this person had obviously seen) stupid enough to return a phone she found. After lots of threats, she said she and her boy would wait for me at:
Sashacristal8905: i got ball this is my adress 108 20 37 av corona come n do it iam give u the sidekick so I can hit you wit it
So, anyways..this is my story. If you happen to know these people in the picture please let me know at: stolensidekick@gmail.com I am not going to go to the address posted above, because a.) Not going to waste my time going to a probable fake address b.) If it is real, there will be a physical altercation and I would probably wind up arrested which would do no good to anyone. I'd rather just embarrass the thief as much as possible. Teach them a lesson on the etiquette of returning peoples lost belongings.
UPDATE #1: Thanx to some cyberwork of friends, found out they have a Myspace acct: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us er.viewprofile&friendID=78722066 [myspace.com]
UPDATE #2: Some people are asking how we have their pics and AOL name. The way a Sidekick works, is that when you use it, all the data on it get's uploaded automatically to the T-Mobile server. So pictures you have taken, AOL names and passwords u have used, etc are all on the server. So when my friend turned on her new Sidekick and put her new SIM card in, all the data downloaded on to her phone. And that's how we have everything.
Some people also suggested this may be a ploy of some kind. If you notice, there are NO ads on this website. There are NO outside links besides the one to their MySpace page. I am only doing this to bring embarrassment to people who have no moral value in this world.
UPDATE #3: More questions answered. My friend left her Sidekick II in a taxi inManhattan (where we live). The person(s) that took it live in Corona Queens which is part of NYC. As for contacting the police, a NYPD officer has contacted me already (he found this link on a blog) and informed me how to handle this situation. My friend and I will stop by a police station tomorrow with the receipt and serial. Another friend at T-Mobile has already gotten us the records we need to prove that these people took the phone as well as the numbers that they called with it. Right now, I am more concerned about spreading this story. I want people to realize that what goes around, comes around. If you find a phone in a taxi or elsewhere.. it is NOT yours.. return it....and when u lose an item, then the same will happen for u.
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:4, Insightful)
The whole thing is a giant internet pissing contest. Initially it was funny, and I hope the guy gets his sidekick back, but at the same time there's a whole lot of internet lawyering going on there that's pretty childish. The back and forth between the owner and the people that have the sidekick has gone on for about a day too long. It was funny to see the theives act like idiots, it was funny to see the owner thump them. But now it's down to a guy arguing with idiots and getting beaten by experience. The guy needs to realize that nothing he says is going make these folks magically wake up and say "OMFG, I was so wrong. Here's your phone back, sorry for the trouble. Peace be with you."
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:2)
He gave them their chance...now just let the authorities deal with it.
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:5, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Informative)
once they used the phone in a manner the owner wouldn't approve of (ie not used in a attempt to return it) they were then commiting a crime of theft.
The actus reus of theft is usually defined as an unauthorised taking, keeping or using of another's property which must be accompanied by a mens rea of dishonesty and/or the intent to permanently deprive the owner or the person with rightful possession of that property or its use.
some of the above comment
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Insightful)
If you believe they bought it off the cabbie then again, back to the first line. The owner has come forward, can prove the phone is his, and wants it back. The cab driver is guilty of selling stolen goods.
Most cabs I've taken don't h
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Informative)
They found a phone and got an SMS from a third party advising them that there was a reward for its return. Then they got a message via AOL asking for
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:3, Informative)
You obviously didn't peruse the rest of the guy's site.
"V for Vigilante" or "Finders Keepers" (Score:2)
I have a few random thoughts, but don't take these too seriously, because really, I don't care. From Evan's bio on the site: "I have no shame in my game." Granted, he did stop short of posting pictures of the lady's baby, but I'm not a big fan of vigilante justice. Couple the first statement with the utterly lame flash intro, the javascript disabling of the right-click menu, and the fact his website is written in ancient HTML 3.2, and I th
Re:Slashdotted already (Score:2)
Re:one question on this (Score:3, Informative)
Re:one question on this (Score:5, Insightful)
If the person who finds it uses the service that they're not authorized to use, I would imagine that counts for something in the realm of stealing.
Say you find a wallet full of cash. I'm not sure of the legality of keeping it for yourself, and it's a jerky thing to do anyway , but it's definitely illegal to try to use the credit cards that you're not authorized to use. Using their phone service without permission is probably similar.
Re:one question on this (Score:2)
Judging by the dude's webpage and the response from NYPD I'd say that's the case in the US as well.
Re:one question on this (Score:5, Interesting)
They're scum for not returning it. They're idiots for not returning it when a reward was offered.
Re:Stealing how? (Score:2)
For once common sense and the law align. The phone is stolen. And the person who took it is still a dick.
-h-
Re:Stealing how? (Score:2)
Re:Stealing how? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Stealing how? (Score:3, Insightful)
If the above story actually happened, you could start your career as an amateur lawyer.
Re:Stealing how? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry but have a phone fall out of your purse or your pocket is an accident. Keeping one that you know isn't yours is theft.
Re:Stealing how? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Reading 101? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Go ahead, knock yourself out. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Something doesn't make sense... (Score:3, Informative)
"Some people are asking how we have their pics and AOL name. The way a Sidekick works, is that when you use it, all the data on it get's uploaded automatically to the T-Mobile server. So pictures you have taken, AOL names and passwords u have used, etc are all on the server. So when my friend turned on her new Sidekick and put her new SIM card in, all the data downloaded on to her phone. And tha
Re:Deliberate "Shaming" Should Be Illegal (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe you should learn about things before talking about them, both of those respect the robots.txt file and the later has a manual removal page
Story is still plausible (Score:3, Informative)
Well, on my phone there is the option of storing information in three places and IIRC you can set the default location as well. Those three places are:
1) Phone's internal memory
2) SIM Card
3) "My Online Album"
I think another poster here (and I think the author of the "revenge page") explained as much. The wireless service provider has central storage servers for its subscribers (given they pay the approriate f